Still not regular on my blogs, but seeing that the reason is because I am working I like to believe that this is a good reason not to be behind my desk.
Our 1st birthday deal that we sent out was very well received in fact I ended up extending the offer which was amazing to me. The wonderful emails , the feedback about our work has just been amazing. It really does make me smile each time. With training new workers my customers have been so instrumental in helping their training with positive feedback and constructive concerns. Could not ask for more.
With more employees now I have been allowed more time to focus on the other side of business with marketing, looking at new website makers and in house computer systems. Some thing that for the longest time I have had to do at the end of the day as cleaning is always first priority.
This week myself and another office worker have been looking at different ideas about marketing. In doing this research he showed something to me that bothered me and had me wondering where do you draw the line in marketing your business and outright knocking another.
My office worker showed me some Facebook Fanpages he had found that were for other cleaning businesses in town. Very good pages but what concerned me was that on one page in particular there is a letter that is supposedly (can not say if the person is real or not, I do not know) by a woman who wanted to warn everyone off of using a well known cleaning company here in town. She went on and on about why they had messed up. What concerned me is I know the owner of this company and what was written in this letter, some of it I know for a fact to be false. Concern number two, the other company's FB page she posted this letter on, did not delete the letter. This company did not clean for her either, yet this is a letter that was posted under their "recommendations" section. How is this considered a recommendation?
Maybe I am old fashioned, maybe I am not a cut throat business person but this letter, where it was posted and their response to it bothered me. Certainly I can not speak for others but I can say honestly that yes I have heard many, many stories about other cleaning companies in town and even independent cleaners. Have I been told their names? Yes. Everyone has a need to be heard and if they feel as though they have not, well you often are the one they will ask to listen. I could never imagine allowing someone to post a letter on my page publicly naming another local business, berating everything about them, and then thank them for sharing their story. Truth is I don't understand why any company would. Am I old fashioned? Am I not cut throat enough? Maybe. What I would love to hear is feedback on what you think. Is it a good idea to allow your social media page to be used to publicly bashed another business or not?
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Celebrating 1st Anniversary !! Our gratitude, our growth our learning !
1st year Anniversary !!
Wow! We are coming up on our 1st year anniversary! It is hard to believe, time passed by so quickly. Most days it feels as though we just started yesterday. I have had a little time this week to sit back and reflect on how grateful I am, how much I have learned and how much growing I have done and the whole company as well.So what do I know? I am asked this a lot by many people. "You must know a lot about cleaning. Can you tell me how to.... ". The truthful answer that I always give is "Do not ask me what I know, be better to ask me what I do not know". There is so much growth in the residential cleaning industry at the moment, it is amazing. New products, new methods, new training. I would look foolish to say I know everything, that would be impossible. What I do know is that I can find the answer for you. The learning in this field is constant and innovative. I am proud to be part of this field. To see all the effort that those who work in residential or commercial cleaning are putting into new ideas and concepts. To keep our clients homes cleaned properly with all the new and different materials used today in building homes, it is extremely important to constantly keep learning. What I learn, I pass onto my employees helping them to grow and become even better cleaners.
I have learned that it takes a special person to clean, especially with our method of cleaning. Over the past year I have interview many people, hiring a few that seemed to be a good fit. No matter how many interviews you do, references you call or even evaluations you have potential employees go through, at the end of the day you never truly know if it is the right fit for someone until they have gone out and started to work in the field. How does that saying go , "Many have tried, many have failed". I put as much focus on creating a wonderful work atmosphere for our employees as I do on cleaning a client's home. Letting them know that they have an employer that truly cares about them. From having coffee for them each morning to the large amount of training time. Most people do not realize how much time, effort and money I put into training my employees. Our cleanings are so specialized that it takes much time to make sure that a new employee is well and solidly trained. For me it is worth all of it. To having my employees know how much I really do value them, to my client's knowing that even if I am not the one cleaning they will still have the standard they are use to in their cleans.
What else have I learned ? That copying is the sincerest form of flattery. When I first started I watched a lot what other cleaning businesses were doing. After the first month I stopped. Why? At the end of the day what matters most is only what I am doing. There is room enough for everyone. What I provide is specialized to our company. What the others do, that is there business. Keeping the focus on what we do best, continuing to improve our service, that is what matters most. Learning from our mistakes, learning from customers feedback and constantly changing and adapting to provide a service that our customers want and need.
