Category: Cleaning

The Advantage of Using Teams for Residential Cleaning

Many residential cleaning companies start out as a one-person operation. But as your cleaning company grows and you add employees you will soon face the problem of whether you should send in a single person to clean a home or if you should send in a team. Some cleaners may prefer to work alone, but is that in the best interest of your cleaning company?

A single cleaner does all the tasks and does not have to negotiate with anyone about who will do what task or how things will get done. One person can generally clean two to three houses a day – but they may only be able to clean just one home if it is large and there’s a long drive to get to it. Teams will consist of two to four people, who are all cross-trained. Teams can clean from two to seven houses a day, which can triple the number a lone person can clean.

No matter if you pay for mileage or if you provide a company car, you will spend more money if you have single cleaners going out on jobs rather than teams. When you use teams they can pair up in a vehicle, cutting down on the cost of mileage to and from each job.

What can be a large drawback of using single cleaners is the risk that they can steal from your customers. Also, a single cleaner works directly with a customer and may have opportunities to talk to that customer alone. The customer may approach the cleaner about cutting out the middle person or the cleaner may decide there is more money to be made going at this on her own.

There are a couple of ways to get around this. One is to have your employees sign a noncompete agreement. Second, you can send teams of at least two cleaners to each home. In addition, if a single cleaner is out for the day, you may have to reschedule or have someone clean the home who is not familiar with it. In team cleaning there are several individuals who know the home and can cover the tasks of someone who is out for the day.

With team cleaning, all members of the team have specific cleaning assignments. There is also a team leader that may have added duties, such as inspecting the work and communicating with the home owner. Team members are cross-trained and tasks are rotated to cut down on employee burnout and reduce the boredom that can happen when someone is doing the same job all day long.

Another advantage of team cleaning is that your employees have others to interact with during breaks, lunch and drive time. This allows employees to get to know each other and builds team morale.

What size of team should you use? Most residential team cleaning crews consist of two people. However, some cleaners have found that three person teams are more effective if they are cleaning larger homes.

How do you break down team tasks? This will depend on the size of your team. If you have a two-person team, the work is generally divided between wet and dry work. Wet work refers to procedures used in bathrooms, kitchens and utility areas, using cleaning chemicals. Dry work includes emptying trash, dusting, and vacuuming. The person assigned to the dry work will start in the back of the house (second floor if there is one) and work their way forward towards the front door. Or, if there is a downstairs, they will work their way up to the front door.

If you have a larger team there can be more variation in the way the tasks are broken down. With a three-person team, one person can start on wet work, another does dusting and the third does trashing and vacuuming. Another way of breaking it down between three people is to have one person start on the kitchen, one in the bathrooms and the third does the dry work.

 

Productivity and Cost Efficiency

In today’s economic climate, cost efficiency is more important than ever. Team cleaning allows for increased productivity at a lower cost. Less equipment is required, as only one vacuum needs to be bought for the team, rather than eight vacuums bought for eight floors in a zone cleaning situation, for example.

With zone cleaning, each janitor needs to have their own cleaning tools and products, which can quickly add up.

Productivity is higher because each of the cleaning professionals specialises in one function. They are trained to work through the facility in the area they have mastered, whether it is vacuuming or trash collecting.

Often with the zone cleaning approach, some tasks are done better than others, so there are highs and lows in quality throughout the building.

 

What’s Zone Cleaning?

Zone cleaning is just what it sounds like— each member of the team is responsible for completely cleaning a designated area, aka zone. One team member is completely in charge of their zone, from top to bottom. Every detail will be under their domain.

Pros: If there are issues with an employee, it becomes immediately visible to the supervisor. When one specific employee is in charge of a zone, and that zone’s cleaning is subpar, they know that the employee requires additional training. If your building has particular security concerns, it will minimize the number of cleaners who have access to designated areas. Should something go missing or a door be left unlocked, you’ll immediately know the culprit.

