Chestnut Cleaning Services specializes in both Cleaning and Organizing homes, apartments, condos, small building common areas, small businesses, and small offices. Most cleaning services don't organize; most organizing services don't clean -- we do both and at the same time!
Business highlights
43 years of trusted experience
Emergency Services Offered
Services we offer
House cleaning, organizing, and major chaos cleanouts. We are often called in due to long term illness, mental/physical challenges, depression, and death, New construction and rehab cleaning, move-in/move-out cleaning, cleaning and staging for property sales, residential (unit and common area) and commercial cleaning.
Had an initial consultation with them and while the services seemed like they were competent, the owner was incredibly condescending and talked down to me about everything from my mental health management to how I "never picked up my mother's lessons on being domestic." We had a couple of appointments which were cancelled on account of illness on both sides. While I was sick he dropped off a couple shelving units for me to use, and I forgot about them. I never heard from them again until they sent a passive aggressive and unprofessional holiday card to my home accusing me of stealing. They left no contact information in the card for me to remit payment. When I tried to call I was not able to leave a voicemail. If you are reading this, please feel free to text me with the amount you think I owe, and an address to send a check to. I have no intention of hurting anyone's business, and will do what I can to make that right. However, the lack of professionalism on display is appalling.
Description of Work: Cleaning and home organization services for depression and ADHD management.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
2.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
2.0
Emilia H.
08/2016
4.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
The cleaning job was great! Very thorough and we were satisfied with the result. They were very strange about the final cost, though. We have used them before and were told what it would cost beforehand. This time around, I seemed to catch them off guard that I wanted them to clean our place again, and when I asked how much it was I again seemed to surprise the planning contact, who then asked "What did we charge you last time?" I had no record of that as I had paid in cash, so when the cleaning lady was finished and told me the price I had to write her a check as I didn't know how much cash to have on me. She said she didn't know if they could cash checks and there was a whole process of calling the company and waiting to hear an answer. At the end of the day they took the check, but I likely will not use them again as I don't trust the validity of their prices.
Description of Work: Spring cleaning of our two-bedroom apartment.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
3.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
5.0
$115
Joseph L.
07/2016
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Chestnut cleaning will do all sorts of difficult jobs. They specialize in distressed homes.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Sheila A.
12/2015
1.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
Be VERY WEARY! I WAS a long time client (over 10 years). In Summer of 2015, Chestnut Cleaning Services, owner Mr. Pearson, offered me additional services (painting the inside of a few closets which I declined). Chestnut Cleaning Services entered my home on numerous occasions and completed additional painting services in my home against my express wishes. As such, I refuted the charges and refused to pay for services I explicitly declined which were subsequently completed anyway. Mr. Pearson continued to call and try to justify why he hired a painting contractor to paint the interior of my closets against my wishes as "HE felt it was necessary". Subsequently, Mr. Pearson took me to small claims court. In retrospect, completing a web search, it should be noted that I am roughly the 8th person (since 2004) he has sued in small claims court. Again, be VERY VERY WEARY before using these services.
Description of Work: Long-time cleaning service provider. Offered additional painting services on my unit, which I declined but they performed services anyway, against my express wishes - of note ($250 of services were requested and paid, additional $465 in paint and painting services specifically declined but painted and billed for anyway)
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
1.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
4.0
$715
Response from CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE
At the encouragement of Angie's List staff we are responding to a negative post by former customer, [Member Name Removed]. We resolved the dispute by going to court. In the Circuit Court of Cook County, docket number 2015 1124058, which was held on November 16, 2015, the defendant LOST the lawsuit and was ordered to pay us the money owed plus court costs.Description of work: [Member Name Removed] told us "I can't sell my rental condo, where I haven't lived in 3-4 years. Make it saleable." Our work included repairing walls and extensive painting. Her cost was$715.00. She decided to pay us only $250.00. We returned her check and sued for full payment. Please note that after we had finished she was able to charge her next tenant $3,000.00 more than the last one had paid.Yes, our small, tiny business went to Court to collect our money. Yes, we're a small business that thinks we should be paid. What a strange idea! And Yes! the Judge also thought so and found totally in our favor. People planning on not paying us ought not to hire us, please.For all this, not only did [Member Name Removed] have to pay us but she lost a caring, responsive service who also cleans and helps persons who are disabled physically, emotionally or mentally. Please read about us on our website: [hyperlink removed].As to Angie's List rating system, "her entire complaint is bogus, a lie and a Circuit Court judge didn't believe [Member Name Removed] either. [Member Name Removed]'s "review" should be discarded just as the complaint [Member Name Removed] made to the Attorney General of the State of Illinois discarded her accusations against us.
