To think I can print out some flyers and people might book me to clean their homes?

[user1477282676]

We need more income and FAST. I've got a small part time job but it's not enough.

I've been applying for jobs and keep getting knock backs. To illustrate a little, I'm English and living with DH in Oz and my citizenship isn't final yet so I think that although I have the right to work here due to the type of visa I'm on, employers are naturally wary of taking me on.

So I was thinking of making up some flyers and blitzing them around our small town. It's a high income area, lots and lots of people with plenty of money and not a lot of time.

I will need to get some liability insurance and a police check I thought...but while I wait for them, do you think people might book me? I can offer references from within Oz so it's not like they'd be letting a totally unchecked person into their home.

I'm just getting to the point where I can't think of anything else. I'm a very good cleaner too!

Hi instead of using selling pages its probably worth paying for facebook advertising. I use it for an event I run. Create a page. E.g spick and span cleaning services. Write your blurb. It will then give you the option to boost your post. This is where it gets interesting. You can then target your districts and age range.
PP has given a good selling point about using natural products but make sure you offer either or. Lots of my clients would prefer I go nuclear with the bleach only one woman wanted me to use natural products

Offering different cleaning products is a great idea. You only have to look at the Zoflora thread on here to see the differences in people's choices.

Offering a pre-Christmas clean may kick off interest or a 'deep' clean if folk have just had work done in their properties or have just moved home.

Good luck OP.

*Yes to offering one-time deep cleaning for special events
*Yes to natural cleaners, but if you don't find it interferes with your sense of ethics perhaps also have a standard cleaning option-I worked as a house cleaner when I was at University and some of our clients liked the "clean" smell of bleach, spray cleaner, etc.
*Consider offering a window cleaning option for inside windows.

I am in the US but happen to be looking for a cleaner at the moment (have never used one before) and I would totally respond to a flyer.

Just a thought. the issue you might have with your list of what you'd do for a 2 hour clean totally depends on the size of the house. If it's an apartment or small house that list might be totally do-able. If the place is massive it would be impossible though unless you have superpowers. Also would depend on the state of the house. If a place has been reasonably kept up to and regularly cleaned it might just need a bit of a dust. If for example somewhere had a really grimy kitchen that hadn't been given much attention for a while, it might need a much deeper clean. It could be a problem if your flyer states what you'd do in a certain time frame but the reality is that it can't be achieved in the time you mention.

I personally wouldn't set out what you'll do in a 2 hour clean. I'd just say you're available, then when people phone, go and visit the house.

Your list could be done in an hour in a totally clean, uncluttered, minimalist apartment. But it'd take all day in a large family house where you have to move piles of stuff just to get to the floor. All the cleaners we've had have always come for an initial appointment to assess the house, before deciding how many hours it would take, or else if the home owner knows how many hours they want, telling them what they could or could not get done within that time.

Might also be worthwhile thinking about what you won't do - most of ours won't touch the inside of an oven. Some have happily changed bedding, put on a load of washing, done ironing. Others would prefer not to do that.

Cleaning stuff - most of ours use our own cleaning products, which is obviously cheaper for the cleaner but might be frustrating if I'm running low on a particular product. If you're going to bring your own, will that include a Hoover, mop and bucket, etc.? In which case you might need to get electrical stuff PAT tested.

I've always paid cash, but I know some people prefer bank transfer or similar.

Make sure your hourly rate covers the cost of getting to each house, and if it's an urban area, don't forget the parking costs if relevant.

PreChristmas clean is an excellent idea. And if you don't mind really getting into the nitty gritty bits then you could look at end of tenancy type cleans too - deep cleaning and occasionally truly disgusting.

Our cleaner cleans houses when her children are in school, and takes in ironing for when they're at home; extending her working hours without having to pay for child care. Looking at her spends (she's keen to show off new bags/boots/etc.) she has more disposable income than I do these days!

Don't underestimate word of mouth and decent references - got any friends you could do a practice run on, maybe a one off pre party clean in return for some testimonies and recommendations?