Cons: It can get pricey to outfit the whole team with all the equipment required for thoroughly cleaning several different zones. If you’ve got five members of the team, you’ll be purchasing five vacuums, five sets of cleaning fluids and supplies, etc. It’s possible that using a different cleaner per zone could result in wildly erratic results if the cleaning company doesn’t use a careful training process.

 

Tips To Find Best House Cleaners

• Most house cleaning companies are boasting that they are being screened by police. You need to see proof of that. You need comparisons to see too. I’d also try these out too-they might be incorrect.
• You need peace of mind that if they ruin one of your costly ornaments by mistake, they are covered to cover the cost. Test they are safe in case of unintended injury.
• Your cleaner will have a nice but not too nice attitude. You also learn about cleaners wasting much of their daily chatting and consuming tea. They should be nice, but polite too, so they should get on with their work.
• A marginally better cost may be worthwhile charging. Then you will claim excellent service. If you make a cheap choice, you might just get shoddy work.
• Why not continue the cleaning prices online with your study. Many housekeeping companies include a website. Ask a chart of rates for its facilities. You are also discreet in this manner and should thus not be’ lulled’ into traveling with them.

 

Home Cleaning Service – Getting Your Space Ready

A home cleaning service is something everyone looks forward to. It means someone else will come in and do the dirty work. But to give the professionals enough time to have a thorough cleaning for everything, you and your family need to make sure the house is ready to go

Decide on the Tables

Does your home cleaning service involve changing bedside sheets? If so, consider taking the dirty sheets and throwing them in the dirty clothes in advance. There’s no need for you to look around and find out what you want on the bed if you have the fresh sheets spread out on the mattress. This saves some time and makes sure all of the house’s beds are fresh and clean.

Get Off the Floor

Think about how long it takes you to pick up all the toys the children leave on the floor, or the clothes that just don’t seem to hamper the dirty clothes. Now imagine you pay somebody to clean up after your children. Would you rather spend your time picking up after everyone, or tackling the children’s bathroom, the home cleaning services professionals? Have everyone collaborate to ensure the floors are clear and free of clutter. Clothes should be put away and toys in place. That also makes vacuuming the floors easier. Everything you do in advance allows you to go to the home cleaning service more for the difficult jobs you are leaving.

The Cuisine

It goes without saying that before the home cleaning service professionals come in the kitchen needs to be cleaned a little bit. No need to clean the oven or microwave, and scrubbing is not required. You do want to make sure, though, that all the dishes are out of the sink and all the food is put away. Again, this is a boring job that can be taken care of by the family before professionals arrive. Loading the dishes into the dishwasher takes just a few minutes, and clearing off the counter tops.

Keeping your Kitchen Clean for Longer

When it comes to maintaining your premises, the never-ending need to constantly conduct cleaning is a challenge. But taking a few preventative steps can help keep your kitchen clean for longer.

So, here’s our guide to some quick wins for keeping your restaurant squared-away and tidy:

Keep your Floor Clean(er)

Taking care of nooks and crannies is essential to help keep dirt away longer. Try to work at your grouting lines and focus at the spaces between your tiles. Check that the staff carrying-out cleaning know the order they should clean items and that regularly used items like mops and sponges are thoroughly cleansed to avoid contamination. This should also extend to any items touching the surface of the floor, including kitchen mats, tray bottoms, or other devices you may have.

Avoid Greasy Buildups

Remember that greasy residue should always be cleaned as soon as it occurs, as build-up will only prove costly to fix in the long-term. Caked on grease will end up clogging your canopy fan, which can lead to overheating, and carry the risk of slips or contamination. To help counteract this, make sure that you conduct regular ventilation cleaning to maximise your fan’s effectiveness. You can also try to make sure that your tiles have an anti-slip sealing attached. Applying this sealant will help prevent accidents and provide a helpful barrier against dirt and germs on your floor.

