Tag: professional cleaning services

What to Expect with Regular Home Cleaning Services
This is the year you finally decided to spend more quality time with your family; time that doesn’t involve a mop, broom, or scrub brush. That’s right – this is the year you are taking back this valuable time by hiring a home cleaning service. Someone else can clean so you don’t have to.

Now, the only thing that’s left is to understand how often you want your cleaners to come in and what will be cleaned when they’re there. That’s what we’re here to help with today, providing clarity on what to expect when you work with a professional cleaning company. Let’s dive in!

When you receive regular cleaning services, you typically invest in weekly or biweekly cleaning. If you’re looking for a monthly clean, this is considered a deep clean as it often takes more time to complete. One reason is that with weekly/biweekly cleaning, we’re able to rotate what is cleaned each time, whereby a monthly cleaning requires everything to be cleaned in one fell swoop.

Once we determine which service it is you’re looking for, we schedule our initial cleaning visit. This visit is typically a deep clean as the first clean almost always takes a bit longer for a few reasons:
1. We’re getting used to the overall layout of the house.
2. We’re creating a clean slate so we’re all on the same page as to what “clean” is. Every so often, we walk into a home to learn that the house isn’t quite ready for a simple regular clean.
3. We set up our working relationship, learning your expectations and how we can best meet them.
After the initial deep clean visit, we begin our weekly/biweekly regular services. What follows is a breakdown of what your investment includes.
Bathrooms

As one of the least clean spaces in your home (sorry – it’s true), we always clean the bathroom. This includes scrubbing the toilets, sinks, showers and tubs, along with a wipe down of the baseboards, walls and cabinets.

If weekly, we do a full cleaning of the outsides of the walls and cabinets every second time we are in there (e.g., weeks 1 and 3). For biweekly, this is done each time.

Kitchen

A standard kitchen cleaning involves washing counters and stove tops, and wiping down the outside of the oven, dishwasher, and fridge, along with the inside and outside of the microwave. On the counters, we make sure to lift and clean underneath items (e.g., coffee machine, knife blocks, etc.). Note that the less there is on the counter for us to clean around, the more time we’re able to save, which allows you to save money because we do not have to work around as many objects.

What is not included is doing the dishes – unless specifically requested. If the sink is full of dishes, we are unable to do the work you hired us for. We will most likely put them in the dishwasher but note that this will be added as an additional service.

Every fourth week (or every second time for biweekly cleans), we do a complete wipe down of the cabinets.

If you require us to clean inside things, such as the inside of the fridge, oven, cabinets, or drawers, this does add extra time. Depending on what this special request is will determine how this influences your budget. These extra request cleanings are completed only at your discretion and request.

Dusting

This is where we often have a miscommunication in expectations with clients. While we do a basic dusting each time we’re there, we do not dust everything. This includes high-cleaning items (items above the cabinets, tops of shelves, etc.), door frames, baseboards, and so forth. These are dusted on a rotating schedule, typically done every fourth week for weekly cleaning, and every second time for biweekly.
Floors

Your floors deserve TLC every single time we’re there. This is why we always do a thorough vacuum and mop (in the rooms you ask us to). A few things to note about this:
1. If we’re able to easily reach our vacuums/mops under your furniture, then we’ll be able to clean underneath them.
2. If you would like us to clean underneath your furniture, we ask that you move it as we typically do not move furniture, particularly on floors, to avoid scratching your flooring material. This also requires a bit extra time; therefore, we ask to schedule this in advance of the regular cleaning.
3. We do vacuum fabric furniture (e.g., sofas). However, if it is a huge sectional, this can take 30+ minutes, especially if there is a lot of animal hair involved. If you need us to vacuum this item, we ask that you book extra time.
Common Bits and Pieces

There are three items that we’re often asked about: bedding, garbage, and the “little things”.
1. Changing bedsheets – this is a special request that you must make in advance. We ask that you leave the clean sheets on the bed you’d like us to put them on. However, we do not launder them as there are often personal preferences when it comes to doing the laundry.
2. Taking out the garbage – we collect and take this out each and every time. However, we leave the compost and recycling up to the customer as people have preferences as to how they like to sort these items.
3. “Little things” – we do our best to clean what we can in the amount of time you’ve booked. Sometimes we’re able to squeeze in those little extras (e.g., wiping your dog’s nose art off the inside of your front window). However, all these “little things” quickly add up to a half hour or more. This is why we prefer to work on a rotating schedule when it comes to weekly/biweekly regular cleaning services. All we ask is to remember that while we are always happy to help clean your home, we are still a business, and our cleaners deserve to be paid for their time. Be clear with your expectations and we can ensure we are able to meet them within the right amount of dedicated time.
If you still have questions as to what you should look for beyond, “what’s included in a regular clean,” please read this blog for common questions we hear when scheduling new clients.
One Final Note

Cleaners do not come in to tidy up. We come to clean your home. This is easier when clothes are put away, dishes are in the dishwasher (not in the sink), and toys are tucked away instead of scattered on the floor. This way, we can do what we do best – make your home sparkle and give you more time with the people you want to spend time with.

