Wasting time? Yes, house cleaning employees waste time and as the business owner, you pay. But what are the signs of your maid service wasting time or wasting company resources?
Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives cleaning advice and house cleaning training. Maids are wasting money and wasting energy by not doing an inventory of cleaning supplies. And they are wasting time when they have to run to the store in the middle of a job. These tips and DIY Time saving strategies today on #AskaHouseCleaner
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Listen: Wasting Time – 15 Ways House Cleaners Kill Time
Watch: Wasting Time – 15 Ways House Cleaners Kill Time
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: Wasting Time – 15 Ways House Cleaners Kill Time
My employees waste a lot of time. They show up to work, it’s just that they are not very productive and I can’t put a finger on how they are wasting time. In your experience what are the most common ways employees waste time so I know what to look for?
Answer: Wasting Time – 15 Ways House Cleaners Kill Time
(Employees killing time part 1)
11: Wasting Time With No Schedule
I know a house cleaner who takes an organic approach to her business. She shows up whenever she feels like it.
Some days she doesn’t feel like it, so she doesn’t show up at all. Because she’s so bad at scheduling, she has a hard time keeping clients. Her business is a revolving door of expensive advertising, marketing, bidding jobs and worrying about where this month’s rent money is going to come from. Nothing organic about that. It’s lots of unnecessary stress that could be resolved with a schedule, professionalism, and consistency.
12: Wasting Time with No Routine
You waste so much time if you just “wing it” when you clean.
Franchised cleaning companies specialize in training their employees to have a cleaning routine. Start at the left side of a room and work your way to the right, moving from top to bottom.
Some cleaning companies insist on their cleaning technicians wearing aprons. This keeps brushes, rags, dusters etc. always within reach. This way they are not wasting time running back and forth to a cleaning caddy.
Create a cleaning routine for each room. It will save you time in the long run and keep you from distraction. Some companies schedule breaks for jobs that take more time.
13: Wasting Time Not Having the Right Supplies
Are you kidding me? In what universe would you even think of showing up to a cleaning job without doing a product inventory? You can’t stop in the middle of a job and run to the supermarket to buy supplies because you ran out. Do your inventory the night before. When you close out yesterday’s accounts and repack your caddy. Make sure you have full bottles of all your supplies. Spare supplies for mid-day or evening accounts. Check your tools. (I’m talking about sharp razor blades, flashlight batteries, toothbrushes, and scrub brushes.) Make sure you have the proper stuff to do your job.
Some house cleaners (and I made this mistake a few times myself), let client’s talk you into using their supplies. Hark! You have no idea what their kid or husband has mixed in that bottle.
So you start to clean and the solution is NOT working, when you find out it is Seven Dust for rose bushes that they’ve put in the all-purpose cleaning bottle. Whoa?
Insist on bringing your own supplies and build it into the cost of your cleaning. With a little organization, you will always have the right detergents and solutions.
14: Not Having Working Equipment, Car, Vacuum
Having a broken down car sucks when it comes to showing up for work on time. But it’s not optional. It’s mandatory. If clients are expecting you, you need to be there.
Showing up with a broken vacuum is just as silly. If you don’t have the proper tools to do the job, it’s going to ding your reputation, your business image and waste your time and your client’s. Don’t do it.
Check daily to make sure your car has gas, the breaks work, the lights work, it starts when you turn it on. If your tires leak air, make sure you’ve given yourself plenty of time before you leave home to add more air.
Clean out your vacuum. If you travel with a vacuum, make sure the bag or canister is new, empty and clean for every job. Cut the hair and threads off the rolling bristle. Make sure there are no electrical cuts, frays or shorts in your cord. Make sure the hose is not clogged with toys.
Once I got a toy eyeball caught in the hose of my vacuum. Stuck exactly halfway so you couldn’t reach it from any angle. I had to get one of those toilet augers to force it out. Don’t do that at a client’s house. You’ll waste so much time.
15: Wasting Time Looking for Clothes to Wear to Work
Insist on wearing a uniform for your cleaning business. Once a week I wash all my uniforms, all the pants, all the shirts, all the socks and all the underwear. (Yes I do have uniform underwear but we won’t go into that now.) Every day I wear my hair the exact same way. The exact same pair of earrings, exact same makeup routine.
Boring? Yup.
Consistent? Yes.
Easy? Without a doubt. It takes me ten minutes to shower, dress, do hair and makeup. Bam, I’m out the door like a bolt of lightning.
It’s professional, it’s clean, tidy and works like clockwork. Saves me boatloads of time every day.
(Employees waste time continued)
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Resources For This Episode
15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management: The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students, and 239 Entrepreneurs – http://amzn.to/2y1aN77
The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast – http://amzn.to/2zyRfmX
The Procrastination Cure: 21 Proven Tactics For Conquering Your Inner Procrastinator, Mastering Your Time, And Boosting Your Productivity! – http://amzn.to/2zxR9eZ
Fast Focus: A Quick-Start Guide To Mastering Your Attention, Ignoring Distractions, And Getting More Done In Less Time! – http://amzn.to/2yHaB9X
The 30-Day Productivity Plan: Break The 30 Bad Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Time Management – One Day At A Time! – http://amzn.to/2xZWHmx
Small Habits Revolution: 10 Steps To Transforming Your Life Through The Power Of Mini Habits! – http://amzn.to/2xZWHTz
The Time Chunking Method: A 10-Step Action Plan For Increasing Your Productivity (Time Management And Productivity Action Guide Series) – http://amzn.to/2yKoKFa
The Science of Powerful Focus: 23 Methods for More Productivity, More Discipline, Less Procrastination, and Less Stress – http://amzn.to/2h4D5Ts
The Art Of Saying NO: How To Stand Your Ground, Reclaim Your Time And Energy And Refuse To Be Taken For Granted (Without Feeling Guilty!) – http://amzn.to/2yFeD5o
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