An Honest Molly Maid Review – House Cleaning Services for Busy Families
Let me start with our family’s house chores dilemma – I am a full-time working mom with two young children and a working husband. Between my work and parenting responsibilities, the house cleaning is usually pushed to side out of pure necessity and lack of time. Especially when we are talking about the bathrooms, the floors and surfaces around the house.
I would like to state for the record that I am not a particularly messy person, and I much prefer to live in a very neat and tidy house. But the reality is that I cannot manage it all by myself without some occasional professional help from a cleaning service.
All About Molly Maid As a Company
Molly Maid is a national franchised cleaning service with locally owned franchises all over the USA. They have been in business for 20 years, and are owned by the Neighborly company (who also owns familiar home services brands like Mr. Rooter and Mr. Handyman). Molly Maid has built a reputation for being a trusted and reliable cleaning service for homeowners and business owners.
My Motivation for Writing this Molly Maid Review
I personally wanted to put the Molly Maid services to the test and try it out for myself. I have recently heard a lot of stories about other cleaning companies being really understaffed, and therefore not providing quality and reliable cleaning services. I heard specifically that it was difficult to book a date for cleaners to come, or that even if you made an appointment, they didn’t even show up at all. Also, the quality of the cleaning was nothing to be celebrated, with cutting corners and not paying a lot of attention to details. Molly Maid had made a lot of claims that they were a superior company and these issues did not apply to them, so I wanted to see for myself.
House Cleaning vs. Small Business Commercial Cleaning
Molly Maid offers two categories of cleaning services – both for your home and if you own a small business. For business owners, this might really be a real lifesaver because you don’t have to commit to a big contracted cleaning service that could be an ongoing expense.
An Overview of Molly Maid Service Options
- Regular Housekeeping: This includes dusting, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the bathrooms and general tidying up.
- Occasional Cleaning: For those times when you need a deep clean or a one-time service before a big event.
- Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning: Comprehensive cleaning to ensure a fresh start in a new home or leaving your old home spotless.
- Customized Cleaning Plans: Tailored to meet specific needs and preferences, such as focusing on certain rooms or tasks.
What Areas of the House Need to Be Cleaned
Our pain points in the house generally tend to be the same – the bathrooms, the floors, the stovetop and dusty surfaces, baseboards and windows. I can keep up on the more daily chores like dishes, laundry and putting toys away, but anything that is more cleaning beyond surface level is really a challenge to find the time and energy to clean.
When you are looking at the specifics of your own cleaning necessities, make a list of what really needs to be tackled. Once you have a holistic look at the scope of your cleaning requirements, you can decide which type of cleaning service you need.
Does Molly Maid Do Dishes, Laundry and Organization?
The Molly Maid housecleaning services are different than a housekeeper. They are there to do the heavy lifting cleaning, but not the kinds of daily tasks that a typical in-house person would do. According to their website, they do not clean dishes, do laundry, tidy-up belongings, clean up kids toys, etc. Make sure you have all these chores already done before the Molly Maid team arrives.
Do I Need to Provide the Molly Maid Cleaners with Supplies?
The Molly Maid cleaning team will show up with all of their own cleaning supplies, including rags, buckets, cleaning solutions, vacuum, mopping supplies, etc. You will not be expected to provide them with anything.
Does Molly Maid Clean Houses on the Weekends?
Many of us are working our regular jobs between the days of Monday – Friday, and we are home on the weekends. Well unfortunately the Molly Maids team doesn’t work on the weekends either. You would have to have availability to be home with them during cleaning hours, or feel comfortable having them clean without anyone home.
Pregnancy and Postpartum – Cleaning Your House Before Baby Arrives
When I hired Molly Maid to come clean the house, I was 40 weeks pregnant (I actually went into labor that night!). I wanted to come home from the hospital to a clean and fresh home, so I planned the timing to work out accordingly. When you’re at the final stages of pregnancy, or you are postpartum after recently having a baby, the physical task of housecleaning is really difficult. Trying to bend over to clean with a giant belly is just not happening. New moms should consider outsourcing some of the housework during this challenging time of motherhood.
