Frequently Asked Questions

About Sparkling and Beyond Cleaning

Busy? Need a little extra help around the house? We’re here for you! With just a few clicks on the Sparkling and Beyond website (compatible with both desktop and mobile web interfaces), you can schedule a variety of one-time or recurring residential and commercial cleaning services. Learn more about our services at sparklingandbeyond.com. For additional questions or requests, contact our Customer Support team at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Who are your cleaners?

Your home is your sanctuary, and we understand trust is key. Sparkling and Beyond’s cleaners are thoroughly vetted, contracted experts. They are background-checked, bonded, and insured, top-rated by your community and hundreds of households in the Bay Area.

Do you serve my community?

We hope so! Please go to our website sparklingandbeyond.com and search for your area in our service area section at the bottom of the page. If we don’t serve your community yet, we’ll try to get there soon! If you are curious about what our cleaning checklist looks like, please go to our service page in which specific details for different services are included. If you are looking for office or commercial cleaning, please reach out to our office and commercial cleaning page where we can schedule an appointment for both physical and virtual walkthroughs at your convenience.

How much do Sparkling and Beyond’s services cost?

  • Sparkling and Beyond’s services are competitively priced by reducing traditional overhead costs associated with one-off services. Our prices are competitive with market rates for providers who are uniformed, licensed, bonded, insured, background-checked, and partnered with your community. We aim to remove wasted time by serving many residents at a time in one location. We minimize the drive time and advertising costs you’d be paying for by using another service, all while prioritizing your ease, comfort, and peace of mind. You can check prices in your area by going to our website which is 100% free of charge! We also offer free walkthroughs for businesses and commercial cleaning services. After the first or several subsequent cleanings, if we feel the need to adjust the cleaning fee of your residence, please be understanding that we will email you the new proposed quote. Obviously, you have the right to agree to or refuse the increase.

Sparkling and Beyond’s COVID-19 Protocols are:

  • What we’re doing
    • Wash hands between each service
    • Use cleaning supplies with antibacterial or disinfecting properties unless you provide other preferred supplies
    • Sparkling and Beyond’s cleaners must wear a face mask while inside any properties and resident apartments
    • Wear disposable gloves and switch gloves between services
    • Service pros will stay home if they have a fever or feel ill for any reason
    • Ensure all vaccinations are taken to minimize the chance of contracting with COVID-19.
  • How you can help
    • Maintain social distancing while our Sparkling and Beyond’s experts are in your home.
    • If you have tested positive for COVID-19, reschedule your booking to occur once you test negative
    • If you test positive within 3 days after a booking, please notify [email protected] or contact us over 415-966-1101 so we can take action with our team.

We appreciate your loyalty and trust to Sparkling and Beyond as we continue to make sure you, your family, and our team are safe. 

Service Details & Logistics

Who will be conducting my services?

  • Our cleaning crew is composed of local professionals who work towards ensuring delivery of the best services to your needs and expectations. Each employee is background-checked, bonded and insured, top-rated by hundreds of households and businesses in the Bay Area. (1-2) cleaners might arrive together depending upon the size and scope of the job.

What won’t my cleaning service cover?

We’re great at what we do, but providing a safe work environment for our staff comes first. To prioritize the health and safety of our staff, we will not service your place unless removal of the followings is made:

  • any human or animal bodily fluids and excretion
  • insects such as fleas, roaches, or bed bugs

Please be advised that you are still required to pay the agreed upon fee in these circumstances.

Additionally, we might conduct cleanings in the following areas for any services for additional cost:

  • outdoor spaces
  • inside curio cabinets
  • move furniture containing electronics or weighs over 20 pounds
  • under or around numerous or fragile personal items
  • areas beyond the reach of a single-step stool including ceiling fans, tops of cabinets and furniture, and out-of-reach appliances

In certain cases, we can accommodate your specific requests but will not be held accountable for: 

  • Damages to any particle or component of your hutch/china cabinets, any computer equipment or washing dishes.
  • Breakage of any furniture due to old or faulty manufacturing when moving around.
  • Floor damage possibility after pulling out any appliances.
  • Disposal of any leftover alcoholic beverages of the homeowner or tenant.

Which Sparkling and Beyond’s service is right for me?

