Questions & Answers

INSURED AND BONDED

Our company is insured and bonded. HERE you can view a copy our certificate of insurance. If you found that something is missing, damaged or broken, and you feel that it happened while the cleaning crew was in your house, please notify us immediately. We take full responsibility for any accidents that were reported to us within 24 hours after the visit. We do not hold responsibility for any accidents reported to us after 24 hr period, although all complaints will be investigated by our quality control management

We are incorporated in the state of Illinois. Please follow this link to view the information about our corporate information.

http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/CorporateLlcController

BEFORE THE CLEANING CREW COMES

TIPS FOR GETTING READY FOR CLEANING (tips that will help your to reduce your payment too)

1. Pick up all your personal items from the floor and furniture. Organizing takes a lot of time, especially for people who are in your house for the first time.

2. Regularly wipe off your cook top and counters after food preparation and eating. It takes forever for a cleaning crew to soak in hot water, then scrub and scrub and scrub that grease that has been collecting all this time. It all adds up the time of cleaning and money out of your pocket. Some tough spots may require use of stronger chemicals.

3. A good vacuum IS important. Even if you don’t have pets. Vacuuming prior to washing floors not only increase quality of cleaning, but also saves time. Result: spotlessly clean home and less money out of your pocket. Need recommendation, just ask us which vacuum to buy and we’ll recommend.

4. Loading and especially unloading dishwasher takes a long time for someone who is first time in your house. Washing dishes by hands takes even longer. Keep that in mind. The same applies to doing laundry on the first visit.

5. Pet policy: Please review our pet policy carefully. If you have a dog, please lock your dog securely or have it out of a house on the day of cleaning, at least until both cleaning crew and your pet feel comfortable around each other. We are trying to avoid any possibility of putting our staff in danger of getting hurt by your pet.

SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT

Please call us 773-616-MAID(6243) or email to appointment@MyAmericanMaids.com. You will be asked a number of questions about the property in question:
-type of the property,
-size
-number of people in your household
-presence of pets
-regularity of cleaning
-when your property was cleaned last time by professional cleaner
-your expectations and areas of concern
-type of cleaning you are looking for: weekly, bi-weekly(each other week), monthly, one time, move-in, move-out, pre-sale or post-construction.

In some cases a phone estimate is enough, but in most cases we will request to see your property before giving you an estimate. To schedule an appointment you will have to provide us with your credit card information.

We take your credit card information to hold your appointment and secure timely payments. Your credit card will not be charged, it will be stored in our system. You can pay by a check, cash or charge your credit card after the visit or as agreed. If you forget to pay us, your credit card will be charged automatically with applicable fees.

DURING YOUR CLEANING APPOINTMENT

If you did not have an in-person estimate prior to your cleaning appointment, it’s better if you could be home to meet the cleaning crew and give them instructions if needed. Although we understand if you are unable to be home. We will need detailed instructions from you about the cleaning, entering and leaving your property. Our regular customers prefer to supply us with the copy of the keys. Keys are coded and securely kept in the office, and taken out only on the day of the visit, and returned the same day. If you have an alarm system, please provide us with the security code. If the alarm goes off and we were not provided with the alarm code, you will be responsible for all the fees from the alarm company as well as the full cost of cleaning appointment.

If you prefer to be home and let the cleaners in we will provide you with an approximate time that cleaners will be there within a two hour window- i.e. 8:30- 10:30am or 12:oo-2:00pm. We will do our best to schedule you at the time of day that works best for you, but please understand with traffic and unforeseen changing weather conditions it is difficult to give you an exact time the cleaners will arrive.

Time is money in our business. If our team members have to wait more than 30 minutes for someone to open the door because we did not have access to your place, we reserve the right to either reduce the time of cleaning by the amount of time our team had to wait, or charge for the time that we spent on waiting.

PAYING FOR SERVICES

We accept all types of payments: cash, checks and al major credit cards. To insure timely payments we must have your credit card information provided at the time of ordering the service. Your card will not be charged if you paid by cash or check, although it will be authorized for the estimated amount plus all applicable fees. If we do not receive the payment on the day of the visit, your saved credit card will be automatically charged.

