What you need to know about hiring a professional house cleaning service in Malaysia

Hiring a house cleaning service can definitely take the weight off your shoulder. Here we detail everything that you need to know about getting a cleaner or a part-time maid to clean your abode. 

If you’re used to doing all the spring cleaning and house chores, then you’ll know how laborious it is to maintain a house. To help keep your life (and sanity) together, sometimes all you need to do is ask for help. There’s no shame in hiring a cleaner (or pembantu rumah harian as it’s known in Malay) or a part-time maid to keep the house in order so you can prioritise other important matters (or even when you simply need to rest and recharge). 

After all, having extra help will not only keep your house clean, but it can also ease your burden. But before you get all excited and start browsing for a potential part-time maid service or house cleaning service from Kaotim Malaysia, Maideasy or MaClean, there are a few things you should take note of. Let’s take a look. 

Fun fact: Do you know what the male version of a maid is called? There are a few terms you can use, namely butler, servant, valet, steward or a manservant.

What is included in cleaning services? 

You might wonder why you should hire a cleaner or a maid when you can do it on your own. Aside from relieving yourself from working on these mundane chores, these professional cleaning services offer a lot of work besides sweeping the floor. Here’s what you can expect from a typical house cleaning service: 

• Vacuuming 
• Sweeping and mopping 
• Emptying the trash
• Dusting
• Cleaning kitchen appliance surfaces, countertops and kitchen cabinets
• Cleaning door handles and light fixtures
• Cleaning the toilet, sink, bathtub and/or shower
• Cleaning the window

*The part-time cleaner or maid will be cleaning all the rooms, including the living room, bedroom, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, balcony and front porch. 

Some may offer additional services like cleaning and changing the linens, mattress cleaning, ironing services, doing the dishes, cleaning the laundry and disinfection services but usually, these come with additional costs. For deep cleaning services, contact the cleaning company to get a quote from them. 

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How much does it cost to get your house professionally cleaned?

The price range depends on the duration and the size of your house. The longer the cleaning takes, the more costly it’ll get. According to recommend.my, a house cleaning service will cost you from RM66 to RM1,427. Check out the break down of home residential cleaning below: 

* Note: this is just an estimated figure as each house cleaning company set their own price. You should always call and check the price before you make any decision. 

Is hiring a cleaning service worth it? 

To hire a cleaning service or not to hire a cleaning service – that is the question that most homeowners ask. On the one hand, you get the luxury of spending those extra hours – that you used to spend cleaning – doing something more productive. On the other hand, do you really need to spend the extra money on something that you can do on your own? 

Think of it this way, hiring a cleaner in Malaysia costs you money but you will definitely gain a lot more in return. Imagine coming home to a clean house every day – that’s the kind of peace of mind we all want to have at the end of the day. Besides, by paying someone to clean the house, you’ll have more time prioritising other important matters. 

Here are some benefits you get from hiring a cleaner: 

1. Your house will be cleaned thoroughly 

The thing about handling housework is that you’ll always see it as a chore, so you tend to rush through it and end up not doing a good enough job to keep the dirt off the surface. What’s more, the hours you spend cleaning the toilet can probably be done by professional cleaners in half an hour or less, being as practised as they are. When you hire a professional, you can be sure that they will never rush through the job. If they do, you can either give them another chance or switch to another cleaning company. 

2. You get more free time 

Ask any homeowner why they hire a cleaning service instead of doing the cleaning themselves and 9/10 of them would tell you that they want more free time for themselves. Cleaning a house takes time. By the time you’re done, you’ll realise that you’re too tired to do anything else and just want to retire to your bedroom. Instead of that, you can hire a cleaner to tackle all the cleaning tasks so you can do things that matter to you. 

3. They know the proper cleaning procedures

With so many different surfaces and materials you have at home, you can’t just be using baking soda and vinegar to clean (even though they’re effective in tackling most dirt and grimes). And if you use the wrong cleaning solution, your precious countertop stone will be ruined forever. This is where the pros come in. They would have the knowledge of what supplies to use on what surfaces and make sure that everything is cleaned before they leave the house. 

4. Your house will be free from mould

It’s easy for a house (especially the bathroom) to get infected by mould if you are diligent in keeping the area clean and dry. Chances are, you don’t always have the time to deep clean your toilets and bathrooms, which is why it’s better to hire a professional to get the job done so you don’t have to fork out more money to handle the mould issue in the future. 

Read more: How to remove mould and mildew once and for all

5. They have better cleaning supplies

Most cleaning companies are fully equipped with the best cleaning materials and supplies in the market so that they can deliver high-quality service to their customers. They’ll probably have a wider range of tools and cleaning solutions – as compared to what you have at home – for every job. 

What can a cleaner do in 2 hours? 

A basic house cleaning job takes roughly 2 hours to complete – that is if the size of the house is not too big – which is why most cleaning companies offer either a 2-hour or a 4-hour (for those who live in bigger houses) package for their residential customers. So what can a cleaner do in a mere two-hour window? Let’s take a look at some of the most basic cleaning packages available in the market. 

