One of our clients today made the comment for us to “have fun.” It struck me as an odd comment because his wife told us we were having too much fun the last time we were there. She is referring, of course, to our chatter, laughing, and making funny faces while we clean. Not all houses are as fun, but we like these people, have been cleaning there for seven years, and they have eclectic stuff. It’s a whimsical kind of place.

We all speak Spanish, so it is confusing for some clients to understand. Most of the time, with my team, they are making fun of my bad Spanish. However it helps in a day to have some fun.

In my opinion one of the greatest things, and this can help you if you chose to do your own cleaning, is having everything in one place at one time. We have a bucket of cleaning supplies, and a bag of rags. We have the two vacuums to be able to get everywhere. I also have my special ramiento to do high dusting. It’s a duster on a pole. You can get one at Ace Hardware for between $15 to $20.

The other great thing is working in teams of three. We have the option of rotating tasks. The fact we rotate gives us the ability to make fun of each others methods. I get it all the time. There again I also notice that some people forget the same things, or hum a tune, or do things different from me.

Our team has been together for about two years now. We do have a rhythm, and having some fun, making some games out of the cleaning, helps get the job done. I think it gets done better our way.

In this economy we have had more once a month cleanings for people on a budget. We go in for an hour, with three people, clean the kitchen, baths, and do some dusting. It just helps people stay in the game of keeping the house clean. Of course this works best for the people who keep a place tidy.

For those who have cleaning challenges we have found we are both, the cleaners, and customers, unhappy with the results. Expectations are high, so some times there is disappointment. The price is also a little bit higher than what some want to pay.

Some simple tricks for once a month cleaning are to clean the dishes, and put them away. Dishes cost a lot for the cleaners to do. Clean a section of the kitchen, and put everything there, out of the way. Get everything you can out of the way in the bathroom. Pick up the toys, put out the trash, and straighten where the vacuum is going. The idea is for the cleaners to clean, and the less they move around the more they can get to.

If you read through this blog you can see that these simple tips get you half way to a clean house. What you may also want to consider is breaking the cleaning into two sessions of an hour each to see how a system may work for you. It may be that paying $120 to $135 for once a month would be better than paying $180 for once every two weeks, but you may want to try it both ways.

Ultimately cleaning apartments is fast, but they have to be done well. Attention to detail is important. Refrigerators, stoves, the inside of cup boards is paramount. The term is getting the unit “rent ready.” In another post we will talk about why this is all so important, but for right now these are some steps I take. 

The best tool of all is my duster brush on a long pole. We buy them at Ace Hardware for between $15 to $20. It reaches above the window, and door frames, catches cob webs, and dusts the base boards. It’s also handy for the hard to get at areas. It’s the first thing I do so it gives the dust a chance to settle. 

Number two is to use water when possible. I still get in trouble by my cleaning team for wetting everything with a damp cloth, and moving along. After getting things wet for about fifteen minutes I go back, re-rinse the rag, spray Windex and pick up as much moisture as I can. I rinse the rag as needed, but often. I finish with a dry rag. So essentially I go over the same areas three times, but it goes quick.

The baths get a generous amount of Comet in the toilet. All around the bowl gets lots of disinfectant. The shower, tub, and surrounds get lots of water, scrubbed down, and rinsed before being dried, first with a damp cloth, rinsed often, then dried with the dry rag. Again I damp mop the floors after wiping around the bowl with paper towel. We use disposable gloves, it makes the work go a little faster.

Finally the floors get vacuumed and damp mopped. 

Refrigerator, and stove will get a separate post, but if the oven is self cleaning always use that instead of a chemical.

Here in the Seattle area we know just about all the players in the House Cleaning business. You may think we compete for clients, but really we all fill niches that rarely over lap. One thing I noticed yesterday was that one of the single person house keepers that works for a neighbor of a client now works with two other people. She had been cleaning by herself for ten years that I know of, and this year she added more clients, so she needed more help.

That started me thinking about a lot of things that make up a good cleaning company. We struggle with keeping track of the people who work with us. We put systems in place then a day can just get away from us. Even when you work alone some things get forgotten. So how does some one decide one day to start hiring people?

From what I understand of the woman I saw she is training her cousin to take over some clients. The other person is a friend who needs work. What it finally comes down to is that people are out of work. We lose clients that way, but in the world of laborers it’s also true. People need jobs, and house cleaning is one of the things many people think they can do.

This makes for opportunities to some of the people who hire a house keeper, but we get more of our clients from people who prefer our approach after an independent experience. People who clean alone need to be extremely self motivated. Usually they take on one, or two, clients a day, and charge about $75 or $80 for about 3 or 4 hrs. The problem is that an independent gets tired in a day, after day routine.

