The one star is for the one maid out of two that did a good cleaning job in my kitchen. The other maid was so bad, it's laughable. I've even included a photo of the dirt left on my bathroom floor. So the list of "infractions," is as follows: the maid haphazardly unplugged all of my computer ports while she was cleaning and since my computer doesn't have a battery, everything crashed as a result, as already mentioned, she left an insane amount of dirt on my bathroom floor, and she replaced my cats bed with the entrance facing towards the wall, so my cat couldn't get into it until I noticed the next day. Poor kitty! And in general, I could tell she did not want to be doing her job. I get it. Most jobs suck. Two options: get another job, or be grateful for the one you have and do it well. She chose the third option: hate your job and let it show! I contacted Empress Maids and got a refund on the extra money I had paid for a "deep," cleaning. Honestly, I would have paid even more if they did a really good job. But it just wasn't that great. I only have a studio apartment. It's small and easy to clean. I had to go over all the windows because they didn't do it. And this was all the day before Thanksgiving with guests on the way! BOO!!! read more

Empress Maids - The dirt left on my bathroom floor after a "deep" clean. - Home Cleaning Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Oh, Empress Maids. You used to be my maid service of choice, but after our last two encounters it's time for me to move on. The second-to-last time I used this service the maid broke a small makeup mirror in my bathroom (in two places!) and didn't scrub out the bottom of the bathtub. Annoying, but the manager offered me a discount to make up for my trouble, so I figured the lackluster service was just a fluke. When it was time to utilize a maid service again (the weekend before Thanksgiving) I booked them without hesitation. I even scheduled a few weeks in advance since I knew that would be a popular weekend, and scored their first appointment of the day, at 8 am. Ten minutes before their scheduled time I received a call from one of the maids; she couldn't find parking near my building. While I was sympathetic (who among us hasn't had to deal with the scourge that is LA street parking?), there wasn't anything I could do to rectify the situation. I didn't have a spare spot she could take, so she told me that she'd look around and get back to me. (Also, there was construction happening on my street, which I'm sure was annoying for the maids to deal with, but as employees of a traveling business in a major city I can't imagine that this was the first time they've had to contend with parking issues.) Over the next FIFTY MINUTES (yes, 50) the maids claimed to be looking for parking, which is insane. While the area in front of my building might have been unavailable, I live near numerous side streets, as well as being directly south of Sunset, and all of its metered parking would have been readily available that early on a Saturday. (In fact, I think the meters even open up at 8am, exactly when the maids were supposed to arrive.) I understand not wanting to have to park far away when you're carrying a ton of cleaning supplies, but there were two maids present. One should have gotten out of the car with the stuff in front of my building while the other parked the car a block or two away. During all of this nonsense I called the Empress Maids office, only to be greeted by their voicemail. I left a message, explaining what was going on and urging them to call me back ASAP. Apparently one of the maids had also tried to reach her boss, but he wasn't picking up the phone. Not a good sign. Eventually the maids (who still hadn't left their vehicle) told me that they had other appointments to keep, and no longer had enough time to clean my place. As you can imagine, I was pissed. Not only was my business clearly not a priority, but now my entire morning had to be rescheduled as I frantically searched for another maid service who could clean my place last-minute the weekend before a major holiday. Luckily I found someone, but it completely screwed up my day. Also, if parking issues are an acceptable reason for maids to no show, you need to clearly outline that in your terms of service. Never once in any of the times that I've used Empress have they ever said to me, "By the way, if you don't provide parking we're totally going to bounce." The following Monday (two days later) I finally heard back from the MIA manager via text message, even though I had never communicated with him via text before. (Dude, your company screwed up royally. That warrants a proper phone call.) He was apologetic and offered me a discount (hence two stars), but it was too little too late, as my place had already been cleaned by another company. You snooze, you lose, Empress Maids, and unfortunately you've lost this customer for good. read more

Yep! Found 'em! These guys are officially my go-to cleaners. Saw the yelp coupon (33% off) so decided to give them a spin. They charge $93 for one cleaner (in my case, Rosa) for three hours time (that's before the coupon). Pretty competitively priced even without the coupon. Rosa arrived about twenty minutes early, but it wasn't a big deal. She got right to work with very little instruction and blew through the house like a champ! She finished my one bedroom apartment - scrubbed, dusted, cleaned inside the microwave, swept, mopped - everything. And was done to my satisfaction 15 minutes early. read more