Local selling pages have very little activity on them.
I'm in Australia, and would probably not even think of looking on social media for a cleaner.

Try flyers, and don't forget notice boards in local shopping/community centres or the local paper, particularly as you're in a small town. The latter is where I generally look for things like this - however, a flyer in the letter box when I was thinking about one would be ideal for me.

I tend to pay things like that as cash in hand, simply because I used to hate cheques and years ago just got into the cash habit, but direct debit would work as well. As for police checks - no one I know seems to ask about them when getting someone in for work, probably because no one has small children at home when someone is in for work. Making sure they've got their own insurance is the main concern.

Good luck.

Maybe offer a set price for things like microwave cleaning, oven cleaning, etc.

Or be 100% clear with folks that if they ask you to clean the microwave it might take an hour of that day's time so other things might not get done...

I had another thought-you seem like a real sweetie, which is great, but please get firm in your mind your prices and your boundaries/standards before you get rolling with your new cleaning business, if you will. Don't let people dicker your fees down or bully you into an arrangement that is not reasonable for you.

What's the rental market like around you? You could contact letting agents and offer an end of tenancy deep cleaning service. Then leave a flyer in the property for the tenant.

Also look for local companies that do other jobs in the home. So oven cleaning, gardening, carpet cleaning etc. Ask them to recommend you and say you will obviously return the favour.

Recommendations to people who already pay for stuff to be done in the home are worth 1000 flyers imo.

Advertise your hourly rate, don't commit to how much you will do upfront, it depends on size of house, how cluttered it is and when it was last cleaned. I interviewed cleaners, showed the the house, told them what I wanted and they judged how long it would take. We agreed on set hours and jobs to be done.

Might be worth printing a to do tick list of jobs for discussion.

My last cleaner did a one off "deep clean" for my mum for an enhanced hourly rate (but had offered a one off at the normal rate). It pissed me off as it suggested she didn't try very hard normally. I would expect a deep clean to take longer and wouldn't object to an agreed fixed fee.

A one off deep clean pre-Christmas would be appreciated here.

This would be a good marketing ploy if you want to get work soon. A flyer coming through the door is likely to be put to the side "until" someone thinks about it. Have a definite call to action with a time on it and you are more likely to spur people on to call you today.

Be sure you have calculated how much you have to earn before you commit to a rate. You have to build in non-working time such as travel, shopping for materials, meet and greet visits, admin etc.

Don't commit to set tasks as standard. If someone hasn't cleaned their kitchen cupboard doors for 5 years ie me then they are going to take a lot longer to clean. Go with a workable hourly rate and then estimate the time needed.

I do like the idea of standard and ethical products - that's another hook not many will offer.

Best of luck.

I wouldn't book you without insurance but I'd contact you and arrange a booking for after if I could afford it.

Definitely think social media is a good bet. I ignore flyers for the most part but click on links.

Wow thank you all for such great advice.

So...I will take off the specific list...just in case of filthy mansions! Also I did add a part about asking me about my Pre-Christmas Deep Clean Offer...

I want to use my own cleaning products; I just don't wannt to deal with other people's stuff and I'm quite fussy about the WAY I clean and what I use.

I'm very thorough but don't believe in using a lot of speciality sprays...I use bleach, cream cleanser like cif...Gumption for bad dirt...plus beeswax polish...but I may have to switch to cheaper spray for this or it will be too costly.

Unless they want natural in which case I use my own recipes.

Liar no need to be pissed off. A deep clean covers areas usually not done...such as the inside of cupboards. When cleaning on a daily basis, we don't take out all the crockery to clean the inside of the cupboard do we? No...but during a deep clean, that's what I would do.

I would also move furniture, clean beneath and behind them....I might steam clean curtains and upholstery too if that was wanted. Other things too.

I would expect to pay more if I asked the cleaner to bring their own products so don't undersell yourself.

Make sure it's clear you're also available for feel cleans.

Good luck!

Thanks Anti. Yes, DH thinks my hourlie rate is a bit low...considering I am supplying products. Not sure really as he tends to err on the high side when pricing things.