Professional Home Cleaner or Independent Contractor: Who Has Your Trust?
Whether this is your first experience having your home professionally cleaned, or you’ve worked with residential cleaners for years, finding the right cleaner for your home boils down to trust.
I’m a tad biased when it comes to deciding between an independent cleaner or a licensed residential cleaning business seeing that I run Clean Club Calgary, a professional cleaning company. However, having first started in this industry as a solo cleaner myself, there are clear benefits to working with a cleaning professional over an independent cleaning contractor.
EARNING YOUR TRUST IS A PROFESSIONAL’S TOP PRIORITY
Cleaning is more than scrubbing and removing grime. It’s letting someone into your home, your safe haven, to transform it into a place in which you can simply relax. This requires trusting someone with your personal property. While there are plenty of good independent cleaners out there, who are typically more cost-effective than a professional cleaning company, there are clear differences that impact the type of cleaning experience you’ll receive.
This starts with having a professionally vetted and trained team, guided by a leader. This leader should be someone who is actively motivating, growing, and improving their cleaning team, setting up their client, the business AND their employees for long-term success. This translates to the quality of work because the cleaning team feels cared for and that they have an impact within the company. The result is a motivated, committed and professional team going into your home to enhance your home life.
DELIVERING MOTIVATED, RELIABLE AND CONSISTENT CLEANING
An independent cleaner is just that - independent. They typically do not have a backup cleaner to fill in for them should they be unable to make your appointment, often leaving you high and dry for cleaning services. Such events can include getting sick, having to care for a sick child at home, getting stuck in traffic, etc. From there, rescheduling may become a hassle if you are not able to have them clean your home when you want.
With a professional cleaning company, you typically have a cleaning team of two people. At Clean Club Calgary, we work to have the same team clean the same house so there is consistency in who is in your home. Should one individual not be able to make their shift, the other team member will still go, bringing another trained team member with them. This regular team member knows the house and client preferences, allowing them to guide the other cleaner, ensuring the quality of clean remains, without missing our promised cleaning date. Plain and simple, with a professional cleaning company, you are more likely to receive a team who will always show up and have a clear understanding of your expectations.
BUILDING AN EXPERIENCED, PROFESSIONAL WORKING RELATIONSHIP
Your home is not where your cleaner should get their emotional needs met. Unfortunately, time and again, I hear tales of cleaners who share all the details of their personal lives with their client...whether the client wants to hear it or not. In my eyes, this is incredibly unprofessional. When you hire a cleaning service, regardless of whether they are a freelancer, incorporated company, or close friend, they should be there to do one thing: the work you are paying them for!
A professional cleaning company understands this and equips their team accordingly. This translates into how we act and show up at your house. For instance, we have a clear pre-cleaning checklist identifying the next day’s required cleaning and specific client requests. This gives our people the knowledge they need to immediately start cleaning when they arrive rather than using the first 10 - 20 minutes of your time understanding what needs to be cleaned that day. There are a number of checks and balances, internal communications, and other policies in place to ensure our customers receive the specific cleaning they require that day. With an independent cleaner, often your cleaning needs are not identified until the morning they arrive and you have to use your booked cleaning time going over what needs to be done.
Another differentiator is ensuring the team appears as a united front. This shows up by wearing our company uniform and name tags over sweats, uniting us as a cleaning team while letting you know who is in your home. This is crucial for building trust in our people, our company, and our industry.
INVESTED IN GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED INDUSTRY-TRAINING
Anyone can clean. However, a professionally trained cleaner does so much more. Cleaning becomes a knowledgeable artform, using science to create fresh spaces.
