Elite Pro Home Cleaning has been cleaning homes and offices in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties for more than 20 years. The company offers weekly, biweekly, monthly and one-time cleanings for its customers’ convenience.
“From scrubbing mold out of showers to wiping layers of dust off of bookshelves, we want to do our part to keep each customer’s home or office clean,” says owner Josh Young. “There’s no need to shop for cleaning supplies, towels or sponges—we’ll bring everything necessary to make their home sparkle and shine. Also, they don’t need to worry about harmful chemicals kicking up allergies or bothering their pets because we use Green Seal Certified cleaning products that are safe and effective.”
Elite Pro Home Cleaning’s cleaners are wives, mothers and grandmothers who are working to support their families. “Cleaning is what they do for a living, so they take pride in treating each customer’s home like their own,” says founder and owner Jennifer Young. “The majority of our staff has been part of the Elite Pro family ranging from seven to 15-plus years.”
Elite Pro Home Cleaning takes pride in building win-win, long-term relationships with both customers and employees. “Our company longevity and customer and employee loyalty are true testaments to the service we provide,” says Josh.
“Our mission is to continually raise the bar in the home cleaning industry, and we accomplish that by providing the highest levels of quality in both cleaning and customer service. We proudly stand by our work–if a client isn't happy with their cleaning job, we'll do everything we can to make it right.”
If you hire a professional house cleaner, don’t be surprised if your initial services are “priced up.”
When a cleaning company “prices up” its services, it essentially means a client’s first two cleanings cost more than the company’s regular service fee. According to Josh Young, co-owner of Elite Pro Home Cleaning in Redwood City, this is because initial cleanings consist of bringing homes up to maintenance level, which entails a more thorough, focused cleaning than is needed for normal service. “Bringing a home up to maintenance level allows a company to perform subsequent cleanings with greater efficiency,” he says.
While this may seem reasonable to someone who is hiring a cleaning service for the first time, people who’ve recently switched from another cleaning company may not think their home requires extra cleaning. However, as Mr. Young explains, even if a homeowner has received prior service from another company, a rigorous initial cleaning may still be needed. “Different companies have different approaches to maintenance,” he says. “Even if a house has been professionally cleaned for years, a different cleaning team may come in and find things that were neglected or done improperly.”
To tip or not to tip?
A common point of confusion for homeowners is whether it’s appropriate to give tips to their house cleaners. According to Elite Pro Home Cleaning co-owner Jennifer Young, homeowners should treat house cleaning like any other service. “If you go to a restaurant, you usually tip your waiter, and this is no different,” she says. “The price of a home cleaning service doesn’t include any kind of gratuity, so homeowners are encouraged to tip their house cleaners. However, it’s entirely up to them whether they choose to do so.”
Whether you make it a habit to tip regularly or not, Mrs. Young says some form of additional compensation is especially encouraged during the holiday season. “The holidays are a very big time for cleaners. Many of their clients will even leave them cards or gifts.” For those who don’t regularly tip their house cleaners, the holiday season offers an opportunity to show appreciation for a year’s worth of work. “Even if you don’t tip on every clean, you can tip at the end of the year and it will be equally appreciated.”
Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it's even more important for house cleaning companies that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Elite Pro Home Cleaning, the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is simple: emphasize clear communication and responsive service on every job, regardless of the size. "We feel it's crucial to keep an open line of communication with our customers and welcome any feedback they may have," says co-owner Jennifer Young. "By being responsive to their individual needs, we're able to ensure their satisfaction and foster long-term relationships."
Elite Pro Home Cleaning has been providing residential and commercial cleaning services for clients in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties since 2003. The company offers weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and one-time cleanings for its customers' convenience, and its services include everything from general kitchen, bathroom and living area cleanings to detail-oriented work like hand wiping baseboards and edging carpet.
Unlike less experienced house cleaning companies that take a "one size fits all" approach to cleaning, Elite Pro Home Cleaning takes a systematic approach that ensures consistency and accuracy. "Our employees follow a specific system to maximize efficiency and maintain quality," confirms co-owner Josh Young. "By following the same system every time, we're able to produce high-quality results, and if we do miss something, our customers can call us and we'll come take care of it at no charge."
To further differentiate itself from its competition, Elite Pro Home Cleaning uses Green Seal Certified chemicals made by Ecolab and environmentally-friendly materials such as microfiber dusting cloths on every job. "Using Green, nontoxic cleaning products and materials is the best way to ensure our customers' homes and offices are safe and allergen-free," says Mr. Young. "Our goal is to continually raise the bar in the home cleaning industry, and Green cleaning is an important part of that."
