Ask a House Cleaner

Compliments and complaints for your house cleaning. Do you have jealous relatives who spout opinions about your clean house that leave you confused? Debbie Downer gives you veiled compliments when she complains that you're "too tidy." Or maybe "your house is too clean" or "too organized." And you can't figure out if they're compliments or complaints but the words make you feel bad.  Angela Brown,...

How to charge by the room for house cleaning comes up when talking about how to price cleaning services. If you charge by the room you can give a quick job estimate on the initial walkthrough. Residential cleaning prices vary and every bid or in home estimate is different. You can charge by the hour vs. job or charge by the room for house cleaning. Each method to price a cleaning job works if you...

What networking sites or groups can you join to get more Airbnb cleaning jobs? We look at business marketing strategies in today's Vacation Rental Mailbag. (VRM) Angela Brown says hosts join Facebook groups and other networking sites to find a maid, or housekeeper for turnover service. What #VacationRental groups for VRBO, #Airbnb or short-term rentals can you recommend? Let's start a conversation...

Can hoarders be cured? We're talking compulsive hoarding. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru offers tips and strategies to end the OCD. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.) #Hoarders wonder "Can hoarders be cured? Is there help for creative, messy, cluttered, artistic, disorganized people?" You can hire a housekeeper to get rid of your stuff and show you how to clean. But until you address the ment...

Watch this before you buy a cleaning car. Angela Brown says your #cleaning car is a reflection of your company, your image and company branding. I'm asked a lot "What car should I drive for my maid service?" It comes down to the type of car payment you can afford and the psychology of selling. Look at the car's maids drive and then don't compete with your client's vehicle or SUV. A car for house c...

5 things house cleaners don't want you to know could keep you from hiring the wrong maid or maid service. Not all house cleaners are the same. Some are trained and some have a healthy job history, others don't. Among the 5 things house cleaners don't want you to know is that some aren't really bonded or insured. They lie. And some will eat your food. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru wants you...

Here are 7 sure-fire tactics to fire employees because saying "you're fired" is never easy. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says employee termination can cause emotional meltdowns. Which day of the week is best to fire an employee? Any maid service will say Monday. Staff performance reviews would hint at firing an employee over firable things. But how to fire someone while managing social me...

Today's vacation rental mailbag answers Q & A about cleaning supplies and turnover service. Airbnb, VRBO and STR hosts want to know if they should buy ready to use cleaning solutions or concentrates. Angela Brown says #VacationRental properties can save money on cleaning supplies if you clean a lot. Visit a janitorial supply. And pick up some degreasers, glass cleaner, and all-purpose #cleaning su...

People, who hire maids, are they snooty? Arrogant? Or do they just hate cleaning? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says it could be they just don't have time to clean so they hire a maid. Some homeowners do hate cleaning but most have daily chores or a daily cleaning routine. They tidy up but they outsource cleaning - the bigger #cleaning to a house cleaner. It doesn't mean you're entitled if...

How to rebuild your cleaning business after a move is a common question for the moving business owner. If you're moving to a new location you don't have to reinvent yourself - just establish new clients. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru notes you have transferrable skills. The secret of starting over is to realize the struggles of being in a new place are mostly in your head. You're not start...

Fragile Collections - what are the do's and don'ts of cleaning them? Do you include cleaning fragile collections of knick-knacks as part of your regular cleaning? And how much should you charge to clean fragile items like ceramic figurines? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says cleaning collections need risk assessment. Dusting fragile items, porcelain or glass figurines needs safety and hand...

Ever wonder how to go from 9 to 5 to house cleaning and be your own boss? Going full time can be tough even if you know how to start a cleaning business. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru suggests free house cleaning training in cleaning videos like this. Also, read the book How to Start Your Own House Cleaning Company for diy tips to start your maid service. Today's #AskaHouseCleaner sponsor...