Company workers also get tired, but we all have good, and bad days. In a team, or company setting, one person can be up when another is down. There is also some one, who is looking for new business, while servicing the clients they have. There’s less likelihood that some one will lose clients, and be out of the business. A team, or company, gives more security in that way.

Speaking of that security, we hear that an independent person is like a part of the family. They like the idea they know who the person is, and can trust them. Companies can be hiring people off the street, and even with a back ground check you just never know. That is a two way street because it’s hard to get rid of a member of the family when something comes up.  

We see a need for both house keepers, some one who can come in every day, and companies. We have experimented with both. Some companies only do house keeper placement. This year house keepers ar doing very well. We chose the team approach for the reasons I’ve outlined, but as I said, we all fill niche.

We have a sister company called A Spring Cleaning that does/did whole house deep cleaning. The regularly scheduled housecleaning company we operate has really taken over our time, but we still do a couple of deep cleanings a week. Let me clarify, we do detailed cleanings.

George Pappas called me yesterday from New Way Carpet, Upolstery, and Wall Cleaning, at 206-244-8709. He was looking for work, just bought a house, and was a little surprised that this year has been slow. He is a very high end cleaner who has had a steady clientele through the entire recession. This year is different.

We scaled back our deep cleaning because people are reluctant to pay at a price point starting at $360 and up. This is what George is finding also, but I do want to make this post a caution of sorts about new cleaners, and cleaning companies.

Deep Cleaning is really a skill. When we first started many years ago we had some trial and error in what works. Thankfully we have had a very few times when we had to repair damage. Bleach stains in carpet are the biggest liabilty and we have Mr. Color Restoration at 206-363-1877 who we have only had to call twice. He fixed the stains as good as new.

There are issues with damage to grout that the sealer is worn off, or poruos tiles that may discolor. Fabrics on upostery can be delicate, or paint may be damaged by chemicals. It’s hard to make all the right choices for every product. That is why we stay with regular house hold products you can buy at the super market.

In George’s case he has the equipment to do a micro fiber steam cleaning. He know what works where, and how. It is best to hire some one who knows how to care for your home, rather than by price.

The job we went to today has had three bids now without getting a match. the tile work is older and we can do the job by hand scrubbing, but our price for that is really high. After some of the quotes they have maybe we would be a better choice. We gave them George’s number today and we’ll see what George says for a price.

Over on the side bar is a link to Vacuum Cleaners that will show you different vacuum brands, and styles. We use the Eureka commercial upright called the Sanitaire. It is inexpensive, very durable, light weight, and powerful. I use the small blue cannister from Sears made by Kenmore. My wife likes the Riccar cannister called the Sunflower. The blue Kenmore is light weight, powerful, and at about $100. The Riccar is twice that, a little heavier, but has better suction.

For home use we recommend the Miele brand of cannister, or sweeper. The upright is a little spendy. Eureka makes a full set of house hold vacuums. other than the small blue cannister we avoid the Kenmore brand.

This brings us the the Dyson Brand which is popular as a consumer sale item. We like it for it’s flexible head, and the fact it can really grind the carpet nap to give us good patterns while we vacuum. The problems are that you have to manually empty the container, it seems to fill quickly, but the over all ability to get the dirt out seems lacking.

We did a one time cleaning for a gentleman who had a Dyson. He used it to vacuum the living room. We saw that the carpet was still a little dusty and we used the Sanitaire on the same room. It was amazing how much dirt we got out of that carpet. It obviously hadn’t been cleaned in some time. We have experimented with the Dyson some more this week with another clients house with the same results.

For a household to spend $500 for a vacuum with a ball it should come with a caution. You can buy the Sanitaire upright for about $200 or less, and a Riccar cannister for about $200. You get a whole set of vacuum needs for less by buying what your house cleaner uses, commercially.

Craig’s Carpet Cleaning was recommended to us over a year ago. In that time we have referred them, and Chem Dry, as good resources. The fun part is that Craig’s is a family, locally, owned, and operated business, with deep roots in the community. Ivy, is the sister of the main operator, and daughter of the founder. She answers the phone and sets up the appointments.

The work is really professionally done. Very nice people show up in a clean, well cared for, truck. There’s a lot of knowledge that goes into carpet cleaning. It needs to be done well. The end product should be clean, and dry. This is where you need to know the difference in the way your carpet is cared for.

We had begun recommending Chem Dry exclusively years ago because we know that a steam cleaning can cause damage. The company really needs to know what they are doing and pay attention to the warning signs of where extra care is needed. Craig’s came out to a difficult job we were involved with, and did the best job. We have been recommending them ever since.