I wasn't terribly impressed- but I am happy with their effort to make things right. There was some confusion on the phone about the pricing. The "deep-clean" wasn't so deep. They came back and cleaned for an hour free of charge. It still wasn't so deep. Not sure why I didn't think that the cleaning was so great given the incredible reviews on here- but there you go. read more

Before you read this review, I want it to be known that Empress Maids did credit my card for an hour of work, after I expressed my dissatisfaction. I scheduled a four hour "deep clean" for my tiny 450 sq. ft. appointment, with specific instructions to focus the majority of the time on the kitchen and the bathroom. I really wish I would have stayed at home to micromanage. When my husband and I returned [early], one of the maids was casually chatting on her phone in our bedroom. I'm assuming that this is the same maid who was responsible for cleaning our bathroom. Or should I say, not cleaning our bathroom? Upon further inspection, later that day, I found trash behind our bathroom trash can. And dirt. Lots of dirt. She hadn't even mopped the bathroom floor. And the bathtub? Nope, that wasn't touched either. My frames still had all of their original dust. So did my bedroom lamp. The refrigerator still had food-splatter on the outside of it. There were coffee grounds left on my kitchen cart. And my husband's office area was off-limits, so they didn't even need to worry about cleaning the desk area. Did I mention that I had a newborn baby? There's a reason why I hired a cleaning service to help me out. Most days, I was lucky if I could brush my teeth before noon. Super disappointed that the maids slacked off, especially since I had given one of them a bag full of baby clothes that no longer fit my son. read more

Empress Maids was by far the best maid service we have ever had. I sent an email inquiry through their website on Tuesday and had Esmeralda come to our home by Thursday. Shelly in customer service was very efficient and helpful in booking the appointment. Esmeralda came perfectly on time and did a fantastic job on our home. We have a 3 story town home, and she did the whole thing by herself in a quicker time period than when we have had 2 people come to do the job! Esmeralda was also very polite and efficient. She did our kitchen first and asked me to inspect it to make sure I was happy with it. Instead of choosing what she worked on, she asked us what was important to us and walked us through her plan. Overall, a fantastic experience. We can't wait to have Esmeralda come back! read more

The maids were friendly but unfortunately not thorough, especially for a "deep cleaning": - Didn't bother to lift the stove top and clean underneath it - Objects on the kitchen countertop weren't even moved to clean under them - I had to ask for clothes lying around my room to be folded - Nightstands weren't cleaned - They didn't touch the coffee table which had dirt under it. - Didn't vacuum whole house, entirely skipped vacuuming rooms. I don't know why it didn't occur to them to vacuum, but I was tired of continuing to ask them for things and didn't want them to rack up more time (although everything easily could've been finished in the allotted time) -Arrived late - Put away silverware that hadn't been properly cleaned in the dishwasher read more

They charged me for 4 hours when they only stayed two. If I hadn't come home as she was leaving I wouldn't have even known. Also nothing seemed like it had been cleaned. There was dust on every surface. The kitchen floor had been mopped but with dirty water, and everything (dust/food bits) had been swept under a table. I brought all this up and all they did was refund the time they hadn't been here (which I should have never been charged for to begin with). It's very disappointing. read more

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We have used Empress Maids twice now and they have exceeded our expectations both times! We have two large Great Danes, and both my wife and I work. Our house can get very dirty and our demanding careers leave us little time for deep cleaning. Every time we have their service we come home to a really clean house and I really like the fact that they do it right. It's the small things that count...they'll lift objects off and wipe underneath, wash couch pillow covers and place them back on, and always get things we wouldn't normally clean. Five stars! read more

I'm in love with Empress Maids. Me being the type that doesn't LOVE to clean (who does?) I was looking for a reliable service that could clean my one bedroom without costing an arm and a leg. Luckily, i stumbled Empress Maids... The maids showed up on time and got right to work. The oozed professionalism and even had name tags. They worked quickly and really cleaned my entire place, including spots that I usually don't clean ;). Plus the rate was much less than other companies I called for the same job. I have used Empress several times and they consistently provide top notch service. In fact, I think I might call them tomorrow...my place is getting a little dirty again.... read more

