Ask a House Cleaner

Don't have enough money to run your cleaning business? We Ask a House Cleaner ways to make ends meet as a house cleaner without having a full-time job or a part-time job on the side.  If you don't have enough money at the end of the month and bills to pay, it may be time as a maid to start your own house cleaning company.  Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives tips on business startup if you...

Start to get organized. It's the best new year's resolution for a life of health and happiness. Setting goals will lead you to live your best life, but you start with new habits. Start to get organized with the one thing declutter method Angela Brown will share with you in today's #AskaHouseCleaner. Live the new year in total freedom. Anyone can do it. You can do it. Learn to love your life and st...

Business license - do you need one for your house cleaning business? If you work for family no. But you may need a business license based on your jurisdiction and the rules for the city you live in. We Ask a House Cleaner about a general a business license and a housekeeping license and legal documentation for business startup. Angela Brown, The House Guru gives tips and industry business advice....

  Clients who work from home vs. chatty maids is part 2 in our Ask a House Cleaner debate. Clients who work from home is the customers perspective. Homeowners feel they get a bad rap for wanting to remain at home during a house cleaning for medical reasons.  Clients who work from home told Angela Brown, they prefer to keep to themselves. If they don't retreat, they get bombarded with questions and...

Chatty Cathy from the house cleaners point of view. This is the first of a two-part series on Chatty Cathy or Talking Tammy, Victim Vickie or Whining Wendy. What it boils down to is house cleaner training. Is there room for a Chatty Cathy? And what to do if your clients are lonely, talking, visiting, or want to be friends. We Ask a House Cleaner about boundaries and expectations and human interact...

If you live in the wrong place to clean houses should you commute or move? We Ask a House Cleaner how to create a cleaning hub if you live in the wrong place. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives tips on lots of houses in a neighborhood to grow your cleaning business. If you live in the wrong place like a rural area you can choose a new territory. Market your cleaning business or maid servi...

How to start a cleaning company. Have you ever wondered how to start a cleaning company? What are the costs? How to be a boss? Should you do residential cleaning or go the commercial route?  We Ask a House Cleaner how to start a cleaning company and run a maid service. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru is the founder of today's sponsor Savvy Cleaner. Savvy Cleaner offers maid service training,...

"Should I have a business partner for my cleaning biz?" We Ask a House Cleaner about startup business, legal documents, and a business partner. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives tips on the expectations and boundaries of having a business partner. Who does what? Who is house cleaning? And who is managing, or micromanaging? Small business is tough enough without partnerships. But if you c...

A rate increase is inevitable and house cleaners raise prices for 2018. How much of a rate increase depends on the maid service or house cleaner, inflation and their cleaning schedules? You have to have a rate increase if you want to grow your cleaning business because your income depends on it. You don't get any more hours in the day. So, your only option is a price increase and flexibility of ho...

Flyers for 2018. Do flyers still work as a viable way to grow your cleaning business? We Ask a House Cleaner about advertising, marketing and ways to boost your visibility. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says you can drum up business with flyers and get clients the savvy cleaner way. She's added a free template in today's show notes that you can edit and use. The template includes a place f...

Do you need references for house cleaning? And what's the alternative form of credentials if you don't have any references? We Ask a House Cleaner about business startup for maid service and cleaning advice. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says ratings and reviews are the new references. Offer a satisfaction guarantee, and join the Better Business Bureau. Be an amazing house cleaner and let...

Separate vacuums for households with pets vs. no pets? House Cleaners and maids want to know if one vacuum will do or is separate vacuums a must? We Ask a House Cleaner about seniors and clients allergic to dog hair, cat hair, and pet dander. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says you can carry and empty the vacuum between each house cleaning job. But it's a lot of wear and tear on your body a...

"Can you leave while we clean your house? " Every maid service and house cleaner ask this question. "Can you leave?" We Ask a House Cleaner about boundaries and expectations of hovering clients. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says if you're asking "Can you leave?" There needs to be another conversation about questionable visiting. Even if it's about family, pets, cleaning, insurance, microm...

It's official you're in business and need documents for your house cleaning. It's official if you use verbal contracts to operate your maid service as well. We Ask a House Cleaner what binding agreement paperwork will reinforce the working relationship. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says it's official when you do your initial walkthrough with the homeowner. Agree to operate as client and m...

"There's not enough time to finish cleaning the house. I'm trying to grow my cleaning business and am paid by the hour vs. paid by the job. I told my client there's not enough time to clean everything and we had a confrontation and I lost the customer. " We Ask a House Cleaner tips to combat not enough time without sacrificing quality for quantity. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says limite...

  Tips for house cleaners and maids are always appreciated. But who gets to keep the tips? Does the company owner get to share in the thanks? We Ask a House Cleaner about year-end bonuses and tips from clients and what are the expectations for gift giving? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says you've got to clarify during the hiring process. Usually, something extra given to the house cleaner...

It's extra work for the maid service because the chores keep changing. You're paid by the job vs. paid by the hour and the client gives you extra work. You want to do a good job but you have limited time. We Ask a House Cleaner how to ask the client to pick up after yourself. Put the toys away, and don't give us extra work. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says a savvy cleaner will ask better...

Price shopping, "I'm just price shopping." Every maid service has heard it. You go to bid a job and give a free estimate for house cleaning and the customer says: "I'm price shopping, and I'll let you know." We Ask a House Cleaner what to do when your prospect is shopping around and should you bid by the hour vs. the job. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says people do price shop, and they ar...

Bubble gum gets stuck in hair, clothes and tracked in on shoes when you have kids. If you have chewy, stringy, sticky bubble gum in your carpet, here's what to do. Today on Ask a House Cleaner, Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru taps into bubble gum removal tips from a daycare provider. Cut it out as a last resort, but try first peanut butter. House Cleaner Training approved technique. Today's...

Get out of the cleaning business because the time is right. But what do you say to your cleaning clients? We Ask a House Cleaner reasons to get out of the cleaning business and how to retire or "graduate." Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives word tracks on how to say goodbye when you get out of the cleaning business. Whether you're bored, have new interests to pursue, or you're worn out, h...

Coaching and development for your house cleaning employees are crucial to your business success. We Ask a House Cleaner for tips and tutorials on employee coaching and development. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says training is a daily process. Coaching and development include team exercises that inspire, motivate and boost morale. House Cleaning training and maid service training are benc...

A price increase for cleaning services is due. But how do you raise your fee for maid service? We Ask a House Cleaner about pricing structure and the inevitable price increase. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says you've got to make money to stay in business. The cost for maid service goes up just like everything else, which means a price increase and a change to your cleaning contract. Lear...

Target your market when starting a house cleaning business. Decide on a territory and target your market by choosing the homes you want to clean. It will save you drive time on the commute, wear and tear on your car and gasoline. We Ask a House Cleaner tips and tutorials to target your market through business growth and expansion. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says a savvy cleaner can grow...

Growth disclosure. Should you confess you are a solo cleaner or paint the picture that you're a big company? We Ask a House Cleaner tips to grow your cleaning business and protocol for expansion and growth disclosure. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says growth disclosure is a personal preference. A savvy cleaner has plans of expanding, hiring employees and staff. Whether you market your cle...

Expanding your cleaning business is part of business growth. And setting expectations with customers without losing them is the key to success. We Ask a House Cleaner about business growth, expanding your cleaning business, and how to train employees. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says expanding your cleaning business is a science. You build confidence when you set boundaries on your initi...