FAQs

What areas in London do you cover?

We cover all areas in London within the M25.

What kind of services do you provide?

We have been providing our highly trained domestic cleaning staff to our clients throughout London for many years now and we have built up an exceptional relationship with each and every one of them.
We take care of every aspect of your cleaning requirements. With one telephone call or email you can:

• Change your cleaner
• Change your cleaning day
• Arrange a temporary cleaner if your regular is sick or on holiday
• Have the best possible advice from our experienced housekeeping consultants.

You will have the same domestic cleaner on each visit. They will get to know you and your home and understand your unique cleaning requirements. If you at any point are not happy with your cleaner for any reason at all, we will replace them instantly.

How much does your service cost?

Our prices vary from area to area and it also depends what type of cleaning you require.

To find out the price in your area, please Get a Quote.

What nationality are the cleaners? Do they speak English?

We have a wide range of cleaners of different nationalities from all across the world. As they all go through our strict cleaner vetting procedure, all of the cleaners are required to speak English. Of course some cleaners are better than others at speaking English.

Are your cleaners insured?

The Agency Fee includes insurance for damage to property.

There is a £100 excess as it is designed for major damage, and bleach spills are not covered, so you should discourage your cleaner from using cleaning products containing bleach.

The excess is purely because:

* For claims under £100 it costs more to process the claim, than the amount of the claim itself.
* Without the excess, clients were claiming for everything such as an iron that simply broke because it was old, when the cleaner had done nothing wrong with it.

The above increases the price of insurance for all our customers.

If you change the times of your cleaning with your cleaner, would like to use credits you have gained by not using the cleaner at other times, it is essential to inform the agency directly. This is needed so we can update your insurance for those times and hours.

Do I need to provide the cleaning products?

Yes, because most of our cleaners travel by public transport, it will be very difficult for them to carry the cleaning products with them.
We also find that it is more hygienic for you to provide your own cleaning products as you will know exactly what is being used to clean your home and it will stop any cross contamination from being passed from house to house.

How are the cleaners vetted?

References:
Our cleaners must provide at least 2 references from their previous employment. The references must show their experience and the ability to clean in a domestic environment. We look for honest, reliable cleaners with excellent customer service skills.
Some cleaners only have one employment reference, mostly due to having cleaned for one household for a long period of time. In this case we would ask the cleaner to provide a character reference from a Teacher or friend.
We go to great lengths to ensure that the references provided are accurate and only pass a cleaner one we know that the references are genuine.

Proof of Address:
Our cleaners have to provide proof of address and which must be an original formal document, such as a recent bank statement, utility bill or tenancy agreement. These are the only documents we accept and if the potential cleaner cannot provide these then they will not be able to join the Agency.

Identification:
These must include a passport, driving license, home office papers or a birth certificate. All our managers are highly trained in checking these documents. The methods and techniques used to forge such documents are changing and advancing regularly, however with the proper knowledge and continual training with specialist consultants, we know when we are being presented with real documents, and when we are not. Our reputation is well known in the industry and people with such documents do not come anywhere near us.

Permission to work in the UK:
The United Kingdom's conditions for people, who are not British by birth but are allowed to work in the UK, vary according to their nationality, and it is changing all the time. A list of the situation for each type of the nationalities would be quite long. However, Featherclean only passes people who are fully legal to work in the UK. We are very strict in this area, both for the protection of our clients, the company and our reputation.
Because we are so stringent, potential cleaners without permission to work in the UK know that it is not worth them even trying to approach Featherclean. We do not tolerate such activities.

Next of Kin Details:
It is also very important that our cleaners provide their next of kin details. We try to get as much information about their family and friends.

Domestic Cleaning Interview:
Our potential cleaners must pass a domestic cleaning interview. Our interviewers are highly trained and can easily spot the good candidates to work with Featherclean. If we have any slight concerns then we do not pass that person. Interviews can be up to an hour long and we go into great detail so by the end we know if they really want, and are able to do the job required.

Pass An English Test:
Our English test is very carefully designed to ensure that the potential cleaner has the necessary level of English to freely and easily communicate with customers. If their English is not sufficient then we do not pass them.

Pass a written, oral and practical cleaning and ironing exam in a test flat:
This is an essential part of our cleaner vetting.

* Practical cleaning exam: So we can see if the cleaner is aware, has experienced, and is well practiced in all the cleaning tasks they may be asked to perform.

* Oral cleaning exam: To ensure that domestic cleaners can discuss, advise, and understand the customer's cleaning requirements.

* Written cleaning exam: Enables us to fully understand their full domestic cleaning knowledge.

These exams are carried out one on one with an examiner, so we really understand the potential cleaner abilities, and they understand how high our standards are.