I had a mixed experience with this place. To start, the maid came an hour late and only one person showed up despite the fact that 2 were supposed to come. After I said there was supposed to be a second person they called Empress and had a second maid sent after an hour had passed. In total it took 2 hours to clean but I had to babysit the maids. They did a sloppy job and missed many spots and rearranged our desks without asking and put things back in the wrong places. In fairness one of the maids was new although she shouldn't have been left alone to clean for an hour before someone else showed up. Given the number of good reviews, i called Empress and told them about my experience. They were very understanding and offered a discount on the bill to make up for the experience and assured me this wasn't a reflection of their normal work. I'm inclined to try them again and just be sure to specify to send an experienced maid and say i'm looking for a thorough cleaning. The maids and the management at empress were very friendly so i'm hoping this was a one-off bad experience read more

I hired Empress to clean my home and my office. They came today to clean my home and I was SO impressed. My home was building up the dirt in the corners (it happens when you live on the beach) and Guadalupe showed up on time and immediately got to work. She was moving furniture, dusting the ceiling cobwebs, cleaned out the inside of the (rather gross) fridge....she even put my laundry away. I was so impressed! I've never had such a good house cleaner. I'm excited for Empress to come by the office tomorrow and give it the same treatment. read more

The maids were over a half hour late and my credit card was overcharged when i was promised a flat rate. i contacted the office and never received a reply. The three stars is for the cleaning. read more

I have been using Empress Maids cleaning service for about two months now and very pleased with their service. I am able to book easily with Shelli via email even sometimes with last minute appointments. I love the convenience of email bookings and Shelli is always very helpful. I have had both Guadelupe and Maritza and thrilled with them both-but after reading these reviews it seems like they have a great staff in general so I may start using others for convenience of booking. I love coming home to a clean house; we have a cat and dog which I am allergic to, so its' really essential for me to have help cleaning and Empress Maids is a service I am able to trust! read more

My husband was literally stunned when he got home. My house was a mess, and they did a great job with no complaints. Showed up on time, did the work, and left with everyone smiling. There were a few nit-picky things missed - which is why four stars instead of five - but I'll be calling them back for regular service! read more

My experience with Empress Maids was great! I bought the deal on Yelp and worked with them to get 3 hours of cleaning, because I really only wanted my bathrooms and kitchen cleaned. They got me a slot the next day which was unexpected and wonderful. I got home and couldn't have been happier with the work they did. Will definitely have them come back again! I was a bit surprised they never called to see if I was happy with the job they did, kind of a disconnect in the customer service if you ask me. Especially since I was at work the whole time they were there, so I never met any of them. But regardless, my house is clean and I am happy. read more

I recently had a bug problem in my apartment and had pulled all my cookware out of my cabinets and washed them. Once the bugs were sprayed for, I knew I didn't want to wipe out the cabinets and reorganize all this stuff, not to mention it was time for my apartment to have a good scrub down in other rooms, so I decided it was time to bring in the professionals. I took advantage of the yelp offer for $14 for a $28 gift certificate. I booked over the phone with Shelly who was very polite and helpful. Three days later I had Elizabeth over to my apartment. I paid for the minimum of 3 hours, but she stayed for 3.5 at no additional charge. My apartment is only 475 square feet, so she spent plenty of time in each room cleaning all the nooks and crannies. My apartment looks lovely. The floors are shiny and the kitchen hasn't look so good since I moved in. I told her that I was specifically looking for my cabinets to be reorganized and for the dust under my furniture to be removed. She did a great job! I hope to set up a more regular cleaning and I hear than I can have the same maid back each time, which is great, because Elizabeth did an excellent job. read more

OK, so I thought long and hard about whether I really needed a maid service, and I originally I thought I would try it out just one time and see if it was worth the money. It is, and I'm hooked. The team of ladies at Empress Maids are all go-getters. They do not mess around - they come to get the job done and then on to the next one, on to the next one. Kinda like that Jay-Z song. It was the cleanest that my place ever looked! Very professional all the way from the office staff to the maids....and the uniforms and nametags on all of the maids look sharp! Give Empress Maids a try...I know you'll be hooked too! read more

