Jan 17 2012

I was recently SHOCKED to read an article some of my association friends were applauding the contributors for, “Secrets of a Housecleaner”. I can ONLY guess there was lots of chatter and well …. You know how the press can “twist” things a bit?   I need to clear some things up here! I would imagine my friends who helped with this article are as upset as I am!

1. It’s the little things that make people happy. That’s why we make the little triangle at the end of the toilet paper roll. You guys love that.

AC: “Got that one right! we do this because it’s a nice detail.   I have actually had a client call me and complain that the team missed cleaning the bathroom …. We forgot the triangle, not the bathroom but that’s what she looked for when walking through her home.”

2. Just because someone looks polished on the outside doesn’t mean their home is spotless. One lady I cleaned for, a divorce attorney, always looked great, and she had a beautiful house in a gated community, but inside it was the filthiest, nastiest place in the world. It was like a hoarder hut, filled with junk.

AC: “HUH??? Isn’t that why you hire us?   She has other things to do … promise – we won’t talk about you! We have a strong privacy policy.”

3. Do you want to keep working after you get home? Neither do we. Some of us actually hire someone else to clean our homes.

AC: “Of course we want our homes cleaned too.  The questions implies that we as cleaners are snobs… or jealous??  We get our homes cleaned when we can.  Different people… rich and or middle class choose to have their homes cleaned.  It seems like such a silly statement.   As someone that hires our service to be professionals why would you care?  It is as if the service and or cleaner is trying to make the client feel guilty for the hard work you have hired us to do.”

4. Please, trust me. You hire an A/C guy and take his advice, you hire a plumber and do what he says, but I come in and you think you know more about how to clean than I do.

AC: “Well… I do know a lot – It is my business. I also understand that it is YOUR home and I would never question the way you want your home cleaned. I may suggest a safer and greener alternative and if you ASK me for my advice, I’ll give it! I don’t do everything my plumber says…. In fact – the last one walked into my house with muddy shoes and I have white carpet!! GET OUT!!!!! And obviously from this article…. You shouldn’t trust all of us!!”

5. Please say thank you, even if it’s just on a Post-it. Or if you really like me, leave something small every once in a while, like a $5 gift card to McDonald’s. If I feel like someone appreciates me, I really go the extra mile.

AC: “Please don’t feel like you need to say thank you – it’s our job and you hired us to do it – if it moves you, it is appreciated. We do love your feedback on whether we met your expectations and by NO means do we ask or expect a tip! HOW TACKY!!   And GASP… we ALWAYS go the extra mile! IS this bribery??”

6. Be wary if I give you my price over the phone. Reputable cleaners come to your home and give you a free estimate.

AC: “We are professionals… we have done this long enough that we can give you a price over the phone OR come to your home. Time is precious… we can do it over the phone and save you even more time!”

7. Letting us work “by the job” sometimes means you get less for your money. It can be more cost effective to pay an hourly rate, especially once your home is in a maintenance mode.

AC: “This is true – but we can make that decision together based on your needs.”

8. Training? What training? In this economy, a lot of people are turning to housecleaning to pay the bills. I clean my own house so I think I know how to clean.

AC: “I hope this is sarcasm! We spent lots of time and money making sure our techs can take care of your home.”

9. Think our insurance will cover you? Hmm, maybe not. Insurance companies expect us to be trained professionals, so if we use the wrong product on your expensive furnishings, the insurance company might deny the claim.

AC: “This is true, but there is special insurance that we professionals are aware of. More importantly… back to the last question … is your service training their staff on the proper care of your home?   It must have been sarcasm…..”

10. Come home unexpectedly every once in a while and see what we’re doing. Good housecleaners won’t watch your TV, talk on the phone, or eat on your bed.

AC: “Eat on the bed? Watch your TV? Yak on the phone???? Who ARE you hiring??????”

11. Please don’t stand over my shoulder the whole time telling me how to do it.

AC: “It’s your home – we understand if it makes you feel more comfortable – just know it may cost you a bit more because it takes our teams much longer.”

Now, GMA did a piece tied to this and it was very good … this on the other hand is an absolute slam to what my techs and I have worked so hard to be seen as. Professionals.

Customer Service, Time and a Clean Home – it’s what you will get when you work with someone like us(Absolutely Clean)!   Did you know there is an article out there that says we know when someone is cheating on you before you do??? WHAT??? We are in and out of the house; we don’t have time to be detectives!! CRAZY! Readers of these crazy, “Secrets of a Housecleaner” lists…. You can trust us in your personal space. Truly … this is a stereotype we try very, very hard to eliminate. We respect your privacy and value your trust. Some times these ‘crazy lists’ are just that… Lists that are a little crazy and put out there to drum up excitement and to encourage controversy.

It doesn’t mean we won’t fire an unruly client… but you’d fire us if we weren’t meeting your expectations too right?

Thank you for trusting us in your home and know we take it very, very seriously!