Gracious Living

Had this service for about year. My fridge’s stainless steel was scratched up in a couple small areas the last time the house was cleaned and I asked the owner about it. She was very defensive, said her employees were not responsible without even asking. Very disappointing when a company acts like that. The service was hit or miss as well, seemed like the more I cleaned up the less they did when they initially marketed to spend the same amount of time cleaning.

I don’t like to write reviews less than 3 stars, especially for small businesses. This review will try to explain why I don’t recommend GL.
At the last minute, I needed a house cleaning service for my 4 bedroom home. The home was rebuilt to brand new in the past 10 years. It was basically clean, windows had already been cleaned inside & out.
After an exhaustive search, I ended up calling GL. Dawn, the owner, said she could have a two person team at around 11:45am. She quoted $ 60/​hour, experienced and thorough.
I was a bit put off by the high hourly price (IMHO) and the Unilocal reviews… read them and judge for yourself. Nonetheless, I was desperate and agreed. I figured, two people at that price should be able to clean up in 2.5 hours max (that’s 5 man-​hours of cleaning in an already clean house).
Two pleasant women showed up at 11:45am. I explained that I needed a quick cleaning, had an open house later that day, and that there was no need to touch the windows or the master BR shower, glass, mirrors or bathtub. They got right to work.
Since I was pressed for time and had some «stuff» piled in the center of two rooms downstairs, I decided to work downstairs while the ladies started upstairs, in the master BR suite. After a half hour, I came upstairs and was surprised to see Ms. Cleaner #1 still working in the closet. THE CLOSET. I explained I had limited budget and needed her to finish up quickly. Sensing these two weren’t working too quickly, I stayed in the master bath and started cleaning the double vanity area in order to save time and get the women downstairs more quickly.
After numerous checks on progress, 1:45 hours after the job start time, and urging them to finish up so they could begin downstairs cleaning, I finally told Ms. Cleaner #1 «skip the stairs, I’m almost out of budget, please come downstairs and start in the kitchen.»
At 3:15 hours I asked them to stop and had to finish the rest myself. For the $ 200+ cost, I was really disappointed to find dust bunnies in the master closet, the kitchen cabinets weren’t wiped down, hood wasn’t touched, dust in the corners downstairs, fingerprints on family room cabinets, and in general, a spotty job.
I called Dawn to complain, carefully describing what I liked (they were on time and very pleasant) and didn’t like (spent too much time in insignificant areas and didn’t clean thoroughly, overall not worth the cost). She responded, «I’m sorry you were not happy. My staff has been with me for over 10 years and they’re bonded/​insured, and my prices are competitive.»
So I guess, she agreed to disagree with me and leave it at that. Me, disappointed and with a house that wasn’t cleaned to my satisfaction.

Dawn has a trained eye, so that when entering a room in your house, she immediately spots the things to which you have become blind– fuzzy, black stains growing high in the corner of your bathroom; the pile of I’ll-deal-with-it-later on the floor beside the printer; the brigade of cookbooks being stored far from the kitchen. She doesn’t just clean your space; she makes it more user-​friendly. Honest, straightforward and efficient, she gets the job done and she gets it done right and by god if she’s not smiling while she’s doing it, too.

August 10, 2014
After returning from an extended vacation recently, our apartment was covered with a thick layer of dust, not to mention the other items needing immediate cleaning attention. Wanting to have the cleaning done as soon as possible, we found it difficult to find a cleaning service with an appointment available the very same week. We finally asked for a referral from one of the cleaning companies contacted that did not have an appointment available within the same week and were given contact information for «Gracious Living».
Dawn, Owner of «Gracious Living», answered our call immediately and was able to book an appointment to clean our apartment within the following two (2) days. On the day the cleaning appointment was scheduled, Dawn and her co-​worker, arrived on time and were friendly, courteous, and professional. When originally discussed by phone, Dawn suggested it might take at least three (3) hours to complete our first time, deep cleaning. However, after doing a walk-​through and hearing our cleaning requests, we were pleasantly surprised when Dawn informed us she could complete the cleaning of our apartment in two (2) hours instead of three (3) hours.
When Dawn contacted us to let us know the apartment was cleaned and ready for inspection, we returned to find a sparkling clean, ready-​for-​open-​house quality living space! «Gracious Living» not only cleaned our apartment excellently, they also helped to clear away the clutter by organizing and placing things away!
We were and are completely satisfied with the excellent cleaning job completed by Dawn and «Gracious Living», that we have decided to continue using them on an on-​going basis every two (2) weeks. The pricing charged by Dawn and «Gracious Living» is very reasonable and competitive and is determined by the number of hours of the cleaning and the number of times the cleaning is requested.
We highly recommend the cleaning services of Dawn and «Gracious Living»!!!
Carl & John