We manage several rentals and more often than not, move-outs are the most challenging because of all of the stuff that gets left behind. Since my usual cleaner was not local to this particular area, I decided to call Empress based upon all the reviews here on Yelp. Right over the phone, Jeremy was able to give an estimate of the time and cost so that we could quickly determine how it would fit within the budget for the owner of the house. Of course with move-outs, things could change depending on the condition, but it turned out he was fairly accurate with the estimate once the job was complete. As for the cleaning itself, the maid arrived on time and with the amount of work involved, it was impressive that she was able to do such a good job throughout the house within the estimated time. The place was a mess and she found a way to tidy it up beyond expectations. The fridge was probably going to be hauled away, but once she got done with it, the shelves were sparkling and almost new. When I walked into the clean bathroom, it reminded me of how hotel bathrooms looked and smelled, there's a certain freshness that seems all too familiar. Today some potential tenants dropped by and wanted to rent the house on the spot. As you can imagine, we're quite pleased with Empress and appreciate all of their follow-up calls and email. We'd definitely will call them again for our other places as well. read more

This company is the worst. I have used them twice because out of the kindness of my own heart I tried to give them a second chance after they completely messed up trying to clean a very small studio in 3-4 hours. They roll up late. One lady doesn't arrive so the first one has to start without her. I am trying to get to work and am already late. I finally get out the door after trusting them with my front gate and door key. I come home after work and I need to move out of my apartment the next day. The apt looks like no one had even been there cleaning but the tried to charge me for 4 hours work - dust everywhere, screens dirty, floor still had not been even swept let alone mopped. I called, they said they would send someone around the next day - my moving day - to clean up. I gave up half a Saturday to wait for the lady and then had to move and supervise and let her in and out and she finally did an ok job after 3 hours. Then I feel bad so I give them another chance at my other place. SAME DAMN THING ! exactly like Groundhog Day. Exactly the same predicament a day before move out. Last time I try too hard to give second chances when I am rushed for time.. heck no. Anyway, the second time around I refused to pay and got these other ladies to come around and they were awesome - I can't remember their name but DO NOT use empres maids. Should be called Unempress Maids. read more

If you need someone to deep clean your place and not charge an arm and a leg - check out Empress Maids. I was impressed with my service from the beginning. I checked around before booking with Empress Maids and had a good idea of what my cleaning would cost. I was given a very competitive initial quote, and the final price ended up being right in line with this quote. A representative from Empress Maids called ahead to confirm my cleaning appointment, and to ask if we had any last questions. My maid, Estrella, showed up early, and got straight to work, needing no direction after our first quick chat. She was extraordinarily thorough, doing an excellent detailed job especially in my difficult kitchen and bathroom areas. When I came home from work my apartment was cleaned to my exact requirements. Empress Maids even sent a supervisor to check Estrella's work after she was done and to make sure that she completed everything I asked of her. All of this for a very reasonable rate. read more

I see there's some spotty reviews here. My experience was 5 stars all the way: one of the women, Marisa, called out a stain on my linoleum (that I said was untreatable) and came back the next day to tackle it. It's still untreatable, but I sure loved that she cared enough to come back. I had a great experience from start to finish and will have them back for sure. read more

Update: After I posted my previous review with my abysmal experience, Empress reached out to me and offered me a free cleaning to make up for what happened before. While I definitely appreciated this gesture, it sort of stinks that they only offered this after I publicly posted about it. Regardless, the service this time was MUCH better. They were even able to clean my kitchen floor, which gets this weird film that I can NEVER get up, and even told me what cleaner to get so I can do it myself in the future. Also, they cleaned the floor on the sides of my stove/fridge, my windowsills, and blinds. The only thing I suggest for improvement is to make sure they close/tighten any bottles or jars they put in bags of stuff while cleaning. They took all of the products off of my shower shelves and sink, and a lid was loose, so oil spilled all in the bag. I didn't really care about that particular product, but if it had been one of my faves, I would have been more annoyed. I also appreciated that the cleaners listened to me when I gave them my priorities. I'm still not sure if I would use them again, but I'm glad they offered to fix their mistake. Overall, I'd rate them around a 3-3.5. read more

Susanna and Jesse came to clean my townhome. I think they did a great job and it was well worth the money! I shopped around looking for a good house cleaner and the pricing is the best with Empress. They were a little late, but we know how traffic is in LA (especially in my area around they time I asked them to come) and they called which I appreciate and understand. They really worked their tails off and I was impressed how clean they made everything! I would use them again in a heartbeat and refer them to my friends. Great attitude, happy faces and a thorough clean. Great value! Update: they came back today and once again did an amazing job! They cleaned things without me even asking and both have a good eye for detail. My husband and I are so impressed! Very easy to talk to and great attitudes! ;) I will only use them! read more

