How to Choose a Professional House Cleaning Service in Seattle

A house cleaner will have your key, your alarm code, and time alone in your home. That makes choosing one closer to hiring a babysitter than buying a product. This guide walks you through vetting a cleaning service in Seattle and nearby cities: how to check a Washington business license, what L&I lookups do and do not apply, the insurance and worker-coverage questions to ask, and how to compare quotes fairly.

A note on who is writing: this guide is published by Sweepless in Seattle, a Seattle residential cleaning company. The checklist below applies to any service, including that one, and we do not rank or recommend specific companies.

The vetting checklist

Work through this list for every service you are considering. Most items take a few minutes.

• Business name on the quote matches the name on its Washington business license
• License is active in the Department of Revenue Business Lookup
• Workers are covered for workers’ comp (an active L&I account, checked in L&I’s Verify tool)
• Certificate of general liability insurance, current, in the company’s name
• Clear answer on bonding: whether they have one and what it covers
• Background check process explained for everyone who will enter your home
• Written scope: rooms, tasks, add-ons, and exclusions
• Written guarantee with a reporting window
• Cancellation and rescheduling policy, both directions
• Key, code, and lockbox handling policy
• Products and equipment: who supplies them, and can they accommodate sensitivities
• Two references or a reasonable volume of recent reviews you can read in full

Step 1: Look up the Washington business license

The Washington Department of Revenue (DOR) runs a free online Business Lookup. You can reach it from the DOR home page under “Look up a business.”

How to use it

1. Open the Business Lookup, which DOR describes as a search for business licenses, tax accounts, and reseller permits it issues. Search by business name, or by UBI (Unified Business Identifier) or license number if the quote or invoice shows one; the number is more precise.
2. Compare the business name, legal name, and any trade name (DBA) in the results with what the company calls itself on its website and quote.
3. Check the status shown for the account and open the listing for details.
4. If you cannot find the business, ask the company for its UBI number. A legitimate business can give it to you immediately.

Who has to be licensed

DOR says a business must register and get a business license if it meets any of several conditions, including: it does business under a name other than the owner’s full legal name, it plans to hire employees within the next 90 days, or its gross income is $12,000 a year or more. In practice, any cleaning company with employees or a brand name should show up. A very small solo cleaner working under their own name might legitimately fall below the thresholds, so a missing listing for an individual is a question to ask, not automatic proof of wrongdoing.

Cities can add their own requirements on top. Ask the company whether it holds the business license required by the city where it is based.

Step 2: Understand what L&I does and does not cover

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is where people often look next, and where confusion starts.

Contractor registration usually does not apply

L&I requires construction contractors to register and to be bonded and insured. It describes construction work as constructing, remodeling, repairing, and demolishing buildings and other real property, and it regulates specialties such as roofing, painting, and HVAC. Routine house cleaning is not construction, so a house cleaning service generally will not appear as a registered contractor. Do not treat that as a red flag.

The exception is crossover work. If a company offers to paint, patch, or repair as well as clean, that work falls into a different category, and you can ask whether it holds contractor registration for it.

Workers’ comp coverage does apply

This is the L&I check that matters for a cleaning service. According to L&I:

• Washington State does not allow private workers’ compensation coverage. Employers must buy coverage from L&I or be certified as self-insured.
• All workers in Washington are entitled to workers’ comp unless they fit strict exemption definitions.
• A 1099 form “has no bearing” on Washington workers’ comp coverage, and having a UBI number does not automatically make a worker an exempt independent contractor.

L&I’s Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business tool can be searched by name, UBI number, or workers’ comp account, and L&I says it shows whether a business has an active and paid-to-date workers’ comp account covering any employees.

Why it matters to you: if a cleaner is hurt in your home, workers’ comp is the system meant to cover their medical care and lost wages. A company that calls all its cleaners “independent contractors” may be correct, but ask how they meet L&I’s tests. A vague answer is a reason to keep looking.

Step 3: Ask about insurance and bonding

Workers’ comp covers the cleaner. Liability insurance covers you and your property.

Coverage	What it is for	What to ask for
General liability insurance	Damage to your property or injury to a third party caused by the company’s work	A certificate of insurance showing the company name, insurer, coverage limits, and current dates
Workers’ compensation (L&I)	Injuries to the company’s workers on the job	Confirm in L&I’s Verify tool, or ask for the account number
Bond (if offered)	Typically a surety bond that may pay for certain proven losses, such as theft by a worker	Who issued it, what it covers, the amount, and how a claim works

Ask the insurer listed on the certificate to confirm it is current if you want extra assurance. Be wary of a company that says it is “licensed, bonded, and insured” but cannot show any of the three in writing.

