FAQs

A:Over 35 years. Windsor Home Cleaning, an Ottawa-based cleaning service, has been locally owned and family operated since 1978.
We hold an A+ rating with BBB.
We have been an Accredited member of the BBB for over 20 years.
We have been honoured with: The 2011 Torch Award for Trust in the Market Place from the Ottawa BBB.
The Seal of Excellence from the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI).

A:Our average client retention rate is one of the highest in our industry across North America. The simple fact that we have been the First Choice among local homes for cleaning services, every single year since 1978, speaks for itself.

A:Absolutely! We give our clients with regular service a full written open agreement with costs guaranteed against sudden increases; quality satisfaction guaranteed; protection against damage, on-the-job injury, and other important householder liability issues.

A:Just one cleaner, if you are subscribing to Regular Cleaning Services. This way the cleaner gets to know the particulars and priorities of your home and your family, giving you a very customized service, tailored to your unique requirements.

A:Very! Our staff are trained to ensure that bacteria, viruses and allergens are reduced or eliminated by following a strict formula based on technique and thoroughness.

A:Yes. Since our Thoroughness is the hallmark of Windsor Home Cleaning, we fully guarantee your satisfaction with our cleaning services for your home in Ottawa in this regard, in writing for our regular clients. Many cleaning companies in Ottawa do not provide such a guarantee.

A:Yes. Our successful Ottawa cleaning services formula is based on building a solid relationship between our cleaner and your household.

A:Yes. We allow a window of 60 minutes, for traffic and weather considerations.

A:Yes, if illness, vacation time off or logistics such as weather or transportation intervene, we will provide a substitute cleaner in the interim. We always let you know if a substitute cleaner is coming in place of your regular cleaner.

A:Yes. Every time your Windsor cleaner comes, she / he leaves a copy of your WORK ORDER with:
the scheduled start time, actual start time, finish time, total hours, and comments re: supplies / equipment needed.
In short, we always account for every minute billed.

A:Yes. Our office is always staffed from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, Mondays to Fridays. All of our cleaning services supervisors and drivers are in constant communication with our office dispatch through cell phones. You can always call after hours and leave a message or you can e-mail at any time. All communications are promptly returned.

A:Yes. Since it is your home, we believe that the routine and your priorities should be exclusively under your control.
Many clients have jobs that they want rotated every 2nd, 3rd, or 4th visit. Many clients also have tasks that are tackled as projects on occasion. Windsor’s approach gives you complete control over how your time is used, unlike other cleaning companies in Ottawa.

A:Over 95% of our customers choose to supply everything themselves. The reasons they give for doing it this way are: lower cost, concerns of cross contamination between homes, preference for specific products, allergies to specific products, or selecting “Environmentally Friendly” products.
We can advise you on choosing products & equipment, if you wish. Your cleaner will watch the inventory and leave you a note when items need replacing.

A:Yes, our quality cleaning services are available on a one-time or occasional basis.

A:Yes. We have developed a strategy for getting all your “stuff” organized prior to a major or initial clean. We have also pioneered our industry with our proven “DECLUTTERING” techniques.

A:Yes! Pets are a major factor taken into consideration when selecting the right home cleaning professional for your Ottawa home.

A:Yes! We can tailor your cleaning needs to your budget and preferences from basics, where you still do some of the work – to a full service.

A:You control the cleaning products. This ensures that only products you approve of are used in your home. The founder, Patrick Irwin, taught Environmental Sciences for several years. He has extensive experience regarding products and their relationship to human health, microbes and environmental impact. We can advise you on environmental issues, as well as how to maintain a healthy home for your family.

A:The short answer is: “with great difficulty”. Over the years, (and with over 2,000,000 hours of cleaning Ottawa households) we have established demanding standards with regard to character, job performance, attendance and attitude that may even appear to some as old fashioned.
Once we find the right person, they tend to stay with us for a long time. However, most who come into apply, do not meet our requirements. As a result, our company grows at a slow but steady pace. Very few cleaning companies in Ottawa take the steps that we do in ensuring you get the best home cleaning in Ottawa!

