If cleaning is your passion; you may have considered setting up and running your very own Cleaning Service. There is a substantial amount of money that can be made from an efficient cleaning business as there are always clients that are looking to change or to utilise a good service. This guide will explain some of the things that you may wish to consider if you would like to venture into setting up and running your own cleaning business.
Many guides on the topic may be misleading as they claim to have a easy and fast way of doing so; however while a cleaning company may be easier to set-up in terms of the initial cost; a good quality of work must be anticipated for the initial stages of the business.
Areas that must be considered are as follows:
Vetting and Recruitment of Cleaners: In the initial stages of business, you may be able to cover all the work yourself. However, as your client base grows there is a chance that you may need staff to assist you in covering these jobs. It may be that you would prefer to employ a team of 2 or 3 person to start with. Whatever the case may be; you need to make sure that you carry out the right checks. The basic checks that are needed are as follows:
1. A persons right to work in the UK
2. Proof of address
3. References
4. Next to Kin Details (optional)
5. Preferably a face to face interview
Insurance: If you start a cleaning service, insurance must be mandatory. When a client comes to a cleaning agency, they do so with the intention that they will get the benefits of vetted and insured cleaners. A good insurance should not cost more that £50 and this should be well worth it as you will find that you may need to provide your insurance certificate to clients. You may need to get an insurance that covers against Loss/Damage of property, Employers Liability, Public product liability, Lock replace and telephone misuse.
Marketing: Expectedly, this is a must for any successful business. Most cleaning agencies uses Google Adword to market their services and this proves to be very effective to attract clients. However, there are other methods of marketing that can be use such as flyer distribution, posting an ad in the local paper and on Gumtree. You will need a good quality website to market your services and this again does not have to be costly. In our next edition we will provide more information about how to get a website.
Get your Terms Right: It is important that you get your terms correct in the early stages of your business. You will need to set the appropriate prices and a good idea would be to look at companies in your area and come to a reasonable balance. Please remember that you cannot make your prices too low as you will not be able to cover your running cost and make a profit. At the same time you do not want to make your rates too expensive. You will also need to draft up a terms and conditions of service, some companies offers a minimum term contract while some do not.
Some points to note are as follows:
* Always pay your cleaner at a good rate; a suggestion is atleast £6.00 an hour for regular clean and £7.00 onwards for other cleans.
* Also a minimum term contract will mean that you will enhance the security of your company and job satisfaction for cleaners
You also need to get your hands on:
* Cleaning checklist for the cleans that are offered.
* Key Holders Form
* Standing Order Forms
* Stationary e.g. letterheads
With the right attitude you will be able to run a great cleaning business and its a great feeling to know that you can also do it from home and still be professional.
London Cleaning Services
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
If cleaning is your passion; you may have considered setting up and running your very own Cleaning Service. There is a substantial amount of money that can be made from an efficient cleaning business as there are always clients that are looking to change or to utilise a good service. This guide will explain some of the things that you may wish to consider if you would like to venture into setting up and running your own cleaning business.
Many guides on the topic may be misleading as they claim to have a easy and fast way of doing so; however while a cleaning company may be easier to set-up in terms of the initial cost; a good quality of work must be anticipated for the initial stages of the business.
Areas that must be considered are as follows:
Vetting and Recruitment of Cleaners: In the initial stages of business, you may be able to cover all the work yourself. However, as your client base grows there is a chance that you may need staff to assist you in covering these jobs. It may be that you would prefer to employ a team of 2 or 3 person to start with. Whatever the case may be; you need to make sure that you carry out the right checks. The basic checks that are needed are as follows:
1. A persons right to work in the UK
2. Proof of address
3. References
4. Next to Kin Details (optional)
5. Preferably a face to face interview
Insurance: If you start a cleaning service, insurance must be mandatory. When a client comes to a cleaning agency, they do so with the intention that they will get the benefits of vetted and insured cleaners. A good insurance should not cost more that £50 and this should be well worth it as you will find that you may need to provide your insurance certificate to clients. You may need to get an insurance that covers against Loss/Damage of property, Employers Liability, Public product liability, Lock replace and telephone misuse.
Marketing: Expectedly, this is a must for any successful business. Most cleaning agencies uses Google Adword to market their services and this proves to be very effective to attract clients. However, there are other methods of marketing that can be use such as flyer distribution, posting an ad in the local paper and on Gumtree. You will need a good quality website to market your services and this again does not have to be costly. In our next edition we will provide more information about how to get a website.
Get your Terms Right: It is important that you get your terms correct in the early stages of your business. You will need to set the appropriate prices and a good idea would be to look at companies in your area and come to a reasonable balance. Please remember that you cannot make your prices too low as you will not be able to cover your running cost and make a profit. At the same time you do not want to make your rates too expensive. You will also need to draft up a terms and conditions of service, some companies offers a minimum term contract while some do not.
