apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Why not in DC :(
Hi,
can you come down to DC. I am sure you will get lots of service around here.
Sounds really great!

Do they send elves to polish fixtures with magic dust too? What a joke.

It's so Zen how they are scrubbing my floor with nutmeg and milk, for $30/hour. Surely this will protect the environment and save my babies.

I don't know, sounds pretty good to me!

I don't know anything about this service, but please take the time to respect the people who work for them. They often make little more than minimum wage for a very difficult job. If you take a look at the online version of the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, the "Maid for a Month" column details the hard lives of women working for cleaning services. It is a real eye opener.

$30 an hour seems perfectly reasonable to me -- actually cheaper than I would have thought. But then, I'm used to San Francisco prices. And hey, housecleaning is not easy or fun. If it was, these services wouldn't exist.

I just think if you are going to aim to be environmentally friendly, why not think about being socially responsible at the same time? I'm not saying don't use a service, but if you do, try to make smart choices and support the better ones. Do the research. It's better explained in the article than I can elaborate here.

$30/hr is pretty darn reasonable. You'd rather they charge below the going rate? $60 for a one-bedroom is the cheapest price you'll find in NYC.

Let's talk cleaning rates. I live in a 900sq foot 1br apt. and pay $60.00 for full cleaning (no wash) every two weeks? What's typical?

Actually, I have used them. They do a great job-- very thorough and I know that they are socially responsible- I looked into it.

I prefer a by the hour service because they are constantly working for the time you book. I live in a 500 sf apartment and to really clean it- scrub base boards and everything, really does take the full four hours.

So how much of that cash are the actual cleaning individuals getting? Minimum wage? Now that's zen!

I basically paid 120 dollars for some organic chocolate and pouporri on my bed. Nice concept but needs to be a lot more thorough than it says it is. It sells itself as if they wouldl give my apartment a makeover but what they really gave me was a super basic, basic cleaning. Maybe that is what i paid for? If so... ouch!

I will only use them. I am committed to being environmentally friendly and to using toxin-free products, so that spells a more expensive service. They burned special scented oils in my house so it smelled wonderful when I got home! And the cleaner wore these special shoes, which she said kept from scratching up my wood floor.

Actually, the first time I used them, I was a little disappointed in something, but I called the only right after the cleaning to explain the problem and she sent someone over that same day to redo what was wrong. I used Merry Maids before and in addition to being much less thorough, rude and using nasty cleaning agents, they just blew off when I had a legitimate complaint! I am sticking with Zen Home for cleaning and am going to have them do professional organizing for me to really give my house a home makeover, even though it is going to cost me a lot-- lol, some things just don't come cheap.

I am starting a cleaning business in NYC and would be interested in knowing what would be cosidered a resonable price for a basic cleaning (dusting, mopping, vacum, sweep, mirrors windows, toilets, sinks, etc).

AWFUL __ AWFUL AWFUL -- DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!! I used them for a deep spring cleaning thinking it would be organic and green and I would feel better with a new baby coming home to this sparkling place instead I got two maids whogot into fights over who was doing more work and were yelling at teach other than trying to pull me into. It got to the point had to call their main offices and have a supervisor try to work it out between them -- all this went on during my cleaning which was horrible and not even basic. They forgot to even vaccum/mop two rooms because they were too busy calling the supervisior to say it wasn't fair that one was doing more of the rooms than the other one. My regular service on a weekly basis cleaned my apartment better than this company's super deep spring cleaning. The day ended up with one of them screaimng at the other and slamming out -- while the lone remained to finish her room which she had worked on for three hours and still not finished, but barely touched the surface of. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!

Wow, I am so suprised by the person's faith comment. I just tried this service and I was amazed at the job the did. My husband and I had a spring cleaning and not only could we eat off the floors but our apartment was emmaculate. Things were organized to perfection and our bed was made as if were in a hotel. We loved the essential oils and the organic chocolate and potpourri that they leave on the bed was a nice treat. They even left organic treats on our daughters bed. In our experience the cleaning ladies were very friendly and professional and showed up in these cute asian style uniforms. I used the service because they came highly recommended by several tennants in our building. We even booked them on a regular basis and they have been very consistent. I don't know Faith, you sound extremely bitter and harsh. Could there be more to your story. From most of the reviews sounds like most people really like them.

I finally broke down and hired Zen Home for their "spring cleaning" service. It was today and I just returned home to a completely transformed apartment. I recently switched to using eco-friendly products and did not even consider any other services, so the fact that my dusty and messy apartment is now spotless, organized and fresh is a major extra bonus. Definitely recommend them wholeheartedly.

I have used Zen Home Cleaning on a regular basis for almost a year now. I have used other "traditional" services in the past and I am blown away by Zen Home's professionalism, attention to detail, and the overall experience. I am a practicing vegan and environmentalist, and I feel that using Zen Home helps me to "walk the walk" about my commitment to a clean environment. Even if I weren't a vegan or environmentalist I would still recommend this service for the lovely scented oils, yummy chocolates and deep cleaning treatments. I highly recommend this service to anyone who wants a pampered home and who also wants to do their part to help the environment.

