I hired Pine State Maids to do a deep clean of the kitchen and bathrooms in our new home on the day…read morewe closed. I'm currently 26 weeks pregnant with complications and have been advised not to do much cleaning. Pine State Maids actually reached out and offered to help, which I truly appreciated.
We agreed on a date and time that coincided with our closing day. She was very responsive and accommodating when I explained that our closing time could change, and we confirmed a noon arrival the day before.
On the day of the cleaning, my husband and I waited for over an hour before I finally reached out. At that point, I was told she wouldn't arrive until 3:00 p.m. I'm a very understanding and flexible person, but I would have appreciated a quick message letting me know she was running late instead of having to reach out myself.
We weren't staying in the home while it was being cleaned because we were with family, but my husband later mentioned that she vacuumed the bedroom rugs. I had only requested the kitchen and bathrooms, and those rugs were being removed and replaced with hardwood flooring that weekend. I didn't say anything at the time, but looking back, I'm disappointed that I paid for time spent cleaning something I hadn't requested.
The following morning, when we returned to the house, a family member opened the freezer and found crumbs, hair, and food debris throughout the drawers. It was honestly disgusting. When I brought it to her attention, she offered to come back and clean it, but I declined and ended up spending over an hour cleaning both the refrigerator and freezer myself.
Initially, I was willing to overlook one missed area. However, as I continued looking around, I found food splattered across the backsplash, a layer of dust on top of the stove, grime around the kitchen faucet, and dirty medicine cabinets in both bathrooms. It became clear that many of the areas I had specifically hired her to deep clean had either been missed entirely or were not cleaned thoroughly.
Another thing that really concerned me was discovering that an open cleaning pod had been left sitting in the windowsill after the cleaning. I have an 18-month-old toddler, and leaving a concentrated cleaning product within a child's reach is a serious safety hazard. Thankfully, we found it before he did, but it never should have been left behind.
After discovering these additional issues, I messaged her again and included photos. She once again offered to come back, but by that point it no longer fit our timeline. We were actively moving into our home, and waiting for another visit wasn't practical. I ended up doing the cleaning myself so we could continue unpacking.
Looking back, I should have waited to pay until I had inspected the completed work, and I certainly regret leaving a $50 tip. Based on the quality of the cleaning, I don't feel it was deserved. At the very least, I believe offering to refund the tip would have been an appropriate gesture. Instead, I felt my concerns were dismissed, and I was simply told to "enjoy your new home with your family."
Unfortunately, what started as a kind gesture during a difficult pregnancy ended up creating more stress and more work for me. I cannot recommend Pine State Maids based on my experience.
