I actually didn’t know much about Merry Maids before this, which is somewhat surprising since it’s the largest home cleaning franchise in the world, servicing more than 600 locations in the U.S. and Canada, and operating in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Perhaps the word “franchise” makes you think that Merry Maids is the McDonald’s of the cleaning world, but the benefit of such an operation is stated nicely in their website, “…the local touch – with the backing of a corporate office.” There are certain overall standards associated with a franchise corporation, and while it is true that individual franchise owners will put their personal stamp on their service (for better or worse), at least you have the possibility of a measuring stick for satisfaction. And from my experience, at least, the Merry Maids satisfaction level was pretty high.

The Merry Maids’ slogan is: “Relax. It’s done.” And it was. Three women showed up at my door right at the scheduled time, with their own supplies and if not a “merry” attitude, at least they were smiling and friendly. They were very professional, asked me my preferences (my response: “Uh… just clean…?”), and immediately set to work dusting, scrubbing, vacuuming and all those other “ing” words that make a work-at-home mom sigh with satisfaction. In addition to the standard cleaning, Merry Maids makes a point of trying to do a few “extras” in each room, such as offering to change the bed linens and clean the inside of the refrigerator. In three hours flat, my Merry Maids cleaned my three-story home to a bright and shiny (and good smelling) finish. Every crack and crevice was attended to and you could have licked the shelves in my refrigerator, they were so sparkly clean. (Note: I did not lick the shelves.) I signed their little sheet saying that I was happy and off they went, still smiling.

Merry Maids services about a bazillion cities in New Jersey, so check their website for your preferred location. Their prices are based on your particular needs, such as the size of your home and the frequency of service desired (oh, and they take pets into consideration, which I like, since I have two slobbery, shedding ones). Contact your local Merry Maids office for a FREE estimate.