Need help keeping your home in order? Hiring wrong cleaners may create even a bigger mess.

At SPIC AND SPAN. we have recently conducted a survey among our clients and cleaning professionals. Purpose? We wanted to find out what the reasons for choosing our cleaners are as well as check how the market for cleaning services within the Berlin area is perceived. We were perplexed by what we discovered and decided to lift the veil of secrecy and share some interesting findings.

We were amazed by how many people were interested in our professional services after we opened our business in Berlin and Potsdam. To be honest, even we were not expecting such a high demand. Our new customers claimed that they had very bad experience with other cleaning agencies, companies and platforms. They were complaining chiefly about the quality, incompetence and not a customer-oriented approach. What is more, we have been simultaneously receiving literally an avalanche of job applications for professional cleaning positions. As we scrutinize all potential employees, our HR Manager has obviously asked each applicant for the reason they applied and what were their intentions to change the current employer. This was another source valuable information for us.

Frankly speaking, we are not surprised anymore why people love services provided by SPIC AND SPAN. so much.

1. It is all more about a quick cleaning than a good one…

[caption id="attachment_465" align="alignnone" width="700"] Speed over accuracy invariably results in unintended consequences. Don't let your cleaners rush too much.[/caption]

Many cleaning agencies do not pay well their cleaners and this is the reason why they cannot retain the best and experienced cleaners. Second, underpaid cleaners move through homes like whirling dervishes to hit as many houses in one day as possible. This leads to inattention to detail or just bad cleaning. At SPIC AND SPAN. we value our cleaning professionals and according to our internal policy, the maximal number of cleaning appointments in one day is two.

One of our clients reminds herself a situation when her previous speedy cleaner threw away a very small but brand-new GPS device for her palm organizer. Naturally, the housekeeper denied any wrongdoing. She added: "I don't think she stole it because don't think she knew what it even was". And the other times the same cleaner just took extreme shortcuts. "Some days the housekeeper would only spray lavender around the house”. Obviously, that is not what we call a cleaning.

2. Actually, I cannot do anything beyond regular cleaning…

[caption id="attachment_466" align="alignnone" width="700"] Real cleaning pros strive to provide level of service know from 5-star hotel concierge. It's what makes the difference.[/caption]

According to SPIC AND SPAN. cleaning experts, every company that offers cleaning services, should provide its new hires with at least five days of intensive training. It typically should cover topics such as the latest equipment, i.e. using microfiber tools or protocol such as what not to use on marble or wood floors. These are really the basics.

Since one of our recent clients works a 50-hour week as a compliance director at Deutsche Bahn, he hired a cleaning service to reduce a mess at his apartment. As he told us, in the past few months he went through different cleaners and none of them could fulfill all wishes, although they were not sophisticated or difficult. At least, they should not be for a professional cleaner. One cleaner could not even iron a couple of shirts for him. While it seems like an obvious prerequisite, not everyone in cleaning services industry has real skills. So, before you sign on with any agency, company or platform make sure they provide proper training for their cleaners.

3. We do not really know our cleaning staff…

[caption id="attachment_468" align="alignnone" width="700"] Be comfortable with who your hiring for cleaning. Use personal recommendations or services of reputable cleaning companies.[/caption]

Our clients usually leave their apartments in the hands of cleaners on the day of a scheduled cleaning appointment and leave for work. And no surprise, but not all customers are keen to do so. Many cleaning companies do not run any background checks on their employees. Obviously, you should feel comfortable about who is entering your home.

At SPIC AND SPAN., we know how important it is to choose the right people who will enter our client’s houses, apartments or offices. We want to make sure our customers have peace of mind while they are away from home, most possibly working so they should be able to focus on their everyday jobs and tasks. Apart from running background checks, collecting all necessary information and documents, all SPIC AND SPAN. cleaning professionals must undergo a series of test cleanings. Afterwards, we get feedbacks from both clients and our current staff to verify each applicant and make a final decision about working with us.

4. We don’t speak your language…

[caption id="attachment_467" align="alignnone" width="700"] How can you trust your cleaner to do the job the way you want if they don't event speak the same language?[/caption]

Our client living in Mitte, close to Friedrichstraße, liked her previous cleaner. There was only one problem, a total lack of communication. Over 4 months ago, she hired the self-employed housekeeper from Lithuania. Unfortunately, the language barrier caused tons of mistakes. To be honest, we do not believe in an effective cleaning without a proper communication between a client and cleaner. This is just not going to happen.

As per our current cleaning professionals, companies/agencies are using different techniques to tackle this problem. They clean in teams, where at least one person always speaks English or require from customers to call them the night before, and supervisors write everything down for cleaners in whatever language they speak. Yet, we do not think these are effective solutions, nor convenient from a client’s perspective. For instance, at SPIC AND SPAN., we always require each employee to speak at least English and German on a communicative level. Moreover, we try to hire people in such a way as to create an international team of cleaning professionals. Currently, we can boast of having English, German, French, Italian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish native speakers in the team.

5. We cannot guarantee who will come to clean your apartment next time…

[caption id="attachment_469" align="alignnone" width="700"] Good cleaning company is distinguished by reliability. They shouldn't shock you with new faces every week.[/caption]

Most of our customers tend to complain about constant rotations in cleaning teams. A week ago, we spoke to a lady that signed up for housekeeping services via an online platform. Megan L. (she agreed to disclose her name) managed to put up with her services for 2 months. Cleaning appointments were held on a bi-weekly basis. Throughout all this time, there was not a single cleaning when there would be the same cleaner showing up at her doorstep.

As Megan works for an international consulting company at Potsdamer Platz, it was very troublesome for her to be and wait each time at the apartment for a new cleaner. As she relates, she had to explain everything over and over again, what to focus on, which rooms do not need a deep cleaning, etc. Moreover, each consecutive housekeeper was repeating the same mistakes. It is why, at SPIC AND SPAN., we always assign the same cleaning professional or team to a client when the cleaning is done on a regular basis. When you have a dedicated cleaning professional at home, you do not have to worry about leaving him alone, you do not have to explain what to do each time. When the housekeeper knows the place, the cleaning is far more effective, he can maintain a continuous cleanliness at your home and will always let you know whenever something needs special cleaning, e.g. windows, an oven, a fridge, etc.

Karl Müller