Eric G.
11/2015
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Cleaned entire condo and did not leave until all rooms were inspected.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$80
Jason K.
11/2015
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
Sam and his crew do a very good and comprehensive job of cleaning. Sam is great at communicating his schedule and making sure we are happy with his service.
Description of Work: Housecleaning
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$175
Gregory N.
03/2015
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
I first contacted the team of chestnut cleaning service because of their local advertisement and promised to organize my chaos and then, at the same time, clean what was no longer my disorganization. Chestnut and Sam kept all of their promises and did such a wonderful job; I have kept them on as my regular cleaning services for years now. Chestnut cleaning services are always compassionate, thoughtful, caring, and considerate of my needs and feelings. P.S THEY TRUELY ARE THE BEST!
Description of Work: The provider helped me to reorganize and pack.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Eric G.
02/2015
5.0
house cleaning, home & garage organization
+ 0 more
The Chestnut team has performed a variety of cleaning and organizing services in my home for almost a decade. There is no job too big or too small. Specifically sometimes only light cleaning is required and other times heavy cleaning is involved that includes doing windows and moving furniture. Whatever the task there are certain thing that you can always count on: Punctuality Professional Conduct Your Full Satisfaction Additionally they try very hard to accommodate me when I am time constrained. They always do not leave until you approve the work.
Description of Work: Cleaned and organized my home
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$80
ALLISON D.
04/2014
4.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
Before this job was done, we knew we had more than a simple cleaning job, but also that we weren't dealing with a hoarder or someone who was disorganized. Instead, we had a one-bedroom condo that hadn't been cleaned for about eight months due to a severe bout of depression. The mess was exacerbated by an accumulation of junk mail addressed to a non-resident and gobs of cat hair. Add a bit of construction disarray from the repair of four broken pipes and this was not a job for a run of the mill maid service, either. We looked to Angie's list to find someone who specialized in what we thought of as "heavy cleaning." Chestnut Cleaning jumped out at us because they specifically advertise as "depression cleaners," who are prepared to deal with the clutter and dirt that accumulate during a long illness. The owner of Chestnut Cleaning, Sam Pearson, called back very promptly after I left a message on his answering service. Sam spoke at great length about the special cleaning needs occasioned by lengthy illness and emphasized that his service was non-judgmental and had personal experience dealing with depression. He went on to explain that rates for his service were higher than for other cleaners because of the need to deal with the clutter as well as the dirt. We agreed to meet Sam at the condo to get an estimate. Sam arrived at the condo at the appointed time. He spent 30 minutes describing the services Chestnut Cleaning would be providing, again emphasizing their experience and describing their procedure which involves Sam individually handing each item to the owner or his delegate, who must be present throughout the cleaning, for a decision on whether to throw the item away or keep it. Sam would then organize the items retained and his crew of two would work behind him cleaning one room at a time. We were not sure this procedure would really work under the circumstances because there was no underlying disorganization--just a very deep layer of clutter and garbage to be removed before the cleaning could be done. We explained that we would not want the insides of cabinets or closets cleaned, nor did we plan to go through a wall of bookcases one book at a time. I made it very clear to Sam that I would be the boss, not him, and that if he was not willing to work that way perhaps this was not a job for him. Sam agreed that the work could be done our way provided that he was able to select the order in which we approached the rooms to maximize the efficiency of his cleaning crew. Although the quoted rate of $250 per hour ($83/hour for each of the three crew members) seemed high for the work as we described it--after all, the cleaners would be doing nothing more than heavy duty cleaning--we agreed when Sam indicated that the 800 square foot condo could be cleaned in 2 or 3 hours. He asked us to bring $500 in cash so he would be able to