FAQ

Welcome to the Cleaner Spirits FAQ — your quick guide to how our eco‑friendly house cleaning services in Minnesota work. Here you’ll find clear answers about pricing, deposits, scheduling, what’s included in each cleaning, and how to prepare for your appointment. Whether you’re booking a standard clean, deep clean, or move‑out cleaning, this page helps you understand exactly what to expect so your service goes smoothly from start to finish.

This section contains the most frequently asked questions we see about various aspects of our business. If what you need more information about is not found here, please reach out and contact us by mail, and we’ll reply, add, and/or modify the information provided to reflect your concerns.

Scope of Work – Cleaning

Are you a housekeeping service?

No, our company specifically focuses on cleaning and specializes in deep cleaning with nontoxic, eco-friendly products. We offer a basic (standard) cleaning, and deep cleans of specific areas of attention, which the clients can customize their cleaning project requests to match their budget.

What’s the difference between house cleaning and housekeeping?

The major differences are listed below:

House Cleaner – An individual or team, who’s sole responsibility is to clean specific tasks. They are scheduled for a specific time period to complete a project or task, and leave when the job is done.

  • Focused deep cleaning
    • Scrubbing and sanitizing kitchen appliances, countertops, sink, and floors
    • Scrubbing and sanitizing bathroom surfaces, toilets, sinks, and showers
  • Dusting
  • Vacuuming
  • Mopping
  • And standard cleaning as requested
  • Refrigerator cleaning: deep focused clean
    • Add on service, not included in a standard or deep clean
  • Oven cleaning: deep focused clean
    • Add on service not included in a standard or deep clean
  • Interior window cleaning
    • Add on service, not included in a standard or deep clean.

Housekeeper or Home Manager (commonly referred to as a maid) – An individual or team of individuals who stay in a home for long periods of time, with many cleaning projects or tasks assigned by a family in their care. Housekeepers typically live onsite or inside the home.

  • Light cleaning: dusting, sweeping, mopping
  • Dishwashing: scrub, clean, and dry
  • Laundry: wash, dry, fold, and ironing
  • Bedding: changing linens and making the bed
  • Trash disposal: separating recyclables from trash, placing in correct bins
  • Restock: toilet paper, personal care products
  • Reorganize and declutter
  • Run family errands
  • Prepare and/or cook meals
  • Replace light bulbs
  • Scoop and clean litter boxes
  • And other requested tasks

What are the limits of your scope of work?

It’s very important to understand that our employees are only trained in cleaning and sanitation. Though we emphasize on customer satisfaction, there are cases when this cannot be achieved.

In such extreme cases, which are dangerous and life-threatening by exposure:

We cannot accommodate project requests that require special consideration as they are considered to be highly controlled and governed by many local, state, and federal agencies.

Some examples are bathrooms, kitchens, and basements which require more than a deep clean consideration, where it exceeds one half square foot in volume of suspected hazards.

Hazards are solid waste which include food, sewage, clothing, and chemical powder. Other hazards include sewage water, stagnant water, and containerized liquid or gas chemicals.

Our refusal to accept the work project is a right reserved by constitutional laws. We may suggest other options to take care of your project, and if the conditions exceed three months of neglect, we may consider reporting these hazards to the proper authorities.

Pricing

How can we get a price quote?

We generally require an estimate on the total square footage of the area needed to be cleaned. When you provide an estimate of the work area, we provide a quote based on that information. Quotes are not the actual price, but a representation of what it could cost for a home with basic cleaning needs.

A typical work area consists of 1,000 sq ft, not including bathrooms. For this example, a base rate would be about $160.00 for a 4-hour period.

How do we get an accurate estimated price?

To better serve your cleaning needs, we require exact measurements of the work area, which helps us determine how many hours are required to plan for the service. This will include how many total bathrooms are requiring attention and what type of cleaning is needed for each room.

We use a detailed pre-cleaning checklist to mark off the cleaning tasks. Once we have gathered all of that information, we can finally add or subtract various tasks, based on your cleaning criteria, to formulate a final estimate.

How can we be sure of the exact measurements?

Great question! We offer a complimentary in-home evaluation, called a Rate Assessment, for new clients during special promotions. Our team representative(s) comes out to your home and gathers every single little detail needed for the cleaning assignment.

A Rate Assessment can take up to an hour, so this service would need to be scheduled, at your convenience, so we have enough time to review all of the information gathered.