In that year and a half every one who used the service has been thrilled to find them. You have your carpets cleaned only once every two years so we have little reservations about continuing to refer them. They have all of the resources needed to perform in a timely manner.

In a couple of future posts we’ll discuss the differences in ways to clean your carpets. For now I have every confidence in our continued recommendation of Craig’s Carpet Cleaning. We have a button link to them on the right side of our site. Click on it to get a full view of the Craig Carpet Cleaning family.

A quick and easy way to build a cleaning business is by approaching property managers. You will get work almost immediately. Your phone will ring, and a breathless person will ask if you can clean an apartment in the next few hours. Renters are moving in. When you get there be prepared for the shock of a life time. Obviously the regular cleaner has declined to do the work.

Your second shock will be that the property manager expects the place to be cleaned for half your normal rate. Last, but not least, is that you will have to wait until the end of the month when the “bookkeeper” writes the checks to the vendors. Of course, I have given you the worst scenario, you can chose two of the three above for a more accurate picture.

Most cleaning companies work their way out of property management business, while there are a few that thrive. You need to be ready to respond. Ever day a place is without a renter is a day without income. This can work to your advantage because your price can reflect your cooperation in getting a property rent ready. Let me also make a distinction that rent ready is a deeper cleaning. You can charge a premium for your time, in some cases.

The second part is your flexibility on payment. It is true that a property manager has several accounts. You will need to be paid from the proper account, and it may take some time. There is a way to build on accounts receivable. If you are careful you can have an income each month by setting up vendor accounts. Many property managers will appreciate that, and have a hard time getting rid of you.

Property managers report to property owners. If you make them look good it goes a long way to them keeping an account. A good cleaner can have a stellar reputation among property managers. If you show up, on time, get the work done in a professional manner, and look good to the renters, you may have a career for a very long time.

My cleaning career started by cleaning apartments for property management companies. Over the course of 40 years there are several opinions that I, personally, have formed. When I first started it was before the Land Lord Tenant Act of Washington State. There were abuses on both sides. One of the main reasons that I never held onto a bunch of rental property is because of what I saw, as a young man, cleaning up after renters.

The situation has improved greatly since since the 1990s gave more people the idea of home ownership. It seems like there was much more give, and take cooperation. That may also be that we are now very selective in the jobs we do. We no longer work for property management companies. We do clean for renters who are moving out on a selective basis. In some cases it’s kind of pointless to do anything more than sweep a property of debris.

The Land Lord Tenant Act has a clause that says a property must be returned in the same condition a renter found the property in. There is a disclaimer for normal wear, and tear. There are some things that will be hard to get back to original condition. A self cleaning stove, for example, will never go back to looking new. Some staining is a catch 22 because if you clean it there is a risk of damaging the painted surface.

So there is a fine line between what a renter can do with a property and what the Land Lord does to get a property “rent ready.” A Land Lord can paint, or change stoves, or use whatever chemicals they see fit to make a place shine. A good example of that is a Land Lord who uses a wax, or oil on the floors. They can do that, but a renter may be damaging the floors by leaving a residue.

We do our best to look at a move out judiciously. It seems unfair to me that some Land Lords expect a renter to “improve” a property in a move out. One example for us was a renter who was breaking the lease because of a mold alergy. We were called in after the renter had cleaned, and the Land Lord rejected the condition of the property. Our cleaning was also reject because of rust stains on the appliances, mildew on the garden window that when we tried to clean the paint began peeling off, and a fireplace front that obviously was stained beyond any repair.

We try to compromise on what is fair for the renter to pay. Other companies charge a high premium for move out cleanings. We may join those ranks this year. More properties are changing hands as people find cheaper rents. Land Lords seem to be a bit more on edge in the face of falling rental income.

One of the things our company has avoided is the initial cleaning in setting up a regularly scheduled cleaning client. My thinking is we will get to the entire house over the course of time. Moving things around and getting the dust flying will only lead to disappointment as the dust settles.

One of the things that is important in our business is our reputation. Being referred by clients to their friends and relatives is the best way to build a customer base. The first cleaning is a way of seeing what we can do. It’s our time to make a good first impression.

One of the things I hear when meeting new clients who have had other companies clean for them is that the first cleaning was great, then the service went down hill from there. I have always attributed that to the initial cleaning business model. Many companies have a one time cleaning team that does the first initial clean then a regular cleaning staff to maintain the home. It’s two different approaches to cleaning.

So there are trade offs between meeting initial expectations, and maintaining a client over time. My compromise is to keep the pricing the same for the regularly scheduled cleaning then allow for extra time the first few visits. My thinking is that that investment will pay off over the course of time.

In a later post we will explore one time cleanings, more of the type for move outs, but I wanted to get a post out about the approaches to setting up a cleaning service.