Setting up own cleaning business. What makes a good cleaner ?

[starrynight19]

Any hints or tips much welcomed. I know it’s a bit risky with the whole corona situation but it’s really now or never.
Thankyou

Do basic clean every visit but do some things every other visit eg inside cutlery drawer etc etc. Alternating obviously.

But most of all:- reliability.

Same with keeping regular days. I had a cleaner who was supposed to come at 9 on a Wednesday. She kept changing it, often at the last minute or after she was already late. Then one day I was so genuinely confused that I forgot to tidy up (and the house was dreadful that day!) and she sent me a message saying that she couldn’t clean it as it was too messy. Well, show up regularly when you’re supposed to!

@QweenMama I pay my cleaner (not London) £12/hour.
Turning up when you are supposed to is major.
I have a good cleaner but she never throws anything out - a crumpled up piece of napkin will be removed from the kitchen island, island cleaned, and the napkin put back. It is her weird idiosyncrasy (I have told her to throw anything obviously rubbish away). And though she is very thorough she spends about an hour doing the bathroom, so no way can she do all three plus everything else in four hours. I had one cleaner who used to work for a hotel and she managed to do it all plus had time to reorganise a cupboard or two. Unfortunately her thing was disappearing for weeks at a time until she eventually never came back (I even owed her money).
So, turn up. Do not bring a friend (or your child). Do a thorough job. Be honest if you need more time to do the house, or agree to do things in rotation. Be up front about what you are willing to do or not do (changing bed linen, windows, ironing etc). Go room by room with the client and ask how they want things done. Are you supplying your own equipment and cleaning products or do you need to make sure your client has the things you need? Are you ok with pets, answering the door, dealing with tradesmen? I had a cleaner through a house extension and it worked well because she got on with them and could work around them - not everyone can. Be discreet - cleaners get jobs by word of mouth and I do not want to imagine being gossiped about to my friends.
Good luck - good cleaners are always popular.

Don’t make the employer feel bad about needing your services. I had a cleaner for a few weeks and every time she came she managed to say something that made me feel useless for needing her. I would say “thanks so much it’s made such a difference having you round since the baby came” she would reply “yeah I had 4 kids and cleaned mine and my mothers houses so I know how hard it is”
My family are very working class and the idea of paying a cleaner was quite shocking to them so I was already a little uncomfortable about the situation and she made me feel 10x worse

@QweenMama You can’t even get a bad cleaner for minimum wage. Where I am £16 is the minimum going rate of you hire direct. If you’re going though a company you’re looking at about £22-25

If you move things put them back where they were
Don't put remote control somewhere it can't be found !
Shut front door firmly after you
Don't gossip about mess
Be supportive and encouraging if owner is there
Try not to bring your children

Bathrooms and kitchen,s are the big bugbears for me with cleaners. It doesn’t take a lot of skill or effort to dust or vacuum bedrooms and reception rooms. So, what products do they use? What tools? Do they talk in terms of “wiping” the hard floors or “scrubbing”. How do they get rid of hard water stains on shower screens etc ( eg cleaners I had once said they could not remove them and hard water is such a problem...it’s not and good old vinegar spray left for 10 mins sorts it out)...so I’d be looking for that level of expertise in what chemicals or tools they use. When I took back the cleaning jobs from cleaners I splashed out on a steamer, decent micro fibre cloths, stocks of vinegar, bicarb and rubbing alcohol, and a little cheap powered scrubber thingy...and went onto google to find “recipes” for chemical mixes around what to use for each sort of task. I think I’d bite the arm off a cleaner who came with that sort of knowledge and expertise😉
Good luck in your venture

Oh...and don’t try to form social relationships with clients...if either of you have issues with the work it makes it really difficult to raise it. Stay professional and distanced. Ask for feedback after each clean to start with by email, and then at regular intervals...you could even have a little smiley form you get them to complete about each room. That way you can see if there are issues building up, or just get feedback that you’re doing a good job. I sometimes was guilty in forgetting to praise for just doing a good job and only feeding back issues 😳

Communication,
Time keeping,
Asking what to prioritise,
Not making /receiving lots of phone calls while I'm paying you,
Putting cleaning equipment away where /as you found them,
Flexibility (if I ask when you arrive can you do x rather than y I'd like it done without listening to two hours of huffing and puffing).

