If you are part of a two- (or more-) income household with kids, working a career-building job and have interests outside the home, a housecleaning service isn't a luxury.

Perhaps housecleaning just isn't your "thing," or you procrastinated spring cleaning. Maybe you just don't have enough elbow grease to put the sparkle back into your home.

Hiring a company to do the dirty work can give you the time (which is money) off to pursue other tasks, to put your feet up or to simply not tax your back.

But finding good help isn't easy, according to an extensive report, "Need A Neater Nest? Housecleaning Help" from Consumers' Checkbook, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer services rating service of the Center for the Study of Services.

You may just reconsider hauling the old bucket and mop out yourself.

The independent rater examined dozens of housecleaning operations in each of seven metropolitan regions. The ratings are based on surveys of both Consumer Reports (of the Consumers Union fame) and Checkbook's own subscribers, interviewed by mail and the Internet.

Only 12 of 68 firms in the Washington, D.C. sample area received Checkbook's top rating for quality. In the San Francisco Bay Area the same was true for only nine of 35 companies, according to Checkbook.

Checkbook also provides reports for Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN-WI region; Philadelphia, PA; and the Puget Sound area in Washington state.

When it came to pricing, a wide range for services also makes choosing a housecleaning company difficult.

In the Washington, D.C. area, the cost of cleaning a two-story house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms once a week cost an average $86, but ranged from a low of $55 and a high of $132 -- more than twice the low. For the same once-a-week service on a condo with two bedrooms and two bathrooms the fee averaged $79, with a range from $55 to $132 dollars.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, cleaning the same sized house for the same period cost from $65 to $180 (again more than twice as much) and averaged $91. The condo cost an average $95 to clean with a range from $62 to $180, Checkbook reported.

To take some of the drudgery out of choosing a housecleaning company Checkbook offers an extensive dissertation on hiring a housecleaning company.

"You’ll want to be cautious when hiring a housecleaning service. We’ve received from our readers quite a bit of negative feedback on these firms. Most complaints stemmed from work not being completed thoroughly and breakage of items," the report advises.

Here are some sample tips.

• First determine what you need cleaned and how often. That could narrow your choices. Virtually all firms dust, vacuum, empty trash, mop floors, and clean kitchen and bathroom fixtures. Most will not shampoo carpets, clean exterior windows, or do the laundry. Also determine how frequently you'll need the service and expect to pay more per visit for less frequent visits. Some offer only weekly or bi-weekly visits.

• Get phone estimates for quick comparisons, but be as detailed as possible in the work you need done. An in-home estimate may be necessary for a more detailed analysis or special work. When getting an in-home estimate be certain you've advised the service its visit is only for an estimate. Otherwise a crew may come prepared to start cleaning.

  "Be certain a description of the work you want done (and the price) is spelled out on paper and signed by the estimator," Checkbook advises.

• Demand the company reveal proof of general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. A fidelity bond for housecleaning services protects the company from theft by its employees, not you. You still have to collect from the company or the employee if you are victimized. Before a firm arrives remove valuables and the temptation that comes with them, Checkbook says.

• Stay home during the first several visits. Supervise sensibly. Wait until an area or room is complete, inspect it and bring problems to the attention of the cleaner before he or she leaves. Also make a final inspection before the service provider departs.

Supervision lets them know what you expect.

Beyond Checkbook's tips, also consider starting your price comparisons with companies referred to you by those you trust who have also used that service, but keep in mind a different crew may show up to do your dirty work.

"It's a good idea to find out whether the company will generally send the same staff for each visit," says Robert Krughoff, Checkbook's president. "Housecleaning is a very personal service and it helps to talk with the workers about your preferences and foibles so they can be sure to do what you want."

Published: July 30, 2007

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.