Everything your cleaner wishes you knew...

Hello Everyone! Welcome to our cleaning blog. A safe space where we can share some of the trials and tribulations we have gone through while working in the cleaning world. We will give tips, tricks and our general feedback on what has and hasn't worked over the years for us. 

           The first thing that many people don't seem to be aware of - there is a huge difference between a maid/housekeeper/house manager and a housecleaner. Although the titles sound the same - they actually perform quite different jobs. A maid/housekeeper is in charge of keeping the home tidy and orderly while a house cleaners are in charge of getting down to the root of the problem and disinfect/sanitize. Many people assume that when you have a housecleaner come to your home that they are in charge of straightening up AND cleaning, but the truth is that the house cleaner is strictly there to help maintain the quality of the home and help ensure that the cleanliness maintains the value of the home. A house cleaner usually comes on a regular basis to help battle the dirt, grime and disinfect. A maid is usually contracted independently to the home and has more of a set schedule where they tend to the children, help with basic tidying of the home and caring for the family. 

           On of the biggest misconceptions of a housecleaner / short term rental cleaner is that we organize and maintain the decor of a rental. Rental owners ask - why is it not possible to clean the home AND make sure the right decorations are in the right spot or the chairs turned at this angle with these special items are put here and here? Someone cleaning your home is first and foremost in charge of disinfecting and resetting the space with new linens and towels. If given the opportunity and the cleaner has the ability to straighten chairs and move decorative pillows - they will, but this job is usually reserved for a house manager.

          So what is a house manager and why should I use one for a rental? If you don't live near your rental and you are looking for someone to ensure the guest experience while acting as the face for your space - we highly recommend a house manager. This person normally goes in and will make sure the decorative pillows are turned correctly, they may do inventory checks and review the home for damages and wear and tear. A rental home is a temporary space for guests and not every client treats a home with kindness and respect. Your cleaner will alert you of any noticeable issues - but they may not notice if the second chair in the dining room is a bit wobbly, or if there seem to be kick marks on the footplate of the bar by barstools. A house manager would be in charge of contacting contractors, dealing with problematic guests and are there for checks and balances. Some cleaners may also take on this role in a rental - but it should be advised that this is a completely separate skill and mindset and should be compensated accordingly. 

      Think of it this way - if you were to stay in a hotel - one person would clean your room, while one person would be there to answer questions about the local community. One person may cook you dinner, while one would be in charge of repairing the room. The manager would be the one who checks these things to ensure that they are done properly and meet the hotel standards. Would you ask your housecleaner to do all of these things when its clear that hotels have figured out the checks and balances? Do you think you should pay your cleaner more money if they also wear these hats and situate all these other things? 

Id love to hear your thoughts and opinions. Feel free to sound off below and if you have any questions you would like to ask us - please feel free to post them in the comments below! - C

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~            
  
Currently Cheyne is 40 years old and living life with her new husband, 2 dogs, 2 cats and her wonderful friends and crew at Clean'n Green based in Austin, Texas and Galveston, Texas. She still consults for restaurants/hotels/bars around the globe but focuses mostly on her cleaning business and the businesses she runs with her family. You can reach her at cleanngreenatx@gmail.com