The following list contains a guide for estimating the fee for service on Windows. These prices are for the standard service, which includes the cleaning of the glass, window frames and flyscreens. Also available are the budget and the deluxe service, and the client should be given the option to choose what level of service they would like: Continue reading
There will be occasions when you will be asked to do either a Renovation Clean or a Builders Clean, so you will need to be prepared for how to do the work. Renovation Cleans are relatively simple to do – they just require a lot more time than the usual Spring-Clean. Builders Cleans are much harder and require specialized knowledge for you to successfully tackle them without creating damage due to your inexperience and lack of knowledge. Continue reading
Vacuum throughout, or sweep and mop
Clean the inside of cupboards and robes
Clean the oven if needed
Clean marks off walls Continue reading
Vacuuming –
On your first visit to a new job remember to ask your client where they keep all the products and equipment, especially the vacuum. Firstly, make sure the bag inside is empty enough to produce a strong suction, and if it is not, replace it. This will make your job so much easier, as will changing or cleaning the dust filters. If you cannot find the bags or you use the last one or there are already none left, you will need to leave a note for your client asking them to purchase more or leave one out for you. Check the suction by placing your hand under the nozzle and if it appears that there is a blockage use a wire coat hangar to push it through. Continue reading
When booking a Spring-Clean you should try to schedule these longer cleans to be done on either a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, as these days of the week usually have more hours available to do the extra work. Nearly all clients want their regular work done on a Thursday or Friday, so there are fewer available hours to do these longer cleans. If you promote the idea that the ‘catch-up’ or Spring-Clean can be done for the first time at the start of the week, and then the Regular clean can be done at the end of the week, most clients are happy with that. Continue reading
These are your basic set of tasks for maintenance services:
If all tasks are done the cleaning generally takes 4 hours for an average size house – 3 or 4 bedrooms, 1 or 2 bathrooms Continue reading
You will come into contact with all kinds of people once you begin promoting yourself. I have seen homes that were so disgustingly dirty that my stomach turned while I was doing the quote. I have also recognised when people felt that they were better than me, just because I worked as a cleaner, and sensed that their attitude towards me was going to bring me trouble if I took on the job. The easiest way to avoid taking on a client that you can intuitively feel will do this is to give them a fee for service that is much higher than they were expecting to pay. Then the person subject to your quote can only say that your fees were too expensive, and ‘expensive’ is relative to whether or not the desired item or service has value to the intended purchaser. Continue reading
In this business there are plenty of bad clients. That doesn’t mean to say though, that you should treat any of them with a lack of respect. You should treat each client with the same amount of respect and value, no matter whether you are being paid well or being paid average to do their work. When a person feels valued by you they are going to tell others about you and your service. This is how you will gain referral business. But be aware that in the home cleaning business there will always be good clients and bad. Continue reading
Even after reading all of this and becoming fairly good at the suggestions in this month’s articles, there will still be times when just everything seems to go wrong for you with a particular client. Even though you have all good intentions, you must remember this: just as they are looking for the right person to help them with their cleaning, so too are you looking for the right clients to serve. Everyone wants the right pieces in a puzzle. You want your clients to be right for you, and your clients want you to be right for them. Continue reading
In communicating with your client, the most important thing is to find a way to understand each other, either verbally or even by using gestures. It is important when you meet your client to tell them that you understand every word that they say but have difficulty in saying some English words, or you may have difficulty in finding the right word to describe something. It’s OK. A little bit of patience and understanding by both of you goes a long way. Continue reading