Living room: 

• Dust and wipe all surfaces
• Organise furniture 
• Vacuum or sweep floors
• Mop floors
• Take out the rubbish 

Bedroom: 

• Make the bed
• Organise furniture
• Dust and wipe all surfaces
• Vacuum/sweep floors
• Mop floors
• Take out rubbish

Kitchen: 

• Wipe all surfaces, including sinks, countertops, cabinets and appliances
• Vacuum/sweep floors
• Mop floors
• Take out the trash

Bathroom: 

• Wipe all surfaces, including mirrors, showers, baths, shower doors, counters and cabinets
• Scrub toilet bowls and sinks
• Mop floors
• Take out the trash

Keep in mind basic house cleaning services usually will not include things like carpet cleaning.

Read more: How to remove every type of carpet stain

How often should a maid clean your house? 

There’s no hard-and-fast rule to this. Some people prefer to have their house cleaned once a week, while there are some who prefer to have a part-time maid to clean the house twice a week. 

However, most people prefer to have it done once a week because of convenience, and besides, if you don’t own a big house, you can probably manage to do minor cleaning on your own. But whatever it is, it’s important to communicate with your cleaning service provider about your wants and needs so that they can provide better service. 

What is the best day of the week to have your house cleaned?

Just as the matter of how often you should have your house cleaned, there’s no one correct answer to this. Depending on your family’s schedule, you might want to get your house cleaned during the weekend if your family’s not available during the weekdays. If someone in your family works from home full time, then you might want to get them to come over during one of the weekdays as weekends are usually packed with busy schedules. Talk to your family and come up with a schedule that everyone is comfortable with and stick with it. 

Should you clean before a cleaner comes?

While it may seem like it’s defeating the purpose of hiring a cleaner, tidying up your house before the cleaner comes will make everything go smoother and more efficiently. Remember, the cleaner is here to clean the house, not organise it. They are not responsible for keeping your room clutter-free. So if you have toys or items scattered around the house, just pick them up before the cleaner comes. For fragile items that you don’t want the cleaners to touch, place them somewhere out of reach so they don’t spoil them or break them by accident. 

How do I prepare for a cleaning service?

Sure, hiring a cleaner is one easy way to free yourself from doing house chores, but preparation is key if you want your cleaners to be efficient. Here we share what to do before your cleaner arrives. 

• Tidy up the house and pick up any items that are laying around.
• Keep important items such as documents in a safe place to avoid the cleaners misplacing it. 
• Secure your valuables – this is important if the cleaners are new and you haven’t established a level of trust with them yet. 
• Prepare all the cleaning tools and supplies if the cleaning company that you hired does not provide any of those. 
• Keep your kids and pets away so that the cleaners can work more efficiently. 
• Don’t forget to give feedback as this will help your cleaners understand what to take note of the next time they clean your house. 

Read more: How to use baking soda to clean your home

Do cleaners bring their own supplies?

It really depends on the cleaning service you use. Some cleaning companies do bring their own cleaning tools, cleaning solutions and machinery to your home because they may have their own specialised tools and equipment that they use. That said, there are also some that don’t supply cleaning tools. If you’ve employed them, prepare your own tools so they don’t look lost when they arrive. It’s always important to check with the company before you get things started. 

What do I need to know before hiring a cleaning service?

Hiring a cleaning service can help reduce some burden, but only if you get the right one. Just like an employer of a company, it’s important to get someone who’s not only good at their job but also trustworthy. Here are some handy tips for you to take note of when hiring a cleaning service company in Malaysia. 

• Determine if you want to hire an independent worker or someone from a cleaning company.
• Ask for referrals from your friends and family. It’s always better to hire a cleaner who has worked with a person you know. 
• Interview the candidate, check their references and work history. 
• Decide the type of cleaning packages you want to go for – weekly package, monthly package or negotiate something else that works for you. 
• Clarify the type of tasks you want the cleaners to work on. 
• Create expectations of what you want from the cleaners.
• Set boundaries about what they can and cannot do while they’re in your house. 

What is the difference between a housekeeper and a cleaning lady?

Cleaners, housekeepers, cleaning ladies, maids – they all sound the same. We’ve even used all of them interchangeably. Little did we know that they actually mean different things. Let’s take a look at two of the most used terms in Malaysia: Housekeeper and cleaning lady. 

Historically speaking, housekeepers are people who live in their employers’ homes and take care of the house. They do this by supervising a team of servants and cleaners, and yes, it’s very much like Mrs Hughes’ job from Downton Abbey. Today, we rarely see that kind of practice anymore. Instead, the housekeeping service is similar to cleaning and tidying up the home to the point where people get confused with both the terms. 

Fun fact: Did you know that housekeeping in Malay means pengemasan rumah? 

And then there’s the cleaning lady. The primary scope of their job is, as the name suggests, to clean. They don’t tidy up or organise your home, just clean. They’ll usually bring their own cleaning supplies (unless stated otherwise by the company) to your house and ensure every surface is cleaned before they head out. 

In a nutshell, a housekeeper typically tidies up the house and handles light cleaning jobs, while a cleaning lady is hired to clean the house. 

Do housekeepers do laundry? 

As mentioned above, a housekeeper’s job is to keep the house spick and span while doing some light cleaning. Some of the common tasks include sweeping, mopping, making the bed, changing bed sheets, dusting, washing dishes and doing the laundry. So yes, it’s part of the housekeeper’s job to do the laundry (unless it’s stated otherwise by the housekeeper or the company). 

There are more pros than cons when it comes to hiring a house cleaning service to take care of the house. If you’re looking for one, instead of googling “house cleaning service near me”, take a look at our list instead, where we list down all the best cleaning services in KL, Penang, Melaka and Johor Bahru. 

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