The receipt can be emailed or mailed to you upon request. All returned checks are subject to a $25.00 fee.

RESCHEDULEING OR CANCELLING APPOINTMENTS

You may reschedule, skip, add, or cancel any of your cleanings. If for any reason you cannot keep your scheduled appointment we do ask for a 24-hours cancellation notice for appointments scheduled on Tuesday-Saturday and 48-hour notice for Monday appointments.

We understand anything can happen. Although please keep in mind: our staff does not get paid if they do not have cleaning appointments. A proper notice will allow us enough time to schedule other customers. Please be considerate!

We ask that you cancel or make any changes to your appointment no later than 12 PM (noon) on the day prior to your appointment day. All Monday appointments must be cancelled no later than 12:00 PM on Saturday. We do not accept any cancellations and/or changes made on Sundays. Our office is closed on Sundays and your message will not be received on time.

Any changes or cancellation communicated after 12 PM (noon) and Sunday cancellations are considered to be late, and will be charged accordingly.

If you leave us a voicemail, email or text a message to cancel or change your appointment, please remember: YOU HAVE TO HEAR FROM US TO CONFIRM YOUR CANCELLATION! If nobody responded back to you within 24 hours that simply means that we never got your message. Technology sometimes is not the most reliable thing.

Without a proper notice for any changes or cancellation of your appointment you will be charged $45.00. Cancellations for any reason happening on the same day after we have started to travel to your location will be charged at 80% of the full or estimated rate. Payment will have to be made in full prior to scheduling any further work. All cancellations must be made through the office/ owner of the company. Please do not tell your cleaner.

We reserve the right to change or cancel the schedule appointment because of the negative weather conditions.

PET POLICY

We absolutely adore pets, and most of us have their own. Although keep in mind: that Fluffy might be not so friendly when the owners are not around the house. Dogs tend to be more protective and cats more scared, when owners are not home. The best way to make everybody comfortable if you securely lock your pets in their cages, or one of the rooms or have them out of the house on the day of the visit. Unless until cleaning crew and your pet get to know each other better. We do not play, feed or walk your pets, or clean up their accidents.
Although we use environmentally friendly products in your house, they still can be toxic for your kids and pets if swallowed. We want to make sure everyone in your household stays happy and healthy.
If no specific instructions are made to the cleaning crew, we will try to keep your pet out of the way, but will not be responsible for any damages caused by your pet in your house
If you have a dog: if a cleaning crew comes to your house and your dog is not locked up, we keep the right to refuse the service, but you will be charged the cost of full appointment.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BASIC AND DEEP CLEANING

The main difference is not only in price. Deep cleaning involves a lot of heavy duty work: scrubbing, washing the floors some times on hands and knees, going on step stool to reach for surfaces, using different stronger cleaning solutions. It is really hard and intense work. The cleaners have to take care of all the things that have been neglected for weeks, months and in some cases years.
How to estimate if you need a deep cleaning?
1. Check for clutter. No: tell me exactly where you put your last utility bill? Somewhere here under the “flip-flops-rain jacket-my-ex’s teddy bear collection-ash tray-empty cans from yogurt” thing? Well, let’s give your home a little make over by deep cleaning it first.
2. Check for mold, mildew or any other type of build-up. If there is any mold, pinkish mildew or any type of build up on your tub, around the faucets and showerheads: you better have a deep cleaning. To clean up all those elements our cleaners will use special stronger cleaning solutions.
3. Check for dust. If you can see it from across the room –you need a deep cleaning!
4. Check for grease in the kitchen.
5. Have pets but do not own a vacuum?? Definitely deep cleaning
6. When did you say your last cleaning was?
We do not believe in “speed cleaning”. So called “speed cleaning” will give poor results. It’s better to set realistic expectations. The more time our cleaners have on hand-the more detailed and satisfactory your cleaning will be. We respect hard work our cleaners do. They are allowed to work at normal human pace. We do not ask them to rush through the place that they clean, as that creates unnecessary anxiety, often leads to accidents and encourages to skipping and overlooking details that otherwise would not have been overlooked.
Below there is an estimated time frame that is appropriate to complete cleaning job to your satisfaction. Please use it as a guideline only not an exact estimate. Those time frames are based on our extensive cleaning experience. If you still think that you can “ easily clean this whole place yourself in less than 2 hours” we encourage you to do that: you will save money and we will save our reputation.
We provide professional and detailed service and rather not provide cleaning that will lead to unhappy reviews and negative feedback.

