Scope Of Service

We're thrilled to welcome you to the Shinosaur family! Outlined below is our scope of service and company policies. Please take the time to read and make sure you're equipped with all of the information you need prior to your first visit!

 

Thank you for choosing our small business as your new home cleaning company!

 

SCOPE OF WORK
 

All areas in the home:

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• Cobwebs removed from wall/ceiling areas

• Ceiling fans which can be reached with an extended handle duster will be dusted

• General dusting of surfaces and items throughout the home. (Areas with piled clutter, or items such as a large collection knick-knacks or personal items, will not be able to be cleaned to protect against breakage, and to also best utilize the time of your team. Your team will work around these areas as well as they can, so please don't ever feel obligated to move everything out of the way. We are there to make your life easier, not pressure you to keep your whole home pristine!)

• Doors and baseboards will be dusted and/or washed as-needed during deep cleans.

• All trash receptacles emptied.

• All carpeting/rugs will be vacuumed

• All hard flooring will be swept and then damp mopped with a flat microfiber mop. 
  *Wet mopping with a traditional spin-mop is available as an alternative option for a $5 fee. You can avoid this fee if you already have a spin mop that we are able to use in your home!

 

Bathrooms:

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• All shower doors, walls, frames, and fixtures will be scrubbed, rinsed, and shined.

• All tubs/tub fixtures will be scrubbed and rinsed.

• All toilets will be cleaned inside and out

• All sinks/counters/mirrors will be cleaned and shined

• All reachable air vents and light fixtures will be dusted. (This does not include lightbulbs, to protect against breakage)

• General dusting in bathroom

• All cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and baseboards are wiped down as needed.

• Bathroom rugs are shaken out or vacuumed, depending on rug material

• All flooring in bathrooms are hand-washed on each visit

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Kitchen:

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• Stovetop will be scrubbed and degreased

• Exterior of range-hood is degreased and dried

• All counters, backsplash areas, sinks, and sink fixtures will be scrubbed and shined.

• Interior and exterior of microwave cleaned

• Exterior of refrigerator, ovens, and dishwasher will be cleaned and shined (Interior refrigerator cleaning and interior oven cleaning is available for a small fee.)

• All exterior kitchen cabinets will be washed on deep cleans, and then spot-cleaned as needed on recurring visits

• Kitchen rugs shaken out and/or vacuumed, depending on rug material

• All kitchen flooring swept and damp-mopped

• All kitchen trash and recycling more than half-full will be moved to outdoor trash receptacles. 

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Add on items:

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These items can be added onto any cleaning for a small fee! Please contact us for any add-ons! 

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• Bed linen change

This includes replacing a fitted sheet, flat sheet, up to 4 pillow cases and one comforter/duvet. 

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• Window track cleaning
  This service is available if the temperature outside is between 50 degrees and 80 degrees
   

• Full vacuuming of couches and chairs (including under the cushions!)
   

• Interior window glass cleaning
   

• Interior fridge cleaning
  This is best performed during a time when your fridge isn't overly full with groceries. We don't want to leave your refrigerated foods sitting out for too long!
   

• Interior freezer cleaning
  We can clean freezers only if they are fully defrosted and nearly empty.
   

• Interior oven cleaning
  Self-cleaning ovens have a special interior coating that we don't want to damage by over-scrubbing. If you are adding on oven cleaning and you have significant burnt-on areas, we recommend that our clients spray the interior with fume-free EasyOff cleanser the night before, to get the best possible results for any ovens that need more love than usual. (Fume-free EasyOff cleaner comes in the blue can, not the yellow can!) 

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COMPANY INFORMATION AND POLICIES

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Payment types:

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We accept credit and debit card payments, Venmo payments to @shinosaur, and cash. We currently do not accept check payments.

 

If you sign up for recurring cleanings and pay with a credit or debit card, your card will be securely stored on file through Stripe card processing services to help facilitate easy, secure, and reliable billing on your recurring visits. We do not have access to your private card information at any time. We only have the ability to charge it on the day of your cleaning.. Unfortunately, Shinosaur does not have the option to opt-out of card storage through our payment system, all cards used for payment are securely kept on file with Stripe card services. Stripe is a credit card processor used by companies like Google, Amazon, and Lyft. They are certified PCI Service Provider Level 1 which is the most stringent level of certification available in the payments industry!

