Maria and her girls are fabulous! I used them for the first time after finding them on yelp last weekend (which was Thanksgiving weekend). I'm so grateful that they came out on the weekend, not to mention on a busy holiday weekend (most maid services don't clean on weekends). Maria helped me do an inspection on Friday, couple hours after I gave her a call. Then she set it up swiftly to do a deep house cleaning on Saturday. Her girls did an amazing job working nonstop for most of the Saturday afternoon. Her prices are very reasonable, and her cleaning products were all eco-friendly. I've used other maid services before, but Mello Maids has by far impressed me by their personable, detailed services. By my first impressions, they just seem very honest and caring that their clients are satisfied. I strongly recommend trying Mello Maids! You will be hooked. read more

Maria and her team have been cleaning our house for a number of years. They have always done a good job. On days that they get through their standard items quickly, they will go the extra mile and do some extras for us such as sweeping our step. Maria takes our feedback and does her best to accommodate. Finding a cleaning service that works best for you is important. It took us 3-4 different services before we found one that worked well for us. read more

I'm sad to say that it took a very poor experience to bring me back to yelp. I wanted to really like Maria's deep cleaning services, especially because she was recommended by a friend. Her consultation was great, she seemed detail oriented (declaring that they'd clean the baseboards/light fixtures/doors/and scrub the floor with their hands) and I was able to make requests such as cleaning the stove-top, microwave, under the lip of our marble counters, and to clean 5 window sills. She was quick to reply to my calls and emailed me a confirmation for our appointment. After trying out a few other housecleaning services over the years, I thought that we had hit jackpot. During our consultation, she told me that she always aims to please, she would deep clean my townhouse, and that "impossible" wasn't in her vocabulary. After telling me that she and her crew always do their best to please their customers, she suggested that I look her up on yelp. Two days later when she was supposed to show up between 10:15 and 10:30, I began to doubt my first impressions of her. -I had to call her at 10:50 because she hadn't shown. She said that she was just leaving, on her way, and would arrive in 15 minutes. -At 11:10, she arrived and went on about a major accident that held her up... and that a car was on fire... and that her hands-free was broken (too many excuses for it to sound plausible.). -2 other women arrived to help start out in our kitchen. I moved upstairs to do some work. -After they were done in the kitchen/living room, I went to check on their work, as Maria had asked me to do. I was disappointed that there were still grease specks on our microwave, the stove top wasn't scrubbed clean, the window sills were not thoroughly scrubbed, and they hadn't touched beneath the lip of the counters. -At this point, I was starting to sweat and second-guess my decision to hire her. I actually went over areas with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser while they were upstairs and it took me hardly any effort or time to do a much better job, unfortunately. -Overall, I asked Maria and her crew to re-do 3 areas. The first, under the lip of our kitchen counters (it was kindly received with no hesitation). The second area was a floor of our eat-in kitchen/dining room (a bit more hesitation and excuses followed... including her semi-scolding me that I don't clean enough... ummmm, that's why I hired you.). NO by-hand washing, btw. The third area was the stovetop and around the ventilation system (to this, she gave audible sighs, redefined what I thought "deep cleaning" meant, began semi-scolding me AGAIN for not cleaning the area consistently, and actually using the word "IMPOSSIBLE." I thought that this wasn't in her vocabulary. "It's not impossible, BUT, if you don't clean and stay on top of things, it makes it really hard to get off and it takes a lot of time...". She actually said this to me and I wrote it down b/c I was getting pretty fed up by this point. Ummm, I thought I was paying you to put in the effort and time to clean my house. I don't like to be lectured by someone I hire to clean my house but I just smiled b/c it wasn't worth it to try to defend myself.) -Last but not least, when I went to our second bedroom to check their work, I realized that NOTHING was dusted on my shelves or desk. NOTHING. She had told me that she would move some items around and/or dust around delicate items while we were standing in that same room during our consultation a mere 2 days before. What?????? Then I walked downstairs and onto a pile of leftover sweeping debris, still left on the floor. I gave up at that point and vowed to never seek her services again. The baseboards/molding weren't wiped down, and even if they were touched, they were simply brushed with a rag (I saw Maria do this on our stairs and ONLY on one side of the railing). The light switches were still dusty. Big items such as speakers and vases, weren't put back. After I paid her, she CONTINUED LECTURING me as if I don't ever clean my house or as if I haven't ever had a better cleaning service... which now, I realize, I most certainly have! I'm a teacher and this was a summer gift! She spent 3 hours cleaning, while others have stayed 4+hrs. Maria seemed "put out" by my requests that had supposedly been discussed during our consultation. And worst of all, she was really inconsistent with her promises and wasn't detail oriented (she told me that she didn't know that the stove or the ventilation areas were greasy, and didn't know to look there... isn't this what she does for a living?). I truly hope that the reason for the issues above were due to a really bad day. I hope that her time here wasn't an accurate depiction of the quality of her work. I now know exactly what I want in a housecleaning service and will be much more assertive and clear on what I expect from a deep cleaning. I will not be using her again. read more

