Ask a House Cleaner

Dogs live in the homes we clean. Some are hostile, some territorial, and some are aggressive dangerous dogs. As a house cleaner or maid, you need to have some dog whisper skills to tame those protective canines. Today on Ask a House cleaner we look at tips and strategies to protect yourself as a housekeeper from mad dogs.

Cleaning specialist or Housecleaner? Call me anything, but don't call me the "cleaning lady." LOL Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at titles. How do you want people to refer to you? Are you hired help? A Cleaning pro? A Cleaning Authority? Housekeeper? Cleaning Connoisseur? A cleaning technician or just a good old-fashioned maid? Does it matter? Actually - it does for marketing purposes so customers can find you.

Tests and traps are set all the time for house cleaners and maids. Clients hide things for the cleaning provider to find to see how thorough they are. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at some tests from a rental property manager. It's a mini cleaning masterclass. Learn to ace these tests and have a steady stream of work from clients who want speed cleaning and quality.

Reviews are everywhere these days. But what happens when your house cleaning company gets some bad reviews? Do you turn the reviews off so no one can vote good or bad? Do the bad reviews hurt your business more than the good endorsements help? Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at the art of social commenting and how it affects the evaluation perfect strangers have of your business. Learn business tips to help you gather recommendations and five-star ratings rather than hiding from bad reviews.

Excuses. House cleaning employee calls out again with another excuse. The reasons are creative enough, but that doesn't justify the lopsided workflow for the rest of your team. Do your cleaning service providers have too many excuses, explanations, and cop-outs? Has your schedule run amuck with lazy maids giving you the song and dance of why they can't show up to work today? 

Barter, trade, and swap are all terms we’ve heard but have you ever thought of barter as an option to grow your business? Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at the art of barter. Swapping and trade are a great way to fill cancellation slots from cleaning clients. The House Cleaning Guru, Angela Brown shows us the difference between direct trades and reciprocal trades. And she'll tell you how to get barter vouchers when you don’t need the product or service being swapped.

Driving rules should be a given for house cleaners and maids. And yet here we are discussing driving rules today on Ask a House Cleaner. Cleaning specialists are often in a hurry and that jinxes our judgment for safe driving. Whether you've been driving for twenty years or you are a new driver, these driving etiquette tips will keep you on the good side of the law. Choose to be a better driver. Show respect for your company image. And keep your driving privileges with these simple driving rules.

Second Chances are for rehabilitated felons who are re-entering the workforce. After getting out of prison these recovering citizens need jobs to make an honest living. But should you hire them as house cleaners and maids? Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at some of the reasons for incarceration. And we weigh the risks and rewards to small business owners offering second chances.

Tip the owner of the cleaning company? Some cultures believe in tipping their house cleaners. But not the owners of the cleaning service. Some say you should tip your cleaning specialist no matter who it is. Which is correct? Do you tip your maid even if she owns the house cleaning business? Today on Ask a House Cleaner we dig deep into the psychology of tipping. We look at ways to tip your cleaning service provider when you don’t have money to give.

Family? Your house cleaning clients may be friendly but they are not your family. They are not your relatives and you don't owe them anything other than the services for which they pay you. Today on Ask a House Cleaner, we look at the comfort zone between maid and client. And we see what happens when boundaries crumble. The House Cleaning Guru, Angela Brown discusses traps that house cleaners fall into. Clients get too comfortable and cleaning technicians can't meet client expectations.

Too old to clean? Every house cleaner and maid at some point in their career ages and becomes too old to clean. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at what the homeowner can do when their maid is elderly and ineffective. “Can I fire my old maid without recourse from age discrimination?” Homeowners want to know how to deal with housecleaners who are over the hill, getting on in years, and flat out too old to clean.

Exercise, especially core building exercise will strengthen your lower back, abs, and glutes. This will give you the physical support you need for house cleaning. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we discuss ab exercise. Both ab crunches and use of a mini trampoline in a popular activity called rebounding will build core muscles and physical stamina. We also look at easy tips to prevent shoulder pain. You'll also learn about physical therapy for rotator cuff injuries.

Burnout will hit all House Cleaners and maids at some point during their cleaning career. Recovery from burnout is about recognizing it, respecting it, and rebooting yourself in order to recharge your business. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at occupational burnout. What happens when you are depressed, exhausted, fatigued, tired and frustrated. And what you can do to pace yourself for a healthy, long-lasting house cleaning career.

Move out cleanings can be a good source of revenue for maids, or they can be a nightmare. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we cover quick tips and house cleaner rules to make the move out process easier for everyone involved. With a move out checklist, the homeowner can make sure they don’t disconnect the electricity or the water too soon. We provide you with the move out instructions you can provide your client that will ensure you get paid for the cleaning you do, and land you a referral to the new tenant.

Gift giving on Mother’s Day? House Cleaners and Maids wonder what cool little things they can do to celebrate Mother’s Day. Turns out The House Cleaning Guru, Angela Brown has very strong opinions about gift giving, manipulations, expectations, and bribery. Gift giving on Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas and Birthdays set a precedent that is hard to manage as your business grows.