Archive for the 'Hiring help' Category

October 19, 2008 | Hiring help

1. You certainly don’t need to clean your house before I come, but the less clutter knick-knacks and personal items on your shelves and countertops, the faster I’ll be out of your hair and the faster you can get on with your day.
2. I would love to put fresh sheets on your bed, so please leave them somewhere I can find them, like at the foot of the bed.
3. I’m happy to clean a few dishes in your kitchen, but if you leave me last night’s dishes (along with the dishes from the party you had last week) it’s going to take more time, and your cleaning rate may reflect that.
4. When I take out your trash, I really want to make your life easy by putting fresh liners in your trash can, but I can only do that if you put them somewhere I can find them.
5. There are some nifty daily shower sprays on the market that will keep away things like shower scum and mildew. We maids love to clean showers where that has been used. (And your rate just might reflect the time we save on scrubbing…)
6. I know you want to save some dough on heating and A/C when you’re not home, but it would be oh so nice if you’d leave the setting somewhat comfortable on the day I’m there to clean.
7. I generally don’t mess with piles of ’stuff’ and areas where your ‘controlled chaos’ are seemingly volatile. If you want me to pick up your piles and clean under them, please tell me. Otherwise, I won’t mess up your creative organization.
8. Please do expect me to move things around so I can dust them and dust underneath them. I’ll do my very best to put them back where they were, but please have patience with me if they’re a few inches off or turned by a degrees. I really am doing my best.
9. I’m in the service business and I really want to make you happy. That’s my job. The more you can share with me about your expectations and pet peeves, the more successful I’ll be at pleasing you.
10. When I let you know that we’re just about done and we’d love for you to take a look at things, we really do want you to do that. And please let me know if there’s anything that’s not up to spec. See, I really do want you to be pleased with my work, and I want the opportunity to fix anything that’s not quite right.

October 5, 2008 | Hiring help, Cleaning tips

 

We’ve told you how to save money by making your own cleaning products and how to save on commercially-available cleaning products. But if you pay someone to clean your home, here are some tips to keep the price down there too.

First, the less clutter there is the faster they’ll be able to clean. In other words, go through and declutter your house, then renegotiate your price. Here’s the kicker though - anything out that isn’t furniture is considered clutter in our book. Picture frames, the vase Aunt Edna gave you on your wedding, and the eclectic decorative accents you picked up in Cabo. Basically if they have to pick it up, dust it, clean under it, and replace it - it’s what a maid calls clutter. You may not want to rethink your whole decorative style at home, but if you’re looking to save some green put away anything you’re not really attached to.

Along the same lines, avoid giving them extra tasks. Sure, they’ll probably be willing to handle a few dishes in the sink or fold a load of laundry, but that will require their time and that means money for you. The fewer tasks you assign to them the lower your bill will be.

Second, if you’re thinking you can’t afford a maid you may be mistaken. Most companies and individual maids have a minimum fee they charge to clean. In other words, they don’t take a job below a certain number - it isn’t worth their while. But you may be able to get your bill down to that minimum by negotiating what they’ll do in your home. Maybe you don’t need them to change your linens or clean the dining room you use twice a year. Have them concentrate on areas you really need help with and you can do the rest yourself between cleanings. Be aware that bathrooms and kitchens take the most time, and therefore represent the lion’s share of your cleaning cost. Hardwood and tiles floors take time too, so if you don’t mind vacuuming or sweeping yours and mopping them on your own, that’ll save you a bunch.

Third, traffic on your floors increases the time your maids spend at your home. If you take your shoes off when you enter the house it’ll serve a dual purpose - it’ll keep your floors cleaners and it’ll help with allergies since we bring in allergens on our shoes and track them through the house. When your floors are cleaner your housekeepers can do their job more quickly and saved time for them means saved money for you.

Lastly, dust is big. Do what you can to reduce dust and debris - change your air filters every 3 months, and every time you change them clean or change your doormats too.  When you remove anything from storage unpack it outside and dust it off before brining it into your home. Keep your pets groomed and combed well so that you trap as much of their shedding as possible. Better for it to be in your brush than your air! These tips will help you reduce the allergens in your house too.

Remember, your housekeeping service charges you based on the amount of time necessary to clean your home. The more streamlined it is for them the less you’ll pay. And while we’re on the topic, the cheapest service isn’t always the best option. If you’re going to foot the bill you should be satisfied with the service. If you’re not, look elsewhere. The great thing about this - for consumers - is that there’s plenty of competition out there. You should be able to find someone who will do the job right no matter where you are.

August 21, 2008 | Hiring help

“… but she came highly recommended,” “… she earned my total trust…”

We’ve heard it too many times. People look and look for a housekeeper they feel comfortable with. They get recommendations, use caution, maybe even do a background check. And then they hire someone and gives them keys to their house, invite the person into their life, and assume that respect and trust will be a two-way street.

It brings to mind a story from a few years ago. There was a housekeeper to the stars - she worked exclusively for celebrities and was presumably paid very well - and she was caught stealing from several of them. This is a referral-based community and she was trusted by a large number of people. Unfortunately her excuse was “I never stole from the nice celebrities.” In other words, those who weren’t ‘nice’ by her definition pushed her to steal from them. After many years of trusted service, she was found to have stolen from numerous celebrities.

There’s another type of theft appearing these days that’s even more worrisome. Home contractors, nannies, and housekeepers have been known to steal medications from their clients. At a time when prescription drugs are at a premium and healthcare costs are exorbitant, it’s no wonder that thieves have evolved into the drug trade business.

What can you do to protect yourself? Only hire insured, licensed companies. Sure, bonding sounds nice, but it’s rarely any help. What you need is general liability insurance, and you need to ask for proof of it. Any company worth working with will provide you with proof of insurance. Check out the consumer education section of the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International for more information about hiring a housekeeper. You’ll want to look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the link to Locate a cleaning service will list any cleaning service in your area that’s a member of the organization. (Hint: we’re listed there too, as Gwinnett and North Fulton’s premiere green housekeepers.)

November 15, 2007 | Hiring help

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 3, 2007 | Hiring help, Company news

I just realized that my previous post was in fact my hundredth post. In true blogger fashion, I’m going to try to tell you 100 things about me. Actually, 100 things about Broom Huggers - the company (but so far I can’t do more than 54. Which is ok, because you probably don’t want to read any more than that anyway).

1. We’re a fully licenced, fully insured healthy homekeeping company in North East Atlanta.
2. We’re privately held and family owned.
3. Family designed, to serve families. (more…)
   Posted by mudlark @ 8:54 pm | 2 Comments