Maria, you really burnt me!! I expect excellent service from the providers that I use. I got you on the YELP map and I expect VIP service from you. I gave you service from all my real estate clients, and even raved about you on the willow glen e-list. I spent THOUSANDS of dollars promoting you with my own money To Yelpers, Maria didn't show up to one of my client's properties to clean their house. She said that her car broke down, but didn't inform my clients (she has their contact info) that she was canceling. That is not a very good way to conduct business. Another situation, my dear friend started using her services recently (as a referral from me) and the night before she was supposed to clean her house, she canceled because she said that she was "too busy". I got a call from my friend to complain. My own house ... I asked her to come back to my house because the last cleaning service she did was so terrible I wasn't even sure she had come to clean. When I asked her to come back, she said NO. I'd have to wait 2-weeks. If a service is not done well, I expect that service provider to come back and make it all right. Over the years of using her, I've gotten terrible feedback from my clients that she did a shoddy job. I asked my clients to call her back to redo but they didnt' want her to. Maybe Maria and crew have gotten too big for their britches or maybe they are too busy for business. I would not refer her services and I will not use her again. Furthermore, her services are overpriced. read more

It's a shame most folks only take the time to write a review after a poor experience. I have been using Maria's services for over a year and have been happy. Previously I used Merry Maids and had many issues with broken items, shoddy service, schedule issues (no shows). I later tried a private company with many of the same issues. Since connecting with Maria I have had none of these issues. When the rare breakage (1 in over a year) does occur, Maria was on top of it and made things right. Her service is incredibly flexible and has always rescheduled for me when needed. The cleaning itself is definitely up to par. You'll be hard pressed finding a better service. read more

I was disappointed by Mello Maids. My husband and I met with Maria to get an estimate on a move-in deep cleaning on our new house. The house was fairly clean, but just needed a good all-over scrubbing. We discussed each of the areas to be cleaned, as well as a few "special requests", such as removing adhesive that was left on nearly every switchplate and cleaning out/wiping down cupboards. She quoted me a price, which was the lowest of all the other services we had checked out. When I asked for a written estimate (in order to avoid the "that price doesn't cover that item" eventuality), she refused, saying that she was the owner of the business and wouldn't go back on her word. Being penny-pinchers, we decided to go with Mello Maids anyways. She and the housekeeper arrived somewhat late (claimed they had gotten lost). I told Maria that the kitchen would need to be done first, as our refrigerator was being delivered at noon, and I wanted the floors cleaned by then. Maria then went through each room and area to be cleaned with the housekeeper, speaking in Spanish. I understood some of what was being discussed, and felt comfortable with the instructions. We both left and the housekeeper began working. When I returned at noon, the kitchen had not been cleaned. That was a big disappointment. I gave the floor a rough scrub before the refigerator was delivered. Maria called my husband about 5 hours after beginning the job and said they were done. At the time, he did not go through every drawer or cabinet or every room to check for cleanliness, but I wish he had. When I went back to the house later, I discovered so many areas that had not been cleaned, or had not been cleaned well. The windows were streaky and smeary, as if someone had used a dirty rag on them. The cabinet and drawer pulls were sticky and still had the same yucky bits left from the previous residents. The drawers and cabinets had not been brushed out, and the adhesive still remained on the switchplates. All in all, the place was cleaner on the surface, but the "little things" that one would want addressed on a deep cleaning were seemingly ignored or incomplete. I guess this just proves the old adage "you get what you pay for." read more