Passing our initial vetting and screening is only the beginning, as we carefully monitor all cleaners throughout their time with our customers. We expect the best possible standards from them throughout their cleaning career. Many cleaners are also filtered out because they become complacent in their work or fail to continue our high standards.

What is the difference between a regular cleaner and spring cleaner?

A regular cleaner is someone who comes to clean your home either once a week or once a fortnight. They will clean all of the areas of your home that you have contact with on a daily basis.
A spring cleaner is someone who gives your home a deeper clean which means cleaning all of the corners of your house that you don't get to on regular basis which it takes significantly longer. For the kitchen it would involve cleaning the oven, inside the fridge, inside the cupboards, skirting boards, doorframes, internal windows etc.

Why is your service more expensive than employing a local cleaner?

When using our agency you are covered with insurance for any damage to your property.

What hours do your cleaners work?

Many of our cleaners are available to work between 7am-6pm. We also have some cleaners who are available to work in the evenings too. We have many cleaners available to work between Monday and Sunday.

Do I need to pay for the cleaners travel expenses?

No. All of our cleaners make their own travel arrangements and pay for their own travel expenses. You need to pay the cleaners for the time they have spent cleaning your home.

Can I choose the days for cleaning?

Most of our cleaners work 7 days a week so you can choose any day of the week from Monday to Sunday. The cleaners can also be very flexible on times too.

What is the minimum amount of time the cleaner can come for?

Once a week or more: Minimum length of visit is 2.5 hours.

Fortnightly: Minimum length of visit is 4.5 hours.

This is because we will only clean a home if we can do it well, to ensure this we only use the best cleaners.

Will I have the same cleaner every week?

As long as you are happy with your cleaner, she will be the same cleaner every week.

Do you provide holiday cover?

Yes, if your cleaner goes away on holiday we will provide you with a replacement cleaner to cover the duration of your regular cleaner's holiday. Of course if you wish to just wait for your regular cleaner to return you are very welcome to.

What happens if I go on holiday or do not need a cleaner for a week?

If you are going on holiday or do not need your cleaner for a week just call to inform us. We can put your saved cleaning hours onto your account. You can then use the hours for extra cleans or a spring clean anytime you wish before your next monthly fee is due.

Can your cleaners also do ironing?

Please inform us in the initial order if you would like ironing as part of your service. We can then make sure you get the right domestic cleaner with excellent ironing skills. This is all part of the service and is the same hourly rate as cleaning.

How much does ironing cost?

Ironing is the same hourly rate as cleaning.

What happens if I am not happy with the quality of the clean?

If you are not happy with your cleaner at any time or for any reason we will replace them instantly and they will be reviewed and possibly retrained.

How do I pay Featherclean for regular cleaning?

For a regular service you will pay Featherclean the monthly agency fee by direct debit or credit card.

How do I sign up for the Featherclean service?

To sign up online for a regular service you will need to-
Click on the Get a Quote tab, then choose the day(s) and amount of hours you require. After clicking the 'Get a Quote' button the prices will appear, continue filling out the short form with your details.
We will contact you within 2 working days of receiving your order.

If you have any questions please contact us on 0207 071 5106 or send us a message through our Contact Us page.

Why is my first transaction made out of two payments?

We find that customers love that they do not pay any agency and insurance fee until we have found them a cleaner.

However you will notice that all website payment systems have to verify cards when they are entered into them.

Hotel and car websites do this by reserving the amount of the bill, so the customer does not pay when they enter the card, but it is reserved on their card to be charged when the customer finishes their use of the room or vehicle. This is so the companies know that the funds will be available on the customers card to pay the bill at the end of their stay, or use of the car.
Other websites such as cinemas just charge customers in advance.

However in order to verify your card with Mastercard Secure Code, Verified by Visa, or whatever system your payment card uses. The card companies insist we do some kind of transaction. This can just be reserving money on your card but not actually charging it, placing a small deposit for something you buy or actually charging it in full.

As a result we do not charge your card, just reserve £5 on it, once we have found you a cleaner we charge this £5 at that later date and if you cancel beforehand we just remove this reservation.
However there is another issue, customers pay their subscriptions quarterly. As a result this card is used for another transaction which is the rest of your agency fee after we have charged the first £5. For this we charge £5 less for your first recurring transaction because of the card verification payment above has already taken £5.

Then for all future recurring transactions charge the full amount in one transaction as your card is already verified.
From your point of view all it means is that:
1. when you order, £5 is reserved on your card for paying us when we find you a cleaner, if you cancel before we find you a cleaner, we remove that £5 reservation
2. You first payment will be the correct total, but will be made out of two smaller transactions that will add up to the normal agency fee
3. The future quarterly agency and insurance payments will just be one transaction that will add up to the total of the first.

Please do feel free to contact us to ask further questions about this?