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Deep cleans must be paid for at the time of booking. Payment for recurring cleanings will be charged on the day of your cleaning.

*Any payments more than 7 days past due will incur a $50 late fee per week, and all upcoming cleaning appointments will be placed on hold until paid. Thank you for your understanding!
 

Recurring cleaning schedules:

 

• Recurring clients who are on a weekly schedule will be cleaned every week, on the same day of the week.

• Clients on a bi-weekly schedule will be cleaned exactly every two weeks on the same day of the week. For instance, if your biweekly cleanings are on Mondays, you will be cleaned on Mondays exactly every two weeks apart.

• If you're on our monthly schedule, your cleanings will be exactly every four weeks apart on the same day of the week.

We are currently unable to provide "every 3 weeks service" due to possible scheduling conflicts with our existing weekly and biweekly clients.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us!
 

Preparing for your cleaning visit:

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It's very helpful if you put away any valuables, or meaningful items that we don't want getting accidentally damaged. You'll also get the most bang for your buck if you pick up any toys, clothing, etc laying around. This allows our staff members to quickly get to their cleanings tasks, and get more done in your home! Any tables, counters, or surfaces that have excessive personal items, clothing, clutter, toys, etc, won't be able to be cleaned, but our staff will work around these areas as best as possible so please don't feel like you need to clear everything off of tables or surfaces, however any flooring areas that are not cleared of excessive personal items won't be able to be cleaned.

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Entry into your home:

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Most clients provide us with either a house key, garage code, or door code to enter their home so it can be cleaned while you’re out for the day. Some clients prefer to be home on the day of their cleaning. The decision is up to you! 

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If you prefer to give us entry with a house key, we will provide a heavy duty realtor-style key lockbox that is kept on your property, free of charge! Most clients choose to have their lockboxes located either on their front door handle, back door, or on a railing/gate. You will have the code to your own lockbox as well, so you can change or remove keys as you see necessary!

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If you have an alarm, please contact us with instructions on how to disable and/or arm the alarm on the day of your cleaning. We'll securely lock up your home when we're finished cleaning for the day!

(*If you prefer not to provide a house key or entry code, unfortunately a $50 cancellation fee will be charged to cover payroll expense if team members arrive to your home and there is no one available to answer the door. We will first try knocking, texting, calling, then waiting for ten minutes for a possible reply from you, before your cleaner leaves the premises.
 

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Damages due to existing water issues within the home:

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Shinosaur will not be held liable for any damage caused from pre-existing water issues within the home such as leaking pipes, blocked pipes, clogged toilets, or any other plumbing issues within the home.

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Smoking in the home:

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Unfortunately we do not clean homes where smoking regularly occurs, to ensure the health, safety, and comfort of our team members. 

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Cancellation policy:

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We know that life happens and you can reschedule your cleaning up to 48 hours before your appointment! Unfortunately cancellations within 24-48 hours of your scheduled cleaning are subject to a $50 cancellation fee, due within 7 days after your missed appointment. Cancellations made on the same day as your cleaning appointment will be charged your full service price for the day. We truly appreciate as much notice as possible, to ensure that we can avoid any cancellation fees, and possibly fill your appointment with another client, to keep our team's schedule full and allow them to earn a living wage. :) If you need to cancel a visit, the easiest way to do this is to send a text message to the appropriate business line:

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302-667-4463 - New Castle County, DE
302-497-4463 - Kent County, DE
302-497-4469 - Sussex County, DE
 

Any recurring clients who have skipped cleanings and go longer than 7 weeks without service, will unfortunately need to receive a deep clean at current pricing. Two months of non-service takes our team much longer to get your home back up to Shinosaur standard and unfortunately utilizes significantly more labor costs. We appreciate your understanding!

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Pet policy:

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Many people wonder if they have to lock up their pets during their cleaning visit. If you have pets that aren't aggressive towards strangers, please feel free to let them do their thing! After all, it's their home too!

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Cleaning supplies:

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Other than a toilet brush provided by you, (we highly doubt you want to share one of those with other clients!) we provide the rest of the supplies and equipment needed to clean your space. An exception to this is move-in/move-out cleanings where the home is empty. We will provide a disposable toilet brush in those instances!
We use flat microfiber mops in all homes, unless you have specifically requested the use of a spin mop. If spin mops are provided by us, we do charge a small $5 fee per visit. Clients who provide their own spin mop will not have to pay this fee..
We are not allowed to provide or handle cleaning products that have bleach or noxious fumes, to ensure the long-term safety and health of our team members.