All really good points above. I would say, especially with Covid ..... take shoes off or wear covers, wash hands and/or wear gloves.

I would also clarify hygiene stands.... to me that means separate cloths for kitchen and floor and bathroom, even separate gloves for the loo etc

Feedback forms/tick list of jobs needing doing and being open to hearing what's working well and what areas need more attention.
I was always working at home when my cleaner visited and I felt awkward having that chat each week about what I'd like her to focus on/jobs to rotate. If I'd been out I would have left a note with a list but it felt strange handing her a note in person. If she had suggested it from the start it would have been much better.

Oh yeah wanted to add if your client is working from home, try to pre plan which rooms to go in so you’re not following each other around the house getting under each other’s feet!

I am really struggling to find a good cleaner. giving up hope that anyone will clean to my standards 😭 and my standards are pretty low eg don't leave food stuck to the cupboards.

folklord that shouldn’t be too much to ask

My cleaner tidies as well as cleans. I would never tidy before she came round and she has never complained about it. I think it's a question of being open from the start.

Being prepared to clean. To date found very few cleaners prepared to get down on hands and knees and scrub floors like I do. They'd rather so easy bits and miss the corners. I've had people rearranging the kitchen (grr) and rolling up anything that can be rolled up, whilst not actually cleaning much.

Tops of wardrobes, under beds if applicable need to be done at least
a few times a year. So I would look for someone who suggests these
types of jobs.
What would be your plan regarding curtains (dry cleaning?) and carpets
(should be done annually)?

My previous cleaner would only clean at standing up level, so not up high or down low, and would make the beds with pillowcases or sheets that were slightly too small for the beds in question (everything labelled by size in cupboard, so no excuse). My current cleaner cleans a thousand times better than I could myself and makes everywhere lovely.

Trust worthy, non judgemental, discreet, perfectionist, fast, doesnt bring randoms with her, time keeping, honest, doesnt chat too much or talk about her problems and personal life, payment by bank transfer, very clear on what she does and doesnt do from the start, has a clean DBS.

Reliability is key - turn up when you say you will, and work the hours you have agreed.

I am always at work when my cleaner comes and they have a key, so I'd always want good verifiable references and DBS.

Use initiative, unless asked not to - I haven't got the headspace or the common sense to keep on top of tasks that only need doing occasionally, and I love it when I realise my cleaner has cleaned all the lampshades or under the fridge, it makes me very happy! Check if there's anything fragile or that needs particular treatment or that they want you to leave alone.

Be thorough - I don't want someone to just hoover the middle of the carpet or wipe the kitchen surfaces without moving stuff, my DC can manage that!

Ask for feedback and act on it - I've only ever sacked 2 cleaners, because they did what they thought needed doing and didn't change what they did when asked. It doesn't matter if you think all shelves need dusting weekly, if the client prefers them done monthly and the time spent cleaning windows instead. Also say if you don't do something, e.g. working at height to clean cupboards.

Make sure you get the info you need at the start to do what the client wants, eg priorities, do they want you to tidy or only clean. I had a cleaner who used to arrange my DS's teddies in his cot, which was very sweet but I'd look at it and think 'you could have used that time to wipe the skirting board!'.

Let the client know in good time if they're running low on cleaning supplies, or you don't like a particular item they've provided or prefer something else - I dont mean demand they buy a £££ Hoover, but if they buy products that you don't think work best, or you want a particular hob cleaner or something, say so. If you break something or something isn't working right, let the client know.

Hold your own boundaries, good cleaners are hard to find - so don't let clients owe you money, or ask you to do tasks that aren't in your remit (unless you're happy to water plants or let the dog out or whatever, in which case charge accordingly). And know your worth - charge appropriately, and sack clients who misbehave in any way, if you're good there will be others wanting your services who will appreciate you!