My honest gratitude to our customers. It has been truly not just through what I see as gold standard customer service, but through their valued feedback that we are constantly growing and improving. Do we make mistakes?? Yes !! When mistakes happen we correct them above and beyond what is expected of our customers, and mark it down so we can improve to not have that particular mistake happen again. When I have customers telling me that they have never met as "fussy of a cleaner" as me and that they love it, I am so grateful that every morning I get up and do the work I do.
Grateful for the many customers we have who have had negative experiences before us, but through having us come clean their homes they have learned that there is a company of people who truly care. My employees receive much gratitude from me. For all the hard work they do, and do with pride. For their desire to constantly do well and learn from their mistakes. For the jokes they crack with me or the stories that they share. For taking care of our customer's homes and even there pets giving them love and affection, I am grateful.
This 1st year has been an amazing year !! I have learned, I have grown, I have immense gratitude to our customers and all of those people who have helped me in areas that I need help (taxes would be one. my bookkeeper is amazing !) I look forward to many years to come of learning and growing. Thank you to all of you.
Monday, 13 February 2012
It's Monday Morning-Why Did I Go Into The Cleaning Business Again?
Monday morning. Just the sight and sound of those two words can make the everyday person break into a sweat, their brow start to furrow from scowling, the smile wiped off of their face! Yep, let me say it again, Monday morning.
Before I started my cleaning business, I LOVED Monday mornings. It was the start of a brand new week, full of new opportunities. The one day of the week I would rise early with coffee in hand just to smile while listening to the sounds of nature in the summer, silence in the winter. Yep! I LOVED Monday mornings.
Then it happened. I started Fine Details Cleaning. At first I did not see anything different. Still had my same routine Monday morning, still enjoying that first fresh cup of hot coffee with the birds, those Monday mornings were still great! Slowly though a few things started to change. Can not say the exact day that it changed, think it was more over a series of days and weeks. Starting with the occasional Sunday that I would be up until the wee hours of the morning working, planning, organizing, brainstorming (with myself as all other sane people were asleep at 2 am in the morning). This was not every Sunday though, just the occasional one so there were no concerns. What's a few sleepless Sunday nights right? He he he he, little did I know or see what was coming.
Then it started to be the flurry of emails that awaited me Monday mornings. Now part of this was to blame on all the different groups I had joined on a certain networking site. Note to self for next time: turn off the feature that sends you nightly updates on every word said in every group you are part of ! But I became fast use to just skimming through those emails. Oh but then came the customer emails. Only one or two at first. Usually for that day's client, or maybe the next day. Requests for this, that and what not. Okay, I figured I can handle a few requests here and there. Was not having as much coffee and nature sound time in the morning but it would pass in time and life would go back to normal.
Nope!! Wrong again! When you start finding you are up EVERY Sunday night late working , leading to less sleep which then leads to grabbing every last possible second Monday morning, that does not help for Monday morning nature time. Add to that an email inbox filled with comments from your groups, an email from your bookkeeper usually on a weekly basis reminding you of something else you have forgotten this week, customers requesting this, that and pretty much everything short of the moon, suppliers needing questions answered now, well let's just say those relaxing Monday mornings of being up early with a fresh coffee , listening to nature or silence are GONE!!
In their place you see a business owner who 99% of the time has spilt coffee somewhere on her clothing and/or furniture, a flurry of tap tap tap at the computer, a cell phone starting to Ping constantly , basically someone who use to look like snow white each Monday morning and now resembles more one of the characters from the tv series "The Walking Dead". The dead characters unfortunately :(
Would I give it all back to have my peaceful Monday mornings you ask?? NEVER! I LOVE what I do. I love providing a quality service to people that I know both need and appreciate it. To be able to be a small part of the equation in helping others be employed and financially able to provide for their families? Or help out both with time and money to local charities that are in such desperate need of help? Would I give all that away just to have the sounds of nature and silence again? No, because to me the flurry and bustle that has become my Monday mornings, are the sounds of peace and happiness and I would want it no other way.
Have a wonderful green week. Remember to smile, most especially when you don't want to 'cause that is when you need it the most.
