In 2020, we’ve been spending more time at home than ever. Working from home looks like the new norm for many. For parents, especially—quarantine adds a whole new dimension of exhaustion. From managing Zoom fatigue, delivering deadlines, and keeping the house clean to home-schooling the kids; there is so much on our plates. I’ve often waited for an epiphany or a magic solution to strike me. How does one do it all? The truth is that you don’t.

The magic word seems to be “delegate”. As a new mother to an extremely precocious infant, time is of the essence. With daily showers and a 6-hour-stretch at night being the new luxuries in life, there is a definite shift in priorities. Yes, the house needs to be cleaned. But let’s face it —I’d rather cuddle with my baby, or read that book I’ve been wanting to for the last three months, or better yet, take a nap myself. 

Enter NW Maids. We booked a deep clean with them last week. Everything from booking the service to the actual cleaning process is smooth. A deep clean-out can definitely be therapeutic, especially if someone else does the cleaning. Our cleaner was on time, thorough, and by the time she was done with the house, it was sparkly clean.

With all the clutter and cobwebs cleaned up, we were left with was a feeling of serenity and simplicity. We’d recommend it—whether on a regular basis or as a special indulgence. Either way, it is worth it. Here are the precautions they’re taking during COVID-19. You can book by giving them a call at (206) 508-5850 or book online here.

 We spoke to Ilya Ornatov, the founder, about the company and his journey so far…

Seattleite: Could you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Ilya: I was born in St. Petersburg Russia and moved to America with my family when I was 2 years old. I’ve always had an interest in business and started my first business when I was 12 years old. My first business was a ride-sharing service called Deals on Wheels. I would hand out business cards at local high schools and recruit 16-year-old friends that had recently gotten their first car.

Since then I’ve worked at startups, large corporations, and everything in between. My passion is creating a solution where there is none.

Seattleite: How did you start NW Maids?

Ilya: NW Maids was founded because of a simple realization: finding a reliable, high-quality cleaning service was surprisingly difficult in Seattle. We are a platform that connects independent home cleaners/home cleaning companies with home cleaning customers.

Have you ever tried to book a house cleaning? You encounter missed calls, estimate requests, quote request forms to fill out, receiving no response or receiving weird callbacks hours later, with no clear upfront pricing and no way to just book a cleaning online. By allowing customers to book online in 60 seconds, we eliminate all of the pain associated with booking a house cleaning right now.

Seattleite: What is the USP of the company and how is it different from other cleaning services?

Ilya: By allowing customers to manage their recurring cleanings, add instructions for their team, reschedule their cleanings, and pay seamlessly through the app, we eliminate messy cash transactions and allow teams to effortlessly keep track of their income and pay dates. Our platform is built on top of Stripe, the global leader in payment processing.

We eliminate the pain of wondering where your cleaner is or when they’re arriving. Teams receive an alert to send their ETA when they are on their way, and customers can keep track of their entire cleaning experience from their app including the ability to rate and review their team.

Seattleite: How do your screen and hire your team members?

Ilya: We choose only 1% of the applicants that apply to work with us. We rate and review each cleaning and assign a rating to each team, which allows us to only send the best teams to clients’ homes. Additionally, we run extensive background checks on all candidates.

Seattleite: What are the Covid-19 precautions that you are taking at NW Maids?

Ilya: We began our effort by disinfecting all high-touch surfaces. Our Sanitizer products are the most effective disinfectant, killing 99.9% of germs on surfaces (reducing cross-contamination). It was also shown to kill the Coronavirus (COVID-19)* and Hepatitis A in 60 seconds. It is safe to use at businesses, restaurants, or homes since it requires no rinsing after use on food surfaces.

It is the most powerful surface cleaner that meets all of our standards for cleaning, household safety, multi-surface compatibility, and 99.9% total disinfecting. NW Maids is committed to your safety and making sure that our cleaning process is thorough and complete. To show our commitment to complete cleaning, our sanitizer product will be used on all household and workplace surfaces during our regular cleaning process. This product will be used alongside our regular scrubbing, polishing, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, and cleaning services. We want to offer the best to our clients and assure them that we are taking the best precautions against the spread of harmful germs and bacteria.

Seattleite: How do you personalize the cleaning as per individual requirements? 

Ilya: We do have an hourly option that clients can book if they would prefer to customize their cleaning. Clients can add notes to their booking with specific requests.