Two reservations that you probably have if you're considering hiring a cleaning service, are theft, and whether items in your house will get damaged. Rest assured that you have to worry about neither of these if you hire Maria and her crew. Not only were her rates very reasonable, but all my belongings were treated with care. I have a significant amount of home theater equipment and two laptops around the apartment, among other fragile things. Nothing ever got damaged. All the little things, are what makes Mellomaids a 5 star business for me. If I had clean laundry in the laundry basket that I didn't have a chance to put away, it was folded nicely for me. If I left clean bedsheets out, they would change my beddings. I also leave for work at 10 am, so I would need a cleaning service to be accommodating to my schedule and be able to arrive after that when I was at work. Maria never had a problem with this. If you have a busy schedule, don't waste your time cleaning. Let the professionals handle it quickly and efficiently, and save your time for something else. Give Maria and Mellomaids a call. read more

The others have done a great job of explaining in detail why Maria and her crew are the best. This is the simple version: Fairly priced. On time. Professional. Exceed Expectations. Accomodating. Perfectionists. Trustworthy. Stop looking around. You're wasting your time. Pick up your phone, call Maria, and have her come do a walkthrough of your home. read more

I found Maria and her girls last week, thanks to Yelp. I needed my place cleaned for the new roommates moving in. Maria was super nice, friendly and extremely professional. At my request, she came out to take a look at the place and gave me a quote. She was punctual, polite and super thorough. It didn't hurt that she gave me a reasonable quote as well. On the actual day of cleaning, she and her crew again arrived at my place early. My bathrooms and kitchen were spotless by the time the Mello maids were done with them. Overall, I couldn't ask for anything more and I would definitely hire them again for my future cleaning needs! read more

I ran into Maria and her girls about 3 years ago, as they were leaving a neighbor's unit in my condo complex. I was impressed with her service from day one. My main need is to get the bathrooms and kitchen cleaned very well at least once a month. They take the time to remove everything from the counters, refoil my stove, make my made, wipe my mirrors, etc. The place looks and smells great after I get back home. Also important is that they are willing to listen to suggestions and special requests. Very accommodating! read more

We've been using Maria's cleaning service ever since she started her business. We love Maria and her crew. Their service is exceptional and fabulous - very detail oriented. Their price is super affordable. Their hours are flexible which makes it so easy for working people like ourselves. I recommended them to my friends and relatives and they're so grateful. We can just leave the house and rest assure that when we come home, the house would be flawless. Thank you Maria for your dedicated service. I wish many success in your business growth. Keep up the good work. read more

Too Mellow: I called Maria at Mello Maids on March 11th, 2009. She was very nice and willing to set up an appointment for an estimate to clean my condo the very next day. I was so happy! We agreed she would be at my place at 11am. I rearranged my work schedule. At 11:15am, Maria had not yet arrived and had not called me, so I called her. I reminded her who I was and that we had agreed she would be at my place at 11am. She informed me she was currently in Palo Alto (I live in San Jose ) and that she could leave 'pretty soon'. What?! I explained I had to go to work. She said she would be at my place in 15 minutes. I agreed to wait. I waited 30 minutes before I called her again. She said she was on the freeway and we should probably reschedule since I had to go to work. She further explained that 'something had came up, so she couldn't make the 11am appointment'. What?! I told her that I completely understand that 'things come up'. What I don't understand is why she didn't have the common courtesy/professionalism, to call me and let me know. Unbelievable! Talk about making a bad impression. She asked if I still wanted her to come over? My reply...'No'. read more

