Castle Is Your Home ("CIYH") has been my cleaning company for over one year now. I found them by looking at YELP reviews, and selected them because I was pretty impressed with what the reviewers had to say. The following are informational points about CIYH that may be useful to those of you looking for a great cleaning company:
(1) Direct Contact - With CIYH, you deal directly with the owner - Lionel McNeil. When scheduling appointments, Lionel is the guy with whom you will speak. He will also come to your home to clean. I list this as "informational point #1" because it means accountability and great customer service. When I call Lionel for any reason, he is accommodating and courteous and knows exactly who I am.
--A quick story to emphasize the point of accountability. I accidently broke the toilet cover in my bathroom and just placed it back on the toilet as if nothing had happened. On my appointment day, I received a call from Lionel while I was at work. He apologized profusely for having broken my toilet cover and offered to pay the cost for having it replaced. I explained that the cover had already been broken, and thus he did not have to pay for a replacement. I was very impressed by his immediate response when he thought that he had been responsible for the damage.
(2) Flexibility - Because CIYH is a small business there is flexibility to tailor your cleaning experience. For example, I hate, HATE, HATE washing dishes. Typically this is a service that CIYH will take care of for me (for a small additional fee).
(3) Exceptional Cleaning - I have never seen my 3 bdrm/2 bthrm row house as clean as when CIYH cleans it. During my first CIYH cleaning, I came downstairs after Lionel and his assistant had been in my home for about 1 hour and I didn't even recognize the place. It was literally like a cartoon where every surface sparkled! More importantly, EVERY surface was clean. I could have cleaned for days and never would have achieved the same results.
4) Reasonable pricing - CIYH's prices are comparable, and in some cases better than, its competitors' prices in the Washington, DC area.
5) Green - The products CIYH uses are environmentally friendly and smell wonderful. As I only use natural products in my home, this is a big plus for me. I love coming home after a CIYH appointment, if only because of the way the house smells and my 1920s hardwood floors glimmer!
For a number of reasons I was skeptical about hiring a cleaning service (didn't sit right with me paying someone else to take care of my home). When I finally broke down and began looking for a company, I knew that I didn't want (1) any of the "mega maids" service companies that work throughout the area; (2) a "generic cleaning," in which my house would look like I cleaned it after paying someone else to do it; or (3) an untrustworthy company. CIYH has exceeded my expectations, and 1 year later, I do not know what I would have done without them.
Below, I will quickly discuss some of the negatives listed in other poster's comments.
(1) Lateness - Several reviewers complained about late arrivals. Initially when I hired CIYH, I did not provide a key, so I had to be at home when they arrived. Generally, Lionel would provide me with an estimated arrival time. There were times when he would be late, but on those occasions, he would call in advance and let me know that he would not be there at the estimated time. Never has CIYH been so late that I ended up late to work or in any way inconvenienced. Now, because I travel frequently, I have provided Lionel with a key. This arrangement has worked out very well.
(2) Length of Cleaning - One reviewer commented that it took too long to have his/her home cleaned. Generally, only Lionel, or Lionel plus 1 assistant, will clean your home. I have a 3-level row house, so I expect this process to take time. Lionel typically arrives around 8:30 and is done around noon, which is more than satisfactory to me. This may not be quick enough for some, however, and, if that is the case, you should probably go with one of the mega service cleaners in the area.
(3) Bad Cleaning - One reviewer complained that his/her home was dirtier after CIYH left. I cannot imagine how that is possible. In the one year plus that CIYH has been my cleaning company, I have never had that experience. Quite the opposite. I have been thoroughly impressed with CIYH's cleaning abilities, and my friends and family have also raved about the results. read more