It pains me to have to write a poor review for someone who was a really nice person, but I have to give an honest recap of my experience based on the quality, or lack of, for the work that was done in case any other Unilocalers out there find themselves in the same situation.
I was moving out of state and engaged Dawn’s crew to help with my move-​out clean as getting ready to move out of state is a fairly stressful undertaking. Two women (not Dawn) were sent to my tiny studio apartment to focus mostly on the kitchen and bathroom, which were both a little lived-​in and had normal scuds and stains, but nothing out of the ordinary. I was originally quoted for $ 75-​$ 90, but the cleaning went on much longer than anticipated and I was charged $ 120. Now, I don’t mind being charged more due to the added time, but the lack of quality was unforgivable. The two cleaners missed the most basic things: the refrigerator was not properly wiped down, window sills were not touched, the blinds were not touched, the oven had leftover grease streaks from a half-​hearted wipe down.
In Dawn’s defense, she quickly offered to come over and finish the job, but I had to wait on her availability. The second cleaning was better, but still missed a lot of obvious things and left a strong stench of bleach that made me really sick. The day before I was to move out of state and had a hundred things to do, I ended up wasting four hours on what should have been a one hour job if done right.
To put it in perspective: I once had a move out clean done in San Francisco for a small apartment for $ 75 and the place was left sparkling in one hour with no complaints from me.
If you are in a time crunch or need a quality job done, I would think twice about using this service. I took photos of the inside of my refrigerator, window ledges, and other things that were missed and left dirty if you are curious and want to private message me.

I can’t say enough good things! Dawn was really on it. She was super professional and there is no one else I would hire for a «clean up» on my east Sac rental! This company was top notch! Thank you for being so cool and working with me. I would highly recommend her services on every level!

Dawn and her girls were fantastic. Dawn was able to squeeze my move-​out clean in last minute!
Dawn did a pre and post clean walk through to understand my expectations of what needed to be done. Post clean walk through was to make sure everything was up to my standards. Dawn and her girls addressed everything I needed and did a wonderful job.
I recommend to use Dawn for any cleaning service!

I haven’t used their services YET but I made an inquiry. They were open however the women on the phone said one of her gals may be out sick the next day and she didn’t want to make promises she couldn’t keep. She promptly called me the next morning and confirmed the gal was out sick.
I appreciate her honesty and communication efforts. You don’t find that very often anymore. I’ll use this company next time and update my review on services then :-)

Dawn and her crew did a fabulous job cleaning my house today. They were super professional and hard at work the entire time they were here. In a little over two hours they had the place looking better than it’s ever looked (and that includes having used another cleaning company). Their prices are reasonable and Dawn was able to squeeze me in without much notice so that my house could look nice for a party. I also appreciated how nice the whole crew was to my kids (1 and 2) who had to be present while they worked. I highly recommend!

We hired Gracious Living to clean the apartment of a friend who had an accident. Drawn and her worker were absolutely wonderful. They did a great job cleaning and provided many extra helpful services. Their hard work and kindness were greatly appreciated by all. We give them our highest recommendation and will absolutely use them again.

Couldn’t have been happier with the work this service provided — nicest women who came in, went over the tasks and worked nonstop to accomplish the job. They are cheerful and thorough and my house was covered in construction dust that was everywhere. I was 100% pleased and would highly recommend this firm and would use them again with no hesitation!