Horrible experience! Maria is not reliable. The first day of service Maria and her girl friends were late about 30 minutes. Her service was ok and we decided to give her second chance. At the second appointment, she did not show up at scheduled time. I called her one hour later and she said she cannot make it. She never called me in advance! Then we rescheduled the appointment to the next day. Again, she didn't show and never called me. I called her several times and she didn't answer the phone. We will not use her service again. read more

Like most people with bad reviews on Yelp, I really wanted to like Mello Maids, and was set on writing a good review when meeting the cleaners. Maria is pretty good at socializing with her customers and is a likable person. Unfortunately, when it came to her cleaning service, it was the worst, hands-down of any business I solicited before. I think most people can agree that attention to detail is pretty critical when it comes to evaluating any service. I found that everywhere I looked the cleaning was not nearly as thorough as if I had performed it myself (and I suck at cleaning). 1. no area in the house that required dusting was dusted. 2. it took them all of 5 minutes to vacuum the house. 3. after cleaning one of my bathtubs, the shampoo bottles and soap were left scattered on the floor. 4. certain parts of the tub 1 were left unscrubbed. 5. bathtub 2 was left virtually untouched with soap scum and mildew left intact. 6. She completely forgot to do ANY cleaning for bedroom 2, and I live in a small 2 bedroom house!!! How can you leave an entire bedroom out? Well, it happened. 7. small countertop kitchen appliances were not put back in their original place. How it's possible to mess up on so many tasks (virtually every facet of cleaning), I still can't believe. I would say the overall value of her service was probably worth about 15-20 dollars, and believe me, I had to pay much more than that. My mistake was that I was way too trusting, and did not instruct them to be more thorough with the (many) areas that needed improvement - I discovered most of these flaws once they left. I was busy with other personal matters and did not have the time to hover over Maria and her assistant. But then again, why should I have to? They are supposed professionals. I would say Mello Maids could easily be the worst cleaning service, hands down, your money can buy. Rates are somewhat reasonable though... read more

Maria came with her cleaning brigade on time and got the job done right. Her rates are reasonable and service as well as attitude is professional. It took her 55 min flat to clean my 1 bedroom apartment with 4 other helpers last Saturday. Highly recommended. read more

I feel compelled to write a review after reading the bad ones about Mello Maids. A friend highly recommended Maria to me so I had high expectations already and I was not disappointed at all. I have used many housekeeping services over the years and Maria is the BEST. She is accommodating. The cleaning is exceptional. Her helpers are friendly as well. Communication was prompt. She quickly responds to emails and text messages. For those who are reading the negative reviews, just remember there are two sides to every story. Take them with a grain of salt, that's all. read more

I have used Mello Maids over the past 2 years to clean the houses that we Remodel. As a Contractor we do a good job creating dust and dont do such a great job cleaning. I call on Maria to add a nice touch when the protection doesn't catch all the dust. She is responsive, professional and provides sufficient manpower to get the job done in a timely fashion. Homeowners ask for her contact info so that they can call her to continue to clean their homes after we have left. I trust Mello Maids to do all of our cleaning and I also have her clean my own home. read more

Maria was very responsive when I called to see if she was available for a one time housecleaning. She set up a time to come by the house and do a walk through. The very next day she emailed me with a quote for services. She arrived with her team the next week and went to work cleaning the house. My house has never been so clean. She asked me to walk through and do an inspection afterwards, and when I found a few things that were overlooked, she immediately addressed them and made sure they were done right. Both Maria and her team were very friendly and work very hard to make you happy. I would use them again and recommend them to anyone looking to have their house cleaned. read more

I've never really considered having someone else clean the house for me, because 1) I enjoy cleaning myself and 2) I think I can clean my own home better than anyone else. However, Maria was recommended to me by a friend and I decided to give her a shot. I've been using her and her team for over two years now and couldn't be happier with the service. Her prices are reasonable, she's very friendly, and the quality of the work is consitently high. I finally found someone that cleans better than I do! Thank you Maria, you gave me a weekend to relax every month! read more

