Archive for the 'Company news' Category

April 19, 2008 | Company news, Being Green, Lifestyle

Thank you to all who came out and spent a few minutes with us today at Whole Foods in Duluth! We had a great time sharing the love of Broomhuggers by handing out our GREAT reusable shopping bags! Three HUNDRED of them to be exact!

We hope that all of you who are new to our service and blog find it enjoyable and helpful! And thanks to those of you who already visit us regularly! We love our clients and fellow bloggers! We also love our planet and we’re glad we got to take a day and celebrate its beauty this Earth Day.

April 15, 2008 | Company news, Being Green

With Earth Day being just one week away I’m seeing a lot of people taking interest in what we can do to take better care of where we live. I’m not just talking about taking better care of the planet but people are really looking into the products we use in our homes, offices, daycares, etc. and the long term effects they have on us.

Do you have a great Earth Day inspired tip? Share it with us by leaving a comment…

or

Come out and visit the Broom Huggers booth that will be set up at Whole Foods Market in Duluth! We will be there from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. The event is free and there will be demonstrations, green home tips, live music and more! And our newest addition, Owen, will be there to greet you!

April 14, 2008 | Company news

There hasn’t been a lot happening on this site for several days, but that’s because there’s been a lot going on off-line. On Friday morning at 1:19 AM our newest team member was born. Welcome to the world, Owen!

March 28, 2008 | Company news

Over at Natural Moms Talk Radio I’ve been interviewed! I haven’t been able to get up the nerve to actually listen to it yet. Go over, listen (but not too closely!) and then come back and tell me it’s wonderful - maybe if enough people wax poetic about it I’ll actually be able to make myself listen to it!

February 17, 2008 | Reviews, Company news, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

There are so many great companies out there who make non-toxic, safe, environmentally-friendly cleaners. As a company, it’s always hard to weigh the pros and cons of each and make an informed decision about what to use. Until now we’ve been using Organic Excellence (whoops! There goes a trade secret), and we were quite happy with it. In fact, we’re still happy with it. It does a great job, it’s fully biodegradable, Green Seal approved, and it’s highly concentrated. All around, it’s a great product. But it lacks a ’sexy’ quality. And well, we are Broom Huggers, aren’t we? We want something affectionate. Something hot. And to meet that need, we found Shaklee!

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December 25, 2007 | Company news

This is an amazing time of year. One of my personal favorites! I love the cool and crisp weather, the frost on the grass in the morning and the generally happy feelings felt by most. There is nothing better than a hot cup of coffee and a rolling fire in the fire place. I love the food and the time spent with family. I even enjoy shopping for gifts, even though I usually choose to wait until the last few days before Christmas, all the while leading up to those said days saying “I’m not buying anything for anybody!”. I enjoy trying to find the perfect thing for the perfect person and then ending up buying a gift card for them anyway on Christmas Eve!

I know a lot of people celebrate Christmas differently. We all have our different traditions. Some choose not to celebrate it at all, others choose to celebrate an entirely different holiday. No matter how you celebrate or what you believe, enjoy this time of year! Walk outside, take in a deep breath and enjoy the scent of pine floating through the air.

A few warm thoughts:

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you’re home. ~Carol Nelson

Merry Christmas!

December 14, 2007 | Company news, Being Green

We wrote a post a few days ago about Green-washing. We thought it might be helpful to come completely clean about our business - for the sake of our clients, and for the sake of transparency. I’d hope that other products and services out there would do the same. So here are the 6 sins, complete with how we add up:

• Trade-offs. The example given: Paper. It may be harvested from sustainable forests but how environmentally-savvy is the production?
  • Broom Huggers is gradually taking steps to make all aspects of our business sustainable and responsible. The places where we’re lacking right now are transportation (financial prohibitions have kept us from going carbon-neutral), energy (our office uses some sustainable power, but not 100%), and marketing (while we opt for 100% recycled paper, and go paper-free as often as possible, we still advertise in print and haven’t paid the high premium for the most environmentally-responsible paper and inks).
    
• No proof. Claims are offered, but no substantiation is given or made available.
  • We aim to be as transparent as possible. If you have questions about any claims made in our marketing or on our website, we’ll be happy to respond via telephone or email. We’re the only cleaning service in Georgia certified by Co-op America. 
• Vagueness. This is a big one. Claims like chemical-free, non-toxic, and all-natural can’t be substantiated.
  • Well, we happen to use these terms all the time. Why? Because according our market research, it’s what our target clientele wants to hear. And according to their definition, it’s true - we meet their expectations there. But, we go one step further. We also tell you that we’re phosphate-free, paraben-free, and phenol-free. We’re chlorine-free and ammonia-free. Lead-free too. We’re hypo-allergenic. We don’t use disposables. Our cleaning solutions biodegrade in 28 days or less. Ask us what we mean by any of those things and we’ll tell you. There are plenty of other things that you won’t find in our products, but most of the readers here wouldn’t be interested in that list. Let me know if you want it, and I’ll get it to you. 
• Irrelevance. Companies use advertising claims that have little to no relevance to their product or target group. They count on their consumers not paying attention and not doing any research.
  • Our blog is intended to educate. We want you to know what we’re talking about, and we want you to know why it’s relevant. The truth is a tool, and we intend to use it often and wisely.
• Fibbing. Lots of companies make claims that are simply not true. Dig a little deeper than the surface, and you’ll find little fabrications.
  • Frankly, this one just makes me a little sad. You’ll never - and I mean never - catch us in an intentional fib. Nor will you catch us hiding the truth. See, our business is designed around faith-based values. Integrity is key, and not just because it’s a nice trait, but because one day we believe we’ll have to answer to the only High God and King. And fibbing just isn’t worth having to justify to the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It just seems silly. We won’t throw our faith in your face, but you can be confident that our integrity and honesty is driven by something deeper than mere warm fuzzy feelings. 
• The lesser of two evils. The example given is ‘organic’ tobacco or ‘green’ insecticides.
  • If you can find an ‘evil’ that we’re ignoring, please - by all means - bring it to our attention. I’ve put quite a bit of thought into this to figure out what this could be for us. I just can’t find anything. But that doesn’t make us perfect. Like I said, you look. Ask questions. Be an informed consumer. And if you find something, let us know so we can fix it!
    

