Charging Extra for First Time Residential Cleaning
Upon closer inspection during our first cleaning visit, we discovered thick dust on the blinds and baseboards; greasy floors, carpets embedded with pet hair, smelly garbage cans, and scum laden bathrooms. The dust build up was so thick it took several attempts, wiping by hand, to completely rid the home of built up soil.
The bathroom fixtures and mirrors were masked with water spots; hairspray residue was everywhere, sinks caked with hardened toothpaste, stained tiles and mildew that had begun its journey up the wall behind the toilet. How on earth did we miss all this when we did the home walk-through? We soon learned to thoroughly inspect the entire home, room by room, to determine the true condition and present a profitable first time cleaning price.
What is a first time residential cleaning and why charge extra?
A first time cleaning can be summed up as a “regular” cleaning but with an emphasis on top to bottom cleaning, or as some would say, getting the “white glove” treatment.
Each homeowner will have differing ideas of what should be included in the first time clean and you will need to customize your residential deep cleaning specifications list to suit their needs. This handy form can be used to accurately bid the price for the first time cleaning. It breaks down of the various areas of a home such as the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, dining and living room, and utility rooms. There is an additional section for special services such as window washing, carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning. The form also includes signature area for approval of additional services.
Creating a specifications list will allow your cleaning technicians to perform their work efficiently and effectively, make sure all areas of the specifications list has been completed and in a manner discussed ahead of time with the customer.
According to recent Angie's List reviews, on average, a deep clean costs between $200 and $400, depending on the size of the house. Members reported spending an average of $227 on a deep cleaning.
A customer who has never had their home professionally cleaned is likely to have significant dust and soil build-up throughout the home. Or, if you're taking over an account from another residential cleaning contractor, it's likely the customer decided to make a change because they weren't happy with the quality of cleaning they had been receiving. In any case, you're going to run into areas of the home that haven't been properly cleaned in quite some time.
Your staff will need to remove the extra dust and soil build-up before you can create a regular maintenance schedule. Although each home you clean will be different, there will be additional challenges you are likely to face when cleaning a home for the first time.
First time cleaning services may include but are not limited to:
Bathroom
You will probably need to put extra effort into removing hard water stains, rings, and build-up from toilets, faucets, fixtures, showers, tubs and sinks. Vacuuming and cleaning vent grills, ceiling corners, and baseboards and light fixtures will also require additional cleaning time the first go around. The entire bathroom needs to be taken back to a clean starting point so future, regularly scheduled cleanings will keep everything shiny and deposit free.
Kitchen
There are many small cracks and crevices in the kitchen area that some residential cleaning services and home owners alike commonly overlook. The tops of cabinets, cupboards and refrigerators are places that are often neglected for long periods of time. You may also have to move the refrigerator to clean behind and underneath. Grease and fingerprints will likely be prevalent on most surfaces, especially stove tops, refrigerator doors, and small appliances. A good overall cleaning and disinfecting is essential to remove the hidden dirt, grease and even spilled food pieces.
Living Room & Bedrooms
People tend to sweep and vacuum what's visible to them, and ignore vacuuming and sweeping behind or under furniture, cushions and beds. Dusting is often a task that homeowners leave for "when there is time." Window sills, picture frames, ceiling fans, bookshelves, baseboards, and other furniture may have a build-up of thick dust that has been there for a long time.
Hallways & Entryways
Hallways and entryways are extremely important to keep clean. Not only are they the first thing people see when entering home, but this is where the majority of the dust and dirt enters the home. Climate and location can have a major impact on your cleaning technician's time to clean these areas. Entrance mats and floor rugs in hallways and entryways will require additional vacuuming, sweeping, or shaking since a lot of grit and soil will have accumulated in these particular places of the home. Dust, dirt, snow and ice can raise havoc on floors, rugs, and walk in mats. There will likely be small areas that have build-up around baseboards and edges.
Utility Room
This is another area of the home that is commonly overlooked. You will most likely run into some nasty dirt here. You may be required to wipe down the outsides of washer and dryer and possibly move the washer and dryer to clean behind and underneath. Additional cleaning specifications may require wiping down of counter tops, laundry sink and faucet, shelving and bins. Ceilings, corners, and vents are notorious for build-up of dust, lint, and cobwebs. Cleaning the dryer hose and lint traps may also be included as part of your first time clean specifications.
Other First Time Cleaning Duties
It's not uncommon for first time cleanings to require cleaning of high point areas. These higher elevations may require the cleaning technician to use telescoping poles, step ladders, etc. so make sure to take this into account when pricing your first time cleaning. Also, there may be items that will require at least two people to move or lift, such as furniture or appliances. Make sure your cleaning technicians are capable of moving or lifting heavy items or make additional arrangements to complete.
Discounts and Coupons
Although charging a first time fee for cleaning may seem like a no-brainer, some companies don't charge a first time cleaning fee; instead, they use it as a marketing tactic, hoping to recoup the costs back over time. There are both pros and cons to this approach.
Pros
Attracting new customer through the use of discounts and coupons is nothing new. Businesses have been using those types of “advertising” tactics for millenniums.
It can build customer loyalty if used only for existing customers. Offering free or discounted cleaning services can make existing customers feel valued, appreciated, and coming back for more. Think of the Subway Sandwich punch card. Every time you buy a sandwich, they punch your card. After 6 punches, the 7th is free. Offering a regular customers a free home or upholstery cleaning every once in a while can be a real feather in your hat.
There are numerous ways a residential cleaning company can attract and hopefully sign up new customers using discounts or coupons. For example, offering a 10% discount on a first time cleaning can definitely be attractive to the consumer. Or perhaps advertising a pre-determined fee, like $99 for your first time cleaning or $50 off for the first cleaning, then pricing goes back to the basic cleaning service charges. These discounts and coupons offers can be for a limited time, used by the customer on the following visit, offered only to customers who sign on for 2 or more months, or be incorporated into the businesses normal advertising plans.
Cons
Some residential cleaning services feel by offering discounts or coupons on their cleaning services, it devalues the quality of the services they provide. Meaning, it can make the company look cheap and desperate.
It can also attract only the “price shoppers” looking to take advantage of the special offer and then quickly cancelling or refusing continued scheduled cleanings afterwards. This definitely has the makings for an unprofitable marketing strategy. Some feel it doesn't make good business sense to throw offers on the table in order to attract new business when there are potential cleaning customers out there that would buy your services at the regular rate anyway.
If a company chooses to only offer discounts and coupons to attract new customers, this can have a negative impact on your current clientele. Consider offers made by broadcast satellite companies. They send out flyers weekly trying to get you to switch or sign up by offering “out of this world” incentives but totally miss taking care of their bread and butter customers.
Discounts and coupons can have a negative effect on the company's profit dollars. Sometimes new start up cleaning companies feel certain desperation to get new customers or additional project work and end up giving the house away (no pun intended). It can get costly for a cleaning service to offer continual discounts on their services without having a real understanding of the actual profit. In other words, their costs remain the same but the revenue is decreased because of the steep discount or coupon offer.
Conclusion
Removing the excess build-up of soil and grime is essential before you can get a home looking its best. Once the home has had a careful and thorough first time cleaning, it will be faster and easier for your team to go in and clean going forward.
Running a profitable residential cleaning business comes down to getting paid for the services you provide and making a fair profit. If you don't charge extra for the first time residential cleaning, you lose money. Visit each home, have an in-depth discussion with the homeowner about their needs and concerns, and establish what services you will provide and at what cost from the very start.
MyHouseCleaningBiz.com Members:
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