4. School's Out, Clutter's In: Cleaning with Kids Home
With the kids home for the summer, your clients' houses may resemble obstacle courses that put their usual clutter to shame. Even your most organized clients are prone to show chinks in the armor when battling these pint-sized mess mercenaries, leading to everything from beach sand to craft project glue coating, even the tidiest of homes.
While we all applaud kids having summer fun, unfortunately for cleaners, more stuff strewn around means more time tidying up before the actual cleaning can even begin. If this issue isn’t headed off at the pass, it can result in either a loss of profitability, as cleaners stay longer than paid for, or a loss of clients, and customers bristle at surprise extra charges they weren’t expecting.
The Solution
When kids are out for summer, it is time for their parents to attend cleaning company summer school! You’re the teacher, so communicate and educate. Explain to clients that cleaning efficiency is maximized when clutter is minimized, or simply put, they get more bang for their buck when their cleaner isn’t picking up before they clean.
Educate clients that they are the best ones to "housekeep," also known as putting things back where they belong before the cleaner "house cleans," AKA removing soils. When cleaners are asked to housekeep, it is near impossible to accurately guess where everything goes since they don’t live at the home, so things will inevitably be put back in the wrong spot and lost.
If your cleaning staff has the personality for it, you can even offer to charge for a little extra time for your staff to teach their children how to pick up before cleaning, as an outside adult is often more happily listened to by most kids than their own parents.
Finally, politely clarify that your business charges by the hour and reserves the right to raise rates for the summer if their cleaning conditions consistently require more time.