How To Run Your Own Residential Cleaning Business With Options

Cleaning

Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Cleaning Business

Cleaning the home is an arduous chore in most households. Cleaning is a tiring and time-consuming task right from making the bed to cleaning up the carpet, especially for people who are always working. Most people now would happily hand over the cleaning chore to a professional cleaner as the lives of people are becoming increasingly hectic, and they don’t have time to invest in cleaning their spaces.

Lately, due to this increasing demand for professional cleaning services,  there is an influx in the number of cleaning business start-ups launching in the industry. Additionally, the cleaning business is booming these days and has become one of the highly profitable businesses.

When in doubt of what business to start, starting a small cleaning business might be a great option as it doesn’t require any degree, prior experience or any specific prerequisite knowledge. If people, starting their cleaning company, are prepared to put in a lot of time and effort and work themselves, then it is possible to start a house cleaning business with a low initial investment.

Thinking of starting a cleaning business?

There is some crucial information to know in general for a cleaning business such as the resources needed to start the business, the latest technologies that can help a cleaning business to grow faster, the house cleaning prices within the market, marketing strategies to promote the business, etc.

One of the most important things that you need to do is start creating a cleaning business checklist. This checklist is essential to keep track of what are the necessary steps to be taken and track the required aspects to get a successful business plan. For example, registering a business, scheduling appointments for the cleaning requirements, paying taxes, expanding the company, etc.

 

Service updates during coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

National Restrictions (from 5th November)

From the 5th November, will enter a national lockdown across the country, similar to the March lockdown where businesses will be forced to close. The lockdown will begin on 5th November and end on 2nd December. However the government have made it clear that cleaners will still be permitted to work inside peoples’ homes as long as the government guidelines on social distancing and staying safe are followed.

Can cleaners still work in clients’ homes?

The government has not made any changes in regards to work being carried out within homes. Domestic cleaners are still permitted in homes, no matter which Tier your area is in – as long as the government guidelines on social distancing and staying safe are followed.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any of the following:

a new continuous cough

a high temperature

a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness. However, if you have any of the symptoms above you must stay at home and arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19.

What are we doing?

We want to inform you of the actions we are taking as a business to protect our cleaners and our clients as far as possible during the COVID-19 outbreak. You will, of course, know the government have ordered people to stay at home wherever possible but with a few exceptions. On the other hand, we don’t need to point out that a clean house is even more essential during these times.

We are in constant contact with all our cleaners and are asking them and yourselves to take all the precautions you can.

If you or anyone in your household have any symptoms, please let us and your cleaner know as soon as possible.

We have also informed our cleaners to do the same if they or anyone in their household displays any symptoms.

We have always ensured that the same cleaner attends the same clients each clean and that our cleaners only use the clients’ cleaning materials, to prevent cross-contamination.

 

Here’s How Often You Should Clean Everything In Your House

While it can sometimes be hard to gauge how often to tackle certain household chores, keeping your living space tidy just got a whole lot simpler. Housekeeping recently created a handy infographic showing how often you should clean everything in your house.

To keep everything neat, Housekeeping recommends that you perform certain cleaning tasks every day, including sweeping the kitchen floor, wiping down the kitchen counters, and sanitizing the sinks. Then, once a week, you should change your bedding and clean the inside of your microwave. (Note, though, that you shouldn’t actually try to sanitize your sponge—researchers suggest throwing it away and replacing it with a new one instead.)

The timing of other chores is more flexible. You can tackle scrubbing the insides of your fridge and oven every three to six months. As for big projects like deep-cleaning carpets and windows, you only need to do those once a year.

Just because you should clean regularly, though, doesn’t mean you have to spend ages doing it. There are a variety of cleaning hacks that can help you speed up the process, like using a lemon to wipe away hard water stains or putting dusty artificial plants in the dishwasher. There are also plenty of products guaranteed to make cleaning easier, like this steam cleaner designed specifically for your microwave.

