Carpet Cleaning
With rugs and carpets, Janus says anything more than basic vacuuming isn’t something her company does.
“Carpet cleaning is a specialty service that requires special equipment, tools, and training, and clients are not going to get the results they want/need from the products and tools we carry,” explains Janus. “We will spot clean a carpet for a spill or something of that nature if the client specially requests it and provides the cleaner they want to be used.”
Bodily Fluids
It might be gross to think about, but someone needs to clean up bodily fluids if an accident happens, whether it’s blood or anything else.
“We do clean/scrub bathrooms top to bottom, including toilets, but basically anything at the level that would be considered a health hazard we cannot clean, for obvious reasons,” says Janus. “That includes pet waste/accidents. Our cleaners’ protective gear is not medical grade and they do not have the tools or cleaners for that level of cleaning.”
Limited Edition or Expensive Books
Expensive and limited edition books require expert knowledge on how to clean and care for the covers and pages. Many items need to be cleaned in a certain way.
According to the experts at Top Cleaners in London, England, “there is no guarantee your regular domestic cleaners have the necessary knowledge or tools. Some items need to be handled by a professional. This is the case with old books or expensive art. The simple act of dusting can damage the leather cover of a book. People who own these sorts of items must provide the cleaning company with a list of valuables. This way, the cleaners can inform the potential customer what is out of their scope.”
Large Amounts of Mold
“We all get the pink mold in our toilets here and there, but black mold that is throughout the home, like ceilings, etc. is a different issue,” says Silva-Nash. “Again, we don’t have the equipment to safely remove it.
Removing mold also depends on which country you’re in. Professional house cleaners aren’t allowed to clean a variety of things, many of which “depend on what the customer wants, what certificates the cleaning company has, and what are the regulations in a particular country,” explains Top Cleaners. “For example, in the United Kingdom, regular professional cleaners need to be licensed to remove mold. They are not allowed to use bleach or strong solvents otherwise.”
Extreme Cleaning
When professional cleaners say extreme cleaning, they mean extreme cleaning. Think of natural disasters and removing debris and traces from a flood or a fire.
The experts from Top Cleaners add that “basically, house cleaners are allowed to deal with standard stains and issues. Therefore, if you are looking for a specific service, like extreme cleaning, you can’t expect that your regular domestic cleaners can perform it.” Natural disasters can happen at any time, but thankfully there are good people in the world who can help.
Acknowledging Strengths
Professional house cleaners are professionals for a reason. However, when it comes to certain items, it might be best to leave it to, well, other professionals who are adept in their respective fields.
“We focus on what we are really good at doing — house cleaning,” says Silva-Nash. “We focus on the baseboards, blinds, ceiling fans (with an extendable high duster), making beds, taking the trash out, and leaving the bathrooms and kitchen sparkling! We are the pros at that – and we recognize when something isn’t our strength and we should leave it to the professionals in those fields.”
High, Hard-to-Reach Areas
If you think hiring professional cleaners to clean areas that you can’t reach like chandeliers, tops of cabinets and high windows is a good solution, you might need to rethink that plan.
“We will do as far as we can with a two-step stool like most professional house cleaners, however our insurance does limit us to that tool,” says Silva-Nash. “Our teams are not trained to deal with larger ladders and does restrict our movement.”
Antiques and Specialty Items
Would you trust the professionals to clean the antique couch you inherited from your grandparents, or would you rather learn how to clean it yourself? Janus tells her employees not to clean antiques, specialty items, jewelry or anything breakable.
“Most of those things require training, special equipment/tools, and run a high likelihood of damage,” she says. “Items like those things are best left to cleaning services that specialize in cleaning and restoration of those items.”