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Business hours and holidays:

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Our operating hours are Monday through Friday 9:30am to 4:30pm. 

We are currently closed on the following holidays:

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New Years Day

Memorial Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

Thanksgiving

Black Friday

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

The day after Christmas

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*If you have an appointment that would normally fall on one of these days, we will reschedule you to another day that works for you!

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Weather policy:

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Summer:  Cleaning homes is a very active job! As we rush around to clean during the hot summer months, we ask that our clients leave their air conditioning on at a standard room temperature of 72 degrees or cooler, to protect our staff from heat exhaustion. Any "hot houses" will not be able to be cleaned to ensure the safety of our staff, and to keep the cost for our workman's compensation policy affordable for all of our clients.

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Winter: We ask that our clients keep winter temperatures in their home above 60 degrees. We are unable to clean any areas in winter that do not have functioning heating. We truly appreciate your understanding. We do ask that our clients ensure their walkways and steps are cleared of snow and ice to allow our staff members to safely enter your home.

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In snowy, icy, or extremely stormy weather, we'll try our hardest to accommodate our clients for the day. In situations where it's unlawful or dangerous to drive, we'll reschedule your cleaning to another day that works best for you!

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Breakage/Damage Policy:

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Unfortunately, mistakes are rare but they do happen. We're fully insured and will offer you several options on how you would like us to proceed. We ask that you put away any valuable, important, or irreplaceable items before your cleaning team arrives for the day to keep those meaningful items safe!

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Photo policy:

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We love to show other families what we're capable of! Sometimes we'll take a before and after photo of items such as showers, tubs, toilets, and kitchen appliances. We will never post your name or show any identifying information with any photographs. We believe that photos are the best way to show other families how we can help them also, and that lived-in homes are nothing to be ashamed of. If taking photos of items that have been cleaned is something that you're not comfortable with, please let us know that you would like to opt out!

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What we cannot do:

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While we're known for our deep cleans, unfortunately we won't be able to clean the following items:

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1. Any human/animal/pest excrement, feces, or urine. There is a risk of possible exposure of harmful bacteria to our staff, the supplies, and all equipment that we transfer from home to home. The staff will clean around any animal excrement as best as they can!

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2. Unless specifically requested by you, we do not clean the inside of any cabinets, drawers, or closed closet doors to ensure your privacy. An exception to this is move-in/move-out cleanings where the home is empty. We will always clean interior spaces in these instances.

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3. Any cathedral ceiling fans, or high areas out of step-stool reach, will not be able to be cleaned. Our staff is not permitted to climb any ladders higher than a two-step stepstool. There are specialized companies that will clean high areas, please let us know if you need our help finding one!

4. Any areas of mold. Mold requires special safety precautions, specialized training, and protective gear. Disturbing mold can release spores into the air of your home and cause it to spread. Shinosaur team members are not equipped or trained to handle cleaning areas of mold and we will work around these areas, and it can also be hazardous to human health. We recommend contacting a specialized mold remediation company for any mold concerns!

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5. Any homes with evidence of roach, insect, and/or rodent infestation. This is to make sure that our equipment and supplies don't inadvertently transfer any live pests, eggs, or harmful bacteria from one home to another. This is also to ensure that our staff members don't inhale harmful dust from rodent droppings. In the event that staff members find evidence of insect or rodent infestation, we will be able to return and clean once a pest control company has come out and rectified the issue with documentation. Thank you for your understanding!

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6. Our staff is not permitted to move any major furniture or large appliances. They will clean underneath your furniture and appliances as well as possible. This is for safety reasons, as well as to make sure that we don't damage your furniture, or any gas or water lines, or scratch your beautiful flooring! If you would like to move any of your own furniture on the day of your cleaning so your team can clean underneath/behind those areas, we'd love to get rid of those hidden dust bunnies for you!

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Our "make it right" policy:

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We want to make every effort to make sure that you're pleased with our work. Our clients mean everything to us! If you're not satisfied with any portion of your cleaning, please let us know within 24 hours and we'll schedule time to make it right. Unfortunately we're unable to provide refunds (being a small business is tough!), but we truly want to go above and beyond to make sure that you're happy! 

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Please let us know if you have any questions, and we thank you for choosing Shinosaur as your trusted cleaning company!