Unreliable. Initially I was very pleased with their services, especially when Maria was present. She was professional, quick, warm and reliable. I raved about how great they were. I think their customer base has gotten too big for them. For the last 6 months, I have put up with them being late time after time and multiple no shows - the last one being today. I think they might still be an OK service if you are sitting around and you don't mind waiting to see if and when they show up. I would not recommend them to any busy professionals. read more

We came across Mello Maids on Yelp and decided to contact them after reading the great reviews. First of all, she replied to our email within 30 minutes of sending it and scheduled an appointment to see our house the next day. Maria is extremely professional and her team does a great job cleaning our house. After every cleaning she does a walk through with you to make sure you are satisfied with the job. We have enjoyed working with Maria and plan to continue using Mello Maids indefinitely. read more

Mello Maids has been fantastic. The staff is very thorough, professional and courteous. Highly recommend.

I set up a appointment to get a quote from Maria. I let her pick the time and e-mailed her my address and both of our numbers. I made sure my toddler and I were home and she knew I altered our schedule to fit hers... She did not show up and worse yet did not call or e-mail to say why/warn me or even apologize. Cannot stand people who dont follow through and have no consideration for others time. read more

i had maria come by and do an estimate for my house. it was a bit odd as she walked though because it almost seemed as though i was being frowned upon because my house was a bit messy...um hello, thats why im hiring a house keeper. anyway she went on and on about how she would do a deep cleaning the first time around and how she would clean everything super clean but then she started saying how there were things that she wouldnt clean (like the windows, the oven etc). or she could but thats and extra charge. fine whatever. then she said that each addititonal time it would be cheaper than the first "deep" clean because she wouldnt have to clean as thoroughly...ok. her "cheaper" price for just a regular clean (and i told her that essentially the only rooms that would really need to be cleaned was the living room, family room, kitchens and bathrooms) was only $25 bucks less than her deep clean price! i mean for that price, what are you really cleaning? essentially you'd only be wiping things down and vacuuming. She told me that i should check out other people and get more qoutes because the price she was giving me for the work (or non-work) was cheap. well i did and everyone else i got an estimate was cheaper...and they were willing to clean my windows and my oven. when i mentioned that i've gotten a qoute for much cheaper, she started talking about how her workers are very well paid etc... now that i've read the other negative reviews on here, im glad i decided to go with someone else. im want to pay someone to clean my house, not someone who will not clean it...lol. she was nice but i didnt get the impression that she would be as thorough as what im looking for. read more

I really didn't like this service, and this is my first 1 star review ever. First of all, they advertise that they use all natural cleaning products. Unfortunately, Maria explained that this isn't true. I really wanted to like them, as all the girls were sweet, but they did a horribly inefficient job cleaning! There was dust all over the place when they left. After they left, I noticed many areas that were clearly untouched and needed attention. It seemed that the only way I could get them to do a satisfactory job would be to watch over their every move and guide them to every spot that needed cleaning. They also don't do windows, and definitely not dishes. I'll be sticking to my old cleaning service, which actually gets this simple job done. read more

So, I used Mello Maids for about 4 months before giving up on them. At first, they started out really well - showed up on time, did a good job cleaning all the areas of my small house with cleaners that I provided (I'm allergic to a lot of stuff), were professional and fast. I was really thrilled to have finally found good cleaners. After a couple of visits, my review pretty much mirrors "beck f."'s experience almost to a T. With the additional problems that I realized they were grabbing extra garbage bags and paper towels after I had specifically asked them to bring these two supplies with them. I figured I was supplying them with the cleaners so they could at least bring the rags, paper towels and garbage bags to put all the dirty paper towels etc. into. I had repeatedly asked them NOT to empty out my waste paper baskets (sometimes important papers accidentally end up in the basket in my house), however, somehow they always "forgot". Maria's response was something to the extent of "This is better for you anyway, so we just did it. If you want you can go through the garbage bag, that's up to you." As a customer, I expect that requests of this sort be taken into account by the cleaners and was very disappointed by the attitude issues overall. I totally understand the other reviews about Maria's LECTURING - it's almost as if she was doing me a favor by cleaning my place! In this economy, that is clearly the wrong attitude to have towards a client. I was disappointed in the downward spiral in service, professionalism and consistency of attendance and service. I don't think I will hire her again. read more