Ever wonder how to sell cleaning services to Airbnb Hosts? You're not alone. VRBO hosts wonder where to find a good house cleaner. And you're going "I want to grow my cleaning company how do I get more AirBNB accounts?" Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru answers your questions from the Vacation Rental Mailbag. (VRM) Airbnb hosting and the vacation rental business is hard without cleaning help....

What are some easy dish cleaning ideas when you hate to wash dishes? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru shares how to wash dishes fast with a bit of dish soap and a dish drain. Washing dishes by hand is way faster than using a dishwasher and one of many speed cleaning hacks to keep your dishes clean. Easy household cleaning hacks like these will take the chore out of housework. Today's #AskaHou...

How to clean a ceramic stove top when it's a mess is the topic of today's Cerama Bryte Product Review. If you have a glass top cooktop and want to do it yourself, you can learn from Angela Brown cleaning one and showing you how in this tutorial. It's easy to clean a ceramic cooktop with the Cerama Bryte DIY Kit. If you're looking for a cook top cleaner for your dirty stove try Cerama Bryte. It wil...

Why on earth would you want to help your competition? It's a house cleaning FAQ and its rooted in the fear of #competition. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru suggests there are reasons to help your competition. "I'm trying to grow my cleaning company and my employee wants to start a cleaning business..." or "My co-worker is leaving to start her own maid service." Relax, there is enough work fo...

I or We - how should I refer to my cleaning business? I want to grow my cleaning company but right now it's just me. I don't have any team members, employees, partners or anyone else in my maid service. So, should I say I or We? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says a maid service is never one person. In the beginning, it can be I or We but there are mentors and counsel. The collective We is...

What is Vacation Rental Mailbag (VRM)? It is answers to House Cleaning FAQ for AirBNB, VRBO, and STR (Short-term rentals). Vacation Rental Mailbag answers questions from a turnover service view. Professional house cleaners and property managers are the ones who clean when you violate a no smoking policy. And they are the ones with the turnover cleaning tips. And they are the ones who charge the ho...

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...

Ever wonder how to remove tarnish and polish silver? In today's #AskaHouseCleaner Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives you a Tarn-x product review. Complete with Angela Brown cleaning, an SDS breakdown and Savvy Cleaner Approved polishing tips. It's true, you can remove tarnish and polish silver with CLR Brands Tarn-x. Your clients don't know how to clean silver and if you offer silver poli...

Angela Brown's Top 10 odor removal machines under $300 will clean or purify your indoor air quality. This top 10 odor removal machines list includes favorite brands like: Airthereal, and Enerzen and Ivation and Plixio (in the ozone generator family.) And Coway, Hamilton Beach, UCheer, Levoit, SilverOnyx Activated carbon and HEPA and Winix. (air filtration arena.) Odor removal machines are popular...

Why I got fired from house cleaning are the same reasons you and every maid will get fired from #cleaning. House cleaners don't have job security. you don't own clients. Anyone at any time can undercut your price and you get laid off. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives some cleaning advice for every maid service. "Audition for the job at every cleaning. Fight for the job. Do your best wor...

Is #Airbnb or VRBO cleaning the right #niche for you? The Airbnb cleaning business is booming as more families jump into the hospitality and home-sharing arena. House cleaners become partners with the long distant Airbnb host or superhost. Is being a vacation rental housekeeper the right cleaning niche for you? If you can clean and restock standard amenities, the answer might be yes. Angela Brown,...

"But you love to clean." I hear it all the time, people assume I love to clean. Hi there, I'm Angela Brown and I'm proud to be a house cleaner. I clean my space and I'm good at cleaning. I might even clean with passion. And I clean on purpose, but I don't enjoy cleaning. Yes, I use cleaning motivation when housecleaning so I can get it done and go do something fun. Cleaning fast, cleaning efficien...

How to use the house cleaner mulligan to get more referrals is a house cleaning FAQ. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says play the mulligan game every week. This is when you exceed customer expectations and go the extra mile in your housecleaning. The customer says clean my space, but they only pay the maid service for so much time. So, when you have a chance to do a #mulligan it's like doin...