One reason we focus on proper training with our team is as simple as understanding what products can be used on what materials. For instance, natural stone cannot come into contact with any acid. This means you cannot use any cleaners - including vinegar - that could damage the stone. If your cleaner is not properly trained in understanding what products can be used on what materials, you run the risk of having your home accidentally damaged. What’s more, a professional company will have the proper insurance to repair this damage should it occur. Chances are, an independent cleaner will not. What’s worse - and this is not always the case - but if they’re not aligned with your values of taking responsibility for their actions, a solo cleaner may just leave and never come back. Then, you’re out a cleaner and on the line for fixing the damage.
At Clean Club Calgary, we ensure we’ve provided our team with the right training and tools to ensure a quality clean. These items were developed based on my IICRC Technician certification, a globally recognized cleaning and restoration certificate. Two of these items we provide are:
Solvent Usage List: This list provides insights into what solvents can and cannot be used on specific materials. We ensure our team can access this 24/7, ensuring they can easily review should they need to when supporting our customers.
Cleaning Training Manual: Our training isn’t a simple, “Read this and you’ll be ready to clean for our clients.” We require new cleaners to review and learn a specific section of our manual and then watch the in-house training videos we’ve developed showcasing our client’s expectations of cleanliness. From there, they go with a cleaning lead to our client’s home and implement what they’ve learned. The leader then looks over their work and guides on how to improve (if needed). The process continues until the new team member successfully meets all criteria within our manual.
SUPPORTING HOME BUSINESSES WITH CLEANING WRITE-OFFS
An independent or solo cleaner will most likely have lower pricing than a professional company. However, this lower price actually limits you, the client, in the long run, particularly in relation to cost savings and tax write-offs.
As more companies introduce Work-from-Home Policies and home offices are the bread and butter for numerous entrepreneurs, clients have the opportunity to write off a portion of their cleaning service as a business expense for their home office. A professional company will have the proper invoicing system, allowing you to properly track payments and provide official receipts for Revenue Canada for writing off a portion of your cleaning as a business expense.
Solo cleaners tend to work with cash payments only (not all!) and are not able to provide the appropriate paperwork for the CRA. In addition, cash payments are “under the table,” and these individuals are not paying taxes on the income they’re earning. This lowers the reputation of our industry and minimizes the training and dedication that other companies have invested in.
PROTECTING BOTH CUSTOMERS AND OUR TEAM IMPROVES SERVICE
A cleaning company’s goal, other than providing a quality clean, should be to retain customers and work to resolve issues together. This is quality service in action. If there are any issues, such as not meeting cleaning expectations, the professional company should come back to rectify these because they have more ability to do so. A solo cleaner may simply not respond or come back.
A professional cleaning company must also have insurance, be bonded, and have WCB to ensure clients and their team are protected. In addition to these non-negotiable pieces, running background checks on potential hires is crucial for ensuring we are doing our due diligence in protecting ourselves and our clients. The worst horror story I have come across is an independent cleaner here in Calgary who stole from the client. When the client contacted the police, the client was informed that the individual was in the country illegally and they were trying to locate this individual. Needless to say, this client was never compensated for their loss.
PROFESSIONAL AND CLEAN SHOULD GO HAND IN HAND
Clean Club Calgary is building the bridge between the cleaning industry and a professional standard. Of course, there are solo cleaners who are reputable, honest, and there to provide the best service they can for their clients, but not always. By focusing on proper training, customer service, and empowering our team to take ownership of their role, professional cleaning is our client’s reality. It comes down to supporting the client ahead of their cleaning time; protecting them and the company through proper channels; and focusing on honest, open, relationships dedicated to providing a higher quality of life.
Regardless of whether you’re looking to work with a solo cleaner or a professional cleaning company, do your due diligence before letting anyone into your home. Ask questions, learn their process for scheduling/rescheduling, hiring, and cleaning your home. Sometimes, the benefits that go with a professional cleaning team can save you headaches and even money in the long run.
Have a cleaning horror story that scared you? Perhaps a cleaning company that pleasantly surprised you? Please reach out and share your insights - we are always here to learn more about the industry and what you’re looking for in cleaning services. Connect today!!