This is a departure from cleaning, but …

We are now referring out the sub contractors we use for home renovation. Saul Cortez is one of the people we have relied on for the past couple of years. We are getting a network of people who do cost effective projects around the house.

Saul Cortez can be reached directly at 206-851-4853 or you can call us and we will relay the message. If you need more services, such as design, we are putting that network together also.

Over this next year we will be able to provide the work we do at a reasonable cost. My feeling is that we are all looking for work, we all have a thing we can do well, and those services can be promoted in one place.

Licensed, Bonded and Insured is a catch phrase used by all businesses you invite onto your property, or into your home. We had the opportunity today to work for one home owner who was using the phrases to an extreme. They wanted us to clean up after a contractor who had gotten dust through out the entire house. This is something we do, but they wanted the contractor to pay, and they were concerned about the lead content of the dust.

We passed on the work because of the liability issues involved. The contractor’s insurance company would have to be involved, and we might get stuck without payment for our work. Even if we collected up front that would become another liability to the situation.

Now here is where it gets tricky because the home owner invited the contractor into the home. Would this be a matter for the home owners policy or the contractors? You may think that the contractors insurance company would just have to pay, but these owners had already cleaned, the contractor had cleaned, the contractor contacted us to clean, and the home owner objected to us doing the work.

In an earlier post I had said most people blame the work people for damage first, before figuring out the true cause. We had a long time client claim we had broken a window. It was really impossible for us to have done that, and in all honesty the husband had a weight set that looked more like the culprit.

When I told my insurance agent about it he said they would fight it. Even if we had broken the window it was a matter for the insurance company because the price was well over my deductible. Taking the window out and replacing it was going to be two thousand dollars. In the process of replacing the window, it was on a second story, picture window, anything could have happened.

In hindsight the home owner was trying to get us to make them a concession while they shifted the liability to their insurance company. They would have had us work off the debt of replacing the window while they had their insurance company pay for the work. In thinking about todays home owner, they could have the insurance company pay to clean the house while they refused to pay the contractor.

Insurance is a great thing to have. You have to be careful and use it wisely. Most things you should just work off, or give, as a matter of keeping a good client. Other times you have to decide if it is worth the future expense of having you insurance company handle the situation.

There are a couple of things we do to advertise, and number one is the internet. On the week ends I check to see where our placement is, and how we can improve on that. We have been losing our ranking by other companies buying ad words, and online advertising called pay per click. This blog site is a part of our organic search placement.

The real point is that we keep track of other companies in our service area. Ten years ago there were about 4 pages of Google map search cleaning companies and today there were more than 27 pages of a list of 9 companies to a page. After the 27th page the lists go on, but they repeat names according to how many companies buy spaces. That adds up to about 243 cleaning companies in the Seattle area.

Another thing that we do is contact other cleaning companies to chat about the business. We like to know who we are competing against. We also like for other companies to know about us. Many, many of these companies are one person, or a couple, who clean for cheap. If they get over booked we encourage them to refer to us. We also refer business we can’t handle to companies that may be a better fit for some people. 

Today I was shocked by the number of new companies. It seems as though they have sprung up in a few short weeks. My thinking is that more companies are paying for Google ad placement as there is less business out there. Some people who have been good clients of ours for years can no longer afford our service. It seems as though the husbands are more inclined to be out of work than the spouses. So we end up getting some of those clients back as once a month.

My concern is going to be the number of people who hire a person, have a bad experience, and may never return to using a service again. As always if you have questions about your cleaner we are always available to answer e-mails, or call ins.

Some people say to work smart rather than working hard. House cleaning is a physically demanding  job. There are smart ways to clean, but when you hire some one it’s usually to do the hard stuff. Kitchens and baths are really hard work. Actually vacuuming can be a big chore. I know it looks easy, but there are no self propelling vacuums. Lastly there is the chemical exposure that makes for a very long day.