A:At present, the average age of our cleaning technicians is 39 years.

A:We never thought you’d ask! Our training is what really sets us apart. Windsor dedicates more of its resources to recruiting and training staff than it does to sales and administration. We believe that residential cleaning is a SKILLED TRADE. We believe that by choosing the right people and training them well, our customers will be well served.
Each of our cleaners, regardless of age or past experience, goes through our multi-step training program. The training is done by experienced supervisors in a one-on-one setting, in a select group of real homes that clients have kindly made available to us for training purposes. In addition, we have a “State of the Art” Learning Centre in our offices, dedicated to training and re-training our Residential Cleaning Technicians and our Handyman Technicians.
In order to gain Windsor Certification, a cleaning apprentice must achieve a high level of cleaning services proficiency in the following:

• Knowledge of cleaning products and various types of equipment
• Effective cleaning techniques emphasizing thoroughness and efficiency
• Time management skills and organizational skills
• Relating to household occupants (including pets)
• WHMIS training and annual recertification
• COVID-19 protocols, use of PPE, and special health and safety precautions
• Injury and fall prevention
• Confidentiality and privacy policies
• Knowledge of, understanding and importance of adhering to all company policies and procedures
• Map reading, use of alarm systems and general workplace safety

Our cleaning services training is tailored to each employee in Ottawa. Ongoing site checks by supervisors ensure that standards are maintained and improved, as well as new approaches introduced.

A:At Windsor, all of our cleaners are employees, not sub-contractors. To the Government of Canada, we remit Canada Pension funds, Employment Insurance, and Harmonized Service Tax, and Income Tax. To the government of Ontario, we remit Workers Compensation Insurance, Ontario Health Insurance Premiums and other licensing fees. We pay all municipal and regional taxes. We operate our Ottawa cleaning services business from a commercially-zoned office. Our employees receive paid statutory holidays, annual vacation pay, industry leading Travel Allowances, and a unique monthly Performance Bonus.

A:Yes. As the oldest residential cleaning service in Canada, we pioneered the format of liability insurance for our industry. Most companies will say they are insured. While this may be true, the real question is: “How am I, as the client, protected?”
This is very important for potential clients to take note! For example, all of our cleaning services clients in Ottawa are protected in the event of a serious on-the-job injury at your residence. WSIB insurance will assume responsibility for the employee’s lost income, even if it involves a long term disability. This way, the risk of a claim against you is virtually eliminated.
Windsor clients also enjoy the benefits of a full third party contingent liability policy underwritten by Co-operators Insurance. This means that the insurance protects not only Windsor Home Services and its employees, but also each of its customers as third parties for such possibilities as: breakage, damage, flood / fire, loss of income due to personal injury.
Ensure that your cleaners are enrolled with the Workplace Safety &Insurance Board (WSIB) and that your insurance company addresses the issue that you employ a worker in your home on a regular basis.
All of our home cleaning Ottawa technicians are bonded. Extensive background checks and a police report are done as well as a comprehensive “Values” profile on each new potential employee.

A:Our rates are very competitive,compared with other legally complying Ottawa cleaning services!

A quick example:
(based on many comments from new Windsor clients coming from some of the other services)
You call us and we quote you, based on your requirements, that you need 1 cleaner for 4 hours (approximately $212.00 per session). You call a competitor, and they tell you that they can do your home for $180.00. They will send a team of 2 people. They don’t tell you how much time it will take, nor do they leave a record of time behind. These 2 things may or may not happen, depending on the company:

1. The cleaning ‘looks okay’ from a distance, but does not meet your standards for thoroughness and hygiene when examined closely.
2. You find out, often from your home security records, that the team was actually only in your home for 1 hour. That means you are actually paying $90.00 per hour!

A:No. We set up an account with you, giving some simple payment options.

A:All of our very competitive costs are laid out here in our Home Cleaning Rates