The handoff
Two Cleaning Quotes Look the Same. Compare Who Enters Her Room and Who Moves the Furniture
Put the same five questions to each company, in writing, so the answers can be compared before anyone works alone in the house.
Two cleaning quotes often list the same rooms and the same hours. The difference shows up in the questions that the quote does not answer: who comes, what they do around her bed and chair, and who you call when something goes wrong.
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Five questions for each company
First, will the same two people come each time, and what happens when one of them is out sick? A rotating crew means you will explain her routine again and again, so ask how the company handles the handoff between workers.
Second, what do they do when she is in the room? Ask whether they will work around her bed and chair, or whether they expect the room to be cleared first. Ask whether she can stay in the room while they work, or whether she needs to be moved out, and who would do that.
Third, do they move furniture? If yes, is that in the price? If no, who clears the path to the bathroom and the door? A cleaning crew that will not move a chair can leave a clear path that is still blocked.
Fourth, which products do they bring, and can you read the labels before they start? Ask whether she can be out of the room while those products are in use, and whether the company will stop and call you if a product bothers her skin or breathing.
Fifth, who do you call when a worker is late or something breaks, and how fast does that phone get answered? Ask for the direct number of a manager, not only the main office line.
How to compare them fairly
Send the same five questions to each company, word for word, and ask for written answers. Keep the answers side by side on one page. Vague answers are useful information too.
At the first visit, watch what they ask about. A crew that asks about her room, her path, and what they should not touch is planning the job. A crew that goes straight to the kitchen without asking may not be planning it at all.
Keep medicine, paperwork, and any bedside supplies in a spot the family controls, and tell the crew in writing that those items are off their list. That keeps the cleaning job clear of anything that belongs with the family, the doctor, or the pharmacist.