Cleaning News, Views and Tips Blog

* Honesty

So, the applicant is allowed to work here. Next thing is you want to make sure that when you come home form work, all your treasured possessions haven’t disappeared.

You do not have access to criminal records. So you must take up:

 a. Proof of ID (Passport or Birth Certificate), so you know WHO the worker is;
 b. Proof of Address (utility bill, rent book, etc.), so you know WHERE they live;
 c. Two written references to gain background information on all cleaners you do interview.

As a result, you can then virtually guarantee honesty because anyone dishonest is not going to come forward with the above documentation.
                     _______________________

For information from the main website on vetting a cleaner and other step that are taken.

                      _______________________

* Reliability

Obtaining reliable staff in any field is always difficult. It is no different with cleaners. To many prospective employees cleaning work is perceived as unattractive. Because of that, some may prove unreliable even after all your checks. In most instances if someone has withstood the rigours of your vetting procedures, you will end up with a worker you are happy with and, in London, the relationship will last for months before a replacement is required. Sometimes the association will stretch for a few a years but do be prepared for it to be less than that!

However you must expect problems. Then you won’t be too disappointed. We are not saying that this is the norm but these things can and do happen.  A cleaner may:

 1) Agree to attend interview and then not show up;
 2) Attend interview and agree to start and not show up;
 3) Start and then quickly decide it is not for them;
 4) Start off well and then gradually detiriorate;
 5) Start but not do the full hours you are paying for;
 6) An otherwise good worker misses days through sickness
or holidays.

* Using a Cleaning Agency

It is only when you start seeking to employ staff that you come across the difficulties. Private householders are often unaware of the problems that can arise. That is why people use an agency. An Agency’s function is to take the hassle out of the unreliability element by putting forward workers who have been vetted for honesty (eliminating the risk of theft) and who, to date, have not caused any problems. Even then problems can still arise. However, a good cleaning agency can resolve any of them provided they are notified.

In the next article we will show you how to get the very best out of the cleaner you have taken on and the money you are paying them!

There’s a stranger in my home!

Before taking anyone on, you must be very careful that YOU are not about to break the law!

* Illegal Aliens

There are many ways that someone who was not born in the UK has arrived here and made themselves available for employment.

First and foremost, you’ll want to check they are not illegal, otherwise you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law, facing a criminal record and a fine of £5,000!

You’ll want to see their Passport plus Home Office Documents, including Work Permit, Business Visa, Grant of Status (Exceptional Leave to Enter or Leave to Remain), which must have the Home Office stamp inlcuding date and must contain a reference number, starting with the first letter of the surname of the applicant. (We have seen obvious forgeries- obvious when you know what you are
looking for).

* Au pairs

Au Pairs originating from outside the EU are only allowed into the UK when they are assigned to a particular family at a particular address. In 2005 legally an au pair can work for a maximum of 5 hours a day and have two days free. For this they receive an ‘allowance’, not a wage, because they are not eligible for ‘employment’. So, beware that you don’t take on an au pair from your neighbour! Otherwise you’d be in trouble and your neighbour’s au pair will find herself whisked out of the country. Worse still if you yourself have an au pair - don’t help her to find work as you could be charged with aiding and abetting. 

Dust To Shine receive calls every week from young girls with exotic accents seemingly unaware that they are contravening the laws of the country. When their English is bad, often it is their host family phoning for them and doing them a favour in trying to get more work.

Continued in Part 5.

Dust To Shine has found, for every domestic cleaner that rings us for an interview, they’ll be as many as three others to whom we refuse because they have no references, cannot speak English (at all), are illegal workers, or are just casually enquiring to show willingness for their Job Seekers Allowance. For every cleaner that is actually booked into our interviews, two will either not bother to show up or they’ll come without the required documents. You need a good cleaner vetting procedure.

Cleaning is a business where it is twice as difficult to source the supply, the cleaners, as it is to obtain clients! It takes twice as long to get a cleaner on to our books as it does to take on a client. Also, in London, despite scrutiny and inquisition, cleaners last on average four to six months (they tell us it’s for life!), compared to a client who lasts from one to two years or more.

When they first start, your new cleaner will be on their best behaviour. It is often only when they are IN the job that they reveal their qualities. We now consider getting quality staff an elimination process not a selection process. Apart from the obvious layabouts who we filter out over the phone, we cannot for certain tell in advance which cleaners will prove reliable and competent.

* Conclusion

There are no tests for cleaner ‘attitude’. Pessimistically - it is a numbers game.

Cleaners are independent, varied human beings over whose actions you have no real control. The most important thing in a worker, that you can only assess when they’re in the job is The Three A’s :

 Attitude!   Attitude!   ATTITUDE!

Part 4. How to take on a domestic cleaner without breaking the law!

The ‘Triple-A’ Domestic Cleaner is rarer than you might think!

You are about to take on a cleaner privately to clean your home on a regular weekly basis. You have obtained their name and phone number from a neighbour, or a local notice board, or even a simple flyer through your letterbox, or you may have advertised in your local paper. If you are a past employer of domestic staff you will know what to expect. If this is your first time, you may be in for a
surprise!

Things may not work out. Cleaners, like all other human beings, can let you down. For instance, when you phone them, they may agree to an interview and change their mind - and NOT tell you. They may attend and then turn the job down (and you might not be told either). They may start but give up after a few weeks. The stronger the economy, the more this sort of thing happens. It can be frustrating for you.

Despite all your best efforts in finding a cleaner privately and getting them started, things may still not work out. Be prepared to be let down! If you are very unlucky, you may have two in a row not work out. Sometimes you could have interviewed three cleaners in a row - and none get started. On average you can expect to be let down 1:3 cleaners before one settles into a regular routine.

Some cleaning staff may start with great promise and then turn out to be unreliable. Difficulties in attracting the right domestic staff increase in periods of low unemployement. A domestic cleaner will let you down and this WILL happen more often than you might expect.

So how do you source the right domestic cleaner?

Continued in part 3.

This is the first of a forthcoming series of articles and snipets of information about domestic cleaning issues.

Covering why the perfect cleaner is very rare to find on your own, how you can find your ideal cleaner and keep them, getting the best from your cleaner, cleaning products, security and why household insurance is a must.

To get started here’s one simple principle: You can get a good cleaner privately with out using an agency that you are happy with only if you persevere.

However the problem is that more than 90% of people who are trying to obtain a cleaner do not have the time nor the inclination to do so. In this day and age with, in most cases both partners working, they do not have time to do this much less the time to do the housework themselves. This is when they turn to an agency.

Continued in part 2

Cleaning Tips that work?
Cleaning a foul-smelling waste disposal doesn’t need to be a struggle, pop in some ice cubes and a cup or two of vinegar in to the waste disposal.  Switch it on for a few minutes to allow it to crush the ice. The ice will clean the blades as well as getting rid of the grime and grunge it has an added bonus that the vinegar will get rid of the germs hidden in places you can’t see.