Before I started my cleaning business, I LOVED Monday mornings. It was the start of a brand new week, full of new opportunities. The one day of the week I would rise early with coffee in hand just to smile while listening to the sounds of nature in the summer, silence in the winter. Yep! I LOVED Monday mornings.
Then it happened. I started Fine Details Cleaning. At first I did not see anything different. Still had my same routine Monday morning, still enjoying that first fresh cup of hot coffee with the birds, those Monday mornings were still great! Slowly though a few things started to change. Can not say the exact day that it changed, think it was more over a series of days and weeks. Starting with the occasional Sunday that I would be up until the wee hours of the morning working, planning, organizing, brainstorming (with myself as all other sane people were asleep at 2 am in the morning). This was not every Sunday though, just the occasional one so there were no concerns. What's a few sleepless Sunday nights right? He he he he, little did I know or see what was coming.
Then it started to be the flurry of emails that awaited me Monday mornings. Now part of this was to blame on all the different groups I had joined on a certain networking site. Note to self for next time: turn off the feature that sends you nightly updates on every word said in every group you are part of ! But I became fast use to just skimming through those emails. Oh but then came the customer emails. Only one or two at first. Usually for that day's client, or maybe the next day. Requests for this, that and what not. Okay, I figured I can handle a few requests here and there. Was not having as much coffee and nature sound time in the morning but it would pass in time and life would go back to normal.
Nope!! Wrong again! When you start finding you are up EVERY Sunday night late working , leading to less sleep which then leads to grabbing every last possible second Monday morning, that does not help for Monday morning nature time. Add to that an email inbox filled with comments from your groups, an email from your bookkeeper usually on a weekly basis reminding you of something else you have forgotten this week, customers requesting this, that and pretty much everything short of the moon, suppliers needing questions answered now, well let's just say those relaxing Monday mornings of being up early with a fresh coffee , listening to nature or silence are GONE!!
In their place you see a business owner who 99% of the time has spilt coffee somewhere on her clothing and/or furniture, a flurry of tap tap tap at the computer, a cell phone starting to Ping constantly , basically someone who use to look like snow white each Monday morning and now resembles more one of the characters from the tv series "The Walking Dead". The dead characters unfortunately :(
Would I give it all back to have my peaceful Monday mornings you ask?? NEVER! I LOVE what I do. I love providing a quality service to people that I know both need and appreciate it. To be able to be a small part of the equation in helping others be employed and financially able to provide for their families? Or help out both with time and money to local charities that are in such desperate need of help? Would I give all that away just to have the sounds of nature and silence again? No, because to me the flurry and bustle that has become my Monday mornings, are the sounds of peace and happiness and I would want it no other way.
Have a wonderful green week. Remember to smile, most especially when you don't want to 'cause that is when you need it the most.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Ideas For Keeping Your Home Organized and Clean
Often I am asked by our customers for ideas on organization and cleaning tips for their homes. This always surprises me as I have honestly never taken the time to sit down and write out what I have learned as a mom or an owner of a cleaning company. When I finally did it was very apparent to me that the tips my mom and my grandmother gave to me are still the same ones that worked today. With a few new modern techniques or products. There are many sites online that can help you with organizing your help from DIY projects to more detailed, custom solutions. At the end of the day these are my personal tips that have help me over the years with four children, four cats at one time and now with my business, to keep my space clean and organized.
1. Do not just put it down, put it where it belongs.
Okay I realise that this one makes me sound uptight but the truth is the number one easiest way to keep your home organized is to put everything back where it belongs instead of the more common "drop and leave" method. My children heard this phrase since they were little , now as adults they have come to understand how much easier it is to keep their living spaces organized and clean by just taking a few extra seconds to put something back. Cleaning is 99% easier to do when everything does not need to be put away first.
2. Pick it up as you go.
Walking to the kitchen you see a couple of cat toys on the floor. Don't walk by thinking you will clean them up later, grab them as you go by and throw them in the cat's toy box (if you have one). Laundry in a bin sitting at the top of stairs? Bring it with you when you are headed downstairs to the kitchen and drop it off in the laundry room. Make every trip count for more by taking an extra sixty seconds to not just do what you set out to do in the first place but getting one other goal accomplished as well.
