The Rainbow Conundrum

Before & After

Rainbow Cleaners came back and they came through! Yay, right? Not really.

When they returned to the house to do upholstery cleaning, they also had someone clean both bathrooms again. This time, the toilets came out sparkling! The magic ingredient was a bit of muriatic acid which they don't normally use. But at the time, the workers at the house informed me that NOTHING could be done.

So, while I am happier about the cleanliness of the toilets, confusion about the rates made me less than pleased. When they first gave the quotation, it just stated that the total was Php 11,580. Only recently did they give me a breakdown - after I had paid them already:

- Rate for general cleaning is Php 45/sqm

84 sqm - Php 3780
Outdoor cleaning - Php 2000
Cloth lampshade - Php 800
Transportation fee - Php 3000
____________________________
Total - Php 9580

Let me repeat, they charged me Php 11,580 for everything mentioned above.

- Upholstery cleaning rates:

2 wing chairs at Php 700/each - Php 1400
1 3-seater sofa - Php 1500
Transportion fee - Php 2000
____________________________
Total - Php 4900

I pointed out to them that we go to Makati everyday, where their office is located, and it does not cost Php 2000. They waived the transportation fee. And since they didn't do the outdoor cleaning or the cloth lampshade (among other things), they gave me a refund for the difference.

Imagine, if everything had gone according to plan, I would have never known that they had overcharged me.

Supplier Ratings: Rainbow Cleaners

BEFORE

The house hasn't been cleaned in over two years, so it was thick with dust and all sorts of other things I didn't want to deal with.

DURING

So I decided to hire Rainbow Cleaners.

AFTER

The house is less dusty, but I was expecting more from professional cleaners.

Supplier: Rainbow Cleaners
Price Tag: Php 10,780
Rating: Php 6/10 (10 being the highest)

Pros:
Well, thanks to them, I didn't have to get rid of most of the gunk by myself. Also, it will now be easier and faster for me to clean the place up.

Cons:
Here's what I sent to them via email:

When I first inquired (in January) about having our house cleaned, I asked if you guys clean the exterior windows and windowsills - both ground and second floor due to dirt and lots of bird poop. I even called and you confirmed it could be done but only up to the second floor.

You emailed back with this reply: "Please find attached revised proposal. All you want to clean in your home is covered."

That was my main reason for hiring Rainbow Cleaners, because everything else I could do myself.

Today, they told me they don't do exteriors.

I also asked if you dry shampoo or steam clean cloth lampshades and you said yes, and added P800 to the bill. Take note I even sent a photo of the lamp.

They took one look and said no, they only vacuum cloth lampshades.

They were not very thorough. They kept telling me that it's not possible to remove the traces of lizard poop on the walls. I did it myself in front of them and it was gone.

They also were not able to get rid of the yellow stains in both toilets and bathroom floors. Another reason why I hired you. Now I have to figure out how to clean it myself.

Why did I hire you guys again? Ah, yes, the incorrect assumption that you would know what to do considering your line of work.

Cleaners: Rainbow Cleaners

As much as I would love for the house to be sanitized and smell of eucalyptus, I've decided that I'd rather save the extra Php 6920. I can buy a ton of Clorox Wipes and an air freshener I actually like and still have a little cash left over. Here's hoping though they'll do a better job than Dirty Business, Inc.

I. Scope of Work: General Cleaning for 84 sqm
II. Estimated duration of work: 8 hours
III. Manpower: 5 staff with supervisor
IV. Term of payment: Upon project completion
V. Service invoice and Official Receipt to be issued upon payment of service.
VI. Above price is VAT inclusive.

Total: Php 10,780 (all-inclusive)

Window Shopping: Cleaners

The house hasn't been cleaned since 2015, so can you just imagine how dirty the place is? The toilet alone makes me shudder (eww...). I wasn't too happy with the last cleaning company we hired, Dirty Business, Inc. They charged Php 10,000 for one day, but I felt the quality of work wasn't great. For example, they cleaned the middle and bottom part of the bedroom cabinets, but neglected the ones right above. I had to really check what they were doing and even then I was thinking that I could have done a better job had I done it myself.

Another company we hired to clean a 20 sqm bedroom with an attached bathroom was PRO Cleaning Services. They charged Php 4500 for 1.5 hours inclusive of steam cleaning one queen-sized mattress. I wasn't around at the time, but my mom said that while they were very thorough, she thought that they were too expensive.

Now that we're about to move-in, I want the house cleaned from top to bottom, in particular the ceiling, walls, window screens, and window sills. Five years worth of dust and bird droppings are not something I wish for any of us to breathe in.

I had difficulty searching for companies who were willing to clean a two storey house both inside and outside, so I decided to go with what's familiar and one that I discovered online.

PRO Cleaning Services
Rate: 17,700*

Estimated duration of work: 5.90 hours
Manpower: 4 staff

*Final bill will be based on actual time consumed.

Rainbow Cleaners
Rate: Php 10,780

Estimated duration of work: 8 hours
Manpower: 5 staff with supervisor

The main difference between the two, aside from the price, is that PRO Cleaning includes the following:

- Dry Steam Cleaning (175 degrees C high temperature cleaning and sanitizing) of tiled floor, kitchen countertops, toilet & bathroom fixtures
- Indoor Air Washing and Aromatizing with Eucalyptus (to get rid of stale indoor air, floating construction dust and other allergens and odors in the air)

The question is whether those last two features are worth the extra Php 6920.