Hiring questions
Questions to ask a house cleaner before the first visit
Ask these on the phone or during the walk-through, and write down the answers. You will want them later if a visit goes wrong or the price changes.
About the people in your house
- Will the same cleaner or team come each visit? Who covers when that person is out sick?
- Are the cleaners your employees, or people you book as contractors? L&I warns homeowners that if you hire someone who is not part of a covered business, the state can treat you as that person's employer, and most homeowner policies do not cover workers. (L&I F625-084-000)
- If they are employees, does the company have a workers' comp account with L&I? Washington has no private workers' comp, so employers buy it from L&I or self-insure. (L&I)
About the business
- What name is your business license under? Washington requires a state business license once a business grosses $12,000 a year or hires employees. You can look the name up on the DOR Business Lookup. (Washington DOR)
- Can you email me your liability insurance certificate before the first visit? Check that the business name and dates match.
- Your ad says "bonded." Which company issued the bond, and for how much? We found no Washington rule that makes a cleaner carry one, so the answer tells you whether the word means anything.
About the clean itself
- What does a standard visit cover, room by room, and what costs extra?
- Is the first visit priced as a deep clean? What is the recurring rate after that?
- Do you bring products and equipment? Which ones go on stone counters, wood floors and stainless steel?
- For carpets or upholstery: is the business an IICRC Certified Firm, and is the technician who comes certified too? You can check firms on the IICRC Global Locator or at 844-464-4272. (IICRC)
About access and changes
- Where do you keep my key and alarm code, and who on your team can see them?
- How much notice do you need to skip a visit, and what does a late cancel cost?
- If something breaks or goes missing, who do I call, and how fast do you answer?
Keep the answers
Email the answers back to the cleaner and ask them to confirm. Then you both work from the same list. For the paperwork side, read bonded, insured and licensed, explained. To line up quotes, see what goes into a cleaning quote.
Sources
We read each source on October 17, 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the linked page before you rely on a number.
Written by the Puget Sound Residential Cleaners team. We list businesses; we do not employ, bond or insure them. Spot a mistake? Use the claim page to tell us.