Booking a Cleaning with Molly Maid
The first step in the process of booking a house cleaning with Molly Maid is to request a free estimate on their website.
On the website it asks for information such as:
- Are you looking for a one-time cleaning, or a reoccurring cleaning?
- What is the square footage of your home to be cleaned?
- How many bedrooms will be cleaned?
- How many bathrooms will be cleaned?
- Best days and times for cleaners to arrive at the house?
For my free estimate, I asked for a one-time house cleaning in a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home around 1,800 square feet. The amount that came back was between $300 – $450 in fees (which really seemed like a high amount to me). I submitted the request and received an email saying that I would receive a phone call to confirm my appointment.
About 48 hours after I submitted my request for an estimate online, I received a text from a Molly Maid representative asking to confirm the day and time I selected, along with providing payment info by placing a credit card on file. I gave them a call and we went over all the details of my requested cleaning service, including any special areas of the house that I want the cleaning crew to focus on. The customer service representative was friendly and polite, and we were able to secure a day and time that worked for me.
Punctuality and Professionalism
When I scheduled my appointment, they said that I needed to give the cleaning crew a 1-hour window of time for arrival. On the day of the cleaning, they sent me a text when they were on their way to the house and arrived fairly close to the expected time. Two women dressed in official Molly Maid polos came into the house and briefly introduced themselves. After I gave them a quick tour of the house, they promptly got busy with their cleaning tasks. I had made sure to take a few moments to point out specific areas of the house that needed special cleaning attention.
Quality of Cleaning
When I’m thinking about the quality of the cleaning, I am looking how meticulous and detailed they are. Particularly if they are making efforts to clean both obvious and hard-to-reach areas. I want to make sure that they both remove dirt and grime, along with throughly rinsing and wiping away any cleaning products and don’t leave residue behind.
Looking from top to bottom, did they clean each zone from windows and mirrors, surfaces and cabinets, all the way down to the floors and baseboards. It can be easy to clean everything within eye-level, but a thorough cleaning means they go beyond the most convenient spots.
Also, make sure that they don’t forget or overlook entire areas of the house. Take the time to walk through the house with the cleaners and bring all relevant rooms, hallways and living spaces to their attention. Also, if there’s areas you want to be off-limits, make sure to communicate that clearly and close the doors to rooms that are private.
The Type of Cleaning Supplies They Use
If you have a preference to the type of cleaning supplies that are used in your home, make sure to communicate this when you are booking the appointment. I personally don’t like cleaning supplies that have strong perfume or chemical smells (it can trigger a migraine). You may also have home surfaces that require specialized cleaning products, such as woods, marble, upholstery, etc. Make sure you provide the cleaners with everything they need.
If you are are a sustainable household, you can provide them with your own eco-friendly cleaning products. The standard products that they use are free of alcohol, ammonia and petroleum. After the cleaning was done in our house, it did not have an overwhelming smell of scents or chemicals. It just smelled fresh and clean.
How Much Did My House Cleaning Cost with Molly Maid?
In my estimate, I asked for the Molly Maid team to clean our small-to-medium house with a focus on the floors and bathrooms. We have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and a living room, dinning room and kitchen. The estimate they gave us was for between $300 – $450 in fees, which I was hoping was closer to $300 than $400.
In the post-cleaning summary they provided, it said that two workers cleaned for 2.72 hours which made my total cost $408. When you do the math, this makes the cost around $145 an hour.
I will not lie, I was a bit in sticker shock when I saw this bill. Because my house was already fairly clean before the cleaners arrived, I thought my bill wasn’t going to go much above $300. This $408 price tag makes it tough to book cleaners on a regular basis. Most families don’t have that kind of extra budget to hire help.
Pros of Using Molly Maid
When looking at all the details from my own experience, I have broken down the key points to consider when looking into booking a Molly Maid cleaning service.
Convenience
The Molly Maid team has a fairly open schedule and it’s easy to begin the process of getting an estimate and a date on the calendar. They came with all of their own cleaning supplies, a vacuum and mops.
