Sort and Sparkle help customers make the most of their cleaners time

New Year is synonymous with the idea of making a fresh start – both mentally and physically; and cleaning businesses in particular see a spike in the number of enquiries from potential clients. “Last year we received more new customer enquiries in January and February than at any time of the year” confirms Anthea Johnson of Stour Sort and Sparkle, a Girl Friday and Cleaning service based in Manningree, Essex. “Interestingly nearly all of these mentioned the need for a better ‘work/life balance’ and a real need to free up more of their own time by handing their cleaning over to a professional”.

For many of these new customers engaging the services of a cleaner is new territory and the Sort and Sparkle team have identified their 3 key points to help everyone get the best from a cleaning service in the hours available to them:

1. BE REALISTIC
“Think about what you want them to achieve in your home… If you are a family of six with five dogs and three cat’s then two hours every-other week is probably not going to be enough time for anyone to clean thoroughly. But if this is what your budget dictates then consider asking them to prioritise on the rooms that need the most attention; communal areas like the hallways and sitting room and family high-use areas like the bathroom and kitchen. (Consider booking additional hours ‘as and when’ to clean other rooms)”, Anthea suggests.

“As a general rule a good home clean of a 3-bed family home can be achieved in 3hours each week” she adds, “This means that the cleaner can keep on top of things and, develop a routine for ‘rotating’ rooms and concentrating extra time on different areas each week as needed”.

2. COMMUNICATE
“We always discuss the customers needs before we start but ongoing communication is key” Anthea suggests, “whilst a professional cleaner will know which areas need the most attention (and those that will take the longest) they don’t know how you ‘live’ in your home and the things that are important to you. Maybe you rarely use the sitting room but spend lots of time in the kitchen. Would you like the dining room left but ‘freshened up’ before a family gathering? If a ‘spare room’ is rarely used it won’t need a weekly clean. Let the cleaner know, then you can be sure that their time is better spent”.

And that cobweb that you’ve noticed if you lay at a certain angle on the sofa with all the lights on…. “At different times of the day and from different angles it may be missed – speak up!”

3. CLEANING BEFORE THE CLEANER….
This is considered a ‘hot topic’ amongst customers and cleaners alike; should you or shouldn’t you ‘clean’ before the cleaner comes?

“Maybe cleaning is unnecessary but anything you can do to allow them to concentrate on cleaning means their time (and your money) is better spent. If you can tidy items away or clear floor surfaces then valuable minutes won’t be wasted clearing a path for the hoover.
The same applies to washing up – unless you’d rather not – but washing up last nights plates so that we can access a sink takes valuable minutes away from elsewhere”.

If you’re feeling that 2020 is the year to engage some additional help in your home further information about  Stour Sort and Sparkle and their services (including cleaning, ironing and dog-walking) can be found on their website and Facebook page.

Photo Credit: Belinda Grant Photography and Film