Ask a House Cleaner

The sunk costs of clutter lie in storing things and hoarding things nobody wants. Erroneous buys to impress somebody you don't like are the sunk costs of clutter. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we get tips on clutter you paid a lot of money for and are never going to get the money back. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says the sunk costs of clutter are hiring a maid service. You'll need a savvy cleaner to organize, declutter and clean your space. Can you afford the expense of clutter?

Animal hoarders are people with lots of pets and poor living conditions. Animal hoarders live in a toxic environment putting house cleaners at risk for infection and disease. We Ask a House Cleaner what to do if a maid ends up at an animal hoarders house. Should there be an intervention? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru talks animal cruelty, animal rights, and cleaning. If there are excess animals lacking care, they're starving have fleas, or ticks you need to call help.

People pleasers are common among house cleaner and maid service providers. Pleasing people is what we're paid to do. As people pleasers, we strive to exceed customers’ expectations. But it can get out of hand when there is a lack of boundaries. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at people pleasers who go above and beyond for their clients. And the pros and cons for maids. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru lends tips on how to set realistic expectations.

Follow instructions. It's a simple request every house cleaner should understand. Maid service training 101 gives tips on customer service and how to follow instructions. But clarification from the customer is often overlooked.  Ask a House Cleaner if it's more important to follow instructions or follow rules. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says ask better questions. You can do both. But if you can't follow directions, you won't have a job.

Wait! Don't close the sale? You’re a house cleaner ready to say no to a customer who wants to hire you. You have bills to pay. But wait! Don't close the sale! Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru shares closing techniques. If you have a high maintenance customer using manipulation to intimidate you, turn and walk away. When you #AskaHouseCleaner business advice to grow my cleaning business and they say "Wait! Don't close the sale maybe you're not a good fit and need to exercise boundaries.

If my life depended on it could I find a solution? Problem-solving comes in all shapes, especially when you're a house cleaner. "If my life depended on it" forces us to get creative in our troubleshooting with client problems. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru teaches that better questions = better answers. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we learn to ask "If my life depended on it..." and then expect an answer. House cleaning and maid service tips to help you grow your cleaning business.

Scrubbing floors on hands and knees is an old-fashioned way of cleaning. Yet some homeowners still request scrubbing floors on hands and knees by their maid. Today we Ask a House Cleaner if scrubbing floors on hands and knees is a good way to market your cleaning business. Will it make you stand out, or does it make you a fool? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru dives into maid service training with tips for a savvy cleaner.

Texting is the new phone call. Or so house cleaners seem to think. House cleaners and maid service prefer texting rather than calling. (Per a recent poll by Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru.) Are you going to market your cleaning business by texting? Today we #AskaHouseCleaner about the old-fashioned phone call and customer service via text. Every savvy cleaner has a strategy and this tutorial will keep you from getting fired by text.

Self-motivation is tough for any business owner, especially those in house cleaning. Self-motivation doesn't matter if you have business strategies that motivate scheduling. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we see a savvy cleaner knows how to set a schedule, and work with flexible schedules. It's a simple rule of house cleaner training, maid service training and business 101. Self-motivation is not just for go-getters or housekeeper’s crazy about self-help.

There's a dark side of referrals that nobody will teach you in house cleaning training. The dark side of referrals is the covert contracts from clients who refer friends. A client gives you a recommendation and the referrals don't work out. The dark side of referrals is that it costs you the network of neighbors linked to that referral. You could also get fired by the client who gave you the recommendation.

"I paid good money for that so I can't get rid of it." An artist hoarding groups of crafts needs strategies to unclutter. "I paid good money for that, and now I have a full storage unit and a full house and full attic. It's value hoarding at its finest." "I paid good money for that but my priorities changed even though I'm saving all these crafts. Some of which are now junk and stuff." Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at the swap and sell sites, and eBay.

Family support is crucial to the success of any business. But how do you get family support as a house cleaning business owner? We #AskaHouseCleaner about moral support, communication, sharing, and encouragement. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says family support starts at home. The key to prosperity lies your family understanding your maid service and having a belief in you. A savvy cleaner will help their success by caring for family and doing their own housekeeping.

Vacations are not just for the rich and famous. House cleaners need vacations too. If your maid service is in burnout mode, schedule some time off.  We Ask a House Cleaner cleaning advice for vacations and time off with family. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says "You can drive cleaning motivation with a reboot."  Your cleaning routine involves customer service. So, why not schedule advance notice for a replacement? Find time to plan a vacation, travel and reset your attitude.

The pain of a client firing you is tough the first time it happens. A house cleaner feels rejected at today's firing on the heels of getting fired several times this week. Ask a House Cleaner what to do if you're not a good fit with the customer but can't stand the rejection of them firing you. If you've tried your best move on. House cleaners get fired all the time. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says "Getting fired is like a breakup. You will feel angry and dejected.

There's a ghost in the house watching me clean. Call it old-fashioned haunting. It's not a scary ghost but how to clean when you can feel the presence of a ghost while house cleaning? Ask a House Cleaner how to deal with a ghost or what to do if you're watched by a ghost. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says "A ghost was a person, use your best people skills." You might be the house cleaner of a haunted house but you can still clean.