I recently had Dawn and her team come to my home and do a complete kitchen ‘clean over’… cupboards, drawers (inside and out), walls, windows etc. The finished product was AMAZING. It looked like a new kitchen. This was an all day job for the ladies and they were efficient, polite and capable. I will continue to use the services of Gracious Living for all my house cleaning needs.

Wow if there was a way to give no stars I would. This has been, by far, the WORST experience.
I hired Dawn to clean my house for a move out from all the rave reviews on Unilocal.I paid her $ 120 for 2 hours of work for 2 people. Unfortunately, I had been running around all day taking care of work and my move and didn’t have a chance to inspect her work after they had finished. I, in good faith, paid her for her and her employee’s time. When I returned to the house to take a detailed look as the new tenant was arriving, I was utterly shocked and embarrassed at how dirty the house still was.
Here’s the breakdown:
— Kitchen floors didn’t even looked to be swept or mopped (there were still chunks of food stuck to the floor, which the tenant pointed out to me).
— Fridge was still dirty, even though I specifically pointed out that this needed to be cleaned inside.
— The counter-​tops were also dirty. When I wiped them with just a wet paper towel, dirt still came up.
— There was still a ring in one of the toilets, which she claims couldn’t be removed even though I’ve done so a hundred times.
— The shower didn’t looked to be cleaned at all.
— The rest of the house cleaning looked to be mediocre at best.
I honestly couldn’t believe that two people working for two hours couldn’t have done a better job. This was a complete waste of time and money. The owners of the house had to hire another cleaning group to come through and give the house a proper cleaning.
Because of my complete dissatisfaction with the lack of service provided I contacted Dawn to get a partial refund. After several messages back and forth she agreed to provide a refund. Due to a typo in the communication, the original refund was not addressed to me. After requesting a corrected check, I instead received a very offensive and insulting letter, which I am posting in the pictures section on this page.
Please be cautious in initiating services with Gracious Living.

Dawn and the rest of the Gracious Living team are great! We shopped around for with several local businesses and Gracious Living was by far the most professional and quick to respond.
We especially appreciate the background checks performed, and how seriously Gracious Living takes the trust their clients place in them.
The free flowers are also a very nice touch. The staff are super professional, kind, courteous and wicked fast! My wife and I are always surprised at how clean the house is afterwards.
We’ve recommended them highly to friends and coworkers.

Wow! I’ve just come home to a spotless house, everything in their right place, newly adorned walls from stuff I had just lying around and fresh flowers!!!
And did I mention affordable?!
Dawn is phenomenal! She offered friendly advice to help me be more organized and solutions to storage/​clutter challenges that had me vexed for months. I actually feel more relaxed in my own house.
She’s also just a really nice person. Gracious Living gets my highest recommendation!

Gracious Living’s owner Dawn is an impressive businesswoman and serious cleaner. I have appreciated her thorough attention to my home, organizing and deep cleaning. Sure, our family has to get our sh#t together before she comes, but it is amazing how spit-​spot she makes our home. Folded toilet paper? Yeh. Flowers? Yep. I feel special and rewarded, so thanks Dawn (and staff)!
As a Realtor, I refer Dawn to clients for pre-​sale interior cleaning and move-​out cleaning. My clients have loved her. It’s very nice to feel confident referring someone.

Dawn has been cleaning my place for about 6 months every other week. It’s phenomenal. I come home to fresh flowers on my kitchen table and a spotless house. She will also make little changes around my house, move a trash can from one side of the toilet to the other or move the salt and pepper to the other side of the stove, and I wonder «why didn’t I think of that, it works so much better.» After getting her card, I saw that she also did floral arrangements. So for my holiday party, I asked her to do all the flowers. They turned out perfectly. She was incredibly affordable and I had great arrangements for the bar, the bathroom, coffee table, and everywhere else. She captured exactly what I wanted from color to style.

Dawn makes a house Surgically Clean!

I had Dawn come give me a thorough «spring cleaning» and to help with organizing my kitchen. When she was done, my place was not only spotless, it just worked better. Things were where they should be (not where I had carelessly decided they belonged)! She just has that gene, the one that effortlessly beautifies and deep cleans, the gene I just don’t have. Highly recommend!