Size	Basic cleaning (first time)	Deep cleaning
Condo: 1 br/ 1 ba	3-4 hrs	4-6 hrs
Condo: 1 br/ 1 ba	3-4 hrs	4-6 hrs
Condo: 2 br/ 2 ba	5-6 hrs	6-8 hrs
Condo/Townhome: 3 brs/ 3.5 bathrooms	6-7 hrs	7-9 hrs
4 brs/ 4.5 bathrooms	8-10 hrs	10-14 hrs

Hours are given in “man-hours”. For larger homes we send a team of two, three or four cleaners for better efficiency.

List of General Cleaning Supplies We Use:

We provide all our own equipment including commercial vacuum cleaners with advanced micro filtration filters. We continually strive to use the most effective, efficient and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies available. We are happy to use your supplied cleaning products, but are unable to accept responsibility for those products or their results.
Although we use environmentally friendly products in your house, they still can be toxic for your kids and pets if swallowed. We want to make sure everyone in your household stays happy and healthy.
If no specific instructions are made to the cleaning crew, we will try to keep your pet out of the way, but will not be responsible for any damages caused by your pet in your house
If you have a dog: if a cleaning crew comes to your house and your dog is not locked up, we keep the right to refuse the service, but you will be charged the cost of full appointment.

Window cleaner
We use: Green Seal certified Hydroxy-Pro glass cleaner (commercial)
You can also use: Windex, ‘GlassWorks”, Sparkle, anything that says "glass cleaner"

Bathroom and kitchen cleaner and disinfectant.
We use: Green Seal certified Hydroxy-Pro disinfectant (commercial)
You can also use: Lysol, Fantastic. Any product that says :”Bathroom and Kitchen sanitizer” or “All purpose cleaner”

Tile and tub and toilet cleaner and sanitizer.
We use: Soft Scrub with Bleach
For the toilet bowls you can also use any “Toilet Bowl cleaner”

Stainless Steel cleaner
We use: NICO commercial or “Sheila Shine”
You can also use: Any product that says “Stainless Steel Cleaner”

Hardwood floor cleaner
We use: Murphy’s Oil or its alternative

You can also use vinegar and water

Regular Liquid Soap (any brand)

Equipment:

VACUUM CLEANER (important!)
Our choice: Eureka canister-perfect for hardwood floors and stairs

Mop
Our choice is microfiber Home System Mop with ergonomic handle and replacement microfiber towels-freshly laundered for each home

Rags
We use microfiber rags: freshly laundered for each home

Dusters

Bucket

Scrub brushes (different sizes)

Sponges

Equipment:

Wood Furniture Polish if you’d like to use it on your wood furniture “Pledge”, Murphey’s Wood polish spray

"Mold and Mildew Cleaner" to help clean and control mold and mildew “Tilex”, “Clorox”, “Lysol Mold and Mildew”

"Lime and Soap Scum Cleaner and Remover" for your bathrooms to maintain your glass doors and tile in excellent condition and free of any water deposits.
“ CLR household”, “BAM”, “Kaboom” are the best choices

"Oven cleaner" for cleaning inside your ovens
“Easy Off Oven cleaner”, “Mr. Muscle” oven cleaner

No time for shopping? We are offering to buy the whole set for you (excluding vacuum cleaner) at a small one time fee of $5.00 plus the retail cost of supplies. All the supplies will be kept and used in your house only. You will be responsible for restocking, but we will let you know when something is out.

NEW! ADD $10.00 TO GET BRAND NEW SUPPLIES JUST FOR YOUR HOUSE

Want to make sure we use new sponges, brushes and vacuum bag and filter just for your home?