pay his crew in cash and agreed to take a check for any additional amount due. We agreed to meet the cleaning crew at the premises on Easter Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. They were to bring their own cleaning supplies and utensils--at Sam's insistence. He asked us to provide a box of trash bags and indicated that his crew would be responsible for carrying down the trash and putting it into the condo dumpster. We were told that he would handle "fly-dumping" any excess trash. Sam and his crew arrived on time and ready to work. We started in the bathrooms at Sam's request. Although I told Sam that we would not be discarding anything from the bathrooms, he insisted on going through things one item at a time. Fortunately, there was not much in the bathrooms except some dirty laundry and cleaning products from under the vanities. My husband and I then worked with Sam in the living room and den, the bedroom, the kitchen, and to remove some trash from the deck. We had told Sam that one of our biggest concerns was that vacuuming alone would not be sufficient to clean the floors and he assured us that he would be washing the floors after each room had been cleaned. This was what would occupy his time after the rooms had been de-cluttered for the cleaning crew. Because we were so preoccupied with Sam, neither my husband nor I really monitored the two person cleaning crew, except to note that the vacuum cleaner was running much of the time and both members of that crew seemed diligent and busy. While the two cleaners were working in the last room, the kitchen, Sam began "washing" the living room floor. I should have objected at the time, but we were almost four hours into the job and I was exhausted from dealing with Sam's process for going through the clutter and disposing of trash. I should have objected because Sam's idea of washing the floor was very different from mine--and downright unsanitary under the circumstances. While the two-person crew was handwashing and drying dishes at the kitchen sink, Sam took a piece of an old towel to the same sink, soaked it in water, and squeezed out the excess water--at the same sink. He then took the piece of toweling and used it to hand-wipe a section of the living room floor, not stopping until the rag was literally black with dirt. He had no soap and no bucket. Instead, he stood up at that point, took the rag back to the kitchen sink, rinsed it while the others were washing dishes, squeezed it out again, returned to the living room, and proceeded to wipe another section of the floor. He repeated this procedure several times, until most if not all of the floor had been wiped with this wet, dirty rag. Up until Sam started washing the floor, the condo had been odor-free. After the rag had been rinsed in the sink a handful of times, the living room started to smell like sour milk--worse each time he brought the rag back into the room. I was so ill from this odor that all I could do was breathe slowly through my mouth and count the minutes until they were finished. I was not able to go through the condo room by room to examine the job that had been done. At about 11:45 A.M., after just over four hours, Sam had the crew reload their supplies into his truck and take out the remaining trash while we paid him with the $500 in cash and an additional check for $500. While we were paying, Sam continued to importune us to keep his service in mind as a "maintenance" cleaning service once the owner returned to living in the condo. We agreed with Sam that his crew had performed as promised and all of us left the condo together. Two days ago, I returned to the condo with a handyman to perform a few repair tasks. While waiting for the handyman, I began noticing layers of dust on the telephone, the nightstand, the coffee table, and virtually every other surface. In addition, the kitchen surfaces and floor seemed "sticky" in many places. We have now made arrangements with our regular weekly maid service to clean the condominium this coming week in hopes of bringing the cleanliness up to a livable level. We have specified to our regular service that the entire hardwood floor will need to be washed. In addition, the bathrooms still need cleaning to remove streaks from glass surfaces and to remove soap scum from the shower door. It is difficult to fault Chestnut Cleaning for the poor results because the crew members did seem to work diligently, and because the surface clutter and cat hair were removed as promised. If this was all Chestnut Cleaning had promised, we would have to be fully satisfied. Because two members of the three person crew were identified as doing "cleaning" work, though, we entertained the reasonable expectation that no further cleaning would be required before the condo was habitable. In this expectation, we were thoroughly disappointed.