Now how many of you like cleaning and find it a great way to relax? If you raised your hand, please call me, we have openings in our cleaning company. For some people it really is a way to spend a Saturday afternoon; to clean the house. There are people who look forward to it all week. There are other people who clean as they go and nothing is out of place. Some people have severe anxiety about having a messy house and they cope well with cleaning.

For the rest of us house cleaning is a chore.

When I talk with people about cleaning, or the price of cleaning, I remind them that cleaning is the cheapest way to maintain a property. When we clean we are keeping grease and grit from harming our finishes. It’s also a warm feeling to come home to a clean house. To get the results, some one has to scrub, some one has to push that vacuum around the house. The next time you are on your knees, or pay some one to be on their knees, cleaning a tub, put it in your mind the labor it takes.

This is just a reminder and in a future post I’ll talk about ways to cut the labor of cleaning with some tricks of the trade.

Today we had a discussion with a client about the all in one vacuum they have in the home. They want us to use only their supplies and equipment. We’ll talk about this more later, but I want to make the point that different vacuums have different functions.

We have had a lot of trial and error with vacuums. We’ve settled on a commercial Sanitaire upright, but the canister vacuum is more of a debate. I like the small blue Kenmore canister from Sears and my wife likes the Riccar Sun Flower from Quality Sewing and Vacuum. For home owners we recommend the Miele.

For the upright, the fan, and motor on the Sanitaire sits right above the beater bar. It is all one motion from the carpet to the bag. It’s the same with a canister. You want all of the power of the motor creating suction directly to the bag. For hard surfaces a canister is best.

We have also found it is easier to divide tasks with two vacuums. It’s easier to take a small vacuum into a kitchen or bathroom while an upright is doing the hallways. Still for you as the home owner you may want to only haul out the big vacuum on the week ends and use the cannister for smaller clean ups.

We use the cannister to do the edges, under furniture, and hard surfaces. We also do stair treads with both an upright and canister. Getting into cup boards, closets, behind appliances, and in some cases cobwebs is best with a lighter weight tool. You can clean more with less effort by letting each tool do the job it was intended for.

This is a new blog for me. I write on four personal blogs, have a couple of web sites, and comment on another couple of blogs. It’s a way for me to keep a journal while building internet presence. One point about my way of doing business is that there are no half measures. The philosophy of being the best is ingrained into the way we do business.

Cleaning is probably the most uplifting business that we have. People are happy with a clean home, our workers are happy to have a job, and we are happy to make a positive impact on the world we live in. Perfection is something we will never have, but we can be the best. It’s an effort that pays for itself. It’s a process.

It takes time to get everything in order. Some people plan for that, but we work on it daily. Twice a year, both in December and in June we have written goals on the bulletin board. We share with every one what we think is best for the company. Clients, vendors, or workers, all know where they stand with us. We are on a quest.

We look for those areas we can improve. There are somethings we can do that may be cost effective that go into a budget and the budget is a part of the business plan. We have come a long way in ten years, and everything is as new today as when we started. It’s a part of the quest.

I’ve always been in business and had people work with me. For most of my life it was both a blessing and a curse. Things need to be done correctly, there is no other way to survive. All business is competitive, some more than others. My first business was as a house painter, which we know every one can do, and now it’s cleaning. That may be a step down, because really, even though any one can clean a toilet, who would want to?

For me it makes no difference how we make money, as long as we do, and as long as we do it well. There are morals that go along with a job well done. It’s a personal compass that tells me if things are the way they should be. Very simply, there is the right way of doing things. So if it’s cleaning the toilet, or preparing a surface for paint, it’s important that every one on the team knows the right way of getting the job done.

For most companies that have labor, managing, and supervising, are the hardest tasks to teach. Very few times will you find some one who is committed to your business more than they are to the pay check. It comes back to the morality of knowing the right way. So really it’s a personality trait.

In any team of cleaners there has to be one person who knows the difference of right from wrong. In forty years of being in business there have been times when I was comfortable following some one else’s lead. The cleaning business is one of those times. The point is that one of the big differences in most companies is that level of care to have the teams supervised.

