FAQ

__

How did Sparkly start?
Sparkly began with a few sponges and infinite persistence. Being neat freaks and wanting to have a business focused on helping people, the founders of Sparkly started out cleaning every home themselves, passionately building long-term relationships one scrubbing at a time.

Do I need to be home?
It’s completely up to you. Most clients are not home and have lockboxes or garage codes.

How do your arrival windows work?
When we arrive, we are able to wait up to 20 minutes for access. After 20 minutes, our cleaners will need to leave and a lock-out fee ($100) will be implemented if we were unable to access the home. We are expecting access ability at any point within the window. Most windows are 2 hours (for example, 8am-10am) due to traffic and the nature of driving to homes and bringing in supplies.

Can Sparkly hold my keys?
We are unable to keep keys due to liability. Most clients install lockboxes.

Do I need to provide supplies?
No, we bring our own supplies.

Can I clean with the cleaners?
We’re there to take care of that so you don’t have to. If you choose to clean with our staff, we will not be able to discount the cleaning.

What happens if I agree to pay for the whole home cleaning, but won’t let the team finish the home?
If a team is routed to a home and begin cleaning, the agreed upon quote total will be charged.

What is your rescheduling & cancellation policy?
$50 within 48 hours. $75 within 24 hours. $100 if cleaners are sent to job and can’t access (a “lock-out” charge).

How long is the cleaning?
Being flat-rate, we stay until the scope is complete. We do not charge per maid per hour. Some cleaners are faster and some are slower. Cleanings can take anywhere from 1.5-4+ hours depending on bed, bath, square footage, time since last cleaning and other nuances of the home.

Why do you ask how long it has been since my last professional cleaning?
Like all cleaning companies, we manage an overall “master schedule” for our cleaners and clients. In order to ensure we properly resource your home, we need to make sure we get a sense of how long it’s been since a professional cleaner has been in your home. If the time indicated to us is incorrect, we will most likely have improper resource allocation for your home. In the event we arrive at a home which needs different resourcing than what has been communicated, we will need to adjust pricing.

Do you clean blinds?
We discontinued blind cleaning due to liability.
Read our blog about blind cleaning⟶

Do you clean grout?
We clean grout, but are not grout experts. There are specialists who have tools that are focused on grout cleaning. There are many variables related to grout: age, condition, whether or not the grout is sealed properly. We do our best, but want to be honest about our specialty being in home cleaning vs. grout experts.

Do you clean outside the home?
Not at this time.

Is my Initial Cleaning a Deep Cleaning?
Sparkly intentionally tries to not use the term “Deep Cleaning.” Why? Well, in our experience it becomes a very subjective term. We try to focus on cleaning scope. The Initial Cleaning and Standard Cleaning have different elements. The Initial Cleaning is either the first time we’re in the home, or the first time we’re in a home in over a month. It honestly just takes different considerations for our resourcing and scheduling.

I paid a premium price, and you did not live up to my expectations. What now?
Please do not hire us if you feel our rates are premium prices. It’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to yourself. Perfect cleanings do not exist. We pay fair wages and believe all boats rise when everyone is compensated in a sustainable way.

Is tipping required?
Absolutely not. Our stance on tipping is if you feel compelled, it’s completely your choice.

Is Sparkly pet friendly?
Everyone at Sparkly is pet friendly, so keeping your pets in your home is up to you. We cannot enter homes with animals with a history of aggression unless they are safely and fully secured. In terms of kenneling or not, it’s your call based on your animal feeling comfortable.

You say you clean windows, but you can’t get on ladders?
We clean things that are reachable. If your windows are beyond arm’s reach, we recommend a window cleaning company. We do have extendable feather dusters for other extended height needs. These reach 3 feet above.
Other services we don’t offer ⟶

Have an unanswered question?
Contact us⟶