Cleaning Services FAQs

Tips are not expected but are very much appreciated by our cleaners. Many clients tip at the end of each cleaning or at the end of the year. You can also add tips to the check or credit card you use as payment.

Yes! We clean offices and light industrial work areas. What sets us apart is that we are able to perform these cleanings either during the day or at night or weekends. Most commercial cleaning companies can only work nights or weekends. See our section on office cleaning.

Many prospective customers request a quotation be given over the phone. If the home or office is under 2000 square feet or if the service requested is for a Move In/Out cleaning we can generally give an estimate over the phone. However, for larger sized home or offices, there are simply too many variables and we highly prefer coming out for a quick in-home consultation. The consultation is completely free, and there is never any obligation or pressure to use our services. Once a consultation has been completed, a formal quotation will be sent to you, usually the same day via email. This will give you an opportunity to consider our services privately.

For your convenience, we accept payment in several forms and methods:

Credit Card – This is our preferred method of payment. We accept all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Your credit card information is secured with the latest encryption methodologies and can only be charged if service is rendered. If you cancel a cleaning session you will not be charged.

Check – Feel free to leave a check, payable to The Organic Maids, for the cleaners to pick up each time service is rendered.

Cash – In very rare instances we will accept cash. However, as a general rule, we do not accept cash as it can be complicated to manage. Moreover, we prefer all payments to be easily traceable and trackable.

Absolutely not. In fact, the vast majority of our clients are not home when we clean. Of course, if you would like to be home that is also perfectly fine with us as well!

With cleaning services for over 500 clients in the Charlotte area, the vast majority of our clients are not present when the cleaners clean. There are four ways the cleaners can gain access to your home or office.

1. Client gives us a key. About 70 clients have given us a key to their home or office. Each key is tagged with a unique identification number (with no name or address) and is stored in a locked safe inside our office. Only the managers and the owner have the master list indicating which key belongs to which client. The key is given to the cleaners during the morning of the service day.

2. Client gives us a code to the garage door or other door. In many cases our clients have a keypad that opens the garage door or another door in the house or office. When feasible, this is our preferred method of entering a home.

3. Client leaves a key under the mat or somewhere else. In many cases the client will leave a key under a mat or somewhere else for the cleaners to find. This has a couple of disadvantages. First, clients sometimes forget to leave the key, in which case the cleaners are locked out. Second, leaving a key outside your home is a security risk for you.

4. Client leaves the door open. Many clients will also leave their door, either the front door or back door open for the cleaners to enter. We also do not prefer this method because it does leave your home unsecured for the time the cleaners are not in your home.

At The Organic Maids, we strive to be among the best cleaning companies in Charlotte. We take the security of your home or office very seriously and only hire the most trustworthy employees. Please read our section on how we hire employees for more information.

Many new clients are curious to know about our employees, who we hire and how we screen them for employment. At The Organic Maids we take great pride in providing clients with the creme de la creme of employees who not only are great cleaners but have a passion for cleaning.

Our process for hiring, training and retaining employees is very comprehensive and unique to any other cleaning company in Charlotte, NC. It all starts with a highly detailed job description in which expectations and qualifications are explicitly outlined. This in of itself filters out many unqualified candidates. Each candidate that responds goes through a 20 minute phone screening process to ensure they have the basic qualifications. These qualifications include:

• Prior cleaning experience
• Clean criminal background and is eligible to legally work in the US
• Clean driving record
• Will pass a drug test
• Fluency in English, etc

Candidates that pass the phone screening process are then invited for a face to face interview in which one manager conducts the interview and another observes. This process can take up to an hour during which the interviewer asks a minimum of 20 questions and goes through a number of case scenarios, to see and observe how the candidate responds. We also evaluate the cleaner’s ability to work in different cleaning roles such as office cleaning or new construction cleaning. Upon completion of the interview, the managers get together and discuss the candidate’s background.

If all are in agreement that the candidate is someone we would like to try, then a comprehensive background check is initiated. This background check includes:

• A nation-wide criminal history search (most companies only search at a state level)
• A nation-wide sex offender background check
• A search on the candidate’s driving record
• A drug screening test and
• A verification that the candidate is authorized to work in United States.

The candidate is only allowed to start working with our company if they pass each and every one of the above checks.

If accepted, the candidate is then brought in for a training period that lasts several weeks. The first 5 days consists of intensive training during which the new employee is evaluated on work ethic, motivation, ability to clean, positive attitude and willingness to learn and accept feedback. During the subsequent weeks, the new employee is closely monitored with work being checked in-depth. We also solicit feedback from clients who will also evaluate the new employee and enable us to target specific areas that may need additional training.

We believe that our process for hiring and training is one of the most comprehensive of all cleaning companies in Charlotte. For every 28 candidates that respond to our job posting only one will be able to pass through all of the above steps successfully and become a full time employee.

We closely monitor COVID-19 and other pandemic-type events and are following all CDC guidelines to minimize the risk to you or to our cleaners. This includes.

1. No fever or illness (coughs, colds etc) policy – since opening our business in 2012, we have had a standard policy no cleaners may NOT enter a client’s home or office should they feel unwell.  This policy remains in-force and we are checking with each cleaner multiple times per day to make sure they are healthy.  For the safety of our cleaners, we are asking all clients to let us know immediately should you or a family member feel unwell.  We will gladly reschedule your appointment.

2. Hand and Equipment Sanitizing. Our employees are taking extra hygiene steps as they enter and leave homes. These steps include sanitizing hands and wiping down equipment with a disinfectant before entering your home.

3. 100% Microfiber. We use 100% microfiber cloths which remove 99.9% of bacteria and viruses when used in combination with professional cleaning products. All cloths are cleaned and sanitized and never used in more than one house.

4. Cleaning cloths and mop pads– Our standard policy is to separate used and unused cloths/mop pads in separate bags.  Cleaners are not allowed to bring dirty cloths into a client’s home.  Our cloths are all washed with scalding hot water and bleach.  Should you feel more comfortable having the cleaners use your own cleaning cloths, we would be glad to sell you a supply of new cleaning cloths that you would keep in your home and wash.  

5. Social Distancing. We ask that our maids be given 6 feet of social space while cleaning.

6. Wearing gloves and masks. As the pandemic has subsided, our requirement to wear masks and gloves has become optional.  Most cleaners do wear gloves.  If you would like the cleaner to also wear a mask, please let us know and we will absolutely accommodate your request.