3. Spot Clean.
After putting everything back in it's place and picking up one extra thing as you go, spot cleaning is my absolute favorite way to keep on top of everything! As a busy woman with a family and business I do not have large chunks of time to do a whole house clean every week. The easiest way for me to keep my home clean is spot cleaning. When I am done dishes I will clean down my counter, my stove and even the top of my stove fan. It is just a little bit but it keeps my home at a respectable level of clean.
4. Use good quality cleaning tools.
Our mothers and grandmothers would take old t-shirts or jeans and cut them up to use as rags for cleaning. I have to confess that using an old t-shirt even washed does not really make me feel as though I am cleaning anything. Modern technology in cleaning tools has come a long way these days. Microfiber towels are in my humble opinion one of the best new tools we have to clean with . Why? For one they have a cleaning power better then anything. They are made to scrub away dirt,smudges or spills much more effectively then paper towel or old rags. One of the reasons our company uses them is that they are effective at removing up to 96% of bacteria with water alone , which is important today as many people suffer from chemical sensitivities. We use different coloured microfibers in our cleaning business for different purposes. Blue for mirrors and windows, pink for bathrooms and kitchens, green for dusting. In addition to microfibe towels choose a good quality cleaning product that is as eco friendly as possible which means low in VOCs. Better for you and for your home.
5. Have a main designated entry area for heavy traffic use.
Many of you might wonder about this tip but if you have one main designated entry for the family it really does help immensely. It keeps the clutter of shoes,boots,keys,coats,bags and everything else that we bring in , to one area. This includes the tracking in of dirt. In many other countries such as Japan,Russia or China it is normal to take off your shoes and leave them by the entry. Do as I have done for many years, I have a basket in my entry area filled with slippers for guests to use so that they take their shoes off and leave them in that area. This keeps outside dirt from tracking through the house, which can affect great wear and tear on your floors and rugs. Also keep a good mat at our door. Most of us who live in the north and deal with the snow and slush from winter know how important this is. There have been government studies that have shown that by keeping a mat at your door and not wearing outside shoes through your house, dust,dirt and chemicals levels in homes were greatly reduced. Simple steps with huge benefits.
6. Keep to a schedule.
Change your sheets every Saturday morning? Clean your bathroom Sunday afternoon? If you have a schedule for doing different cleaning tasks in your home, stick to it! If you do not , work to establish one. For cleaning tasks that can not be let go such as changing sheets, cleaning a toilet, etc. a schedule helps make it easier to get it done consistently and faster. If you maintain a schedule the level of dirt for example in your bathroom will not have a chance to build up making the cleaning of your bathroom that much easier.
7. Declutter, declutter, declutter !!!
I can not say it enough. Yes we all love pretty collectables and items in our home. But every six months take a good look around and see what you really need and what you don't. If you have not used it in six months, donate it as you are not going to use it. If it is old and broken, waiting for the day you have time to fix it, give it to someone else who has the time to fix it. A house filled with clutter does not have a good energy to come home to. Even simple things as magazines or books. If you have a lot of books, go through them every six months and donate the ones that you will never read again. Magazine lover as I am with more coming in then I should admit to? :) Make a goal to read through one a week. Tear out recipes you want to save (then put them right into your recipe binder), then give the magazine to your local doctor or dentist's office for others to enjoy.
These are just a few tips that I use for my own home. It can sometimes seem overwhelming in our every day lives with work,extra curricular activities, children, pets, partners and all the other demands on our time to keep up with our homes. If you break it down to little steps like the ones above, it will keep everything in your home organized and cleaned not to perfection, but a level that makes you want to come home at the end of the day. If all else fails, call a local cleaning service such as Fine Details Cleaning and we will help you keep your home clean! (Had to get one shameless plug in) :)
Enjoy a wonderful, green week.
1. Do not just put it down, put it where it belongs.
Okay I realise that this one makes me sound uptight but the truth is the number one easiest way to keep your home organized is to put everything back where it belongs instead of the more common "drop and leave" method. My children heard this phrase since they were little , now as adults they have come to understand how much easier it is to keep their living spaces organized and clean by just taking a few extra seconds to put something back. Cleaning is 99% easier to do when everything does not need to be put away first.
