You crawl from your car ragged and weary and open the door to the aroma of lemon-scented furniture polish, shining floors and freshly vacuumed carpeting.
The furniture is dusted and the magazines are straight. The gunk is gone from the top of the stove.
This celestial vision could be your home if you're willing to pay a price. Home cleaners are available and surprisingly affordable, according to cleaning professionals. The average three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home costs about $75 to clean if it's in reasonably good shape.
Whether to hire a cleaning company or the neighbor down the street is a personal decision.
Professional services typically provide employees who arrive in marked vehicles and dress in uniforms. They are usually insured, bonded and have passed criminal background checks. They may also provide equipment and supplies, depending on the service. Often they work in teams of two.
If you hire an independent cleaner, it's up to you to check their background, references and driving records, if you want them to run errands.
After you decide whether to hire a service or an independent, determine just what you want them to clean.
Do you want the whole house done, or just part of it? Do you want the house cleaned once a week or once a month? Are you willing to pay for extras like gardening, cleaning the basement or washing windows? Who will provide supplies and equipment? Will you provide the cleaner with a key or leave the door unlocked to allow access to your home?
The average price for a two-person crew is $95 to clean a three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bathroom home, Vera said. Most homes are cleaned every other week.
"There is no typical customer,"she said. "We have bachelors and bachelorettes, working families, retired couples and mothers who are at home."
All of Vera’s employees are bonded against theft, insured so that injuries are covered by the company and have passed criminal background checks, she said.
Hiring a cleaner starts with an estimate. Typically, the cleaner inspects the house and sizes up the job, looking for problems like excessive clutter, lots of pets or other cleaning problems, professionals say.
"We must make sure the house is sanitary,"Vera said. "We have turned down houses that are too cluttered. If the countertops are covered with debris, they must be cleaned up to do the job."
Deanna Pavicic of Coral Springs works for Vera’s with her partner, Cindy Diaz. As the franchise's No. 1 team, the two women clean about 25 houses a week.
Pavicic said smart home owners treat their cleaning crews with care. She advises them to be friendly, let the crew know when they've done a good job and crate pets that may pose a threat.
"I clean as if it's my own home," she said. "I want someone to come home and relax in a very nice clean home."
Private contractors say they, too, appreciate home owners who respect their ability and are considerate of their time constraints and safety.
Tina Meade of West Palm Beach works cooperatively at cleaning houses with her sister-in-law, Dixie Kingsbury . Meade has cleaned everything from a home belonging to a millionaire, where she ironed pajamas and buffed marble floors, to student rental housing near the campus, where she scraped gunk off bathtubs with a paint scraper.
Meade charges $20 an hour, with a minimum of 3 hours. For $60, she will perform chores including cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, mopping or vacuuming floors, dusting, cleaning mirrors -- but not windows -- making beds and putting dirty clothes in the laundry room.
"I've done the dirtiest and the cleanest houses," Meade said. "I'll do gardening or grocery shopping for an extra charge."
Terry Milner of Boca Raton has been cleaning houses for 20 years. These days, she averages about seven homes a week.. Her prices range from $65 to $140 per cleaning, depending on the size of the home and how far she has to travel, she said.
Over the years, Milner, who gets a lot of business from referrals from Vera de Assumpcao cleaning Services of Vero Beach, has learned which products work best and how to handle problems like demanding customers and pets. She prefers to work for nonsmoking clients.
"Some people leave a list of things to do, like wipe down the refrigerator and cupboards," Milner said. "They expect all this extra work. I tell them: 'Don't ask for extras unless you're willing to pay for it.' "
But Milner can also be like your fairy godmother. She helps older, long-term clients with chores like making beds and laundry for no extra charge.
"If I feel like I'm appreciated, I will do more," she said said.
