The Dilemma
I recently read a post on Quora asking what house cleaners want their clients to do before they come to clean their house. The author shared a story about their childhood, where their mom would ask them to clean the house before the cleaning crew arrived. They always wondered why the cleaning crew would have such a requirement.
What interested me the most was not the question asked, but the story they shared. The house cleaners of the poster’s mom have been cleaning for her since the poster was young and are still cleaning for her, but now, for the poster and their siblings as well.
This made me happy because when I started my cleaning business, I didn't expect to be cleaning for the same family for years. However, my clients proved me wrong, and they motivated me to build a client list and turn my home services gig into a full-fledged cleaning company with employees.
After reading the post, I felt compelled to answer the poster’s question about what house cleaners want their clients to do before they come to clean their house. Let's dive into what most house cleaners expect:
“Picking up”
What the poster describes as cleaning is actually tidying up, which is what house cleaners consider as “picking up”.
This involves picking up items off the floors or where they don’t belong and putting them where they belong. For example, toys on the floors or throughout the house will be stored in their corresponding storage.
Dirty clothes in a laundry basket and clean clothes in the closet. This task is included in all of the JayHelpClean cleaning guides. We do not want our clients to ever have to clean, and certainly not before we arrive.
The dilemma:
However, not all cleaning companies offer picking up as part of their service. Other house cleaning companies might request picking up to be done before the cleaning, which is understandable. With picking up being considered time-consuming, they might not want to offer it.
At JayHelpClean, we always send a minimum of two crew members to clean and develop a cleaning routine that makes picking up a breeze. We consider it to be an important part of our cleaning standard. So, we happily offer it.
clear communication, respecting the strategy in place ...
True expectation
Most cleaners expect to have :
houses empty of people ready for them to clean.
However, in this post-COVID world, this is not always possible. People work from home, or they are just not into being out for long, especially if they have children.
This is something a lot of cleaners are struggling to adapt to. At JayHelpClean, we wanted to be flexible. We looked at our cleaning routine and restructured it in a very modular fashion so that no matter the house or the situation, everything was cleaned promptly without disrupting our patrons' work or their children’s routine.
By communicating with us and agreeing on a strategy beforehand, our patrons make that entire process easier and seamless.
So, we expect clear communication, respecting the strategy in place, and making sure to be out of our way as much as possible.
If any cleaning companies are thinking of doing the same, besides making your routine modular, my other advice is to learn when to stop and not take anything to heart. When clients are home, they will utilize their space because that is their home! The focus should be on doing a good job and not getting trapped in cleaning what you already cleaned.
You cleaned it, they saw it, used it.
Your job is done! Move on!
Jayhelpclean, We Clean, So You Don’t Have To. Ever.