Broken Vacuum – What Should I Do?

The Ask a House Cleaner Show and Podcast with Angela Brown

Broken vacuum. "Nooooo." What should I do? This question comes from house cleaners with a broken vacuum and half a house left to clean. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at options for a broken vacuum. It could be a suction problem; the vacuum is not picking up anything. You have an empty vacuum and you've checked the hose attachment - it's got to go to the shop. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says it happens to every maid and every house cleaner. So, ask to borrow the customer's vacuum or have a backup vacuum in your car. Every day check your equipment and have a vacuum repair shop on speed dial.

Broken vacuum. “Nooooo.” What should I do? This question comes from house cleaners with a broken vacuum and half a house left to clean.

Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at options for a broken vacuum. It could be a suction problem; the vacuum is not picking up anything. You have an empty vacuum and you’ve checked the hose attachment – it’s got to go to the shop.

Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says it happens to every maid and every house cleaner. So, ask to borrow the customer’s vacuum or have a backup vacuum in your car.

Every day check your equipment and have a vacuum repair shop on speed dial.

Today’s show sponsor is https://HouseCleaning360.com

HouseCleaning360 is a business referral network for house cleaners and maids and housekeepers.

Listen: Broken Vacuum – What Should I Do?

Watch: Broken Vacuum – What Should I Do?

Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.

Question: Broken Vacuum – What Should I Do?

Today’s question comes from a house cleaner who was in the middle of cleaning someone’s house when her vacuum broke. And so, she wants to know “What am I supposed to do when my vacuum breaks in the middle of a job?”

Answer: Broken Vacuum – What Should I Do?

Okay, so the answer is you have to think on your feet. Do you have a backup vacuum?

Many house cleaners use the client’s vacuum. And if the customer’s vacuum breaks, you have a backup in your car. So you can run out and get your backup vacuum and finish the job.

What If You’re Using YOUR Vacuum When It Breaks?

Have a backup for your backup? Yes. Instead of having a couple of expensive vacuums, you can get a cheap backup vacuum for under $50.

Keep one in your car and one at your place of business. And in the event that something happens, ask to borrow the customer’s vacuum. If theirs is broken or missing, go get your spare.

Now, the reality is, I’ve chosen to always work close to where I live. So, my backup vacuum is at my house.

And there are times over the last several years where the vacuum I’m using has broken. Or something’s got caught in the vacuum, and I’m unable to use it.
And I have to stop. Run down the street, and go grab the vacuum and come back.

A Broken Vacuum Means Job Interruption

Now, that is not the first preference.
The first preference is to continue on without interrupting your job. Because if you stop the job and you have to leave the premises, now you have to come back. And whatever time you’re gone is going to eat into your profits.

So, I have had to do this on occasion as well. Where I say to my customer “Listen my vacuum just broke. Would it be okay if I use your vacuum to finish this project?”

I’m not using the customer’s vacuum already it’s because their vacuum is awful. They might have an old vacuum that doesn’t have good suction.

A Broken Vacuum Can Be Absurd

“Oh, wow. I can see all the carpet that she did here, that looks amazing. Then she used my vacuum in this doesn’t look so great. I think I might need a new vacuum.” You’ve just reminded the customer it might be time to uplevel their own equipment.

Most of the vacuums from fifteen or twenty years ago, no longer pick up stuff.

A Broken Vacuum May Be An Upgrade Clue

I had to use a customer’s vacuum, and the only way it would pick up as if you used the hose attachment. The regular floor brush did not have any suction whatsoever. Which suggested there was something clogged in there. But I didn’t want to spend all my free time fixing her broken vacuum.

And now I’m trying to vacuum her floor with the hose. And she’s like “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Okay, I agree. What are my options? Because I have a broken vacuum, and you have a broken vacuum…” The next time I came back to her house she had a brand-new vacuum.

Check Your Equipment Every Day

So, there are times that your vacuum will break. And this is in the middle of a job after you’ve already done your clearing out of your inventory. And you checked your equipment and everything was working when you get on the job.

But there are times that your vacuum will break mid job. And so, you need to have a backup of some sort and the first preference is to borrow the customers.
And if the customer has a crappy vacuum you might just have to say “listen, this is the best I can do for today. Would you like me to sweep the floor?”

And they might say “no it’s fine I’ll go get a better vacuum for next time.”

Always Show Up With Working Equipment

You’re going to always try to have working proper equipment with you.

But in the event that it fails on you in the middle of a job you have to think on your feet. And either go get your backup, or you have to use the customer’s vacuum.

So those would be my two suggestions. It’s not ideal when it happens, but it will happen it will happen sooner or later.

Tag Out Broken Vacuum – Take to Repair Shop

And then the next thing that I should mention is to tag out your broken vacuum.

If you have a broken vacuum don’t clean for 3 or 4 days with out one. That’s not a good business practice.
vacuum breaks, it needs immediately to go into the shop. And if you don’t have a vacuum shop right now, get online and find one near where you live or work.

You’ll need one sooner or later.
And that’s not the time to be calling around and looking for recommendations.

Have A Vacuum Repair Shop On Speed Dial

“Listen to my vacuum broke. I’m on my way over right now. I need it done by tomorrow.”

And then when you leave your customer’s house, drop off your vacuum. So that it’s ready for you by tomorrow. Because this is your business and so you need working equipment to operate your business.

Working equipment equals happy house cleaners and happy customers.

Alrighty, so until we meet again leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.

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Resources For This Episode

Best $50 Vacuum Cleaner Bissel Upright Powerforce Pet Hair Bagless Allergy – http://amzn.to/2vIB0Th

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Deik Vacuum Cleaner, 2 in 1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, High-power Long-lasting 22.2V 2200mAh Li-ion Battery Powered Rechargeable Bagless Stick and Handheld Vacuum with Upright Charging Base – http://amzn.to/2w3hCTK