One of the things that I have noticed is that most hoarders are intelligent people with a variety of compulsions. Some just don’t see the dirt, or mess, most feel bad about the situation, some have a superiority about not needing to clean. 

In some cases there is a remorse for having the mess, and also some anxiety in having their space invaded. We take some time to assess, then proceed in a business like manner. It was a learning curve for our cleaners, but we have one team currently that has done a hundred of these in the past five years. Nothing fazes them at this point.

Most hoarders have a system about their life style. Some mold, and mildew may be alright, but bugs maybe invaders. Recycling for sure is one of the biggest accumulations. Paper, news paper, and mail are usually always stock piled, or scattered across the floor. Paper doesn’t stack well, and migrates. Many time bottles, and cans are the biggest obstacle to getting a place organized.

In all cases the people we deal with have a reasoning that is complex. We never make the mistake of assuming there is something wrong, or that this is a malady. It’s a simple fact of life that needs to be addressed.

First you need to vacuum, and an after market horse hair bristle, floor attachment. They cost about $12. You get them at the vacuum cleaner store, which in many cases is in with a sewing machine store, I don’t know why.

Vacuuming once a week or every other week is the best thing you can do for your floors. Keeping ahead of dust, dirt, and debris helps save the finish. You can also sweep, but vacuuming is best. Many people prefer a soft cloth, or lambs wool cloth for picking up dust. It’s like a sweeper. You see them all the time in the stores.

What we found is that the sweepers, over time, leave dust deposits in any spacing between floor boards. You are also dragging the dust around, and you need to dispose of the dust as you go, so we think vacuuming is best.

We use a small blue cannister vacuum from Sears that costs about $100, then buy the attachment. It’s a great investment.

Now for the vinegar part. It’s 10% to 20% vinegar to water. We use a spray bottle, and a damp cloth. We use a terry cloth. Ours are bar rags. We’ve found they hold together the best.

We use a broad flat surface cloth covered mop, but use the terry cloth over that. We rinse the terry cloth as needed, and ring it out well to be damp. We spray a section with the vinegar, and water then damp mop. We start in one corner then work our way out the door.  

We always recommend to dust before you clean the floors, but in this case we can make an exception. I know the temptation is to wait until all the snow is done, but the floors are wet today.

So you have to sweep, vacuuming water isn’t good for the machine. Sweeping will get the chunks up.

Next, it’s best to have a terry cloth rag. You can use a small towel. Rise it in water, ring it out until it’s damp, then lay it flat on the floor. Put the bristles of the broom on top of the rag, in the middle, and push it. Angle the bristles more by pushing down kind of sideways if you aren’t getting traction.

Depending on the floors you can get both back, and forth action with the cloth, and the broom. Rinse the rag as needed, and also pick up dirt with the rag before you rinse it. Tile floors you can only push the rag with the broom, but keep the broom in the middle of the rag.

It may take practice, but this method it used all over the world.

What we do is set people up in a business. They get a Business License, insurance, and a bond. They are a business that gets paid for performance. If they do a good job, they retain the client. If the job they do isn’t so good, they lose the client, and we don’t refer them more. They maintain their own equipment, and supplies.

There is a fine line of distinction between employees and contractors. We don’t tell the contractors what to do, but we do have a standard of excellence.

The contractors are also free to take on other clients. That is a problem some times, but what has worked out well for us is that our contractors refer people back to the company. Our contractors have a support system with us that they want to keep.

There is also a security in dealing with the client. It is very hard to keep a number of things together on your own. Advertising, bookkeeping, client relations, and public relations are a full time job that having an office can help with.

You may be able to scrub the tub once a month, and everything is fine. I’ll do a post about how to clean your bathroom in a few days. When you pay to have some one clean the tub for you it is a matter of value.

An interesting fact that came up with one of our first clients was that after she had a heart attack her doctor told her she couldn’t vacuum. It turns out that vacuuming stresses both the abs, and back. There are even a set of exercises you can do to tone your tummy using the vacuum. Kitchens are a set of stretches, and bending, floors are another set of pushing, and pulling motions.

Your house cleaner is doing manual labor, but you also need them to look past the dirt, and leave the home looking tidy. You are paying for a skill set. Some people recognize the value of a good house cleaner, others need more convincing. It’s just another reason we have this blog.

At this time of year there are a lot of projects that we recommend. First is to do outside cleaning, like walk ways, fences, decks, and low siding. We have a method of spraying a bleach solution mixed with a little detergent. About 25% bleach to water is best. For decks, and walkways you can use a watering can.

The trick is to let the solution work for at least thirty minutes. That’s what makes this time of year ideal. There’s enough moisture in the air to keep the solution from drying out. Mildew is also weaker after freezing weather. It makes it easier to kill.

We don’t pressure wash now. Our goal right now is to kill mildew.

Along that theme we encourage other people who have an interest in the cleaning business. My opinion is that every one needs help around the house, and house cleaning is one of the most affordable luxuries you can have.

Having a house cleaner frees up your time. It helps with your daily attitude. Your children get more of your attention, and it adds a structure to your home.

We would like our cleaning industry to have all of the tools to give you a better performance at a reasonable cost.

This blog site is a way for us to share information with others in the business, and give you some insight into the way our industry works.