2. Pick it up as you go.
Walking to the kitchen you see a couple of cat toys on the floor. Don't walk by thinking you will clean them up later, grab them as you go by and throw them in the cat's toy box (if you have one). Laundry in a bin sitting at the top of stairs? Bring it with you when you are headed downstairs to the kitchen and drop it off in the laundry room. Make every trip count for more by taking an extra sixty seconds to not just do what you set out to do in the first place but getting one other goal accomplished as well.
3. Spot Clean.
After putting everything back in it's place and picking up one extra thing as you go, spot cleaning is my absolute favorite way to keep on top of everything! As a busy woman with a family and business I do not have large chunks of time to do a whole house clean every week. The easiest way for me to keep my home clean is spot cleaning. When I am done dishes I will clean down my counter, my stove and even the top of my stove fan. It is just a little bit but it keeps my home at a respectable level of clean.
4. Use good quality cleaning tools.
Our mothers and grandmothers would take old t-shirts or jeans and cut them up to use as rags for cleaning. I have to confess that using an old t-shirt even washed does not really make me feel as though I am cleaning anything. Modern technology in cleaning tools has come a long way these days. Microfiber towels are in my humble opinion one of the best new tools we have to clean with . Why? For one they have a cleaning power better then anything. They are made to scrub away dirt,smudges or spills much more effectively then paper towel or old rags. One of the reasons our company uses them is that they are effective at removing up to 96% of bacteria with water alone , which is important today as many people suffer from chemical sensitivities. We use different coloured microfibers in our cleaning business for different purposes. Blue for mirrors and windows, pink for bathrooms and kitchens, green for dusting. In addition to microfibe towels choose a good quality cleaning product that is as eco friendly as possible which means low in VOCs. Better for you and for your home.
5. Have a main designated entry area for heavy traffic use.
Many of you might wonder about this tip but if you have one main designated entry for the family it really does help immensely. It keeps the clutter of shoes,boots,keys,coats,bags and everything else that we bring in , to one area. This includes the tracking in of dirt. In many other countries such as Japan,Russia or China it is normal to take off your shoes and leave them by the entry. Do as I have done for many years, I have a basket in my entry area filled with slippers for guests to use so that they take their shoes off and leave them in that area. This keeps outside dirt from tracking through the house, which can affect great wear and tear on your floors and rugs. Also keep a good mat at our door. Most of us who live in the north and deal with the snow and slush from winter know how important this is. There have been government studies that have shown that by keeping a mat at your door and not wearing outside shoes through your house, dust,dirt and chemicals levels in homes were greatly reduced. Simple steps with huge benefits.
6. Keep to a schedule.
Change your sheets every Saturday morning? Clean your bathroom Sunday afternoon? If you have a schedule for doing different cleaning tasks in your home, stick to it! If you do not , work to establish one. For cleaning tasks that can not be let go such as changing sheets, cleaning a toilet, etc. a schedule helps make it easier to get it done consistently and faster. If you maintain a schedule the level of dirt for example in your bathroom will not have a chance to build up making the cleaning of your bathroom that much easier.
7. Declutter, declutter, declutter !!!
I can not say it enough. Yes we all love pretty collectables and items in our home. But every six months take a good look around and see what you really need and what you don't. If you have not used it in six months, donate it as you are not going to use it. If it is old and broken, waiting for the day you have time to fix it, give it to someone else who has the time to fix it. A house filled with clutter does not have a good energy to come home to. Even simple things as magazines or books. If you have a lot of books, go through them every six months and donate the ones that you will never read again. Magazine lover as I am with more coming in then I should admit to? :) Make a goal to read through one a week. Tear out recipes you want to save (then put them right into your recipe binder), then give the magazine to your local doctor or dentist's office for others to enjoy.
These are just a few tips that I use for my own home. It can sometimes seem overwhelming in our every day lives with work,extra curricular activities, children, pets, partners and all the other demands on our time to keep up with our homes. If you break it down to little steps like the ones above, it will keep everything in your home organized and cleaned not to perfection, but a level that makes you want to come home at the end of the day. If all else fails, call a local cleaning service such as Fine Details Cleaning and we will help you keep your home clean! (Had to get one shameless plug in) :)
Enjoy a wonderful, green week.