We will provide brand new unopened and never used before brushes, sponges and replace the vacuum cleaner bag and filter specifically for your home at additional $10.00. Everything that we’ll use in your house will be left at your house (with exception of the used vacuum cleaner bag)

COMPANY VS. INDIVIDUAL CLEANER

You can definitely meet great hardworking and honest people both who do cleaning individually and through the company. How to choose the one that works for you?
There has been wrong assumption that “cleaning should be cheap”. Cleaning is a hard and not always pleasant work. In order to keep the best and honest people working in this industry we believe this work must be compensated accordingly. We value our workers and respect greatly hard work that they do. And this is how we are able to keep our staff for years!
By hiring a “cheap cleaning lady” you are running the risk to grant an access to your house and your life to a person with questionable background. Not only that, but also encourage illegal practices of working for cash and not paying taxes.
American Maids Inc cleaning professionals are always pre-screened, covered by company insurance and pay their taxes. When you hire American Maids Inc. you pay not only for cleaning that is supervised and monitored, but also for your piece of mind: should something happen-there is an insurance to cover the damages, if the service is not satisfactory-there is a guarantee to re-clean, there is always someone by the phone to answer your questions and deal with any issues. Our reputation is our most valuable asset-we will go long way to meet and exceed your expectations.
Can you get this type of service from individual cleaner?
Whenever you make a decision to hire a cleaning company/ person check for the following items:
1. Does cleaner have a tax ID number or is it incorporation or LLC?
2. Most importantly: does cleaner have a liability insurance?
3. If it’s a company or a person who has other people do the work:
Are those workers covered by Worker’s Compensation Insurance?
It’s a law in Illinois, and protection for yourself should something happen to the cleaning person while at your house.
4. Does a cleaner/company have a third party dishonesty bond?
5. Are they rated on any consumer websites? What is their rating?
(there are great websites like www.yelp.com, www.angieslist.com that will give you reviews from real people). Check if they are members of Better Business Bureau and if there are any unresolved complaints.
If you are new to the area, or new to hiring a cleaning service the above list of questions will definitely help you make a decision about who will be the best candidate for this job.
You try out several pairs of shoes before you find the ones that fit. Do the same with cleaning person/ company your hire. It’s your money-make a wise investment!

COMPANY VS. INDIVIDUAL CLEANER

WHAT IS “GREEN CLEANING”?

Green Cleaning can have a lot of interpretations, but the main goal of green cleaning is to use cleaning solutions and methods that keep our environment healthy. There are many degrees to which homes can take this goal.
For some homes, green cleaning means that they only use substances like baking soda, vinegar, and lemons to clean the home surfaces. Other homes may seek out commercial cleaners that are healthy for the environment. They may want to avoid phosphates, chlorine, artificial fragrances, and artificial colors. Many cleaners on the market now are marketed as being biodegradable.
Other cleaning products may use recycled packaging or donate a portion of their profits to environmental causes.
Whatever choices you make about your cleaning supplies, there is a huge variety of environmentally friendly choices for those interested in green cleaning.
Cleaning products are everywhere in our homes and offices: on dishes, countertops, furniture, clothes, floors, windows, and floating through the air. In our war on dirt and germs we may often actually be making things worse. Most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications. Instead of opting for cleaning products that annihilate everything in their path, there are plenty of natural products and methods that keep a house clean and fresh-smelling without the toxic side effects. Current research links chronic, long-term exposure to multiple sources of toxins from air, water, ingestion, to the incidence of disease.