Maintain your Surfaces and Windows

While it can be easy to focus on cleaning utensils and surface-tops, windows are easy to overlook. Ensuring that windows are clean allows your staff the best light to carry out their work and prevents the buildup of dust and dirt that can be easily dislodged and find its way into your preparation areas.

Maintenance as well as Cleaning

It’s important to remember that wear and tear will inevitably happen across your kitchen. And this will make itself known in damage to your equipment, utensils, and most-often used items. Make sure that when you conduct regular stock, or sanitation checks that the state of the item itself is reviewed. Keep an eye out for dents, damage and try to catch any potential problems before they get any worse! Ideally, this should involve regular checks on any automated cleaning equipment, processors and fixtures.

Don’t Forget to Check your Drains

Making sure that your drains are clear is crucially important, as build-up of grease and residue can stop a kitchen dead in its tracks at a critical moment. And after a ‘fatberg’ was discovered under the streets of London, making sure you dispose of residues in a responsible way is as much as a responsibility as a benefit. Accumulations only happen over time, so taking preventative steps is key – avoid pouring fatty or oily products down and that you clear residue from plates and equipment before cleaning.

KITCHEN HYGIENE

clean kitchen means a healthy kitchen. Maintaining the highest levels of hygiene will stop bugs from accumulating in your kitchen and will also help to prevent accidents. Apart from the hygiene and food safety aspects, kitchens can also be dangerous places to work in, with many potential hazards like hot surfaces, slippery floors, sharp equipment and hazardous chemicals.

Kitchen hygiene tips

• Always clean surfaces first with detergent to remove any grease or dirt, then apply disinfectant to kill any remaining germs.
• Allow time at the end of the working day to thoroughly clean the kitchen so it’s ready for the next day.
• Surfaces and equipment that come into contact with food are the most important, but don’t forget to regularly clean walls, floors and storage areas.
• Do not just wipe surfaces and utensils with a damp cloth. Remember that towels and cloths can contain a lot of germs themselves, and you could end up simply spreading them around.
• Keep kitchens free of clutter.
• Do not allow pets into the kitchen.
• Keep the floor dry by quickly mopping up any spilled liquids.
• Cleaning substances should leave no toxic or tainting residue.

Make a list of things to clean in a kitchen
Walk through your kitchen and make a list of everything that needs cleaning. Be sure to review this list regularly. Also note that some equipment may need to be cleaned more than others. Focus more on those utensils that are more likely to be touched by food handlers, such as;

• Cooker knobs
• Can openers
• Door handles
• Fridges
• Knives
• Microwaves
• Sinks

How to Prevent Spills in the Kitchen

Slips and trips continue to be the most common cause of injury in European workplaces. It takes all members of staff to create a safe working environment for everyone. We’ll cover the steps your kitchen should already be taking and what more you can do to prevent spills and accidents.

Keeping Your Staff Safe

It’s your responsibility to ensure that the workplace is a safe environment. Creating a risk assessment isn’t enough when it comes to preventing accidents. You need to be proactive.

The Right Shoes

Slips, trips and falls can all be reduced in your kitchen by supplying staff with the right footwear. Depending on their job role, you can provide chefs, kitchen staff and waiters/waitresses with specialist non slip footwear to keep them safe and comfortable while they work. When looking for footwear for staff, look for shoes that have been designed with slip-resistant outsoles, preventing the wearer from falling even if the floor is wet. Some designs have TripGuard that can stop falls when moving between different floor surfaces.

The Right Training

Your staff should receive regular safety training so that they’re fully aware of the hazards in the kitchen and what they can do to minimise risk. They might find this boring and unnecessary, but it shows them that you care about their health and wellbeing. The team should take pride in the kitchen and even though it isn’t seen by customers, it should be just as important as front of house. Don’t leave cleaning to the same people and encourage the whole team to help. Training is just one step towards a culture of care and safety in your kitchen. Staff should want to keep the kitchen safe, clean and tidy, rather than have to be told to do it. They’ll need the right equipment and clothing to be able to improve health and safety.

