Best cleaning company in Manchester: a scorecard you can check

What should "best cleaning company" mean for your home?

Nobody's best for every home. A flat that needs one proper clean before Friday's check-out has little in common with a family house that wants the kitchen reset every week. So "best" has to mean the company that fits your job and can prove it before you book.

Proof is the bit that matters. Anyone can write "quality service" on a website. Far fewer can tell you their insurer's name on the phone, or what happens when the agent finds a greasy hob at the inventory check.

A company doesn't need a perfect answer to all six questions. It needs plain ones. If an answer's vague, ask again in writing and score it for what it is.

How do you compare cleaning companies in Manchester?

Copy the six questions into one message and send the same words to every company on your shortlist. The table has what to ask, what a good answer sounds like, and what Ivory can show. The first two columns work on anyone. The third is our side of it.

Scoring's simple. Give each answer 0 for vague or missing, 1 for a claim you can't check, and 2 for something you can verify in a minute. Add up the six, then look hardest at the zeros. That's where a company goes quiet.

What should you ask about a cleaning company's insurance?

"Fully insured" is a claim. A figure and an insurer's name are facts you can write down. Public liability is the cover that matters when a lamp goes over or a mop bucket meets a laminate floor.

Put the figures side by side on your scorecard. If two companies give different amounts, ask the lower one what its cover includes, and whether it applies to the job you're booking. Ivory's figure is £2m public liability, and you should ask us for it in writing, same as anyone.

• A number, with no hedging.
• The insurer's name.
• Details in writing, without a fuss.
• No sudden change of subject when you ask.

That's the good list. A slow or fuzzy answer to a plain question tells you something before you've paid a penny.

How do you check that cleaners are properly vetted?

"Vetted" means nothing until it has a verb attached. What's checked? Who checks it, and when? What happens if a check fails? Then the one people forget: is the person who knocks on your door one of the people who were checked?

Some firms send whoever's free that day. That's not automatically wrong, but you should know before you hand over a key. A company with a real process will describe it the same way on the phone, in a message and on its website, and it won't get shirty about follow-up questions.

A vague answer isn't proof of a problem. It's a reason to ask again, in writing. Ivory sends vetted cleaners, and the team brings its own equipment and eco products, so there's no borrowing your mop. Ask us how the vetting works and judge the answer like any other.

How should a good cleaning quote be built?

A quote shows how a company thinks. A good one starts with questions: how many rooms, what state the place is in, what you actually want done. A price that turns up with no questions hasn't looked at the job, so don't lean on it.

Compare like with like. A weekly clean, a deep clean and an end of tenancy clean are three different jobs, so only line up quotes that cover the same one. Then check what's written down, which extras cost more, and whether the final price is confirmed before you pick a day.

Here's how ours reads. End of tenancy is priced from £190, a deep clean from £150, and weekly cleaning from £55 for the 2h minimum, then £25/hr. The final price depends on the rooms and the condition, and it's confirmed before booking.

Look at what's left out, too. Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras with Ivory, on every service. A deep clean covers the inside of your windows but not the sills. For what moves a price, read domestic cleaning cost and deep clean cost.

What should happen if a cleaner misses something?

You can't judge this one in advance, so ask before you book. How a company handles a problem says more than how it describes a good day.

• How do I report something that was missed, and how soon?
• Does someone come back, or do I get a discount instead?
• Who decides whether it counts as missed?
• Is there a time limit on the return visit?
• Can you put that in writing?

The time limit matters most for a tenancy. A letting agent's check-out slot on a Friday afternoon doesn't wait for anyone's diary. Ivory has a re-clean guarantee: if something on the list is missed, tell us and we come back. For end of tenancy cleaning, if it's queried, the re-clean happens within 48 hours.

How do you verify cleaning company reviews?

A star score is a summary. The detail's in the text. Open the reviews on a public platform yourself, because a page of quotes the company chose for its own site shows you what it wants you to see. Funny how they're always glowing.

Try ten minutes. Sort by newest and read the first ten. Then find the lowest scores and read those. Finally, look at how the company replied to anything under five stars, because a calm, specific reply to a complaint is worth more than a pile of praise. Count the reviews that match your job, and the ones that name something real: a room, a task, a time.

A perfect score deserves the same scrutiny as a middling one. Check how many reviews sit behind it and how recent they are. Ivory's rated 5.0 on Google. Open the reviews and read them before you lean on that number, ours included.

Why do reply time and opening hours matter?

A company's first reply to a stranger is a free sample of the service. How quickly it lands, how clear it is, and whether the hours suit you all hint at how you'll be treated once you're a customer with a problem.

So test it. Send every company the same message, with your postcode, the number of bedrooms and the job, at the same time. Then note how long each reply took against what the site promises, and whether it answered your questions or just said "give us a ring". Check if they work evenings and weekends. If you need a same-day slot, ask.

Ivory replies within 30 minutes and is open 7 days, 8am to 10pm, with same-day availability. You can ring 0161 3939 247, email, or use WhatsApp. Time us against everyone else on your list.

Where does Ivory fit?

Our honest view is that Ivory's the best cleaning company in Manchester. It's an opinion, not a ranking, and Ivory wrote this guide, so weigh it accordingly. Here's why we say it, under the same six headings as the table.

• Insurance: £2m public liability.
• Vetting: vetted cleaners, and the team brings its own equipment and eco products.
• Quote: the price follows the rooms and the condition, and it's confirmed before you book. Oven, fridge and cupboard interiors are paid extras.
• If something's missed: a re-clean guarantee, and a queried end of tenancy clean is re-cleaned within 48 hours.
• Reviews: 5.0 on Google, there for you to read.
• Reply and hours: within 30 minutes, 7 days a week, 8am to 10pm, and same-day slots when we have them.

If you want our pick, it's us. But put the six questions to everyone, score what comes back, and go with the answers you can check. We're happy to be measured against anyone.

If Ivory's on your list, start with the job. Weekly cleaning keeps the kitchen and bathrooms reset. A deep clean covers the skirting, switches, grout and the inside of your windows that a routine visit skips. End of tenancy cleaning is done to the check-out list.

Ivory covers 17 areas around Manchester, including Didsbury, Chorlton and Manchester City Centre. For more on each question, read how to find a trustworthy cleaner in Manchester.