Ask a House Cleaner

Waste time - don't you hate it when your house cleaning employees waste time? Lots of maids kill time when they should be cleaning house, as Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru shows. This is part two of a three-part series for your house cleaner education. Be a Savvy Cleaner, work smart not hard. #AskaHouseCleaner do your house cleaning employees waste time? Here are the signs to recognize. Our...

Killing time - house cleaning employees waste time 15 different ways. If killing time and ways to prevent it is not part of your maid service training it should be. Ask a house cleaner ways home service provider can manage time. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives tips to market your cleaning business without killing time. Employees steal company resources when they waste time. Today's sho...

Safety data sheets (SDS) for house cleaning supplies. What are safety data sheets? And why should we learn how to read safety data sheets? (This should be part of every house cleaner training and maid service training.) Today we Ask a House Cleaner about the globally harmonized system. All chemical manufacturers worldwide have an SDS for every for detergent, or solution they produce.  Angela Brown...

Damage control prevention is the best DIY house cleaning business advice ever. Reputation management for damage control is expensive. And when you find yourself in an unlucky situation as a maid service you'll need to clean up online profiles. Communication with customers is paramount. And you may need to create a damage control program to clean the slate. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we cover tut...

Things you need to know before starting a house cleaning biz. We'll cover that today on Ask a House Cleaner. Sure, you'll want to market your cleaning business. But there are a few things you need to know before shelling out a bunch of cash. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives cleaning advice, small business tips, and strategies. Things you need to know include maid service training, house...

Scam, spam, fraud or theft - house cleaners beware. Scam artist targets house cleaners to take your money. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says to look for clues to identify a scam. A scam can come from another business. It could be an email scam, telephone scam, or a promise to promote your business. Today we Ask a House Cleaner how the best and the brightest can avoid a scammer. Check the...

Crate that animal before house cleaning? The house cleaner wants to know if you can crate that animal because she says he's dangerous. Mad dogs and maids go way back. There are aggressive dogs, mongrels, and pups, but they're just being territorial. Once the mutts have had a little dog training you won't need to crate that animal. Today on Ask a House Cleaner the cleaning lady gives tips to train...

Putting out fires in your house cleaning biz can consume all your energy. Sure, every business owner finds him or herself putting out fires until they have systems in place. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says business growth equals business problems. And she offers cleaning advice for the manager, the maid, and the house cleaner. Putting out fires is not a good use of your time. Today on A...

The sunk costs of clutter lie in storing things and hoarding things nobody wants. Erroneous buys to impress somebody you don't like are the sunk costs of clutter. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we get tips on clutter you paid a lot of money for and are never going to get the money back. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says the sunk costs of clutter are hiring a maid service. You'll need a savv...

Animal hoarders are people with lots of pets and poor living conditions. Animal hoarders live in a toxic environment putting house cleaners at risk for infection and disease. We Ask a House Cleaner what to do if a maid ends up at an animal hoarders house. Should there be an intervention? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru talks animal cruelty, animal rights, and cleaning. If there are excess an...

People pleasers are common among house cleaner and maid service providers. Pleasing people is what we're paid to do. As people pleasers, we strive to exceed customers' expectations. But it can get out of hand when there is a lack of boundaries. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at people pleasers who go above and beyond for their clients. And the pros and cons for maids. Angela Brown, The House...

Follow instructions. It's a simple request every house cleaner should understand. Maid service training 101 gives tips on customer service and how to follow instructions. But clarification from the customer is often overlooked.  Ask a House Cleaner if it's more important to follow instructions or follow rules. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says ask better questions. You can do both. But if...

Wait! Don't close the sale? You're a house cleaner ready to say no to a customer who wants to hire you. You have bills to pay.  But wait! Don't close the sale!  Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru shares closing techniques. If you have a high maintenance customer using manipulation to intimidate you, turn and walk away.  When you Ask a House Cleaner business advice to grow my cleaning business a...

If my life depended on it could I find a solution? Problem-solving comes in all shapes, especially when you're a house cleaner.  "If my life depended on it" forces us to get creative in our troubleshooting with client problems. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru teaches that better questions = better answers.  Today on Ask a House Cleaner we learn to ask "If my life depended on it..." and then...

Scrubbing floors on hands and knees is an old-fashioned way of cleaning. Yet some homeowners still request scrubbing floors on hands and knees by their maid.  Today we Ask a House Cleaner if scrubbing floors on hands and knees is a good way to market your cleaning business. Will it make you stand out, or does it make you a fool? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru dives into maid service trainin...

Texting is the new phone call. Or so house cleaners seem to think. House cleaners and maid service prefer texting rather than calling. (Per a recent poll by Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru.) Are you going to market your cleaning business by texting? Today we Ask a House Cleaner about the old-fashioned phone call and customer service via text. Every savvy cleaner has a strategy and this tutor...

Self-motivation is tough for any business owner, especially those in house cleaning. Good scheduling and business strategies will override self-motivation. Today we Ask a House Cleaner how to motivate a savvy cleaner. "Stick to a schedule, and learn to work with flexible schedules." It's a simple rule of house cleaner training, maid service training and business 101. Self-motivation is not just fo...

There's a dark side of referrals that nobody will teach you in-house cleaning training. The dark side of referrals is the covert contracts from clients who refer friends.  A client gives you a recommendation and the referrals don't work out. The dark side of referrals is that it costs you the network of neighbors linked to that referral.  You could also get fired by the client who gave you the rec...

"I paid good money for that so I can't get rid of it." An artist hoarding groups of crafts needs strategies to unclutter. "I paid good money for that, and now I have a full storage unit and a full house and full attic. It's valued hoarding at its finest." "I paid good money for that but my priorities changed even though I'm saving all these crafts. Some of which are now junk and stuff." Today on A...

Family support is crucial to the success of any business. But how do you get family support as a house cleaning business owner? We Ask a House Cleaner about moral support, communication, sharing, and encouragement.  Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says family support starts at home. The key to prosperity lies your family understanding your maid service and having a belief in you.  A savvy cl...

Vacations are not just for the rich and famous. House cleaners need vacations too. If your maid service is in burnout mode, schedule some time off.  We Ask a House Cleaner cleaning advice for vacations and time off with family. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says "You can drive cleaning motivation with a reboot."  Your cleaning routine involves customer service. So, why not schedule advance...

The pain of a client firing you is tough the first time it happens. A house cleaner feels rejected at today's firing on the heels of getting fired several times this week.  Ask a House Cleaner what to do if you're not a good fit with the customer but can't stand the rejection of them firing you. If you've tried your best move on. House cleaners get fired all the time. Angela Brown, The House Clean...

There's a ghost in the house watching me clean. Call it old-fashioned haunting. It's not a scary ghost but how to clean when you can feel the presence of a ghost while house cleaning? Ask a House Cleaner how to deal with a ghost or what to do if you're watched by a ghost. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says "A ghost was a person, use your best people skills." You might be the house cleaner...

Covert contracts when house cleaning can waste a lot of time. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at covert contracts instead of communication. What happens when you have no idea what the customer wants and you second guess their intentions?  Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru on covert contracts: "You don't read minds. So, if something is not apparent, why would you make assumptions?" Don't a...

Diversity for house cleaners is paramount to the success of your cleaning business. Why diversity? Because respect for cultural sensibilities is necessary for house cleaning employees and customer service.  Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at the benefits of the diversity of opinions, and diversity of work ethics.  Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru has news for your maid service. "If you w...