The Right Tools

To keep the kitchen safe, your staff need the right tools and equipment. Knowing the equipment best suited to a particular cleaning task is important and staff should have the right tools on hand. From disinfectants to the right kind of scrubbing pads, make sure staff have all the equipment they need to leave the kitchen looking spotless. It’s also important to think about the floor in areas of the kitchen, including fridges and outdoor areas. Spots that are more likely to be wet could benefit from safety mats to prevent the floor from becoming too slippery. Different floor surfaces are more at risk of becoming dangerous. Determine the kinds of floor surfaces you have in your kitchen and take the necessary steps as outlined in the Health and Safety Executive’s helpful table.

Explains Accident Prevention

“Prevention is better than a cure” is an old and popular proverb, which means it is better to stop bad things from happening, than to fix them after they have already happened. Accidents are preventable, but steps must be taken to prevent them. It is a legal obligation of organizations to comply with the laws, standard practices, and safety observations to avoid emergencies and accidents.

Many accidents occur due to human factors. These factors include unsafe acts, un-mindfulness, negligence, lack of knowledge and training. Another leading factor of accidents is working conditions. Unsafe working conditions can include faulty machines, faulty designs, substandard processes, occupational hazards, fire and other hazards, etc.. Accidents will continue to happen if preventative measures are not taken. Accident prevention can be achieved by commitment and cooperation between management, safety programs, safety culture and accountability. Prevention requires the following actions:

• Hazard identification by risk assessment
• Removal of unsafe work by research and development
• Removal of unsafe machines, tools and improvement of working conditions and environments

Slips, trips, and falls

Kitchens often have numerous slip, trip, and fall risks created by human error, meaning you and others need to focus closely on proper safety practices and housekeeping.

Slip, trip, and fall hazards include:

• Floor contamination, such as spillages of water, sauces, oil, and flour.
• Wet floors from cleaning.
• Obstructions in walkways, including trailing cables, boxes and crates, bins, cleaning equipment, etc.
• Uneven, worn down, or loose flooring.
• Using a ladder to access high pantry shelves.
• Standing in a truck to unload deliveries.

Preventing floor contamination is critical as people are constantly moving around on their feet, sometimes while transporting hot food that could spill onto them if they fell.

To minimise slip, trip, and fall hazards, you should:

• Carry out good housekeeping – clean spillages and move obstructions out of walkways right away.
• Take extra care while cleaning – avoid leaving puddles behind and make sure the cleaning materials you’re using are correct for the type of floor in your kitchen. Dry mop where possible to eliminate slip risks altogether.
• Keep cables out of walkways – use the nearest plug socket for appliances.
• Report any issues with the flooring or work activities that are generating hazards when they shouldn’t, for example leaking equipment.
• Use ladders in accordance with safety instructions – rest ladders on a firm, level surface and only use them for up to 30 minutes. Do not lift more than 10kg up a ladder.
• Avoid accessing heights without a suitable ladder – chairs and shelves are unsafe to stand on.
• Carry out deliveries with a co–worker – working with someone minimises the amount of times you have to step on and off the back of a truck and put yourself at risk of falling.

How to give your home a good regular deep cleaning

Regardless of the time of year, your house needs a good deep cleaning every now and then. That is not to say that you need to run and fork out hundreds of dollars for a fantastic cleaning service

Start by decluttering your home

Regular house cleaning is easier to do when you clear out the junk first. It allows you to move faster which gives you time to tend to every corner in your house. Now, you don’t have to clean out all of the junk at once but, we recommend decluttering once a month to ensure that each time you deep clean, you do a good job.

Work your way down

We recommend starting with hard to reach places that are above the ground such as ceilings, cupboard tops and so forth. Then move your cleaning down to walls, furniture and eventually, floor surfaces. The reason for moving in this direction is so you don’t release any dust into the air or spoil your floors or furniture as you are cleaning.

