"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
— Red Adair
"I Just Need a Cleaner… Or Do I?"
One of our clients shared a story that we often hear. They hired a nice woman to clean their office. Over time, she became part of the team. The client even said, "she's like family now." But here's the problem — she wasn't doing a great job. Still, no one wanted to say anything because she was older and everyone liked her.
So, every few months, they call us to come in and perform a thorough deep clean to address the issues. And this isn't just one story — it has also happened with other clients. They hire someone directly, but when the cleaning isn't good enough, they don't know how to deal with it.
On the one hand, we understand why the company wants to keep her on — they're trying to be kind and supportive, and we respect that. But someone still has to do the actual work. And that means someone else needs to step in and make sure the place stays clean.
Many people think hiring a cleaner on their own is simple. Just pay someone to clean. But it's not always that easy. Let's discuss what truly changes when you hire a cleaning company instead of doing it all yourself.
The Hidden Cost: Your Office Manager's Time
Here's the part no one budgets for: who manages the cleaner?
From what we've seen, there are usually two scenarios. One: someone in the office is assigned to manage the cleaner, and that person ends up spending a lot of time doing just that. Two: no one manages the cleaner at all — and that's when things really go off the rails. When there's no oversight, standards drop fast. It doesn't take long before the office looks and feels like a mess, and everyone notices.
If you hire someone directly, it's usually the office manager who ends up being the unofficial cleaning supervisor. They must develop a cleaning specification, conduct quality checks, manage supplies, and possess sufficient knowledge of cleaning to identify what is being missed.
If the cleaner calls in sick, the office manager now has to ring around trying to find cover, conduct a walkthrough with a stranger, and explain where everything is located. If that replacement doesn't work out? Repeat the whole process.
Broken hoover? Low on bin bags? Missing chemicals? That's more admin time gone. So even if you save on hourly rate, you're losing time (and patience) elsewhere.
Reliability and Cover
When you hire a cleaner directly, there's no backup if they call in sick or simply don't show up. You're stuck scrambling.
With a company like Aluna, we always have someone on standby. Whether it's holidays, emergencies, or just needing extra hours during a busy week, you're covered. That kind of reliability is hard to find with one person.
Insurance and Liability
If you hire a cleaner directly, you're fully responsible for everything that happens. It's not just about a cleaner damaging a screen or shredding important documents. If there's a wet floor in the kitchen or a spillage in the bathroom and someone slips and gets hurt — that's on you. You could even end up in court if someone decides to sue.
However, when you hire a professional cleaning company, all of that is taken care of. They carry full public, Employers and products liability insurance, so you don't have to worry about legal claims or dealing with injury costs.
And it's not just about visitors or staff. Even the cleaners themselves could get injured. If they're vacuuming the stairs and twist an ankle — that's still on you. Unless, of course, you're working with a fully insured company like Aluna.
Security, Vetting, and Trust
When you hire a cleaner directly, you're giving them access to your workplace keys, alarm codes, and sometimes even sensitive areas. The big question is: do you really trust them? Have their references been checked? Have they been vetted properly? What if something goes missing or an issue arises?
At Aluna Facilities Solutions, every cleaner goes through full background checks before they ever step into your office. We know exactly who we're sending, and you never have to worry about who's in your space. That's the level of trust and security we bring.
Cleaning Quality & Standards
There's a common belief that if you get a really good cleaner, you won't have to deal with quality issues. And yes — that's partly true. We have a few cleaners in our team who consistently deliver perfect results, regardless of the circumstances. However, the truth is that there aren't enough of those "always spot-on" cleaners for everyone.
Most cleaners, even the reliable ones, still need occasional support, instructions, or follow-up. If you hire someone directly, they often work off memory or vague instructions, which usually results in inconsistent outcomes. Some days are fine. Other days, things get missed.
At Aluna Facilities Solutions, we do things differently. Our cleaners follow detailed, site-specific checklists. They get ongoing training to improve their skills. And most importantly, their work is regularly reviewed and monitored by a site manager. That's how we maintain high, consistent, and reliable quality — every single time.
Supplies, Equipment & Extras
When you hire a cleaner directly, you have to provide everything: hoovers, bin bags, sprays, gloves, mops, buckets, and more. And if something breaks, like the hoover or mop, it's your job to fix it or buy a replacement. You're not just in charge of the supplies; you're also responsible for maintaining all the equipment.
With a cleaning company like Aluna Facilities Solutions, you don't have to worry about any of that. We bring everything with us — including high-quality cleaning agents, commercial-grade equipment, and backup stock so nothing runs out. We also manage consumables, if you'd like us to handle that as well. It's one less thing on your plate.
Flexibility and Scale
Need to add a deep clean? Carpet shampoo? Window cleaning? If you've hired a cleaner directly, you're probably ringing around again trying to find someone else who can do it.
Companies like ours can send in specialists. We handle everything from regular cleaning to deep cleans, floor buffing, high-level cleans, and emergency services.
And what if your needs change? Perhaps you downsize and require less cleaning, or you move into a larger building and need additional cleaners. Maybe you're opening a second office. With a professional cleaning company like Aluna Facilities Solutions, scaling up or down is easy. We can quickly adapt to your new schedule, increase staff, or adjust the cleaning plan to suit your new space.
Legal and HR Headaches
If you hire someone directly, you're technically their employer. That means you're responsible for PRSI, holiday pay, sick pay, contracts, time off —all the usual HR obligations. But it doesn't stop there.
You're also responsible for initiating and terminating employment. This includes procedures such as redundancy, as well as handling any HR or legal disputes that may arise. If there's a conflict, a complaint, or any formal issue, you're the one who has to deal with it.
When you work with a professional cleaning company like Aluna, all of that is our responsibility. We manage contracts, payroll, training, cover, holidays, and if there's ever a problem, we're the ones who handle it. You just get consistent service with none of the admin stress.
Long-Term Value. What You Pay vs. What You Get
On paper, hiring a cleaner directly might seem cheaper, and a cleaning company might appear to be 50% to 100% more expensive. However, that price difference masks numerous additional costs.
When you add up everything — the admin time, the supply costs, the equipment issues, the HR stress, the quality control, and the unexpected sick days — it often turns out to be more expensive than you thought.
Cleaning companies like Aluna come ready with everything. That includes trained staff, insurance, cleaning tools, cleaning products, and proper admin support. So even if it looks more expensive at first, it often works out cheaper once you factor in all the extras you'd otherwise have to manage on your own.
More importantly, Aluna Facilities Solutions isn't just in the business of cleaning offices. We're in the business of saving you time. Instead of you or your staff spending hours each week managing cleaning tasks, supervising workers, replacing supplies, and dealing with problems, we handle all of that.
We take the hassle off your plate, freeing up dozens of hours every month so you can focus on your actual job. That's the kind of value that makes a real difference.
Before You Hire a Cleaner Directly, Ask Yourself This:
These are the kind of questions a lot of people don't think about… until it's too late.
If you want a hassle-free cleaning setup that's fully managed, fully insured, and consistently reliable, give Aluna Facilities Solutions a call today at (01) 564 3604. We'll sort it — no stress, no drama.
Cheers,
Alona
Aluna Facilities Solutions — The Cleaning People
P.S.
Email us at hello@aluna.ie
Or call us: 01 564 3604
Serving Dublin and nearby areas.
