Residential Cleaning:­ A Beginners Survival Guide

Welcome to the world of residential cleaning. If you are new to residential cleaning, I hope this article will make your path a bit smoother.

The most important part of residential cleaning has nothing to do with cleaning itself. It is communication. When you are trying to seal an account for residential cleaning, try to put yourself into the customer's shoes.

They are hiring you to be in their home, likely when they are not going to be there. You will be in every room and every corner. This means that they have to be sold on you as a person and your company. Communicate any information that legitimizes your business: insurance, bonding, cleaning specifications, employee info and how you select employees, guarantees, experience, products used, and equipment are all great places to start.

Go to the home for an initial meeting dressed in corporate casual, like khaki pants and a polo shirt. Have a clipboard, bid specifications, (available at this site to be downloaded) and a business card.

Make sure that the meeting is not just a house tour. Ask them if they have had a cleaning service in the past. If they have, ask why they are switching. It is likely that they weren't satisfied with the service. Ask specifically what was not done properly and what their biggest concern with service is. Resist bad-mouthing other cleaning companies. It is cliché and it makes you look like a desperate account grabber.

Before leaving, don't forget to address the issue of gaining entry to the home when you start. Some will give you a key, some will hide a key, and some might leave the door unlocked for you. Make it their decision. People don't like to be talked into giving away a house key.

So now you've landed an account. I won't go into actual cleaning details because if you are a cleaning business, let's assume you know how to clean and have your own methods. I'm just going to suggest some tips that will help ensure a happy client.

• Smells. One of the first things I learned was that people DO want to smell cleaners. I learned this quite fast and lost a customer after the first service. Was the house clean? Yes, and it was disinfected, sanitized and spotless. The complaint: "When we came home it didn't smell like cleaners. How long were you here, 45 minutes?" The lesson: residential cleaning is a little bit like food -- it not only must look good but it better smell good too. Invest in a deodorizer, something that smells good and should please the masses. Don't buy something that smells like a designer fruit because some people will love it and others will hate it. I use a spray called Microban, not only a hospital grade disinfectant but a clean, fresh smell that all my customers love. One even has me leave a can of it for him every month or so.
  
  
• Orange Glow Hardwood system. I'm not trying to plug a product, but this system has become a secret weapon. It is available at any big box or even grocery store for around $13. This is a kit that contains a microfiber mop and Orange Glow hardwood cleaner/polish. The system is basic -­ sweep/dust mop and apply hardwood cleaner with the microfiber mop. It doesn't get any easier than that. The catch is that the floors look like glass when you're finished. Nothing is more dramatic than a shining hardwood floor. Most people are at a loss for making wood look nice. They've been told so many home remedies and concoctions that it is almost amusing after a while to hear some of them.
  
  
• Make the Bed. Even if this is not in your specifications. Making a bed takes about 90 seconds. It's not a big deal. Practice this in your own home --­ clean the entire room but leave the bed disheveled. Now make the bed. See the difference? Perception is reality in residential cleaning.
  
  
• Moving of items. Remember the home I told you about that complained about no smell? They also accused us of not moving anything to clean behind or under. Well, we did move things, almost everything. The problem is, we put it all back exactly how it was. This is more of a tactic than a tip but don't put everything exactly as it was. If you move a chair, leave it 1/4 inch from the carpet mark it already made. Put the bottle of soap on the opposite side of the sink. Get it? Don't remodel the house, it's a subtle thing. Too much will draw a complaint. You're showing that you move things to clean under them. Yes, it is a quirky suggestion but this is real life not cookie cutter. Unfortunately some people assume that cleaners cut corners.

The last thing any cleaner wants is a complaint. You are going to get a complaint, maybe not after a day or a week or even a month but you will get them eventually. You will have left a home dog-tired and satisfied that you did a great job and then the phone rings. The customer reads off a litany of complaints.

Resist the natural tendency to explain away or rebut every point. They don't want to hear it and you won't win that battle. Thank them for pointing it out. Even through gritted teeth and 105 degree ears. Offer solutions. Document each point on paper. Tell them that you will adjust service the next visit to address these points first and foremost.

Do not immediately offer any monetary refunds or partial refund. Reasonable people will accept an "extra" like a oven cleaning the next time out. It is likely that they are just trying to test your limits if they only want a monetary solution. Just remember that it is a slippery slope once you start handing back money for complaints.

If you have a customer that is never satisfied and you know you are doing the job properly, get rid of the customer. There is another that will come along that will fill that void and value your service. In my experience there are 2 kinds of customers --­ appreciative and unappreciative. The vast majority are appreciative.

There doesn't seem to be a middle ground in my opinion. I have a theory about why this is the case. In my experience, many of the homes we clean are immaculate when we arrive. It makes you wonder why somebody is paying good money for a service they really don't need.

I chalk it up as some people are NEVER satisfied with the level of cleanliness in their home. The world we live in will never be dust free no matter what lengths we go to eliminate it therefore this type of person isn't going to be happy ­ ever.

On the flip side, most customers are not this way. Of course good news is always under-reported, right? The purpose of this article is to prepare you for when things don't roll along smoothly.

The last thing I want to address is time. Be aware of time but don't obsess about it. When you go into a home, you will know in your head that your goal is to be done by such and such time. If you are running behind avoid rushing and trying to make it up. If you cut a corner and lose the customers account, what did the extra 30 minutes really save you?

Hopefully these guidelines help you avoid a baptism by fire or at least a lower BTU baptism.