Or, just let a smart mop do the cleaning for you. That’s probably healthier, anyway. Check out Housekeeping’s infographic below. The magazine also made a companion chart for laundry

 

Pre-cleaning Guide

Conduct: We will always be respectful in your home/office. There is no smoking, eating or drinking (other than water) in your home/office, nor do they watch TV or play the radio. They do not answer the phone or door

Supplies: We provide our own cleaning products including cleaning agents and microfiber towels. We pride ourselves in our state of the art, earth friendly cleaning practices. We use color coded microfiber technology ensuring the avoidance of cross contamination. All tools and supplies are disinfected after each home/office is cleaned, to provide an additional layer of preventing cross-contamination.

Picking Up: You do not need to clean for the cleaner! Especially if you asked for an ‘As is Cleaning’. However, if you would like to minimize cost and not pay for us picking up, organizing and cleaning, we suggest the better your space is picked up, the better job we can do for you. If there are papers, dishes, laundry, projects, etc. and you do not want us to pick up, no problem, we will skip these areas until the next visit. Getting things up off the floor by putting them on beds, couches, dining room table is what we suggest it helps to have more clear surfaces to clean for you. If you just can’t get things organized before we come, no problem, just know we will clean what we can get to. Also, please leave bedsheets for changing beds if you require us to.

Pets: We love pets! However due to potential health risks, we do not clean litter boxes, urine or feces unless you let us know ahead of time we will come prepared with the right chemicals and charge accordingly. If you have a pet that is the least bit aggressive, it will need to be absent from the areas we are cleaning.

Valuables: If there is an item or items in your home that are invaluable to you, it is your responsibility to: A.) Let us know what and where the item(s) are, so we will know not to touch them, or B.) Put the item(s) away before your scheduled cleaning service. As mentioned in the paragraph above, we do not open doors (this includes cabinet doors, bookcases, curios, etc.). If your valuable or breakable items are behind a closed door, we will not touch them.

 

Guidelines for Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection of Areas Exposed to Confirmed Case(s) of COVID-19 in Non-Healthcare Premises

General Good Practices

  1. As the virus can survive on surfaces of different materials for at least 2 to 3 days, surfaces potentially contaminated with the COVID-19 virus (e.g. commonly touched surfaces, surfaces which may have been exposed to respiratory droplets such as sneezes or coughs, and floors) should be sanitised.
  2. Thoroughly clean toilets, using different set of cleaning equipment (disposable cloths, mop, etc). Pay attention to the disinfectant of frequently touched area such as sinks, taps, toilet bowls and seat covers.
  3. Seek medical attention if you are feeling unwell.

Cleaning of Premises

  1. Items to Prepare for Cleaning of Premises

Prepare these items before you start to clean the premises:

  1. Personal protective equipment (PPE) (where applicable)
  2. An appropriate disinfectant with indication of effectiveness against coronaviruses, or bleach solution. Disinfectants should be prepared and applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendation. Please refer to the “Interim List of Household Products and Active Ingredients for Disinfection of COVID-19 Virus” for a list of disinfectants and active ingredients that are suitable for coronavirus disinfection. Note that different active ingredients require different periods of contact time between the disinfectant and the surfaces to be effective.
  3. Plastic/Trash bags
  4. Water
  5. Disposable cloths or rags
  6. Pail
  7. Mop

