I contacted Steri-Clean based on positive reviews from other areas, believing I would receive the same level of professionalism. I even told them up front that I often write reviews, and that if they did excellent work, I would gladly write one for them. Unfortunately, my experience with the Westminster, MD location was deeply disappointing and troubling. The job was to clean out a basement, and I was assured--repeatedly--that nothing would be removed without documentation and without my approval. That promise was broken on the very first day. A large under-bed locking bin full of sports cards disappeared immediately. Three family members had seen that bin earlier the same day, and three Steri-Clean workers were present at the time it went missing. For the rest of the week, the team insisted the cards would "turn up" after they were gone. They never did. Additionally, my late father's curated rock and antiquities collection--kept in a special container he built--was at risk. A team member was overheard saying, "There's a bunch of pretty rocks over here. Do you want any?" This was extremely inappropriate and alarming, especially considering how personal and irreplaceable those items are. Despite being told that staff were honest and would not take items without documentation, the opposite occurred on day one. Throughout the week, more red flags appeared. Items that were supposed to stay for our chosen donation destination (Habitat for Humanity, where we've donated before) were taken by Steri-Clean instead--even though I explicitly told multiple staff members that we intended to take the donations ourselves. According to the signed agreement, this should never have happened without our consent. The contract also states that drawers and closets would only be opened at the client's request. That guideline was not followed. Regarding quality of work, I was told they would return Monday to broom-sweep the basement, spray the walls, and vacuum the dining room. Instead, the dining room was only partially vacuumed. A shelving unit was never moved, and bins were left piled where they were. The job was incomplete. There were also concerning organizational issues. For example, black bags were designated for trash and clear for "keep," while donations were to be marked separately. Yet I found a black trash bag filled with many glass items and multiple black pens--items that should never have been thrown away. Even the team leader said, "Where are my black pens? I had them all and now they're gone." I found them in the trash. This kind of error makes it virtually impossible to trust that staff are handling clients' belongings appropriately. For reference, where similar services are often estimated at $2,000-$4,000, I was charged $7,000 (minus a $700 veteran discount). For that price, I expected professionalism, honesty, and supervision--not missing property, inconsistent communication, or careless handling of belongings. As someone who has been a director for 30 years, I believe the core issue is a lack of oversight. All team members appeared to be friends, with no designated supervisor to ensure standards, ethics, or accountability. A business like this must have at least one neutral overseer on site at all times--someone who is not socially entangled with the crew and who can ensure that every part of the job is completed correctly and ethically. Without strong supervision, shortcuts are taken, monitoring falters, and clients' trust is violated. I cannot recommend this location of Steri-Clean. The experience left me doubting the honesty, reliability, and leadership of the team. For a service that enters private homes and handles personal property, these issues are unacceptable. read more

See all

I worked with a Maryland franchise owner, Carol Schaubhut and her team. I needed a major cleaning out of my house. It was so hard to make the call for assistance. From the very beginning, I received professional advice and thoughtful, non-judgmental reassurance. The team that came to my house was diligent, professional, thorough, and really understood parts of the process I had never considered and provided appropriate guidance. They knew how stressful this project was for me and were unfailingly kind. I wholeheartedly recommend Ms. Schaubhut's Steri-Clean services. Linden L. Montgomery County Maryland read more

After conversing with the company owner, I believed this company could do what was necessary for a large job. Instead of that occurring, this became the worst nightmare of my entire life. Although the crew was polite, expectations as discussed and agreed upon were never met. Furthermore, excuses and material misstatements were made in an effort to cover up mistakes. Repeated attempts have been made to contact the owner for resolution, which have been met with no viable response or broken off communication in entirety. In good conscience and based upon my particular situation, I cannot recommend this company. Everything seemed to be going fairly smoothly until I dared to ask questions or express concerns. Once that happened, the owner proceeded to keep the 50% deposit and walk off the job without any notice to me as a customer whatsoever. The job site remains a mess and I must incur additonal expenses to remedy it. This entire matter is not only unacceptable but completely unprofessional. As stipulated previously, material misstatements continue to be made. 50% funds were required as a "deposit" on a contracted job total and were taken to get a date scheduled to be on site. In addition, the owner does not account for damages incurred both in the home and in the form of additional expense in preparations made for this company nor do they account for exorbitant charges from a new contractor for repairs, to perform innumerable outstanding existing projects and work left undone by Steri-Clean MD and to clean up everything. Moreover, many of the items included in the Steri-Clean MD contract are considered up-charges by other contractors. Why should any customer bear those financial and other burdens? Concerns were not heard or addressed and remain so after several emails subsequent to a total work stoppage without any notice or conversation with their customer. In fact, the business owner texted around 4:30 p.m. Thursday she was "waiting" on crew status to determine scheduling for the following day and for Tuesday after a holiday weekend. When hearing absolutely nothing on Friday from anyone with the company, numerous attempts were made to obtain a multitude of answers. Finally, at approximately 3:00 p.m. after the crew had left for the day, an email was sent by the owner to this customer stating the crew will never be returning. Is this a risk you are willing to undertake? That is a decision you must make and why both good and bad reviews should all be taken into account. Lastly, always inquire about actual workday hours, total hours of the contract and dates it encompasses and ensure that information is in writing versus verbal. As a potential customer, you will find that seven-hour days for four days is quite different than five-hour days for four days when it comes to total price, as well as planned outcomes. read more

What a wonderful company! We asked them to clean out a house that was full of stuff, and I mean FULL. They came and did a fantastic job. They were very sensitive to the fact that there were a lot of memories in the house for my family. They saved everything we asked them to save that was salvageable but got rid of all the junk and unnecessary mess. They even went ahead and saved some things they thought we might like to keep that we hadn't thought of listing. It was a large job and a very dirty job, but they were thorough, thoughtful and kind. They were careful with sensitive items and paperwork, and especially family photos and scrapbooks. I personally met three of the members of the crew that did the cleaning. They were some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They sincerely love helping clients and they work with smiles and sensitivity. They understand how hard it is for people to have strangers come in and help families clean. They worked quickly, but carefully. I got to meet April, Della and Austin. They were fantastic. They felt like new friends when we said goodbye. I told them they are angels. Also, the street at the house was very narrow, and there was not a good place to park a dumpster. They called the dumpster each day and hustled to fill it while it was parked in the street. These folks are heroes in my book. We started cleaning the house out ourselves, but the job was overwhelming for us. Steri-Clean came in and did the lion's share of the work and we are so grateful for their help. Carol was our contact person and coordinator for the job, and she was always available to answer questions and handle important details. She even came a did some of the work herself, which was special since the job was a long distance from their home base. My wife and I highly and unreservedly recommend Steri-Clean because of the wonderful job they did for my family. If you are concerned about embarrassment, ridicule or judgmental attitudes, the people at Steri-Clean have none of that. If you want a company that is respectful, honest and trustworthy, Steri-Clean is your best choice. Sincerely, Andrew, thrilled in Pennsylvania read more

This company is amazing! The honesty I got from Carol and the pleasant, upbeat attitude is just unheard of. I had a "gecko problem" (yes, you read that correctly) and it was going to cost me $250, mostly due to travel time. Carol immediately sensed that it was more than I was hoping to pay and explained to me exactly how to do it myself and that she wouldn't pay it because it's a simple clean up. She gave me the courage to go at it on my own and even told me to call her if I get freaked out. Even more unheard of, she told me to check out another company that is closer to my location to see if they could do it much cheaper if I'm still concerned. Unbelievable! If you're looking for a company with integrity, someone you can trust...I HIGHLY recommend. And Carol is HILARIOUS!!! read more