We used this service for a move out cleaning - we want our security deposit back! Very professional service, the maid who came was prompt, brought her own supplies did exactly what we asked in the allotted time. Jeremy from the front office was very helpful in working through a proper estimate and how to maximize my budget/time constraints. Thanks Yelp for the great recommendations! read more

I decided to use Empress Maids this weekend based on the on line reviews. I spoke with Shelli who was very nice and very helpful. She quoted a range as I wasn't sure exactly what would be required. They are less expensive during the week, but a reasonable charge none-the-less. I thought I required deep cleaning as my house was so dirty (undergoing renovation for many months and still in the process), but they consider the refrigerator/stove cleaning to be deep cleaning. Anything else is routine. Genesis was right on time and though my house was a mess she had a nonstop smile. She and Elizabeth worked extremely hard and I am so happy to finally have a clean house again. I highly recommend them, and plan on using them on a regular basis. read more

I've used them once. They did a great job. Cleaned a few nasty spots in my apartment that I just couldn't work up the energy to do myself. When they got done with what I asked them to clean, and were still on the clock, they just started cleaning everything else in sight. Good attitudes, hard workers, great job. read more

Suzanna and Jesse did a fabulous job cleaning our 3bd, 2ba space. They arrived exactly at the scheduled time and were very polite. They were diligent in making sure every square footage was cleaned to our liking and went beyond our expectations. Since we just moved in, there were boxes everywhere. Jesse offered to move the boxes around so the space was cleaned thoroughly. Thank you and I'd highly recommend this duo! read more

Michelle came to my house last Friday and made it wonderful! She arrived on time. She was extremely friendly, she asked me what I wanted, how I wanted it. I would recommend her to anyone. The company has also been very responsive, calling to make sure everything was cleaned well and how I wanted it. I am very satisfied. And it is refreshing to have such a clean home now! read more

Empress Maids was timely and professional. They did a fantastic job cleaning my new apartment making it ready for move in. They were happy to look over anything and everything I pointed out, and to stay longer if needed. Both ladies on the job were friendly. read more

BUYER BEWARE. I've used this comany 2 times and have had customer service issues both times. With Empress Maids, the customer is ALWAYS WRONG. Also, the 3 hour deal for $84 is a sham - it ends up being $84 because they include "parking time" and "supplies de-camping" time, which they don't mention up front. I had a 3 PM appointment. I left a meeting early to be sure to be home by 3 PM. At 3:10, no one was there so I called the company. I received no apologies for the delay and was told "she's probably looking for parking." I explained that there were suppose to be notes in my file indicating that I had free guest parking in my building and that the housekeeper just needed to call me first so I could buzz her in. When I finally connected with the housekeeper and let her in my garage, she followed me up to my apartment without any cleaning supplies. She later had to go back to her car to get them. By the time she started cleaning, it was after 3:30 PM. She told me she was leaving at 6 PM. I explained that I had agreed to pay for 3 hours. She again said she had to leave at 6 PM, so I told her I would only pay for 2.5 hours. I received a bill for 3 hours, which Jeremy, the unapologetic owner, explained to me is their minimum. So if you want to be inconvenienced, aggravated, and over-charged - Please call Jeremy ASAP.. read more

Service was OK. Cleaning was good, but not thorough. I was quoted a price for four hours of service, but the cleaner showed up 45 minutes late, then left 45 minutes early and still tried to charge me the full four hours. Her claim was that she "couldn't find the trash room" -- but the trash room is the door one over from my apartment, so that's no excuse. She missed some pretty obvious things to be cleaned in the shower, like wiping it all down, etc. I am willing to give Empress another shot though, since I think they can do better. If they do well, it's definitely a great value for cleaning service, presuming they don't overcharge me for more hours than the effort they put in ;) I think that may be their business model, but I am hoping they prove me wrong on the next cleaning, should I schedule one with Empress again. read more