Monday, 9 January 2012
New Year..New Post. Pricing
First let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Hard to believe it is 2012 already. It has been a while since our last blog, hopefully we can be more consistent this year.
2011 was a year of growth and learning for us. Having just opened our doors, we spent most of the year establishing our own level of work and our reputation. Learning all aspects of a new business from the ground up. From website design (a HUGE work in progress :) ) to create our policies,procedures,running specials, advertising that works and advertising that does not. There is much still to learn but we have a good solid foundation now to work with. A huge debt of gratitude to everyone that took a chance with a new cleaning company with a slightly different way of doing things. It has been from your word of mouth of the work we do that we continue to build a reputation of excellent customer service and solid,detailed work.
There are many , many different subjects we would like to talk about over time. The hope is that there will be interaction with many from our customers, friends and any one who would like to comment.
What I would most like to talk about is pricing. Money is a subject always on everyone's mind. It comes up a lot in my field as I am always been asked about cost of cleaning.
I live in a town of between 60,000 to 70,000 people roughly. Depending on the day of the week and who you are talking with ;) When it comes to choice that people here have for someone to clean there homes it is varied. There are a few companies such as myself, a few who have formed a company but are the only ones working for it and many people who just need extra money and post a shingle on their door saying they are available to clean. Those last ones we in the industry like to refer to as trunk slammers. Here one day gone the next.
When I started Fine Details Cleaning my goal was to offer a quality cleaning, customized to each customer's needs, with products that are eco friendly. Safe for customer's homes and their kids and pets. Pricing has been kept roughly in the middle of the road area, slightly higher but not the highest. All the time I am asked why is our price so much higher then so and so who says they can do the same job for half of what I am asking. There are many different aspects that factor into pricing.
The size of the home, number of people/pets, activity level and the surfaces in the home. As a business we also have insurance if needed for broken or stolen items. (Hoping to never deal with that). Then there is the cost of the cleaning products and the tools we use. Advertising , driving to and from each customer's home. Oh and don't forget the wage of my workers who are paid a decent wage for the work they do. As well as there is training they take regularly to keep up to date on new methods of cleaning, products and/or safety. There is also the assurance that in hiring our company to clean, there will always be someone available to clean if your personal cleaner is sick or away.
Add to all of this the work is physically hard and I pay a decent wage to those who do work for Fine Details Cleaning. For myself I spend HOURS, networking with many in my industry, learning more or about the newest techiques for cleaning out there. Learning about different surfaces in homes and how they need to be cared for. Just in wood flooring you have differences within engineered wood floors and wood floors that are put down in the home and finished in house. All of this I learn then teach this to my workers.
At the end of the day the old adage of "You get what you pay for" is very true in this field. Yes, you may luck out and find an independent cleaner that works very well for a ridiculously low wage. But the chances are better you will have someone who will clean great for a little bit then either the level of work will start to slide, or as I have heard time and time again, one day they just disappeared never to be heard from again.
We all need to make a decent living, we all want quality for the hard earned money we spend. Something that I do hope people will learn to think about the next time they question the cost of pricing for having their homes cleaned.
Kat <3
2011 was a year of growth and learning for us. Having just opened our doors, we spent most of the year establishing our own level of work and our reputation. Learning all aspects of a new business from the ground up. From website design (a HUGE work in progress :) ) to create our policies,procedures,running specials, advertising that works and advertising that does not. There is much still to learn but we have a good solid foundation now to work with. A huge debt of gratitude to everyone that took a chance with a new cleaning company with a slightly different way of doing things. It has been from your word of mouth of the work we do that we continue to build a reputation of excellent customer service and solid,detailed work.
There are many , many different subjects we would like to talk about over time. The hope is that there will be interaction with many from our customers, friends and any one who would like to comment.
What I would most like to talk about is pricing. Money is a subject always on everyone's mind. It comes up a lot in my field as I am always been asked about cost of cleaning.
I live in a town of between 60,000 to 70,000 people roughly. Depending on the day of the week and who you are talking with ;) When it comes to choice that people here have for someone to clean there homes it is varied. There are a few companies such as myself, a few who have formed a company but are the only ones working for it and many people who just need extra money and post a shingle on their door saying they are available to clean. Those last ones we in the industry like to refer to as trunk slammers. Here one day gone the next.
