Hiring in the cleaning industry isn’t easy. Between high turnover, tight margins, and the need to place staff directly in clients’ homes or offices, trust is everything. That’s why background checks are non negotiable for most cleaning companies. But if you’ve ever looked into them, you know the pricing, speed, and quality can feel all over the map.
From real conversations with cleaning business owners, we’ve distilled the lessons that matter most when it comes to background checks.
The Hidden Risks of Skipping Background Checks
When owners cut corners, the risks multiply:
- Theft & Property Damage: Cleaning staff often work unsupervised in client homes and businesses. One bad hire can mean stolen valuables, damaged property, or lost contracts.
- Liability Lawsuits: If an employee with a criminal record harms a client or coworker, you could face negligent hiring claims, costing thousands in legal fees and settlements.
- Lost Clients & Reputation: News of a bad hire spreads quickly. A single incident can wipe out years of brand trust.
- Insurance Issues: Carriers may deny claims if you can’t show due diligence in your hiring process.
Cleaning Business Nightmare: Negligent Hiring Leads to Lawsuits
In Oakley v. Flor-Shin, Inc. (Kentucky), a cleaning company’s failure to properly vet an employee ended in tragedy and legal exposure.
- What Happened:
Flor-Shin, a floor maintenance contractor, hired an employee despite his extensive criminal history (burglary, theft, even an attempted rape arrest). Bayes was routinely left alone in stores with young employees. One night shift, he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old K-Mart worker while on duty. He pled guilty to multiple crimes.
- The Incident: While working an overnight shift at K-Mart, this supervisor was left alone with an 18-year-old employee. He ended up sexually assaulting her.
- The Court Case: The victim sued Flor-Shin, saying they were negligent for hiring an unfit employee. The court determined the company could be held responsible because it was foreseeable something like this could happen if they hired and trusted him with that kind of job.
Another Horror Story
- Who: 23-year-old Liliana Calzadillas-Gonzalez, working for her aunt’s small, un-bonded cleaning business.
- What Happened: She was caught on video trying on and stealing jewelry during house cleaning jobs. Deputies found about $10,000 worth of jewelry and cash connected to her.
- Impact: Victims lost irreplaceable heirlooms, like a diamond ring and necklaces tied to family memories. Detectives planted marked jewelry in a home. After the job, she was stopped for a traffic violation, and the stolen items were in her car. The cleaning company went out of business and shut down that same year.
You Get What You Pay For
Cheaper doesn’t always mean better. At first glance, saving $20 on a check sounds smart. But one bad hire can cost thousands in theft, lawsuits, or lost customers. As one owner put it: “$40 per employee isn’t a bad deal if it helps reduce how many employees you’re doing a background check on.”
Most criminal records live at the county courthouse level, that’s where about 90% of records are first filed. State databases and “free” online searches often don’t pull from every county, and many are outdated or incomplete. Ultra-budget providers usually just scrape these limited state or national databases, which means they can easily miss serious offenses.
The problem is, many providers will charge you separately for each county search. So if your applicant has lived in three or four counties, your $20 check can suddenly balloon into $80 or more.
We pride ourselves on offering unlimited county searches at a flat rate, so you always get the full picture without surprise costs.
What Happens When You Have to Wait?
Some owners said they wait days for results. The difference matters when you’ve got new jobs lined up and clients waiting.
Slow turnaround times stall onboarding, frustrate clients, and leave revenue on the table. In an industry built on speed and trust, waiting around for a background check is more than an inconvenience, it’s leaving money on the table.
Streamline Hiring Without Skipping Compliance
One way cleaning companies save time is by holding group interviews instead of one-on-one meetings. This way, you can meet multiple applicants at once, compare them side by side, and avoid the endless back-and-forth of scheduling individual slots. It helps you quickly see who’s serious about the job before investing more time.
But here’s the key: background checks can’t legally happen until after you’ve made a conditional job offer. Under federal law, you have to give the applicant the job contingent on passing the background check. This protects applicants from being unfairly screened out before they’ve had a fair shot.
That’s where Ban the Box laws come in. Many states (and even some cities) restrict when you can ask about criminal history. In places like California, Illinois, and New York, you’re required to wait until after a conditional offer to run checks or ask about records. Other states may allow earlier inquiries, but the safest practice, especially for multi-state companies, is to follow the strictest standard: make the offer first, then screen.
5. What Cleaning Companies Should Look For
When choosing a provider, prioritize:
- County-level searches (where 90% of criminal records live)
- Same-day turnaround so you don’t lose momentum
- Transparent pricing with no contracts, setup, or hidden fees
- U.S.-based support so you can get answers when you need them
Best Practices for Cleaning Companies
Cleaning companies can’t afford to gamble on background checks. You need a process that’s fast, affordable, and comprehensive, without being locked into overpriced providers or cheap databases that don’t catch real risks.
The goal isn’t just to hire quickly, it’s to hire safely, protect your clients, and grow your business with confidence.