  • For your first service, we suggest booking a Deep Cleaning so our team can get your home in immaculate condition. Deep Cleaning is very much recommended for houses or spaces that have not been professionally cleaned over 60 days. Then a Standard Cleaning at different frequencies (i.e. weekly, biweekly, monthly) of your preference can be reserved to keep your home sparkle. Our well-versed Move-in Move-out service which is designed to ease the burden of entering a new home or leaving a tenancy will take care of your house from the top to the bottom, with the inside of all appliances included. Our individual house cleaning services, like cleaning the floors or bathrooms, will keep your home in order without having to work on the whole house. Our hourly or housekeeping service takes into account the hours of house chore required by you, and is not limited to what we have listed in the Cleaning Checklist for each of the aforesaid services. You can have full control of what and where you would like to focus the cleaning on. For more information, take a look at our Service page and Cleaning Checklist to see what services and add-ons best suit your needs.

Should I do anything to prepare for my cleaning?

  • We kindly ask that you pick up clothes, shoes, personal items, and any clutter around your home prior to your housekeeper’s arrival. To guarantee a thorough clean, we recommend clearing surfaces and countertops. This allows us to focus on your service while keeping it quick and efficient. 
  • If you’d prefer to have our team take care of the clutter, we offer various additional services including hand-washing dishes, folding laundry, and picking up clutter. These services will be charged by the amount of time spent and will be added to the total amount agreed upon.
  • Cash, jewelry, valuable items or confidential documents need to be kept secure.
  • Please set your air conditioner at an appropriate temperature during summer to keep our staff well when staying on the site.
  • Make sure your security alarm is turned off or inform our team of the codes and input your sequence before the cleaning. 
  • We would also be more than happy if you can help us prepare by leaving us a note about entry instructions, any specific area to leave out or focus more on, giving us a heads up about any pets in your home, or let us know about any specifics unique to your household. Children can also hang around as long as they are supervised. We have no objection with you staying on the premises while we are conducting the cleaning but it is more preferable that the house is left empty. You can add notes in your booking or contact us at 415-966-1101 or sparklingandbeyond.com later.

Do I need to provide my cleaners with any cleaning supplies?

  • We’ve got you covered. We’ll provide all necessary supplies and equipment for performing your requested services. However, if you have any special products you would like for your housekeeper to use, please leave them left out in a visible location with a note.

Do I need to be home during my service?

  • While you do not need to be present for your cleaners to work their magic, you can of course do whatever works best for you. Most customers prefer to leave while their services are being completed, but you may want to consider sticking around if you are expecting arrivals of your Amazon delivery or friends, etc. 

How will you access my home? Do I need to pre-arrange a key pickup?

  • Have specific entry instructions for us? Keep us up to date on gate codes, door code, and lockbox locations by leaving us a note when booking your services. 
  • It is the responsibility of each customer to meet property specific requirements to grant Sparkling and Beyond access to your home. Please check your property’s specific permission-to-enter process. Common examples include: written authorization via resident online portal, providing a copy of your key to management or front desk staff, etc. If your cleaner is unable to enter your home, the cleaning will be canceled and may be nonrefundable.
  • If you decide to do a recurring service with us, it is more convenient if our team can have a key to your home. You can leave the key in the lockbox yet we are not liable for any damage to your lockbox or any lockbox failure.

What should I do with my pets during my service?

  • We have certain requirements in place to safeguard your pets while prioritizing our staff’s comfort and security. We kindly ask you to keep any pets in your household secured from our cleaners while they’re cleaning your home. Small pets such as cats or hamsters can roam around yet it is better they are kept in your room or private place just in case they have the tendency to escape. Your cleaners are instructed not to enter the premises if an unsecured pet is present, which means the cleaning might not be completed. In this case, you are still liable to pay for the amount agreed upon.

Scheduling Bookings

Can I schedule my service for a more specific time than morning, afternoon, or anytime?

  • While we’re happy to work with you to find the arrival window that works best for you and would try our best to accommodate your needs, we cannot promise to provide exact service times. Our service times are a reflection of our cleaners’ availability and your property’s operating hours. If you have a more narrow preference than the morning, afternoon, or anytime, you may need to communicate with our team. We are also devoted to ensuring your properties are properly cleaned; therefore, we require an extra 2-hour arrival window for all appointments. 

How long will you spend cleaning my home?

  • Each household requires different needs and obviously, different windows to ensure the whole property is as cleaned as expected. We determine the time for your premise depending on the size of your home, the cleaning package you select, and the number of cleaners present for the service (usually we work in teams of one or two). We always strive to complete everything on our list, but this is contingent upon the current state of your home during our window of service. Setting up a recurring professional cleaning schedule with Sparkling and Beyond will help maintain the cleanliness of your home over time. This will keep your services efficient and will allow more time for your cleaners to focus on detailed areas throughout your home. 

