Cleaning Kit for DIY'ers

So there you are once again, in the cleaning aisle of your local supermarket. The bright lights, overwhelming clean smells…there’s just something about this section that lures people in. Maybe it’s the shelves upon shelves of slick packaging with loud colors and promises of taking out even the heaviest of buildup. Haven’t we all fallen victim to this? Walking the cleaning aisle and finding all these products that will save us time and money. If you just had products you enjoyed using you’d enjoy cleaning, right?

Fast forward 3 months into the future and where is that fancy new product? Is it sitting under your Kitchen sink, bottle covered in dust and still mostly full? What about that great piece of equipment that was going to save you so much time? Is it sitting in the corner of a closet, still looking brand new because it’s only been used once or twice? Whether in occupied or vacant homes, I am always shocked to see how many cleaning supplies people have in their homes. Fancy dusters, shower cleaner that will cut the heaviest of grime in half the time, just “spray and wipe”, passion fruit toilet cleaner and the list goes on and on.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some great products out there that truly do save you time and money. However, to keep your home clean, you only need a very basic selection of cleaners and equipment.  And with the cleaning aisles stocked full with rows and rows of products, how do you know what is right for your home? Below you will find Caliber Cleaning, Inc.’s “Cleaning Kit for DIY’ers.” Whether you’re doing your own house cleaning on a regular basis or you like to do touch ups between having a professional house cleaning service, this is a great list of what to keep on hand in any home.

Supplies	Equipment
All-purpose cleaner concentrate	Mop/Broom
Cleaner concentrate that contains bleach or  a green alternative for shower cleaner	Sponge/Scrub brush/Scour
Glass cleaner	Vacuum w/ hose attachments
Toilet bowl cleaner	Toilet brush
Furniture polish	Long duster
Stainless steel polish, if applicable	Microfiber cleaning cloths
Vinegar or oil soap for wood floors, if applicable	2 empty spray bottles

Use the 2 empty spray bottles for mixing all-purpose cleaner and a cleaner with bleach/or green alternative for shower cleaner. Buying concentrated jugs of cleaner and mixing your own bottles will save you money. Several cleaning concentrates can be bought for $3.00-$5.00 in 52oz jugs and only require 2-4oz of concentrate per 32oz spray bottle. For the average household this will last a long time. If you have linoleum/tile/marble floors you can also use the all-purpose cleaner concentrate in a bucket of hot water for mopping your floors. All cleaners slightly vary so follow the instructions on the packaging for proper dilution ratios.

With this basic chart of Supplies/Equipment you can create a cleaning kit that will help you to keep the inside of your home looking its best. Happy Cleaning!

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Cleaning Company

So you’re ready to hire a House Cleaning company…Do you have a referral from a friend or family member? Maybe you plan on heading to the web’s almighty search bar to begin your quest? Whether you’ve hired a Cleaning Company in the past or this is your first time, there are some very important questions to consider. One search for “House Cleaning Companies” will net you hundreds of results. How are you going to wade through the results and ultimately make a decision? Where do you even begin? Overwhelming, right? Read on to find a framework of questions to ask during your search.

We’ll start with some surface level questions that will hopefully help you to narrow your list down. Once you’ve got a list of some potentials you’d like to call to your house to provide you a bid we’ll go over some more in-depth questions. After all, this company will have access to the place you call home. You need to feel comfortable with them in your home whether you’re there during your cleaning or not.

Of course there are the obvious surface questions that 9 out of 10 people will always ask…how much does your service cost? Are you licensed, bonded and insured? How many people do you send? These are all important questions and you should ask them. However there are also several questions that should be asked that are more specific to company operations and policies. Yes many potential clients will ask if we’re licensed, bonded and insured. However they rarely ask what happens if something gets broken. You should be asking what a company’s insurance limits are; you should ask what their procedure is for fixing something if it gets broken.  

When you first start calling companies and you’re in the “narrowing down” phase, start with a few of the below questions;

·         How do you charge, by job or by hour? Do you charge minimums?

·         Are you licensed, bonded and insured?

·         What are your hours of operation?

·         Do your employees speak English?

·         Do you provide supplies and equipment?

·         Do you perform background checks?

Now that you’ve “pre-screened” a few companies with the above questions you are ready to have them to your home for a preview. Some companies can provide an estimate over the phone or internet; however, providing an estimate sight unseen can be very tricky. There are several factors that go into writing up a bid for house cleaning. If you receive an estimate over the phone sight unseen do expect the possibility of the cost increasing once the company does see your home. To receive the most accurate estimate it is best to have each company come preview your home so you can show them exactly what you want done in each area. This not only gives you a definite cost rather than an estimate, but it also ensures that the cleaning company knows exactly what you expect to have done in your home.

When you have each company to your home for a preview, the following are questions that you should consider asking. How each company answers the below questions should assist you in choosing the best company for your particular house cleaning needs. Every person is different when it comes to what is important to them. For example, some people don’t care about having the same person/crew every cleaning while others don’t care how many people come out during their cleaning. There are no right or wrong answers to the below questions, it all boils down to your particular preferences.

·         Do you send the same person/crew every cleaning?

·         Do you provide a list of what will be done in my home or do I get to create my own list?

·         Can I be home during cleaning?

·         How do I pay for services?

·         What are your insurance limits? If something gets broken in my home what is your procedure for fixing it?

·         What type of background check do you perform? How many years back do you check? Do you check just this state or multiple states?

·         How many people do you send during cleaning?

·         Where is my information and key (if applicable) stored? Who has access to it? What if my key is lost?

·         Will I be charged a fee for changing or skipping a cleaning?

·         Do you have a list of references I could call?

·         What is your maintenance plan on your vacuums? Do they have HEPA FILTERS?

·         What kind of products do you use?

Hopefully now you feel comfortable with a company to hire for your house cleaning needs. The above questions can also be used, if slightly modified, for hiring other service professionals around your home. Good luck in your search!