Two house cleaners can walk through the same house, agree on roughly the same total, and leave it looking nothing alike. The difference is rarely the mop. It is the list of what they agreed to do, who holds the key, and who shows up when the usual person is out. Compare those three before anyone's name goes on the group text.
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Get the scope in writing, room by room
Full clean means nothing on its own. Ask each company for its task list and read the lists side by side: which rooms, which surfaces, whether the bathroom includes the tub and the grout, whether the kitchen includes the inside of the oven or the top of the refrigerator, whether laundry is in or out, whether the garage and porch are excluded. The line you are looking for is the one that says what is not included. If a company will not put its exclusions on paper, you have your answer.
Write your own list too. Mom knows which corner collects dust and which chair she wants back where it was. Put her preferences on the same page so the cleaner works from the same instructions no matter who is holding the mop.
Supplies and products
Ask who brings the cleaning supplies and whether they will use products you provide. If anyone in the house has a sensitivity to certain products or scents, say so before the first visit and ask the company to tell you in advance what it plans to use. Ask to see the labels if you want to. A company that gets defensive about this question is telling you how it will handle the next one.
Screening, insurance, and who the cleaner works for
Ask whether the workers are employees of the company or independent subcontractors, because that changes who carries the insurance and who answers for a broken lamp. Ask what the company does to check the people it sends, and whether it carries liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage. Ask for the certificate of insurance and read the name printed on it. A company that says yes but cannot produce paper has not answered the question.
Keys, alarms, and who opens the door
Decide before the first visit how the cleaner gets in. Compare three options: someone who lives with Mom or is close by lets the cleaner in on the scheduled day, a key stays with the company under a written rule, or a key stays with a family member who meets the cleaner. For each option, find out what the company does when a key is lost, whether it keeps a record of who holds a key, and whether it will change the lock or code when a worker leaves. If there is an alarm system, decide who sets and unsets it, and write that down for the cleaner.
The backup visit
The cleaner who knows the house will eventually be out sick. Ask who covers, whether the backup has been in this house before, how much notice you get, and whether a missed visit is rescheduled or simply dropped. A company that promises a regular team but cannot name a second person is leaving the backup job to you.
The add-on rule
Most arguments about cleaning bills come from extras: the inside of the windows, the deep clean after a holiday, the extra hour when the kitchen is worse than anyone expected. Ask how an add-on gets approved, whether the cleaner calls before doing it, and who signs off. Then put that rule where the whole family can see it. Who approves a change is the line that decides whether one sibling quietly ends up paying for the other three.
A simple side-by-side
Set up three columns on one sheet: the task list, the key and access rule, and the backup visit. Fill them in for each company you talk to. Compare the rows, not the total. The company with the most generous list may have the worst backup, and the company with the shortest list may be the one that answers the phone.
If you want the local starting points before you call anyone, see Local help.