Some points to note are as follows:
* Always pay your cleaner at a good rate; a suggestion is atleast £6.00 an hour for regular clean and £7.00 onwards for other cleans.
* Also a minimum term contract will mean that you will enhance the security of your company and job satisfaction for cleaners
You also need to get your hands on:
* Cleaning checklist for the cleans that are offered.
* Key Holders Form
* Standing Order Forms
* Stationary e.g. letterheads
With the right attitude you will be able to run a great cleaning business and its a great feeling to know that you can also do it from home and still be professional.
Clean Art
Many guides on the topic may be misleading as they claim to have a easy and fast way of doing so; however while a cleaning company may be easier to set-up in terms of the initial cost; a good quality of work must be anticipated for the initial stages of the business.
Areas that must be considered are as follows:
Vetting and Recruitment of Cleaners: In the initial stages of business, you may be able to cover all the work yourself. However, as your client base grows there is a chance that you may need staff to assist you in covering these jobs. It may be that you would prefer to employ a team of 2 or 3 person to start with. Whatever the case may be; you need to make sure that you carry out the right checks. The basic checks that are needed are as follows:
1. A persons right to work in the UK
2. Proof of address
3. References
4. Next to Kin Details (optional)
5. Preferably a face to face interview
Insurance: If you start a cleaning service, insurance must be mandatory. When a client comes to a cleaning agency, they do so with the intention that they will get the benefits of vetted and insured cleaners. A good insurance should not cost more that £50 and this should be well worth it as you will find that you may need to provide your insurance certificate to clients. You may need to get an insurance that covers against Loss/Damage of property, Employers Liability, Public product liability, Lock replace and telephone misuse.
Marketing: Expectedly, this is a must for any successful business. Most cleaning agencies uses Google Adword to market their services and this proves to be very effective to attract clients. However, there are other methods of marketing that can be use such as flyer distribution, posting an ad in the local paper and on Gumtree. You will need a good quality website to market your services and this again does not have to be costly. In our next edition we will provide more information about how to get a website.
Get your Terms Right: It is important that you get your terms correct in the early stages of your business. You will need to set the appropriate prices and a good idea would be to look at companies in your area and come to a reasonable balance. Please remember that you cannot make your prices too low as you will not be able to cover your running cost and make a profit. At the same time you do not want to make your rates too expensive. You will also need to draft up a terms and conditions of service, some companies offers a minimum term contract while some do not.
Some points to note are as follows:
* Always pay your cleaner at a good rate; a suggestion is atleast £6.00 an hour for regular clean and £7.00 onwards for other cleans.
* Also a minimum term contract will mean that you will enhance the security of your company and job satisfaction for cleaners
You also need to get your hands on:
* Cleaning checklist for the cleans that are offered.
* Key Holders Form
* Standing Order Forms
* Stationary e.g. letterheads
With the right attitude you will be able to run a great cleaning business and its a great feeling to know that you can also do it from home and still be professional.
Clean Art
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
How to Mop Floors
Mopping floors seems like one of those things everyone knows how to do, but few people actually know the right way to do it. If you're not using the right technique, you're causing a lot more work for yourself and are probably taking a chance with your own safety as well. Following are the steps to proper mopping:
1. Mop heads come in different sizes. Choose a weight that works for your body size. If you choose one that is too heavy, you'll likely put too much stress on your back and it might be more difficult to move quickly and efficiently.
2. Fill your mop bucket with 4 gallons of cool water. Add your cleaning solution according to manufacturer's directions. Always use a neutral pH floor cleaner to keep from damaging any finish on the floor.
3. Before you start mopping a floor, make sure you sweep or vacuum it first. If you don't remove the loose soil, you'll simply push it all around the floor, making more of a mess. Use a putty knife to remove gum, stickers or other items stuck to the floor.
4. Put out wet floor signs near entrances to the area you'll be mopping.
5. Start at the farthest corner of the room and work your way backwards toward the door. Keep the mop bucket on the section of floor that has not been mopped yet in an area where it won't be tripped over.
6. Start by mopping along the baseboards to keep from slopping your cleaning solution up onto the wall or baseboard. Then fill in the open areas.
7. Never push the mop forward and backward. Instead, move it from side to side in a figure eight motion, overlapping each stroke as you move back and forth. Keep your back straight as you mop - do not twist your spine, as it puts stress on the back. Use your arm muscles to move the mop back and forth - do not use your back muscles.
8. As one side of the mop gets soiled, turn it over to use the other side.
9. Rinse the mop in clean water and wring it out. Try to wring out as much liquid as possible, but do not force the wringer and do not twist the mop head as it will break the fibers.
10. Change water as necessary.
11. When the floor is dry, pick up the wet floor signs. Rinse out the mop head, mop bucket and sink. Store the mop properly - hang it so it can air dry.
Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)Steve Hanson
1. Mop heads come in different sizes. Choose a weight that works for your body size. If you choose one that is too heavy, you'll likely put too much stress on your back and it might be more difficult to move quickly and efficiently.
2. Fill your mop bucket with 4 gallons of cool water. Add your cleaning solution according to manufacturer's directions. Always use a neutral pH floor cleaner to keep from damaging any finish on the floor.
3. Before you start mopping a floor, make sure you sweep or vacuum it first. If you don't remove the loose soil, you'll simply push it all around the floor, making more of a mess. Use a putty knife to remove gum, stickers or other items stuck to the floor.
4. Put out wet floor signs near entrances to the area you'll be mopping.
5. Start at the farthest corner of the room and work your way backwards toward the door. Keep the mop bucket on the section of floor that has not been mopped yet in an area where it won't be tripped over.
6. Start by mopping along the baseboards to keep from slopping your cleaning solution up onto the wall or baseboard. Then fill in the open areas.
7. Never push the mop forward and backward. Instead, move it from side to side in a figure eight motion, overlapping each stroke as you move back and forth. Keep your back straight as you mop - do not twist your spine, as it puts stress on the back. Use your arm muscles to move the mop back and forth - do not use your back muscles.
8. As one side of the mop gets soiled, turn it over to use the other side.
9. Rinse the mop in clean water and wring it out. Try to wring out as much liquid as possible, but do not force the wringer and do not twist the mop head as it will break the fibers.
10. Change water as necessary.
11. When the floor is dry, pick up the wet floor signs. Rinse out the mop head, mop bucket and sink. Store the mop properly - hang it so it can air dry.
Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)Steve Hanson
5 Ways to Make Stone Floors Shine
The first question we need to ask when talking about making stone floors shine, is "why does stone shine?"
When light hits uneven stone, it scatters. But if the stone is even, the light bounces off the surface, and that makes it shine. Think of is this way -- imagine yourself on a boat on rough waters (uneven stone). If you look over the side of the boat you can't see your reflection. But if you look over the side of the boat with calm water (even stone), then you can see your reflection. That's because the light is bouncing off the water the same way it bounces off an even stone floor.
So how do you make stone floors shine?
1. Add a coating or finish. Although coatings or finishes add gloss to stone floors, this is not a recommended way to add shine to granite or marble floors. Natural stone needs to breathe, and adding coatings or finishes blocks the floor from breathing. Travertine or Terazzo floors are better suited to adding a coating or finish.
2. Polishing. Polishing stone floors using diamond pads on your slow speed floor machine will add a highly reflective gloss to stone floors.
3. Honing. Honing is a more agressive procedure that smoothes the stone by using a more abrasive diamond disk that grinds imperfections on the floor surface.
4. Grinding. Grinding is the most aggressive way to add shine to stone floors. This procedure will take care of lippage (uneven tiles). Grinding should only be done by experienced stone floor technicians.
5. Crystallization. Crystallization is a chemical polishing process that is used in heavy traffic areas. In this situation you would use a crystallizer polish to add shine to the floor.
The best way to keep stone floors shiny is to maintain them regularly by vacuuming and mopping to keep dirt and grit off the floor. This will not only keep you from having to perform more aggressive stone floor services too often, but will save your customers money in the long run.
http//www.cleanart.co.uk
Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)Steve Hanson
When light hits uneven stone, it scatters. But if the stone is even, the light bounces off the surface, and that makes it shine. Think of is this way -- imagine yourself on a boat on rough waters (uneven stone). If you look over the side of the boat you can't see your reflection. But if you look over the side of the boat with calm water (even stone), then you can see your reflection. That's because the light is bouncing off the water the same way it bounces off an even stone floor.
So how do you make stone floors shine?
1. Add a coating or finish. Although coatings or finishes add gloss to stone floors, this is not a recommended way to add shine to granite or marble floors. Natural stone needs to breathe, and adding coatings or finishes blocks the floor from breathing. Travertine or Terazzo floors are better suited to adding a coating or finish.
2. Polishing. Polishing stone floors using diamond pads on your slow speed floor machine will add a highly reflective gloss to stone floors.
3. Honing. Honing is a more agressive procedure that smoothes the stone by using a more abrasive diamond disk that grinds imperfections on the floor surface.
4. Grinding. Grinding is the most aggressive way to add shine to stone floors. This procedure will take care of lippage (uneven tiles). Grinding should only be done by experienced stone floor technicians.
5. Crystallization. Crystallization is a chemical polishing process that is used in heavy traffic areas. In this situation you would use a crystallizer polish to add shine to the floor.
The best way to keep stone floors shiny is to maintain them regularly by vacuuming and mopping to keep dirt and grit off the floor. This will not only keep you from having to perform more aggressive stone floor services too often, but will save your customers money in the long run.
http//www.cleanart.co.uk
Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)Steve Hanson
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