Description of Work: We hired the provider to remove accumulated clutter and garbage from a condominium that had gone without cleaning during the owner's lengthy bout of depression, and to thoroughly clean the condo. Most of the mess was dirt and cat hair. Some of it was from construction done in January to repair broken pipes. The provider removed garbage, vacuumed, dusted, cleaned bathroom fixtures and floors, straightened clutter, and cleaned the kitchen.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
$1,000
Response from CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE
At the encouragement of Angie’s List staff, we are responding to this negative, misrepresentation-of-the-facts review. Description of the work: This “client” didn’t complete her description of her requested work: the provider (I and my crew) removed tons of garbage including spoiled, old food and much more than cat “hair” as anyone who has a cat knows, from everywhere from this two bedroom, two bathroom (one bedroom was a catch-all nightmare that you could hardly get the door open to get into), living room, dining room, kitchen and deck. Since every “depression” cleaning is totally different from another, we insist that the client be present the entire time we are working for them, having them make all the decisions as to what to keep and what to discard (it’s how we work so we know what the client wants and doesn’t want). This was her brother’s condo (who was forced out of it because of the accumulated debris, cat’s hair balls and cats). He was now living with her and her husband because of his severe depression. As anyone with depression can tell you, “depression chaos” is worse than hoarder clutter. I have depression: 1. it takes one to know one. 2. I believe I know the difference, and 3. Any reader of this review who has depression knows that the person writing this review of our work is not telling the truth about how bad this condo was or how bad depression can cause a person to just “exist” in their own home, a home that you never invite anyone it for a visit because you’re too ashamed or embarrassed for anyone to see how your depression has forced you to live, or forced you out of your home. What this review is really all about is that, although this reviewer was present and actively participating in the entire process (at our insistence) room by room and inch by inch, SHE JUST DIDN’T LIKE PAYING THE $1,000 WE CHARGED. Next time, Miss, don’t have such a terrible job for us to do or call someone earlier than when your brother is now living with you! “I made it very clear to Sam that I would be the boss, not him,” the client wrote. So does this reader really believe that, delicate little flower that she is/was, she would tolerate floor washing (which was done in all the other rooms in the same way without criticism) the way she described our washing the living room floor? Much to her dismay!!! “We agreed with Sam that his crew had performed as promised,” she says. Huh? If she had exhibited any negativity of any kind, we would have never offered to return, for any reason. Would you have? And she could have stopped payment on her check to us had any of this been true: “I paid too much,” and we would have had a Judge from the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois decide who was telling the truth. Don’t blame the dentist because you have neglected your teeth and now have a high dental bill. Please do not call us to work for you if you don’t want to pay us. Our customers ALWAYS know our costs per hour before we begin to work for them
Thomas W S.
10/2013
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
I moved into a new Chicago high-rise building in 2009. When I first asked Chestnut in 2011 to clean this condo, my hording was revealed by the condition of three closets and two large storage rooms. I did not know about organizing skills offered by Chestnut. In a short time, a carpenter recommended by Chestnut gutted the closets and storage rooms to add beautiful, white custom shelves that hold white, labeled storage boxes. Now everything is at my finger tips. An electrician, recommended by Chestnut, installed several light fixtures purchased by the designer I hired to decorate the new condo. The Chestnut crew of three to five, take their assigned monthly cleaning tasks to quickly leave a clean home. Needless to say, I still own my former condo unit. Now I use this old condo for storage. I told you I am a compulsive horder. Soon Chestnut will empty this old condo so that I can take advantage of the improved real estate market. I highly recommend Chestnut for cleaning, organizing, and overall problem solving.
Description of Work: Chestnut has monthly cleaned my new condo since 2011.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$150
Rosanne S.
03/2013
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
I went looking for a service that offered both cleaning and organizing, since I tend to let the clutter pile up, and I had one bedroom closet that could have qualified for a mini-Hoarders treatment. I spoke to the owner about getting an estimate and we made an appointment within a couple of days for him to clean my one-bedroom apartment and give me an estimate on the closet. First of all, the cleaning is wonderful. He brought two workers with him and they dove right in scouring and vacuuming and dusting every corner of the place. I am asked to inspect each room and if I notice anything that was missed they jump right on it. The organizing requires full participation from me, since I have to make all decisions about what stays and what goes. That horrifying closet was finished in less time that I imagined; emptied completely, swept out, and all trash and donations went right out the door. The cost is about what I saw from other places, $25 per person per hour. There's an extra charge for the organization. The usual crew is the owner plus two employees. I was startled once when he came with four people but they were finished and out the door in about half an hour so the cost didn't go up. The owner is very cheerful, and seems very invested in making sure I'm happy and satisfied. When we cleaned out the closet he realized there was no light in it, which is a problem since it's rather narrow and deep. The next time he came he told me he had a gift for me and brought a hanging work light to use until I can get something more permanent in there. I see no reason why I shouldn't be using this service for years.
