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I am still amazed at the number of calls I get from businesses that have had horrible experiences with their previous cleaning service. 

 

5 Reasons To Find A New Cleaning Service

 

I can’t figure out why some people are in business and how they can take your money but not do what they promised you they would do for you.

And they do it week after week.

Let me say that again.

They take your money but don’t do what they promise you they will do.

If you aren’t getting what you you are paying for, there are probably signs that are right there, in front of your eyes that are giving you a gut feeling about your current cleaning service.

And you should listen to your gut.

So here are the Top 5 Reasons To Find A New Cleaning Service.

1. Unreliable Cleaners

This one speaks for itself and if you have been in the situation where your cleaners just do not show up at the appointed time or day for cleaning, you probably already know what to do.

I once had a house cleaner who always seemed to have one of life’s emergency’s when it came time to clean my house.  At the time, I was a busy executive, very time poor and I decided to engage the cleaner to solve one of my problems.

Well, not only was my house NOT cleaned when it should have been, but I also had to listen to her stories of woe.

And while I am normally a very empathetic person, I found it hard to summon my normal level of understanding because here I was listening to somebody else’s problems when, what she should have been doing was solving my problems!

And my gut feeling after the 2nd excuse was to wish her luck and let her go.

But goodness, I can be silly sometimes.

I probably listened to five of her life’s catastrophe’s before we finally parted ways.

Within a business context, this just can’t be allowed to happen.  We all want to give people a break when we can but if our commercial cleaning service does not have systems in place to account for those times where tragedy befalls your regular cleaners, it is not your job to cover for them.

And if you can help it, try not to be like me and give too many chances.  Wish them luck and wave them goodbye before something bad happens.  You definitely do not want to be in a position where you have a big launch, important visitors, event, presentation etc and the cleaning was not done the night before because Mary’s son was sick and Mary or her company did not have a contingency plan.

Nooooooo…

Sure you might want to cut them a break if they have provided loyal service to you for years before they missed one clean, but otherwise, just cut ties as soon as possible and look for a professional cleaning company that can provide you with a cleaner, no matter what the circumstances are affecting your regular provider’s life.

2. Your Cleaner Argues With You

You know that you did not contract a service just so that you had somebody to argue with when the cleaning was not done to your satisfaction.

And the way it makes you feel about approaching conversations around quality is just not right.

You should not have to feel guilty about wanting reasonable standards.

And yet, I have heard, again and again how cleaners will do this.

Customer Service 101 is not too difficult to learn.  The words you should be hearing when you have feedback to give go something like this…

“I am very sorry that you are not happy.  Our aim is always to provide a superior service to you.  If we can come around today to fix the problem, would that satisfy you?”

If on the other hand all you are getting is excuse after excuse, you know what to do.

3. Cleaning Quality Is Decreasing Over Time

When you provider started work, the standard was really good.  It seemed as though you had found the cleaner you would stick with for life.

But over time, you started noticing a sure but steady decline in the quality of each cleaning service.

This is a very common occurrence and happens for a number of reasons.

Some people start a new enterprise with verve and enthusiasm but after a couple of years, their energy just falls of a cliff. Other people become too successful for their own good and take on too many jobs. And so they begin to rush.  And after even more jobs, they begin to cut corners.

And before you know it, all they seem to be doing is emptying the bins and vacuuming.

For others, the company you contracted just doesn’t know enough about obtaining consistent results no matter the actual cleaner.  So when Jenny leaves and is replaced by Julia, you have a problem because Julia just doesn’t care enough… after all she is just cleaning as a stop gap before she starts her actual career…

If you have a Julia servicing you, you know what to do.

4. You Are Paying For Cleaning That Is Not Being Done

Cutting Corners is the bain of the industry and happens all of the time.

When you contract a new provider, they will promise you the world but will under-deliver time and again.

The things to look out for are the little things:

  • Are the door handles shiny?
  • Lift the bin liner and see if the bin is cleaned on the inside.
  • Run a finger along window sills or the bottom of banister railings and see if there is any dust.
  • Look at the bottom of and behind the toilet and see if there is any dust. Or worse… sometimes much worse!
  • Check your walls to see if grubby marks are being removed.
  • Look for spider webs
  • Is your sink drain stained or polished?

Most cleaners will get most of the big things right but fall short when it comes to the little things.

But it is the little things that complete the picture and after all, who wants to buy an unfinished painting?

5. You Can See Cleaning “Leftovers”

When you look at hard surfaces such as tables, benches and wall tiles, do you see “swirls” or other remnants of cleaning?

And do you see the same thing when you look at your hard floors in sunlight?

If you do, your cleaner may be using dirty cloths to clean dirty surfaces and that is like trying to clean hard surfaces with mud.

If you spot this tell-tale sign of bad cleaning practices, it is time to get a new cleaner because your current supplier is taking shortcuts they should not be.