We’re so confident in our process, that even if you decide not to go with our services, you will have a basis for comparison, on rates with all of the information mentioned, to get quotes from other service providers.

What are some tasks that reduce the price?

Not all homes require the same type of cleaning. We separate tasks like: pet dander and hair, wood flooring, ceramic/linoleum flooring, carpet, deep surface cleaning, detailed cleaning, and bringing cleaning equipment/products from the price to provide a more clearer picture of costs.

If your home doesn’t require some of these tasks, there is no sense in charging for tasks that are not needed.

What if the cleaning takes less than a 4-hour period?

There are many cases where a cleaning would take less than the allotted 4-hour window:

  • A standard cleaning was performed where the square footage was equivalent to a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment, approximately 1,000 sq ft.
  • You may opt for a two person or three person crew, which can reduce the total amount of time spent cleaning.
  • Miscommunication of the assigned cleaning tasks from client to service provider, or to the cleaning team.
    • System failures which cause a collapse in communication
    • Data processing not entered in a timely manner

We’re also human, we make mistakes even though we rely on and tell computers, and various data systems, what we want them to do for us. Some clerical errors can occur in data integration and management, which can slightly skew pricing and total costs.

In such scenarios of human error, we offer a discounted or reduced rate for an upcoming future cleaning assignment. We understand that this may not be the best option, so we are able to give a partial refund on a prorated scale.

How else can I save on pricing?

Loyalty is where this comes into play. So, if you love our service, we are offer discounts through many care packages in a variety of ways. Such care packages are catered to your needs, where you customize exactly what you want, how you want it, how often you want it done, and what tasks are included in each cleaning assignment.

Care packages are designed to provide retainer services such that the client has the option to pay as each cleaning assignment is completed, pay full in advance, or pay in monthly installments. Payments in full are guaranteed through service contracts, and are held at top priority.

That way, if you ever need to leave the house for an emergency or any other reason, we will complete our cleaning assignment, and make sure we communicate when we are done, so you have the peace of mind that it is completed to your satisfaction.

Cancellations

What happens if we need to cancel a service?

We understand life happens, and sometimes it can be difficult to honor the arrangements made prior to a certain date or event. Don’t worry, because we are here to serve your needs, your life circumstances are what matters most to us.

We just ask that you communicate with us, so that we can work out any details that may need to be addressed, before moving forward. Doing this will help us continue services with you, remain in good standing, so whenever you decide to use our services again, it’s almost like you never left.

How soon do we need to notify a service cancellation?

We check in with you a week in advance. This gives both you and us time to prepare for any unexpected changes, address cleaning concerns and discrepancies, and determine the necessary adjustments to make it happen. We know life happens fast, and it can deter the things that are the least of our worries.

We just ask that if we have to reschedule, there is an availability that makes sense for both you and us. If rescheduling happens within a 7-day window, please be sure to notify us, prior to the 48-hour period, before the day of service, to avoid penalty.

What are the penalties for cancellation inside the 48-hour period?

Unfortunately it happens, and because this could have been a service for someone else, we need to be able to preserve the integrity of our service. Cancellations with Assessments are subject to 10% of the Assessment, without a 48-hour notice, prior to the day of service.

There are special circumstances where this does not apply. Such circumstances may need more information regarding the situation, so we can do everything to help resolve any issues that occur outside of your control.

What if we never received a Rate Assessment?

All service requests without a Rate Assessment are subject to cancellation without notice. We are confident that we do everything possible to prevent this from happening.

In the event, that a case like this happens, we will need to make sure our system reflects an appointment set up with you, including a service date and time. If it is found that this did occur, we will refund the entire amount of the service request, no questions asked.

What if we still want the service, but also want the Rate Assessment?

This is a special case, and it requires careful consideration. If you’ve never received a Rate Assessment, even if a special promotion was in effect, we will still honor a complimentary Rate Assessment outside of the promotional period.

From there, we will be sure to conduct a thorough analysis of the cleaning criteria, go over it with you, step by step, to get a clear understanding, show you how our cleaning rates will be applied, and provide you with a detailed quote.

Payments

How do we take payments?