Description of Work: Cleaning: kitchen and bathroom scrubbed, floor vacuumed, surfaces dusted, rugs shaken out, ceiling fans dusted. Organizing: all items brought out of the closet for my decision, trash taken to dumpster, donations removed, suggestions made for future organization.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$100
Darryn W.
05/2011
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
Overall I am very satisfied with Chestnut Cleaning Service and highly recommend them.
Description of Work: I have been utilizing Chestnut Cleaning Service for over a decade. They have shown themselves to be reliable, conscientious and very prompt. Some of the traits that I appreciate in Chestnut Cleaning Service include: - When I first contracted with Chestnut Cleaning Service they clearly outlined their team approach to cleaning and how their fees are calculated. - - They always provide a reminder call to confirm their appointment. - - Consistently on-time arrival. - - The team approach to cleaning, allowing the job to be completed quickly and efficiently. - - They always have me check the place, room by room. It is rare for me to find problems; however, if there is anything for me to point out they immediately jump into action, without complaints or excuses, and rectify the concern. There was one time that I noticed something after Chestnut Cleaning Service had departed and they returned later that day to attend to my concern. - - I am unsure if this is standard procedure, but once I had a light bulb that was out and I notice that after Chestnut Cleaning Service has left they had replaced the bulb with a new, functioning bulb. -
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$100
JENNIFER F.
03/2011
3.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
Yeah, it was fine, I guess. I called, left a message. They called back and talked to my husband. He said they talked his ear off, telling him how great they were. He set the appointment. They showed up and talked my ear off about how great they were. Well, actually, one of the first things they did (and I hate this to no end) is, as soon as they noticed I had pet bunnies, one of them told me this horrific story about the death of bunnies in her front yard. I don't why, but when people find out I have bunnies, they immediately tell me awful stories about bunnies. I really almost kicked them out right then. They brought a five or six person team (I can't remember) but there were too many of them, that there was no place for me to be out of their way. And I'm saying this as a person who prefers a team. It's faster with a team. But they were in every single room. And then, just as I would find some place to settle, the head guy would call me over to basically say, "Watch me clean; I'm so cool." Everything he did, he wanted to show me how he did it better than everyone else. The younger bunny just ran away from them, as he does whenever the house gets cleaned. But the older bunny was very old and not very mobile (he has since passed) and they kept trying to pet him and he kept trying to get away. I finally had to pick him up and just carry him with me. And they really didn't do that good of a job. To be fair, he did tell me to walk through and tell him anything they missed (they were putting on their coats when he asked me to do this.) and they would fix it. But I really just wanted them out of my house. There were too many of them and the self-congraulatory attitude was getting on my nerves.
Description of Work: General housecleaning
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
4.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
4.0
$125
Dale R.
03/2009
5.0
house cleaning
+ -1 more
They were very non-judgmental, gave me an accurate quote and job description, and completed the work as promised. Five people worked for seven hours (35 man hours) and didn't stop until the job was done. The forethought and organization that went into planning how to tackle the job made it go smoothly. It was not pretty work...the apartment was in very bad shape with lots of garbage, but they were very professional and understanding.
Description of Work: Chestnut Cleaning came in and did an amazing job of cleaning the chaos and clutter out of my apartment, which hadn't been cleaned in over ten years. Once the clutter was cleared out, they cleaned the apartment to my satisfaction, and have continued to do monthly maintenance housecleanings.
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Service Categories
House Cleaning,
Home and Garage Organization
FAQ
CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE is currently rated 4.3 overall out of 5.
CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE accepts the following forms of payment: Check
No, CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE does not offer free project estimates.
Yes, CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE offers eco-friendly accreditations.
No, CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE offers emergency services.
No, CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE does not offer warranties.
CHESTNUT CLEANING SERVICE offers the following services: House cleaning, organizing, and major chaos cleanouts. We are often called in due to long term illness, mental/physical challenges, depression, and death, New construction and rehab cleaning, move-in/move-out cleaning, cleaning and staging for property sales, residential (unit and common area) and commercial cleaning.