Top Green Cleaning Tips

1. Cleaner, greener, meaner
As the health and environmental impacts of conventional cleaning products become more thoroughly understood, more and more brands of healthy, green, and effective cleaning products have started hitting the market and competing for that coveted place of honor under your sink. Many of these products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from renewable resources (not petroleum). But if designer labels aren’t for you, home-mixed cleaners can get the job done and then some. Vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean almost anything. Mix in a little warm water with either of these and you’ve got yourself an all-purpose cleaner.
2. Healthy airflow
It is not uncommon for the air inside a home or office to be more toxic than the air outside. This is because of the presence of toxic materials and substances and the fact that homes and buildings are better insulated than ever before (which is a good thing from an energy standpoint). Keeping windows open as often as possible allows fresh air in and keeps toxins flowing out. This is especially important when cleaning your home.
3. Are we breeding supergerms?
The antibacterial and antimicrobial 'cleaners' that many people think are necessary, especially during cold season, don’t clean hands better than soap and water, and also add to the risk of breeding "super germs," bacteria that survive the chemical onslaught and have resistant offspring. The FDA has found that antibacterial soaps and hand cleansers do not work better than regular soap and water, and should be avoided.
4. Help your home smell soda-licious
Baking soda not only removes those strange smells coming from your fridge, it's also a great odor-eliminator for your carpet. Just sprinkle on a little baking soda to soak up some of those odors and then vacuum it up.
5. Clean peace
Skip the store-bought air fresheners and instead try boiling cinnamon, cloves, or any other herbs you have a fondness for. Fresh chocolate chip cookies also have been known to create a friendly aroma. Also, plants may not make your house smell different but are good for filtering interior air-pretty much any broad green leaf plant will do.
6. The toxic toss
When replacing your cleaning products, don’t just throw the old ones in the trash. If they're too toxic for your home, they won’t be good for the drain or the landfill either. Many communities hold toxics & electronics recycling days and will take all of these off your hands. Throwing chemicals in the trash or down the drain means they might end up back in your water supply and come back to haunt you.
7. Drycleaners
Conventional drycleaners are the largest users of the industrial solvent called Perchloroethylene, or perc, which is toxic to humans and also creates smog. The two most common green drycleaning methods are carbon dioxide cleaning and Green Earth. Seek out cleaners that use green methods. If you do take clothes to conventional cleaners, be sure to air them outside before wearing them or putting them in the closet.
8. Green house cleaning service
For people don’t have the time to clean their own homes, fortunately there are an increasing number of green cleaning services out there to help get things spic and span. If you can’t find one in your area (or their rates are outlandish), call around until you find a service willing to use the products and methods you specify.
9. Leave the toxins at the door
Imagine what’s on your shoes at the end of the day. Bringing that oil, antifreeze, animal waste, particulate pollution, pollen, and who knows what else into the house is not good news, especially for kids and other critters that spend time on floor level. Keep the sidewalk out of your home with a good doormat or a shoeless house policy. Many green buildings now include entryway track-off systems as a means of maintaining a healthy interior environment. Less dirt also means less sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming, which means less work, water, energy, and fewer chemicals.
10. Clean design
Designing houses and other building with cleanability in mind can create spaces that are cleaner, healthier, and require fewer substances to maintain. In larger buildings, good cleanability can also be a big money-saver as cleaning costs can often add up to as much as half of a building’s total energy costs.
11. The bottom line: the simplier the better! So what if your house is not going to smell like a “mountain breeze” or “ meadow sunset”? The most important is that you and your loved one will not be breathing in various toxic chemicals, some of which emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) causing respiratory and dermatological problems among other adverse effects.

SERVICE AREAS

We service following city areas and surburbs:

• 1 Downtown and The Loop
• 2 Far North side
•  Rogers Park  
• West Ridge  
•  Edgewater  
• 3 North side
•  North Center  
•  Lakeview  
•  Lincoln Park  
• Uptown
• Lincoln Square  
• 4 Northwest side
•  Edison Park  
•  Norwood Park  
•  Jefferson Park  
•  Forest Glen  
•  North Park  
•  Albany Park  
•  O'Hare
• Avondale  
•  Logan Square  
•  Portage Park  
•  Irving Park  
•  Dunning  
•  Montclare  
•  Belmont Cragin  
•  Hermosa  
• 5 Central, Near North, and Near South side
•  Near North Side  
•  Loop
•  Near South Side  
• 6 West Side
•  Humboldt Park, Logan Square  
•  West Town
• Wicker Park, Bucktown

SUBURBS:

North Shore:
Evanston, Wilmet, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe

North Suburbs:
Lincolnwood, Skokie, Morton Grove, Glenview, Niles

Northwest Suburbs:
Harwood Heights, Norridge, Park Ridge

West Suburbs:
Bensenville, Northlake, Shiller Park, Franklin Park, Elmwood Park, River Forest, Oak Park, Forest Park