Maria and her crew were excellent! I needed my apartment cleaned upon my move and Maria's crew did an incredibly thorough job. I got nearly my entire deposit back! I highly recommend Mello Maids. read more

I decided to write this review after reading some very negative comments. We have used Maria's services for over two years and have always been happy with the results. She has been very responsive to any additional requests and instructions and is very professional and friendly. We never had issues with broken/missing items, poor cleaning, etc. She always cleaned any extras that we asked her about. read more

Two years ago, at the end of a full house remodel, our general contractor sent in Maria Mello and her girls to clear the house of a year's worth of debris and dust. They did such a good job I pleaded with her if she would consider San Francisco for a monthly clean, even though they are based in San Jose. Luckily she agreed, so we have been happily using her, and recommending her since then. read more

I've had nothing but a positive experience with Maria and Mello Maids. She is very organized and drops her cleaning girls off in the morning - she walks them through my house and she remembers all the details that I want, without looking them up. She then picks up the girls and does a walk through of the house - making sure that I'm satisfied. She will notice things herself and make them re-do it (even things that I don't care about or are not noticeable to me). They spend 3-4 hours cleaning and charge me $80. That's $20 less then the Merry Maids and they spend more time. They show up at almost the same time each week and I never wonder. Her bluetooth rings constantly, so I know she is very busy. A good sign - but maybe the reason for some of the other reviews. Once you get on her schedule, she will not forget you. I trust her completely and the girls that work for her have a lot of respect (fear) for her and that's a good thing as well.... read more

Marie & her crew of girls are great they are cheerful and treat my home so well their attention to detail is amazing and if i need something special done i just ask Maria when i needed my windows up high cleaned Marie took care of it for me no problem she is wonderful & im very happy with her & her crew i would recomend them highly. read more

Mello Maids is an extremely professional service. Their motto is your wish is my command and it is like having the cleaning genie come to your house. I have used Maria's service for over a year now and I can not say enough good things. I trusted her with my key immediately -- not something I was comfortable with other maid services however Maria is as honest as it gets and completely reliable. If you are looking for an excellent cleaning service with responsive, polite, reliable and honest people -- look no further than Mello Maids. read more

I used Maria's service for about half year and it was just bad. I had the monthly service and almost every time the cleaners were late. The cleaners just did a quick job and left. My house is 2500 sq feet, but with team of 2, they stayed only 2 hours the most and they claimed they finished. I had a baby at that time and I told them that the floor needed to be clean because my daughter put everything in the mouth. That was my only thing and I could not remember how many times I had to tell them, but, they could not even clean the floor. The dust still could find from the corners. They only wiped the dashboard quickly and I could find the dirt even they said they cleaned. I called back and told Maria that I was not happy, she promised that next time she would ask the cleaners to correct them. Needless to say, the next time, completely different cleaners and things were as bad. Maria was nice to talk to, and she did call me back at least 3 times after I terminated the service and asked me to go back. However, I just did not have the energy to deal with the bad cleaning service and I decided not to use them again. read more

Maria is the owner of Mello Maids and I have been using her service for a couple of years now, and have been looking for this opportunity to sing her praises! Our place in Menlo Park gets a beating between our slovenly ways and our dog's shedding, but once Maria and her crew get done with the place, we are always amazed at how clean it looks --- it's kind of like we want to tiptoe around the place for a few days so that we don't mess up her great work. More important, Maria and her girls are delightful people who make it their business to know what you consider "a job well done" before they start so that they are sure to get you what you want and expect. I also trust them implicitly, and have never been disappointed. All this at a very reasonable price that must be about as low as you can get around these parts. These days, I just look forward to Maria coming over to talk to Maria. But with the place being cleaned up the way it is, it's an unbeatable combination. Maria is now using only "green" products, which is a new development that we're excited about -- as well as her new website: http://www.mellomaids.com/. You cannot go wrong with these guys. Michael G. read more