Step 4: Background checks, staffing, and consistency

You cannot check another company’s employees yourself, so ask about the process.

• Who is checked? Every person who enters your home, including trainees and substitutes.
• When? At hiring, and whether it is ever repeated.
• What does it cover? Ask in general terms; the company will not share individual results.
• Who will come? Will you have the same cleaner or team each visit? How will you be told about substitutes?
• Employees or contractors? As above, this affects workers’ comp coverage, and it can also affect training and supervision.

Step 5: Supplies, guarantees, cancellation, and keys

Supplies and equipment

Ask whether the service brings its own products, vacuums, and cloths, or uses yours. If anyone in the home has asthma, allergies, or sensitivities, ask what they use and whether they can use your products. The EPA’s Safer Choice program certifies cleaning products that meet its criteria for safer ingredients, which gives you a specific standard to request. Also ask whether they use separate cloths for bathrooms and kitchens. For background on product types, see our guide to cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants.

Guarantees

A guarantee is only as good as its terms. Get these in writing:

• How long you have to report a problem (some services use 24 hours; others allow longer).
• What they will do: a free re-clean of the missed area, a partial refund, or something else.
• How to report it: phone, text, email, photo.

Cancellation and rescheduling

Ask how much notice you need to give to cancel or reschedule without a fee, and what happens if the company cancels on you. Weather and illness happen; a fair policy works both ways.

Key and entry security

• Where are keys stored, and are they labeled with your address? (They should not be.)
• Who has access to your alarm code or smart-lock code? Can you set a separate code just for the service and delete it if you stop?
• Is a lockbox an option?
• What is the policy for returning keys if you end service?

Questions to ask before you book

Question	A good answer sounds like	A weak answer sounds like
What is your UBI number?	They give it right away	“We are fully licensed,” with no number
How are your cleaners covered for workers’ comp?	“We have an L&I account” or a clear explanation	“They are all 1099, so it does not apply”
Can you send a certificate of insurance?	“Yes, today”	“We are insured,” with no document
What exactly is included?	A written task list by room	“We clean everything”
What happens if something is missed?	A written guarantee with a reporting window	“Just let us know,” with no terms
How do you handle keys and codes?	A specific policy	“We are trustworthy”
Who will come to my home?	Names or a consistent team, notice of substitutes	“Whoever is available”
What products do you use?	Names or types, and willingness to adapt	“Professional stuff”

Red flags

• Cannot or will not give a UBI number or business name you can look up.
• Says workers’ comp “does not apply” because everyone is paid on a 1099.
• No written quote, scope, or guarantee.
• Requires cash only, or full prepayment for many visits.
• Pressures you to book today to “lock in” a price.
• Reviews that are all very recent, very short, and very similar.
• Offers to handle extensive mold, sewage, or water damage as routine cleaning. Those are specialty jobs.

Comparing quotes fairly

Price is only meaningful against scope. Ask every service to quote the same written list, then compare in a table.

Worked example (illustrative)

The following is an illustrative scenario, not real companies or measured prices. Consider a three-bedroom, two-bath house in West Seattle asking for every-other-week cleaning. Three services respond:

	Service A	Service B	Service C
Pricing model	Flat per visit	Hourly with an estimate	Flat per visit
Business license found in DOR lookup	Yes	Yes	Not found under the name given
L&I workers’ comp account	Active	Says workers are contractors	No answer
Certificate of insurance	Sent	Sent	“Insured,” none sent
Scope includes inside microwave and baseboards	Yes	Baseboards only	Not stated
Guarantee	Re-clean, report within 24 hours	Re-clean, report within 48 hours	None in writing
Supplies	Brings own	Brings own; will use yours on request	Uses yours
Cancellation	48 hours’ notice	24 hours’ notice	Not stated

Service C may well have the lowest number on its quote, but you cannot verify it and you do not know what it covers. Between A and B, the choice comes down to the workers’ comp question for B (ask how its contractors meet L&I’s tests), the difference in scope, and whether flat or hourly pricing suits you. Our guide to Seattle house cleaning costs explains what drives each pricing model.

If you are still deciding whether to hire at all, start with professional cleaning vs. DIY, which includes a worksheet for weighing the cost against your time.

After you hire: the first visit

• Do a short walkthrough at the start: priorities, fragile items, rooms to skip, products to avoid.
• Leave written notes for later visits so preferences survive staff changes.
• Inspect within the guarantee window and report anything missed with a photo.
• Give feedback early. Most problems are fixable in the first two or three visits.

When you are ready to compare, ask each service for a written quote against your list. For one local option, Sweepless in Seattle, which publishes this guide, takes quote requests online; apply the same checklist to it as to anyone else.