Pay attention to your floor

As we mentioned earlier, your floor should be the last surface that you clean in your home. Having said that, floors can be tricky and especially underneath furniture, you will find a lot of dirt and dust collecting. Try and move your furniture so you can get access to the floor underneath. Where possible, you can also use a special vacuum cleaner that allows you to reach underneath for a thorough clean.

Consider getting help

If cleaning is not your forte, you can always look for help. Domestic cleaning in London is a big market and there are plenty of professional services you can enlist to give your home a good deep clean. You can even hire them for specialised cleanings such as deep cleaner carpet cleaning or even floor polishing.

How to choose the right house cleaner

It’s natural to feel apprehensive when it comes to professional house cleaning. It’s your home we’re talking about after all – you want somebody who’s going to treat it with respect, and who you can trust with your property. With so many house cleaners in Melbourne offering their services, it’s entirely reasonable to feel lost – who should you choose?

Ask for recommendations

House cleaning isn’t as easy as it looks – since you’re here on our website, we’re sure you’ve come to that conclusion yourself! You want your house to be spotless. And with the scope of work and area to be cleaned, any house cleaning job should be done with utmost care and attention.

Look for testimonials and reviews

So you don’t have any family or friends who’ve engaged a professional house cleaner in Melbourne recently. No problem – instead, cast your net a bit wider and get on the net! One of the best ways to spot a good house cleaner from one that isn’t quite as fantastic is to search for them on the web and check their testimonials and online reviews.

Look for specialist cleaning jobs

While you may not need a specialist cleaner (yet), we suggest looking for a cleaner that offers these services anyway. Not only does this ensure that your cleaner will be able to rise to the occasion if you need a specialist cleaning job done, but it’s also a testament to your cleaner’s skill!

Treat your first phone call like an interview

Want to get a better idea of whether a prospective house cleaner is the right match for your needs? Just ask them! Unfortunately, not many people do this. All too many will only look at quotes and not do enough legwork to get a better understanding of the person they’ve just called.

Here’s How to Clean Your House More Efficiently

A few years ago, I found out that I’ve been cleaning my home all wrong. I was in a hotel room, when a maid came in and sprayed a solution on every surface…and then left. Right when I thought she’d forgotten, she returned. She wiped for less than two minutes with a thin dry cloth, and the whole place sparkled. It had, frankly, never occurred to me to let one solution do all the work, so I asked her what she’d used. It was something called Butcher’s Bath Mate—an industry standby.

The Best Way to Clean Your House

The biggest mistake people make is cleaning room by room (this is called “zone cleaning”). It’s much too slow! “You can either clean your kitchen in four hours, or clean your entire house top to bottom in four hours,” says Lisa Romero, owner of Just Like New Cleaning in Fort Collins, Colorado. “A lot of people get caught focusing on one area—say, doing a super job cleaning the counters—and never get to the stove, let alone the next room. In reality, just wiping things down and moving on is quick and efficient.”

Most pros are in favor of “task cleaning”: completing one chore, such as dusting, throughout the entire house, before starting the next. “You’ll do a little more walking, so it’s a good workout,” says Ronald Payne, owner of RZJ Janitorial Services in Plano, Texas, “and I find that it’s faster because you’re in a mindset to keep moving.” Follow these seven steps and your whole house will sparkle in four hours if you’re a beginner, two and a half once you become a pro. Need an even quicker method? Check out our tips for cleaning your house in only an hour, or our speed-cleaning guide for just 30 minutes.

Our Ultimate Cleaning Guide

The recommended plan of attack? Top-to-bottom, left-to-right. “I always start [in the upstairs bathroom],” says Romero. “It’s a good place to leave supplies.” For each task, start at the highest point in the room (if dusting, this might mean high shelves), and move from left to right across the room. This way, you don’t miss anything, and you won’t accidentally knock dust onto already-cleaned lower shelves.