Cleaning Instructions

  1. Where possible, seal off areas where the confirmed case has visited, before carrying out cleaning and disinfection of the contaminated environmental surfaces. This is to prevent unsuspecting persons from being exposed to those surfaces. For enclosed spaces, leave the room undisturbed for at least 3 hours after the confirmed case has left the area so as to allow the aerosols to settle. If there is a need to enter the room before it is cleaned or disinfected, put on appropriate PPE (Section B.I.1) before entering.
  2. Before you start cleaning, put on a pair of gloves, N95 mask, eye goggles and a disposable gown. If the confirmed case(s) has been present at the premises only for a short period of time (e.g. if the confirmed case passed by an area in his/her office (not the work desk), or ate at a canteen, etc), please refer to para 2 for a stepped-down PPE protocol.
  3. Avoid touching your face, mouth, nose and eyes during clean-up. Gloves should be removed and discarded if they become soiled or damaged, and a new pair worn. Prepare the disinfectant according to manufacturer’s recommendations or bleach solution (For bleach, dilute 1000ppm or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite; bleach solutions with 5.25-6.00% sodium hypochlorite can be diluted with 1 part bleach in 49 parts water). Alcohol can be used for surfaces where the use of bleach is not suitable.
  4. Keep windows open for ventilation.
  5. Keep cleaning equipment to a minimum.
  6. Mop floor with prepared disinfectant or bleach solution, starting from one end of the premises to another.
  7. Soak cloths with prepared disinfectant or bleach solution and use them to wipe all frequently touched areas (e.g. lift buttons, hand rails, doorknobs, arm rests, seat backs, tables, air/ light controls, keyboards, switches, etc.) and allow to air dry. A steady wiping motion should be used when cleaning either floors or horizontal surfaces, to prevent the creation of aerosols or splashing. Identify frequently touched areas based premises types and likelihood of use and risk of contamination.
  8. Avoid using a spray pack to apply disinfectant on potentially highly contaminated areas (such as toilet bowl or surrounding surfaces) as it may create splashes which can further spread the virus. Also, alcohol-based disinfectant is flammable, do not spray it into the air.
  9. Clean toilets with a separate set of equipment (disposable cleaning cloths, mops, etc) using disinfectant or bleach solution. Use an appropriate disinfectant and note that different active ingredients require different periods of contact time to be effective.
  10. Clean all accessible surfaces (sinks, taps, soap dispensers, toilet roll dispensers, walls, cubicle doors, cubicle locks, handles, flush buttons, etc).
  11. Urinals and toilet bowls can be disinfected by pouring disinfectant into the urinal/toilet bowl. Allow for an appropriate contact time. Clean urinals and toilets bowls with a brush and use a separate cloth for seat covers. Brush and cloths used for these should not be used for other surfaces.
  12. After disinfection, clean the floor with disinfectant from the exit inwards.
  13. Remove curtains/ fabrics/ quilts for washing, preferably using the hot water cycle. Avoid tossing and throwing the laundry. For hot-water laundry cycles, wash with detergent or disinfectant in water at 70ºC for at least 25 minutes. If low-temperature (i.e. less than 70ºC) laundry cycles are used, choose a chemical that is suitable for low-temperature washing when used at the proper concentration.

11 Arrange for a cleaning contractor to properly disinfect the mattresses, pillows, cushions or carpets that have been used by the person who has been confirmed to have the COVID-19.

12 Repeat cleaning the floor with the prepared disinfectant or bleach solution starting from one end of the premises to another. Avoid going from an area that has not been cleaned to an area that has been cleaned, to avoid dirtying the cleaned area.

  1. Throw away disposable cleaning equipment made of cloths/ absorbent materials (e.g. mop head and wiping cloths) after cleaning each area, to prevent cross contamination. Discard cleaning equipment into doubled-lined biohazard waste bags arrange for proper disposal of this waste as biohazardous waste1.
  2. Disinfect non-porous cleaning equipment used in one room, before using for other rooms. If possible, keep the disinfecting equipment separated from other routine equipment.
  3. Disinfect buckets by soaking in disinfectant or bleach solution.
  4. After cleaning and disinfection is completed, remove disposable gown (if worn) and gloves, wash your hands with soap and water.
  5. All other disposable PPE such as N95 masks and eye goggles, should be removed and discarded after cleaning activities are completed. Hands should be washed with soap and water immediately after each piece of PPE is removed, following completion of cleaning. Eye goggles, if used, should be disinfected after each use, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  6. Throw PPE into doubled-lined biohazard waste bags.
  7. All waste generated from the clean-up (disposable cloths, used PPE etc, in paras 13 and 18) should e segregated from other waste (e.g.. food waste), and disposed of as biohazardous waste as soon as possible.
  8. Air and ventilate the premises. Where possible, avoid using the area the next day.
  9. If the confirmed case(s) has been present at the premises only for a short period of time (e.g. if the confirmed case passed by an area in his/her office (not the work desk), or ate at a canteen, etc), please refer to para 22 for a stepped-down PPE protocol.
  10. The protocol can be stepped-down as follows:
  11. Prepare a change of clothes instead of a disposable gown.
  12. Waste generated from the clean-up in paras 13, 18 and 19 can be disposed of as regular waste.
  13. Instead of wearing a disposable gown, shower or wash up and change clothes immediately after the clean-up.