Reliability
The cleaning team was reliable, they showed up on-time and thoroughly completed the cleaning project. I did not have to chase them down to get confirmation for the appointment.
Professional Staff
The ladies that came to clean were friendly and professional. I felt comfortable with them in my home and they made the experience pleasant.
Quality of Cleaning
I felt like the cleaning team did a good quality cleaning job, with paying attention to details and getting into harder to reach places. I was satisfied with their work.
Cons of Using Molly Maid
While the overall experience of hiring Molly Maid to clean our house was positive, there was one major drawback.
Higher Cost
The Molly Maid cost was much higher than I expected it would be. I was honestly thinking the total would be in the $250 range, instead of the $408 price. At this price, our family wouldn’t be able to afford a regular service schedule. At best, we could do a deep cleaning once a year to refresh the house.
Franchise Inconsistencies
Each Molly Maid location is an individually owned franchise. The one here in Sacramento was great, but I cannot guarantee that other locals will also have the same standard of quality.
Schedule Availability
While I didn’t have any issues booking my appointment and finding a date that worked for us, one big downside to the Molly Maids services is that they don’t allow you to book appointments on the weekend. Many people work during the week, and they would need open availability on Saturday and Sunday.
Make sure to call ahead as much as possible and give yourself multiple options for open dates and times.
What Should I Do When The Maids Are Cleaning My House?
Does anyone else feel awkward when there’s people cleaning their own house? I don’t usually have outside help with cleaning, so I found myself not sure what to do when they came over. I didn’t want to be in their way or prevent them from doing their job, so I tried to find a spot hidden away in the corner to set up my laptop and work. I felt like there was an awkward silence in the house, so put the living room TV on low with old rerun shows playing. I tried to be open and friendly, and let them know that I’m available if they have any questions or need assistance.
Am I Expected to Give a Tip to the Molly Maid Cleaners?
To be honest, at the time of my Molly Maid cleaning appointment, it did not even occur to me that the workers may be expecting a cash tip for their services. But after reading online that Molly Maid cleaners are allowed to accept tips, I suppose some clients will give them tips for outstanding work. This is of course a personal decision and up to you to decide if you want to leave a tip.
Concerns About Theft and Crime with Cleaning Services
Concerns about theft and crime with cleaning services are a fair concern in my opinion. Whenever you are opening up your home for outsiders to enter, you are potentially leaving yourself, your family and your property vulnerable to theft and violence.
When hiring a cleaning service, it’s crucial to ensure that the company conducts thorough background checks on their employees to mitigate the risk of theft or other criminal activities. According to the Molly Maid website, they conduct background checks on new employees, which may include a criminal background check. Molly Maid also requires applicants to pass a drug test and provide a photo ID. Molly Maid does not hire felons and some locations may not hire convicted felons unless the conviction is more than seven years old.
Preventing Theft in Your Home
To take precautions, put away and secure valuables and sensitive information before the cleaning staff arrives, and consider being present during the cleaning session if possible.
Pre-Cleaning To Do List Before Cleaners Arrive
To get the most bang for your cleaning fee buck, make sure to provide a clear pathways for the cleaners. If they have to spend a lot of time just tidying up and moving things around, this is time you are paying for. Also, if there’s a lot of obstacles in the way, it could affect the quality of the cleaning job.
Before your cleaning appointment, take time to tidy up and pick everything off the floor. Make sure all toys are picked up, counters are cleared, the sink doesn’t have dishes, etc. You may even want to pull some furniture away from the wall so they have access to clean behind it.
Final Verdict – Is Molly Maid worth it?
My answer to this question is both yes and no. I really approved of the quality and professionalism of the Molly Maid services. I made an appointment at my own convenience, they arrived on-time and did a good job cleaning the house. The reason why it’s not 100% yes is the cost. I don’t think most people can afford to pay over $400 for 2 hours of house cleaning services. Unless you have multiple people pitching in to foot the bill, this seems like a service reserved for the upper class families.