What happens if your team is unable to enter my home or the building I live in?

  • In the event that we cannot gain entry to your home, we will reach out to you directly over messages or phone calls in an attempt to quickly resolve the issue. Please be advised that you should aim to make your entrance accessible for our cleaners as we will still request to be paid in full for that scheduled appointment regardless of not being able to enter.

Can I cancel my service?

To avoid incurring any cancellation fees (deducted from your refund at the time of cancellation), please send us the written requests via email to reschedule or cancel your booking at least 7 days prior to your scheduled appointments. You are able to reschedule or cancel any booking by contacting us at least 48 hours prior to the day or time of your service. If our cleaners arrive at the site yet are unable to access, contact the homeowners or are turned away for any reason, the homeowners are still liable for paying the full amount agreed upon. This cancellation policy supports our housekeeping team’s wages and provides stability to our employees. 

Payment & Billing

Do you offer discounts?

  • We offer a variety of promotions on our social media. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and regularly check out our website to keep yourself up to date with the latest news and discounts. Currently our promotions cover all service types yet different codes cannot be combined.

When will you process my payment?

  • Our system automatically charges your default payment method two days before your scheduled service, around 5 PM PST. If the payment method fails, it will attempt to run the card two additional times at 10 AM PST and 12 PM PST the following day. We’ll let you know if we have any issues when the system re-run your card charge. If you receive a text from our customer service team indicating any credit card or charge issues, please take a moment to update your payment method in our Spruce app under the Account page. Then, you will be all set when our system automatically re-runs any outstanding payments.
  • After three attempts and no action to correct the payment method on file, your service will be automatically canceled. You will be able to re-book the service once the payment method has been updated successfully.

How can I tip my housekeeper?

  • Tips are not expected or required, but they are greatly appreciated. The amount will be split equally among the team members. To tip your cleaners, you can either cash them or contact us over 415-966-1101 or [email protected] specifying the amount of tips to be added to your total payment on the check. If you would prefer to use PayPal for the tips, please send it as a “personal transaction”. For this special amount of gratuity, please be advised that credit card transactions cannot be accepted.

Do you offer discounts on recurring services?

  • Yes, of course! Our website makes it easy to schedule and see your price before booking. We also offer discounts on most recurring services up to 20% depending on the frequency and services selected. Specifically, for monthly recurrence, you are entitled to 10% discount, 15% for biweekly and a maximum of 20% for weekly visits. It is automatically applied when making your selections on our website. 

What will happen if there is a payment problem with my account?

  • In the event of such unexpected circumstances where legal or collection actions are required, you as the account’s owner agree to pay all costs of collections including and not limited to reasonable attorney fees, interest on past due amounts, court costs, and all collection costs. We furthermore have the rights to place a lien or a judgment upon your primary or rental property for an overdue transaction and you agree to pay all legal charges or costs and time spent for remedy. 
  • We therefore suggest that all payment is made once the invoice is sent over your registered email. You should also be aware that an extra $30 will be charged for any unsuccessful payment returned by the bank with an non-sufficient fund (NSF) check.

Quality Concerns

What if one of my personal items is broken or damaged during the cleaning process?

  • It is inevitable that our cleaners touch virtually everything in your home. Although our professionals always take the necessary precautions to respect your home and your personal property, occasionally accidents do happen. If you have any sentimental or valuable items that you consider irreplaceable, please put them aside in safe space prior to your service. Our staff is instructed to call our office at once and to leave a note advising you of the incident should something break during a cleaning. We will follow up with you over phone calls or emails to determine the next steps. In the event that an item is broken or damaged, our suggestion would be looking for repair or replacement. However, in case the broken item is irreplaceable due to its rarity or uniqueness, please demonstrate its value for settlement to be made. If you arrive home and discover that something is out of the ordinary, please contact us at 415-966-1101 or [email protected].

I’m feeling unsatisfied with my cleaning. Now what?

  • If the quality of your cleaning does not meet your expectations, please contact us within 24 hours, and we’ll work with you to remedy any issues the next day if possible. Refunds or discounts are not offered as we will try to correct any mistakes or missed services. 
  • Sharing your feedback with us helps our team improve and keeps our services at their best. Please send us emails or texts if you have any concerns or constructive comments about our services.
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