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- Ratings and reviews by surveyed Consumers' Checkbook and Consumer Reports local subscribers
- Undercover price comparisons
- Complaint counts from local consumer agencies and attorney general offices
- Advice to help you get the best service and value
Most pests can be eliminated without paying a pro. But if you have a problem you can't handle on your own (or don't want to handle), we have advice and ratings for finding the best exterminators.
If you want to hire a company, our ratings show how customers we surveyed rated local housecleaning services and the results of our price shopping.
Many consumers prefer to hire an individual for housecleaning help, rather than a service. But doing your own hiring brings the responsibilities associated with the role of an employer, such as filling out paperwork and paying various taxes.
The National Committee on Household Employment, before it closed its doors, developed a set of standards for employers and their household employees. The guidelines presented here are from its Code of Standards for Household Employment.
If you want to hire a lawn care service, our ratings of local businesses will help you find the best outfits. Meet with several and ask for proposals for one year of treatment. Be sure to share your expectations (tolerance for weeds, etc.) and any limits on use of herbicides and pesticides.
The proposals Checkbook's undercover shoppers get from lawn care services rarely agree on identification of weed species, presence of disease, need to correct soil acidity, and recommendations on core aeration.
Lawn care services work with different products and techniques, but the results they promise are similar. Companies usually offer customers a selection of “packages” that include specified treatment plans to take place over the course of a year.