People always seem to think the guys are low manintence but my roomates and I have very high standards for bachelor guys. I tried Zen Home cleaning service several times and I have to say they are the elite of cleaning services. Their staff are always on time and very professional. They do an amazing job and always focus on details my previous house cleaner never focused on. They are on the more expensive side but you get what you pay for. I would and have recommended this service to many.

I used Zen Home two weeks ago and loved the service. I was a little skeptical about the effectiveness of the eco-friendly products as in my past experience I found them to not clean very well. I have to say I was proven wrong. Not only was my apartment spotless but it was cleaned better than any other cleaning person I had hired in the past. The apartment smelled great and the treats left on the bed was an nice unexpected touch. I would definitely recommend them and will use them again.

i was really excited to use this service, and was so disappointed, i spent 230 dollars for absolutely nothing. my regular cleaning costs 100 dollars and is far better. the only good thing i can say is that the place smelled great. my cleaner was late, they asked me to get a special mop, did not use it. they did not even have to clean one room bc i asked them not too, yet the job took 6 hours and was not thorough. i understand it costing more for green products, but this was ridiculous. i then filled out a form letting them know what i thought of the service two weeks ago, no one has contacted me, i guess they don't care...i would expect more than chocolate and and tea left on my pillow, and my regular cleaner does a far better job, i wanted to love them but they were very disappointing and didnt even call to discuss it.

My fiance hired Zen and they were good but then we tried another green service, Greenhouse Eco Cleaning. They were lovely and did an absolutely amazing job. Better than Zen I thought. There are no chocolate and burnt oils but I was more concerned about the quality of the job. A friend who works in the film biz recommended them and supposedly they do a few B list celebs in nyc, LOL! Figure I should be a celeb for the day. Ohh and what I loved about them was that the price is close to Zen but there is no time limit; they stay until the job is done and done well.

I am quite impressed with Zen Home Cleaning. However, my experience with cleaning services as a point of comparison, is minimal.
What I really appreciated about Zen was that they were responsive. I called/e-mailed a few eco-cleaning orgs., but it became an endless game of phone-tag. Zen always had someone available to talk via phone. Despite how busy they were, they worked to schedule my cleaning for the small window I have available. The women who cleaned my place were incredibly fast and thorough. My place smells like fresh lavender, and not ajax - which is important because I'm very allergic to generic household cleaners.
The Spring Cleaning was wonderful. Even the underside of my bed was cleaned.
I highly recommend Zen as a trustworthy, sincere, 'true to their word' organization!

I've used Zen Home Cleaning and would not recommend them.

I was referred to them by an organizer who referred many clients to them. I was taken back by the price, but went for it anyway. my cleaner was late, but the results were pretty good (qualified because she did not clean surfaces as thoroughly as I would have liked) so I was pretty happy.

the second time was not as good. this cleaner was also late. a supervisor came to check his work but I'm not sure what she checked. after he left I discovered all the dishes he washed were still dirty. later, when I walked into the bathroom I discovered my previously smooth tiles were gritty. he hadn't properly rinsed the tiles. I paid $35/hour and had to rewash my dishes and remop my floor.

this wouldn't be enough for me to recommend people not use the service IF management had handled my disappointment well. but management dropped the ball. we played phone tag for a bit. then the owner didn't call when she said she would. the organizer who referred me to her suggested I use her name when I next called. I did not receive a return call from my follow up message.

I was very disappointed with the level of service I received from the owner. I really need a cleaning service and think Zen could do an adequate job, but I expect more for my $35/hour.

Zen Home Cleaning is far from Zen. After the cleaner left I could not find a very expensive watch that my mother gave me as a wedding present. I admit I did not see him take it with my own eyes - who knew I should have been watching him like hawk or have cameras in my bedroom as the owner suggested. I know that minutes before his arrival I had put this watch away and the next night - the night before my wedding - the watch was missing from my jewelry box. After 3 months of endless back and forth - their lawyer tells me that there is no proof, there is nothing we can do for you, by the way the employee was fired - and THIS IS THE BEST PART - THEY WILL REFUND MY CLEANING FEE IN RETURN I AM NOT TO POST ANY NEGATIVE FEEDBACK ON ANY ONLINE FORUMS !!!! Needless to say I told them to keep the $175 and I will reserve my right to my First Amendment. This cleaner was also late, used all my paper towels - not so green there - another cleaner came half hour into his service - to check on him ? who knows if they were in on it together - he also didn't clean the blinds, and needed encouragement to vacuum behind the couch. This company, its people, its policies are not zen. They have cost me more than $175.

Has anybody used their stuff that they sell on the website? I got a gift certificate and used them once. I like the way my sheets smell. Owner said they sell it on the site. I don't want to be charged huge delivery fees though, pet peeve of mine.

I hired Greenhouse Eco Cleaning based on the recommendation from Meredith above and another recommendation elsewhere on the web. Talk about disappointment. They didn't even dust basic surfaces like my coffee table, never mind not bothering to perform the deep-cleaning tasks like dusting and wiping down baseboards and window-sills, the primary tasks for which I hired them. On top of which, they later informed me that the job took two hours longer than the four they had originally estimated. I live in a one-bedroom apartment that is already professionally cleaned on a weekly basis -- just not deep-cleaned -- and that cleaning takes less than 3 hours, costs less than half of what Greenhouse Eco Clean is charging me, and my weekly cleaner also changes and launders sheets and towels. I feel like a total dupe.