December 10, 2007 | Company news

Broom Huggers has been swamped with business lately, and that’s nothing to complain about. But it does mean that upkeep of the blog has fallen to posting weekly as opposed to daily - as I’d like to. Add to that the fact that I’m a real person with a family and all the things that come with that (in-laws, holidays, illnesses, all 3 wrapped up into one…), and suddenly it’s not so strange that I haven’t been able to post as frequently as I’d like. I’m still recovering from Thanksgiving…

But I’ve found a kindred spirit - who happens to also be a Broom Huggers client - to help me out. You’ll be seeing upcoming posts from Jeana. She’s mom to a lively toddler who keeps her on her toes, she’s been moving into the ‘greener side’ with swift steps, and she also happens to be an awesome photographer and great researcher. So I’ll still be around, posting as often as life and business allow. And I’ll still be responding to your email and comments. But Broom Huggers is so excited to be welcoming Jeana aboard. As Piglet would say, “Everything is easier with two.” Jeana will bring a new dimension to the blog here, and I hope you love it as much as I do. I have to warn you though - her pictures will make you hungry…

November 15, 2007 | Company news, Cleaning tips

There are 2 ways to go about it. You can hire an established company or an independent cleaner. An independent cleaner is usually a fair amount less expensive than a company, purely because they don’t have the overhead and extra expenses that a company does. They also don’t usually carry insurance or bonding, and have little to no satisfaction guarantees. So you have to weigh the options. If insurance and guarantees are important to you, than you’ll be better off interviewing a few companies. If not, then save your moola and ask around for recommendations for an independent cleaner. If you get the word out to your friends that you’re in the market, you’re sure to get at least a few recommendations.

Now, questions to ask. How to interview. First - I highly suggest that you interview or get estimates from at least 3 companies or individuals, just like you would if you were hiring a home improvement contractor. When you speak with them, you’ll want to know the following:

1. What exactly is included? Compare the list between companies, and not just on a ‘numbered’ basis. Some will boast of their “50+ cleaning list” but their list may be redundant (bathroom sinks cleaned, bathroom sinks disinfected, kitchen sinks cleaned, etc.) while others will make their list more succinct, but perhaps also more thorough.
2. What products do they use? Will they use yours if requested? And if so, will they prorate their charge to account for their savings when using products you supply? We think knowing about what products they use is pretty important, and they’re not products you’re familiar with, you can ask to see the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) - this will tell you the hazards inherent in their products.
3. Are they licensed, bonded, and insured? A yes answer isn’t enough. Ask for verification. Any company who is legit will be able to prove it to you.
4. Who will be doing the cleaning? And will it be the same person(s) every time?
5. How do they handle pets?
6. What are their cancellation policies?
7. If you’ll be leaving a key with them, what are their safety procedures to keep your key and information safe? Your key should never be identified with your name, address, or phone number.
8. How will they clean specific parts of your home? (Hardwoods, granite or marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, artwork, etc.) You want to make sure they won’t use a harmful vacuum on your hardwoods, that they won’t be spraying down your oil on canvas with an all-purpose cleaner, etc.
9. What type of vacuum do they use? This is important. A lot of ‘commercial’ grade vacuums have weak filtration systems, and often send dust particles back into your air - creating poor air quality as they clean your home. Ensuring that they use a HEPA filter is important, but there are plenty of HEPA-filtered vacs that still kick particles up into the air. It’s also wise to ask how often their vacuum is tuned up and how frequently they change the vacuum bags.
10. Ensure that they have a confidentiality policy. While cleaning your home, they may stumble across things - be it bills or sensitive information, or just a general sense of how you keep your home - that you don’t want gossiped about to your friends and neighbors.
11. How do they handle special requests? Sure, their cleaning checklist may cover all your typical needs, but what about when your apple pie spills over in your oven? Or your popcorn explodes in the microwave? Or you’re rushing to get the guest room ready and you need help washing the linens?
12. What happens if something gets broken? If they’re insured it shouldn’t be a problem, but better to be safe than sorry.

Oh, and by the way… if you need someone in North east Altanta, Broom Huggers is the best green, healthy housekeeping service in town! (yet another shameless plug)
Have any questions you think should be added to our list?

August 12, 2007 | Company news

Co-op America is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to harnessing the economic power of consumers, investors and businesses to promote social justice and environmental sustainability. It’s good stuff. Social justice. Environmental sustainability. Gives us all kinds of warm fuzzies.

Prior to our inclusion in Co-op’s Green Pages, there were only 18 cleaning services approved. We’re number 19. That’s pretty special. The application and screening process is pretty intense, and that’s why there are so few cleaning services represented. Honestly, I’m hoping to see more of our competitors seek approval. It’s good for the community. It’s quite an honor for Broom Huggers to be recognized by Co-op America as a truly green maid service - the only one here in the Atlanta area. But it would be so good for Atlanta if some of our competing housekeeping services came over to the green side. All-natural is good for the community. But until they do, we’re happy to meet the needs of local clients with high expectations for health and sustainability!