CRB Cleaning Services

They are always pleasant, thorough and will handle special requests for larger jobs not included in my routine cleaning.

They are reasonably priced and their work is thorough. The owners are very easy to work with, as well.

We purchased a home that had remained vacant for some time. While not in terrible shape, it was still in need of a thorough cleaning to give it a fresh start and make it feel like our own home. Our real estate agent recommended CRB Cleaning Services real estate agents in her area (Oakland/Berkeley hills) use to get homes ready for open houses. I was skeptical at first because we had hired cleaners (one of the big chains) prior to moving into a rental once before and the results were very disappointing. However, we couldn't be more pleased with CRB Cleaning Services. The two cleaners showed up on time and quickly went to work. I wanted to discuss details of what they would and wouldn't clean. They spoke limited English so had me call the boss, Celene Santos. Celene described what they would do (we decided to skip windows, but they would have done that if I wanted) and estimated 10-12 hours (2800 square feet, 3 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms) at $25/hour per cleaner. I left after they started and two hours later I realized that the main water was still shut off. I called fearing they had probably given up and left (they only had my agent's number), but they figured it out themselves and turned the water on at the main. They finished cleaning in 5 hours and I was billed $250 (5 hours X 2 X 25/hr). I'm not sure if this meant Celene underestimated the time required or if her original estimate of 10-12 hours was for the billed time (which was at the low end of what she originally estimated). At any rate, we were very pleased. Everything was cleaned nicely (refrigerator, counters, bathrooms, floors, vacuuming). The wood floors were shined and they left a complementary scented oil diffuser. The cost was similar to what the well-known maid service had charged, but the cleaning was much, much more thorough. Celene later responded promptly to email and at my request sent the invoice by reply email.