We collect payments in a variety of ways:

  • Cash or check is/has been the most widely accepted method and is often collected by the Service Coordinator or Service Supervisor of the cleaning assignment.
    • For out of state transactions, we can only accept USPS Postal Money Orders as a mailed check.
      • Due to fraudulent activity, we currently Do Not accept out of state bank checks. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.
  • Venmo is another acceptable payment method and is the most preferred. Same as cash, only Service Management personnel are able to receive these payments.
  • We accept all major credit cards and debit cards with the Visa® or MasterCard® logo. Our electronic payment processing system is through Square Up (Block, Inc.), which provides our clients the flexibility of receiving invoices and electronic receipts through email, and other electronic communication services.
    • Because credit/debit card processing is a paid service provided by our company for your convenience, we do not place this burden on our clients. However, payments in cash or Venmo, can grant reduced rates in proportion to the payment amount, in a form as a discounted rate for an upcoming future service.

Do you have chargeback fees?

Traditionally, chargebacks occur when there is a card dispute with the cardholder and the payment processor, due to suspicious or fraudulent transactions. A fee of $10 may be applied to the card for a chargeback found to be legitimate and legal.

To avoid a chargeback fee, we kindly ask that you take note on the transaction, as it will indicate Square along with our company name attached to the transaction.

What about non-payment or insufficient funds?

This doesn’t happen very often, but in the event that it does, we’d like to be able to investigate and gather more information before attempting collection.

  • Sometimes, it could be the card used has expired and needs to be updated in our system.
  • The billing address is incorrect or has changed, and needs to be updated.
  • An expected pay date was delayed and funds have not transferred to the bank account for an issued check or electronic transfer.

Whatever the case, we don’t judge. We will attempt payment collection on another date, by sending an electronic invoice, to facilitate a new payment or temporary arrangement.

Complaints

What happens if we’re not satisfied with the service?

Although we’d like to think we’re putting in our best effort, sometimes it’s not the case. We pride ourselves in giving you the best service possible.

In these circumstances, we like to investigate the issue and find out more details as to why this happened. Usually, it comes down to communication and someone wasn’t notified properly.

It happens, and in most cases it can be resolved by a discounted or reduced rate for an upcoming future cleaning assignment, or partial refund for one-time cleaning.

To start a refund claim, please provide the details about the cleaning and any issued receipt. IMPORTANT: Please see our Refund Policy for full disclosure.

What happens if we want to complain about an employee?

We want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. So, we investigate to get down to the bottom of the issue. Sometimes life deals difficulties that are hard to overcome on our own, and it often can overlap into our work environment.

In this case, if the employee is feeling a hardship and didn’t perform up to standard, we make sure they’re able to have the time off to deal with their problems.

If the client is found to be dealing with a hardship, then we attempt to communicate the situation clearly, and try to find an appropriate solution together.

What happens if we’re still not satisfied?

There are occasions where, no matter what is done to alleviate the problem, the client will not be satisfied. We understand that not everything can be solved amicably.

We do our best to hold ourselves to the highest standards possible. In the event, we do not come to an agreement, we will refund the balance of any incomplete future services, usually a contract that was prepaid, at which time, we thank you for your support.

We just ask that you allow us 7-10 business days to complete the transaction, but this process can take as long as 30 days, since banks govern their own operations. If you have not received your refund request, please reach out and contact us for further assistance.

Refunds

Refund Policy — 72‑Hour Limit

1. Refund Eligibility Window

Refund requests must be submitted within 72 hours from the time the receipt is issued. After the 72‑hour period has passed, all sales and service payments become final and non‑refundable.

2. Conditions for Full Refunds

A full refund may be granted only if:

  • The request is made within the 72‑hour eligibility window, AND
  • No services have been rendered, scheduled, or partially completed, AND
  • No customized materials, products, or preparations have been created for the client.

3. Partial Refunds (Conditional)

A partial refund may be issued at the company’s discretion if:

  • Work has begun but is not substantially completed,
  • Materials or products have been purchased or prepared specifically for the client,
  • The client cancels a scheduled service within the 72‑hour window but after operational costs have been incurred.

Partial refund amounts will be calculated based on:

  • Labor already performed,
  • Materials purchased or used,
  • Administrative or scheduling costs.

4. Non‑Refundable Situations

Refunds will not be issued if:

  • The request is made after the 72‑hour window,
  • The service has been fully completed,
  • The client fails to provide access, information, or conditions required to perform the service,
  • The client violates terms of service or engages in conduct that prevents completion of the work.

5. Processing Time

Approved refunds will be processed within 7–10 business days to the original payment method unless otherwise required by law. This process can take up to 30 days, dependent on bank operations.

Back to Home