Dust Your House

Dust each room, including the topsides of all the furniture, undersides of shelves, and all handrails, as well as picture frames, TV screens and knickknacks. “When it’s possible to dry-dust, I do—getting something wet makes it harder,” says Romero. To get rid of fingerprints, dampen a microfiber cloth with warm water.

House Cleaning

How long will the cleaning take?

You’ll get an email from your house cleaning pro to confirm the appointment date and time, size of your home, and other details. When the pro arrives they will review the scope of work with you and discuss how many hours the cleaning will take. Prior to the pro beginning your cleaning you should discuss any priorities or tasks that fall outside of the listed scope of work which may result in an updated price.

How do I schedule each cleaning? How far out can I schedule my appointments?

During checkout, you’ll be prompted to select your appointment preferences for your first house cleaning, which you can schedule within 90 days of purchase. After each cleaning has been completed, you’ll receive an email prompting you to schedule your next appointment. If you choose, you can also access and schedule any other cleanings you’ve purchased within the ‘Your Orders’ page of your Amazon account. If you’ve purchased multiple cleanings and don’t plan to have them fulfilled within the next 90 days, you’ll need to wait to schedule those appointments until your preferred appointment date is less than 90 days away.

What happens next?

You’ll get an email from your house cleaning pro to confirm the appointment date and time, size of your home, and other details. Please reply with any special house cleaning requests, issues, or other important info related to your house cleaning service.

How will the house cleaner know my priorities?

If it’s your first time booking an appointment with the house cleaner, be sure to review the scope of work outlined on this page before your appointment so you know what’s included in a typical cleaning. Plan to be available to review your cleaning preferences and priorities when your pro arrives. This will help ensure your pro spends their time cleaning the parts of your home that matter most to you. Any special requests should be discussed before the service appointment begins, as some requests are not included in a standard cleaning and may result in an updated service price.

If I buy multiple cleanings, do I pay for all of them at once?

You will not pay for all cleaning appointments at once. During checkout, you’ll see the total price for all House Cleaning appointments you choose to buy together, but your chosen payment method will only be charged for 1 cleaning at a time. You’ll only be charged after each service is completed.

Reasons to Choose a Professional Company Instead of a Private Cleaner

Unless you’ve discovered a 48-hour day, we’re pretty sure you need some help around the house. More and more people decide to give their house cleaning to hired hands so they have more time for leisure and family time.

Sometimes, not much thought or research goes into this decision though, and they end up disappointed. Why is that? Because they decide to hire private cleaners without background checks or insurance policies.

Liability insurance

So many things can happen during house cleaning! It’s not enough to be extra careful. Accidents can happen – no one means to break or damage a valuable household item! It can be so simple – a bucket sloshes water over the edges and ruins a carpet, or a vase is shattered when it’s knocked off a table. Private house cleaners generally don’t carry CGL (Comprehensive General Liability) insurance, which means they would have to pay out of pocket to repair or replace any damage to your home. Even if they are willing, most are not able to take on this expense, which means you have to live with the damage, or pay for it yourself.

Coverage for the cleaners

Professional house cleaning companies carry WSIB for their employees. This means that if the cleaning staff gets injured in your house or on your property, you have zero responsibility or liability. Some homeowners make the mistake of thinking that their house insurance will protect them if someone trips on the stairs or slips on the driveway- but that coverage is just for guests in your home. Anyone you hire to do work in your home is exempt from your plan. This is where hiring a private individual is a risk – if that person gets injured at your home and can’t work for a period of time, they can sue you. They may not win, but who wants the fight? Save yourself the hassle and expense when things go wrong, and choose a professional house cleaning company

Quality of products

The grocery store has an aisle of cleaning products, but are they really the best? Professional house cleaning companies have access to a different range of cleaning products than the ones available at big box stores. Using more effective and higher quality cleaning products means a better bang for your house cleaning buck.