Like any other business sector, there are a number of individuals, agencies and companies who are not doing all they can to protect the homes and families of their clients.

If you dont have the inside knowledge its hard for you to figure out, the good from the bad. So we produced a guide to the industry which can help you make an informed decision about who you choose to clean your home.

Dont be fooled by cheap rates, know which questions to ask and get the best value service.

Extracts from this quide have been published in Live Ribble Valley Magazine, but you can get the full “inside track” in just a few clicks….

Dont take risks with your family or your home!

Get Your Free How to Avoid Rogue Cleaners Guide

Cleaning Ceramic Hobs – Made Easy

Keep Your Fingers & Your Shine

Effective Ceramic Hob Cleaning

Low Cost Ceramic Hob Cleaning

One of our clients suggested we become a “Safe Trader” – which initially confused me, I have to confess. HomeMaid have always been “safe”, professionally insured and only use CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) cleared staff.

I went away to do some more research and it transpires that Trading Standards operate an approval scheme for local traders, funded by Lancashire County Council. The purpose of the scheme is to promote to Lancashire consumers reliable local traders with which to do business. This means you can support your local business community without worrying about cowboy or rogue traders.

Safe Trader Code of Practice

All traders who complete the approval process, must operate within the schemes “Code of Practice”, designed to minimise the risk to potential customers when purchasing goods and services.

You can read more on the Safe Trader website but a couple of things are worth highlighting quickly here.

Enhanced Listing

Its a common problem especially in a heavily used shower or shower/bath that over time the soap build up begins to restrict the water flow. You may also notice a rather unpleasant odour coming from your sink or shower drain too.

You can use this method even if the drain still runs freely as those who you use baking soda regularly know, its a great deodoriser.

If your bath or sink drain is severely clogged or blocked with something other than accumulated soap scum, then this method might not be strong enough or may need repeating until the blockage is cleared. If you are in doubt, better to get a plumber to take a look first.

You’ll need 3 tablespoons of baking soda and upto 3/4 cup of white vinegar. To flush you will also need a freshly boiled kettle of water. Take common sense precautions when handling boiling water.

Baking Soda & White Vinegar

You’ll need to fish out as much of any hair or detritus that may have collected there before starting the unclogging process. Use some tweezers and/or rub a sponge or cloth across the drain plug which should lift out any hair etc. I will smell pretty bad, so best flush it down the toilet as quickly as possible!

Once you have removed any hair, then sprinkle in 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda – carefully push any that collects around the plughole into the drain. Now slowly pour in 1/2 – 3/4 cup of white vinegar, you will immediately see a chemical reaction taking place as the vinegar mixes with the baking soda which gently fizzes and bubbles. Keep pouring in the vinegar till the fizzing subsides.

Odour Free Unblocked  Drain

Once the fizzing subsides, pour a 2-3 litres of freshly boiled water from your kettle – but please take precautions when handling boiling water.

Once flushed you should have a free flowing, odour free drain plug. Fantastic!

Clean Smells Promote Kindness

Is it because teenage boys live in smelly bedrooms, with the windows, doors and curtains closed that makes them grumpy and communicate in words of one syllable or less?! Well there could be some truth in that, Brigham Young University professor, Katie Liljentquist, led a study that found that clean scents lead to more ethical behaviour. Liljenquist said with a smile. “Could be that getting our kids to clean up their rooms might help them clean up their acts, too.”, although she gave no advice as to how we might get them to clean up anything.

In the trials, a citrus scent was used to create a fresh smell, whilst another room was left “normal”. The results were quite remarkable; both groups were given a quantity of money from a “mystery partner” They had to decide how much of it to either keep or return to their partners who had trusted them to divide it fairly. Subjects in clean-scented rooms were less likely to exploit the trust of their partners, returning a significantly higher share of the money.

Clean Smells Make You Charitable

A second test was set up where subjects were asked if they were willing to donate to a fictitious charity and those questioned in the citrus scented room were three times more likely to volunteer or donate!

