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Will a cleaning business suit my needs?

Posted by Kelly Ward at 1:04 pm Cleaning Articles & Guides, Mrs Mopp Blog Spot Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Nov 012011

To continue on with our “Why use a cleaning service” post; after looking at sole traders previously, we will be looking at cleaning businesses and what the Pros and Cons are for homeowners thinking of using a cleaning service

What is a cleaning business?

A cleaning business is usually a number of cleaners that all work for the one business. A cleaning business may still trade in a sole trader capacity but most will trade in a Limited company capacity as the business grows. Some cleaning businesses may also be registered for VAT, depending on their size and turnover. The business is normally owned/run by an individual and is a private business operating in the owners local area.

Mrs Mopp Cleaning Services is a cleaning business.

The pros of using a cleaning business

  • One of the disadvantages of sole traders is that if your cleaner is sick/on holiday/breaks a leg the homeowner is left without a cleaner. In a cleaning business, as there are normally several cleaners and/or bank staff, so that you as the client should never have an uninterrupted service
  • There are usually several ways for clients to pay when using a cleaning business such as online, by card, direct debit etc. as a business will service several clients a day, compared to a sole trader, and it is not feasible or safe to be collecting money off every clean, making it easier for the clients to pay their bills and budget their own household.
  • The pricing within cleaning businesses tend not to be hugely dissimilar to sole traders with rate from £8.50 – £12.50 per hour  being the average rates and depending on if the business is subject to VAT, provides the cleaning materials etc. – with added security of an uninterrupted cleaning service, higher insurance cover and fidelity bonding on staff and an up-line for complaints
  • Some people do not like to complain when they are not getting the service they would like. With a sole trader, whilst a pro is that the relationship between cleaner/client may be closer that can cause problems in its own right if the relationship does become too friendly, as to tell your cleaner you are not happy may result in you not having a cleaner at all or putting up with a service you do not want as to not rock the boat. With a cleaning business, there is a manager you can talk to who can either have a word with your cleaner or even replace your cleaner all together if necessary
  • Spot checks and training of staff to ensure standards are met and kept

The cons of using a cleaning business

  • Due to the hard and arduous nature of work, there is usually a high turnover of staff within the cleaning industry, so even though you may not have an uninterrupted service it may not always be the same cleaner that will come to your home
  • A cleaning business may have a contract or at the very least Terms of service which may impose charges on a client for cancellations and lock outs, for example, as the cleaning business will have an obligation to its staff regardless, whereas a sole trader only has to think about their own time and money.
  • As businesses grow, some may lose the “personal touch” as was there in the beginning as sole trader due to the number of staff, clients, suppliers etc that the owner will have to deal with and the client may not feel as loved as they once did

Checklist for a cleaning business

1. Does the business have Employers liability insurance, Public liability insurance, at a minimum of £1 million and do they have fidelity bonding against their staff – can they provide you with a copy of their insurances?

2. Does the business have references from clients they currently serve? What is the retention rate of their clients?

3. Can the business show and tell you how they recruit, train and monitor their staff?

4. How does the business keep in touch with its clients as not to lose that “personal touch”?

5. What does social media think of the business? Check online, do they have good/bad reviews, what does their customer service levels come across like? Do they have visibility on the web? Could you connect with your Cleaning business through multiple channels?

Next week: Cleaning franchises.

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20 Weird & Wonderful Cleaning Tips

Posted by Kelly Ward at 2:39 pm Cleaning tips, Mrs Mopp Blog Spot Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 202011

Years before supermarket shelves were packed with an array of brightly coloured bottles promising to kill 99.9% of all germs or promising to clean an item so brightly that you could use it as a make shift mirror, the world of cleaning used natural remedies and sometimes slighty unnatural remedies to get results…

1. Lemon Juice can be for stains and rust on plastic - use diluted or neat

2. Use diluted lemon juice on a curry stain on a carpet to remove stain and freshen fabric

3. For spills on carpets, use soda water dabbed on to remove staining from pile

4. Remove water marks from wooden surfaces with a small amount of mayonnaise or toothpaste on a damp cloth

5. Banish children’s finger tip marks from your wall by rubbing with slightly moist, stale white bread (yes really… told you weird and wonderful!)

6. To make your chrome sparkle and shine, pour flour over, rinse and buff with a soft cloth

7. To make your stainless steel shine, rub it over with baking powder and buff up with a ball of scrunched up newspaper

8. Want to perk up your wooden furniture? Wash wood with a white vinegar/water solution, leave over night, then polish and buff surfaces as normal the next day

9. For tough, hard to shift stains and for disinfectant properties use white vinager and water, with a 1:5 ratio

10. To remove lime scale from a shower head, leave in a bowl of white vinegar overnight

11. Remove hard water marks from toilet bowls by tipping in fizzy cola, leaving for an hour and then flushing

12. Rub plant leaves with a  small of amount of mayonnaise or milk on a paper towel to make them shine for weeks!

13. To make small brass or copper items shine, rub with a cotton swab that has been dipped in ketchup, then buff

14. Use WD-40 to remove sticker marks from plastic tubs and items

15. Want to  find another use for vodka other than having a party… how about using it on a soft clean cloth to shine porcelain, chrome or glass

16. Use rice to clean inside vases, bottles or hard to reach areas by mixing rice with a water/vinegar solution, shaking vigorously and rinse out (rice is also good for putting into your salt pot to protect from moisture)

17. To remove rust from items put the kettle on (no, not for you) and make some strong black tea, wait for it to  cool and place the item in the tea for an hour to overnight depending on the level of rust

18. To remove wax and paraffin stains on furniture use glycerine (bought from chemists and is harmless on skin)

19. Another top tip for carpet spills, sprinkle over the spill with corn starch, leave for 15 mins and  then vaccum

20.  To remove mineral stains from glass built up by dishwashers or hard water areas rub with  freshly peeled potato skins and buff

 

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