When I started Fine Details Cleaning my goal was to offer a quality cleaning, customized to each customer's needs, with products that are eco friendly. Safe for customer's homes and their kids and pets. Pricing has been kept roughly in the middle of the road area, slightly higher but not the highest. All the time I am asked why is our price so much higher then so and so who says they can do the same job for half of what I am asking. There are many different aspects that factor into pricing.
The size of the home, number of people/pets, activity level and the surfaces in the home. As a business we also have insurance if needed for broken or stolen items. (Hoping to never deal with that). Then there is the cost of the cleaning products and the tools we use. Advertising , driving to and from each customer's home. Oh and don't forget the wage of my workers who are paid a decent wage for the work they do. As well as there is training they take regularly to keep up to date on new methods of cleaning, products and/or safety. There is also the assurance that in hiring our company to clean, there will always be someone available to clean if your personal cleaner is sick or away.
Add to all of this the work is physically hard and I pay a decent wage to those who do work for Fine Details Cleaning. For myself I spend HOURS, networking with many in my industry, learning more or about the newest techiques for cleaning out there. Learning about different surfaces in homes and how they need to be cared for. Just in wood flooring you have differences within engineered wood floors and wood floors that are put down in the home and finished in house. All of this I learn then teach this to my workers.
At the end of the day the old adage of "You get what you pay for" is very true in this field. Yes, you may luck out and find an independent cleaner that works very well for a ridiculously low wage. But the chances are better you will have someone who will clean great for a little bit then either the level of work will start to slide, or as I have heard time and time again, one day they just disappeared never to be heard from again.
We all need to make a decent living, we all want quality for the hard earned money we spend. Something that I do hope people will learn to think about the next time they question the cost of pricing for having their homes cleaned.
Kat <3
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Welcome To The First Blog For Fine Details Cleaning
Welcome !!
Wow! Took a long time for us to get here , but we made it !!
Fine Details Cleaning is a culmination of months of planning and designing combined with years of cleaning experience. Working in hotels, lodges, private homes, daycare centers I have seen many different angles to cleaning. Long have I thought about starting my own cleaning company but hesitated . With so many companies out there what could I possible offer that is any different then the rest. Then it dawned on me. Having lived a life for almost 20 years within the natural health and wellness area, including teaching my own children to reduce,re-use and recycle I could take my love of caring for my health and the environment to the realm of a cleaning business. Add to this I have listened over the years to both positive and negative feed back over the years from clients and the largest complaint I have heard is the lack of attention to detail in cleaning. That cleaners come in, wipe the surface, then leave. What they want when they hire a company is attention to detail. Combine healthy cleaning with attention to detail, Fine Details Cleaning was born.
Right now is an exciting time for us at Fine Details Cleaning and we are looking forward to sharing our journey with you. Filled with many wonderful moments as we work with you to try and make a difference both in how residential cleaning is done and in our environment. Not looking to change the wheel, just tweaked it a little. Welcome aboard, we would love to hear your feedback , building relationships as we go.
Wow! Took a long time for us to get here , but we made it !!
Fine Details Cleaning is a culmination of months of planning and designing combined with years of cleaning experience. Working in hotels, lodges, private homes, daycare centers I have seen many different angles to cleaning. Long have I thought about starting my own cleaning company but hesitated . With so many companies out there what could I possible offer that is any different then the rest. Then it dawned on me. Having lived a life for almost 20 years within the natural health and wellness area, including teaching my own children to reduce,re-use and recycle I could take my love of caring for my health and the environment to the realm of a cleaning business. Add to this I have listened over the years to both positive and negative feed back over the years from clients and the largest complaint I have heard is the lack of attention to detail in cleaning. That cleaners come in, wipe the surface, then leave. What they want when they hire a company is attention to detail. Combine healthy cleaning with attention to detail, Fine Details Cleaning was born.
Right now is an exciting time for us at Fine Details Cleaning and we are looking forward to sharing our journey with you. Filled with many wonderful moments as we work with you to try and make a difference both in how residential cleaning is done and in our environment. Not looking to change the wheel, just tweaked it a little. Welcome aboard, we would love to hear your feedback , building relationships as we go.
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