Cleanliness & Morality

The report concluded that were are subconsciously  influenced and that morality and cleanliness can go hand-in-hand, the spaces we live and work in, influence how we behave. Clean and fresh smelling rooms make us more generous and honest.

Further studies are being conducted into how cleanliness influences how react to people and organisations. Time for that spring clean!

Read the full Science Daily Article here

If you can find the answer, let us know, we probably know someone who can help or we’ll do some extra research on your behalf if we can.

Choosing A Cleaning Service

There are dozens of cleaning “companies” to choose from, search the web, pick up the local paper or ask a friend, there is no shortage of potential cleaning services. However would you know the implications of each service and how that might affect you, your family and your home?

Individuals As Cleaners

This can be the best solution for many, if you have a neighbour or friend who you get along with can help you out and it will always be cheaper than any company. However if you dont know them personally it can be  a real minefield of problems.

Insurance; Are You Protected?

Let me explain, whilst any registered company is legally required to have a minimum of Public Liability Insurance, however there is no such requirement for individuals and that’s just the start of the potential problems.

Your home insurance generally doesnt for accidents to employees, e.g. Mrs Bloggs, your cleaner falls downstairs and breaks her leg. Who is she going to pursue for compensation? It might concern you to know, that its you who will be sued and without insurance and legal protection, could be a financial disaster for your family.

Fidelity Bonding Explained

What happens if your cleaner is dishonest? Most companies and almost certainly no individuals will have the correct insurance cover to protect you. You need to ask if they have something called “Fidelity Bonding”, which is a specialist insurance for cleaning companies and the like. It protects you against misuse of phones, identity theft and so on. The number of companies with this added protection are surprisingly few. Just be sure to ask your prospective cleaner if they have this, or you might have a bigger bill than you ever imagined.

You, The Employer

If you employ an individual you then become the employer and responsible for filing details with HMRC, holiday pay, sick pay, health and safety amongst other things. Its around now you might be thinking that £11 an hour isn’t cheap any more?

Cleaning Products, The Hidden Costs

Most cleaning companies will include all the products used in their price, whereas individuals and most cleaning agencies provide the manpower and you provide the products. Its a massive hidden cost that most forget to factor in to their decision. Here at HomeMaid we buy in bulk from specialist suppliers and its vastly cheaper than buying from a supermarket. Still think £11 an hour is good value?

The Added Value

We at HomeMaid pride ourselves on going the extra mile both with the service but also the investment in technology; we routinely use HEPA-Flo filtered vacuums, a real boon for 25% of the population of allergy sufferers, but for those non-sufferers the knowledge that your home is hygienically cleaner. The comprehensive use of micro-fibre cloths helps reduce both the visible and invisible dirt (bacteria) and all of this, is part of the HomeMaid service.

The Price Per Hour

The hourly rate is only of interest when you compare the value and what you get for every pound spent. We’re not the cheapest but that was never the intention, there is always someone prepared to cut corners and cut the price. When you understand the hidden costs it makes hiring at £11 an hour not only quite expensive, but your are taking huge risks with your home and family. Failing to notify HMRC that you have employed someone is serious, whilst being uninsured in the event of an accident or dishonesty could be catastrophic for you.

We prefer the principals of quality, peace of mind for our clients and a loyal, happy band of customers. We are neither the cheapest, not the most expensive, but we are the most focused on customer satisfaction.

You can get a FREE HomeMaid Home Cleaning quote now!

New Web Page

We’ve created a new web page on our website, specifically for “Services We Like”, to share this information with everyone who visits our site. Previously you will have had to rely on meeting us in person and me in particular having my memory switched on! Something that cant always be guaranteed these days!

Selected Few

This wont be a free-for-all with everyone adding names and businesses, it will be restricted to services or people we know personally or that we have had a strong recommendation from an established customer. We simply want to promote those services or products that we know are of a high standard so you don’t have take pot luck when buying in other services or products.

Be sure to check back regularly as the list will grow…services we like

Guaranteed Excellence

FREE Quotes

Get Your FREE Home Cleaning Quote