I've been using Empress Maids' services for over three years now and have to say it is really a hit and miss, depending on who you get. Most of the time, they are on time, sometimes not. Sometimes the cleaning is thorough, sometimes they miss (or avoid?) very basic things such as vacuuming underneath the bed or dusting obvious places. Sometimes the deep clean is no more clean than the basic service, just more expensive. Sometimes they send one person, sometimes two. Sometimes they wear a uniform, sometimes they don't. Once they broke one of my belongings and did not leave a note or notify me in any way. I later found a piece of broken glass and realized what had gone missing. After contacting the company, they offered me a deduction of my bill to the equivalent of 30 min work. My belonging can't be replaced, so the amount did not matter, it just made me uncomfortable - and quite frankly sad - that they did not inform me of the accident. I alway tell myself to go with another company the next time, and then read reviews here on Yelp and feel that they're all pretty much the same. Better the devil you know. read more

Their map of areas which they'll service is misleading. Don't even bother to call if you are north of Sunset, even by a minute, as they won't come. I did talk them into coming once and they were fine--even came 1/2 hour early. The phone bookers did tell me that time that it was iffy because I am 5 minutes north of Sunset. Makes zero sense when you look at their service map. They do service the Valley and we're minutes from Santa Monica/Venice so it's a very confusing policy and when i called to rebook the booker said, again, they won't come north of Sunset because it is too hard to get to even though they came 30 minutes early. The bookers are the least customer oriented group! The housekeepers were hard workers and said they had no problem with the location. The only gripe i had was they were reluctant to do the kitchen because in my order i had not said the word kitchen. I said "common rooms"....thinking kitchen was a given. I ended up having to trade the living room cleaning for the kitchen, so be VERY specific and call out each room by name. But again, that was a booking problem, not an execution matter. Seriously, i could not believe that kitchen was not considered a common room, but it wasn't! So if you use them, and are not north of Sunset, do call out the name of every room to be cleaned. Don't take for granted that kitchen is a common room! read more

Terrible customer service, didn't arrive at all, I got a call over 2 hours after they were supposed to come with someone who didn't speak english at all. Don't waste your time with this service very disappointed no one ever called me back after I left messages with them. read more

Super easy to book. A good website is huge a plus for me. They communicated well without a lot of hassle. They showed up on time and did their thing. My place was cleaned thoroughly. I booked the 'move in' clean. This cost a little more but got us a floor to ceiling cleaning. Our place hadn't been deep cleaned like that in over a year, so it was a pretty big job. They made it sparkle. The prices are reasonable. If you hire someone directly, you can find lower prices. But compared to other services that I have dealt with, their prices are good. You are paying for the booking convenience, professionalism and a guarantee of a good cleaning. They did offer me a gift card if I wrote this review---which is the only reason I bothered; although, it is an honest review. read more

For the past 2 years, we have used empress maids for biweekly cleaning of our 1 bedroom apartment. Rosa has been wonderful, exceeding our expectations and consistently providing great service to us. Management has also been wonderful in scheduling and checking in with us about quality. The price seems in line with what Ive seen for the area, and I feel the cost is commensurate with the quality. read more

I was in desperate need of some help cleaning my apartment and called various agencies to find the most flexible and professional ones. Empress Maids was just that. They worked with my schedule, figured out a reasonable/competitive rate and accommodated my needs. When my assigned housekeeper came, she was punctual, courteous, efficient and professional. She was at my place for just under 4 hours and truly turned it around. It was sparkling clean, dusted, scrubbed, the nine yards. I couldn't be happier. I will be calling them again really soon to have my place cleaned! read more

On the business end, Empress maids was very flexible with finding a compromise for my limited budget and extensive cleaning needs. They also were very accommodating with the scheduling of the first cleaning. I was having guests in 72 hours from the first phone call to them and they re-arranged their schedule to get someone out there to do the bulk of the deep cleaning in a shortened session. The cleaner was extremely professional and hard working. I wrote out a list of my priorities and she followed it completely, getting all of my priorities done in a small amount of time. My favorite part was noticing for the next week areas which I hadn't explicitly asked her to clean but were suddenly spotless and shining like they were brand new. I have since set up bi-weekly service with them. Great customer service, prices and quality of cleaners! read more

They were quick and efficient, everything smelled and looked great. one con: they used dirty water to mop the floor, so while it smelled clean, my white socks were brown after walking on the kitchen floor :( read more