What is your time worth? This is the opening sales pitch of every house cleaning company. Then the follow up question is what your free time is worth. The time, on the week ends, that you would spend with your family, or pets, is it fair to trade that for the hours it takes to keep your home clean? Then, when it actually breaks down to about, four to six hours of your time, people really wonder if there is a savings paying a house cleaning company.

It’s true that if you make $10 per hour you will save money by doing it yourself. If you make $20 per hour it’s about a wash, pun intended. Then when you get above that it makes sense that the trade off may be well worth what you pay, for the time you have to yourself.

The other thing to consider is the motivation. When you cleaners come in from cleaning two other places they are already to get yours done and get home. That may sound bad, but you need to be motivated for what can be a tedious task. For you it’s a matter of getting out the stuff, following the game plan, and getting finished in a reasonable time frame. For the cleaners it’s a job that they are being paid for. They show up with every intention of doing the job well so they are allowed to come back.

One of my clients today was very proud that he keeps such a tidy, and clean place, which he does. He has all the time in the world. We charge him the minimum because he is right, he keeps a very nice place. The question I had for him today is what it’s worth to clean his bathrooms. He bristled a little bit, I also reminded him that we dust behind his new TV, under the bed, and scrub the kitchen sink with Comet, which he likes, but will never do.

It’s just my opinion that there are trade offs in life, and some are worth paying for.

There are some great companies in the cleaning business. The national franchises get first pick of the best cleaners. Big companies pay well, and have the advertising capability to keep new clients coming in. Merry Maids, and Maid Brigade have really uplifted the cleaning industry.

In your area there are dozens of smaller companies that can give you great service. They have a variety of structures for the way the handle the cleaning. Some, like Maid in the Northwest, send out independent contractors, and others, Like April Lane’s Cleaning have employees. There is no way to say which way is right.

Then you have the smaller individuals who work by themselves or in teams. Some are excellent for a very reasonable price. Cleaning is really a talent that some people have, and we are all looking for. You have to have the ability in order to be trained.

The interview is the most important part. These are people who will be intimately acquainted with you, and your family. Your cleaner knows everything, so you should be comfortable with each other. Ask questions beyond if the company is insured. Try to meet the cleaners, and the most important question is, if the same cleaners will be working in your home.

Some people rely on references, or on line reviews to get your business. We have found that it’s best to trust your instincts, but a good set of local references can go a long way.

Also pay attention to what the cleaners are asking you. See what the policy is for rescheduling, or if something gets lost, or broken. Many companies provide a check list outlining each parties responsibilities, and what will be done on each visit.

It’s good to check back with the company after a few cleanings to see if everything is still on good terms. The company you hire may be contacting you see what needs to be improved, but it is a two way street.

The Holidays are a great time to clean, as though you didn’t have enough to do.  When you move the couch to put up the Christmas Tree, or clear the mantle, you find dust, stains, or grimy corners. You have more to do than chase the dirt so in many cases you call in a cleaner.

This year let me suggest you wait until after the Holidays and clean when you are putting it all back together. Cleaners are cheaper then. The other thing is that no matter how clean you get the house before the Holidays it will be trashed after. Many people think they need the house cleaned for relatives, but I have found that relatives that are visiting you are less concerned with the cleanliness than the owners.

Anyway, we get ready by first vacuuming the whole house. Then we move what we need to. We have a set of book cases and a mantle that we decorate so we dust all of that and anywhere else as we move stuff out of the way. It actually gets to be kind of contagious with us. The decorations take over the house so we have been pretty good about getting everything dusted. When it’s all in place we vacuum again.

Now the kitchen for sure will get trashed so don’t get carried away. I take a damp cloth and wipe everything down, spray it all with Windex, wipe it again with the rinsed damp cloth, and dry with another clean cloth. You can do the same with the bathroom. Just kind of move stuff around, the Windex dries quick.

These are just some tricks to get you through the Holiday. They should be used sparingly and of course hire a cleaner if you are feeling overwhelmed. The big push to get a cleaning done should be when you are getting ready for Spring. It is just around the corner.