To inquire about our services or to book an initial quote, connect with us today.
January 19, 2023
10 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Cleaning Company in 2023
What in the world do I ask someone who’s going to be cleaning my space? Even more…how will I know if they’re the right person or company for me to trust with cleaning my property?

Both are legitimate questions to ask when considering which cleaning company and which services you’re looking to hire. There are many articles out there that cover the basic questions to ask, including:
- What type of training does the company provide their employees?
- What is your budget for cleaning services?
- Who will be cleaning your property
- When are their working hours?
- Do you need to be home when the cleaners are there?
These questions are absolutely important to have answered as they set you and your cleaning partner up for success. However, I’ve recently been asked a few more detailed questions when quoting on cleaning jobs. To help you better understand if a cleaning company is the right fit for you and your home, below are ten of these commonly asked questions to make sure you cover the nitty gritty of residential cleaning.
Do you dust or vacuum first? Why?

We always dust first. The reason is that if we vacuum before we dust, then any loose particles released when we dust will then settle on the floor, making the vacuuming moot. When we dust first, we’re able to vacuum up any particles that fall to the ground. To learn more about how we vacuum and dust, read the below two blogs.
1. How to Properly Vacuum So It Doesn’t Suck
2. How to Properly Kill All Dust Bunnies Invading Your Home
Our dishwasher stinks – what can be done about this?

It often comes as a surprise that dishwashers tend to produce unpleasant odours over time, especially if you use them frequently. While cleaners typically wash the outside to make it shiny, the real trick to keeping a dishwasher smell free is by properly maintaining it as the smells typically come from its filter. This filter, usually located at the bottom, traps food particles. We recommend that once a month, you remove the filter, wash and clean it, then put it back.

In addition, once a month, run a cup of vinegar through a normal cycle to keep the inside continuing to smell nice while also creating a nice inner shine.
Our vacuum cleaner has stopped doing a good job. Why?

Vacuums are another cleaning tool that requires regular cleaning maintenance. If it’s not working properly, check to make sure that:
1. The bag isn’t full. If it is, replace it.
2. The filters are clean as they hold a lot of dust. If dirty, remove and wash them.
3. The brush is not clogged with hair, fur, or something else. If so, remove these from the brush (they may need to be cut out if they are wound up tightly).
4. The nozzle itself isn’t clogged. This often happens when larger items are sucked up, such as toothpicks, paper, fabric, etc.
To learn more about how to properly vacuum and care for it, visit this article.
Which would you recommend – wet or dry dusting?

It depends on what it is that needs dusting. Most items can have a wet dusting, meaning that we use a damp cloth and wipe this to pick up the dust particles. The best cloth for this is a microfibre one that has been well wrung. This goes the same for mopping, which is essentially dusting for the floor. After you’ve swept, use a damp mop to pick up any remaining dirt, pet hair/fur, or crumbs with ease.

Dry dusting, on the other hand, works best for items, such as picture frames, trinkets that sit on your shelves and wood/antique furniture. If you use a damp cloth on wood/antique furniture, you may create a haze within its colour. To better understand the ins and outs of dusting, visit this article.
How can you help us clean up all the pet hair and fur?

We all love our pets…but keeping furniture and carpets free from their hair is and always will be a daily struggle. We’ve found that, if there’s only a bit of pet hair, the easiest thing to do is use rubber gloves or a brush, slightly dampened, and rub your hands/brush over the area. To remove the hair off the gloves/brush, plunge them into a sink of warm water. The fur will lift off easily.

If there is a lot of pet hair – tumbleweeds of it even – you’ll find it easier to use:
- the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner to suck the fur up off the floor.
- the furniture attachment that came with your vacuum to remove pet hair from furniture.
Are you comfortable washing our high-quality flooring (e.g., wood and laminate)?

Washing floors is one of the most relaxing cleaning services we provide. But, not all floors are mopped the same. Laminated and sealed wood floors require more than a quick swipe of the mop over the floor. Rather, these floor types should first be swept and then damp-mopped, taking special care to not use too much water on the wood. Too much water will cause the wood to swell.

If there are marks and stains that need a bit more strength to remove, then use a diluted solution of water with a touch of vinegar.

For other types of flooring materials and how we clean them, be sure to read this article.
How can we reduce all the clutter we have?

Clutter can make our space look less clean than it actually is. Plus, it can increase your stress level, create frustration, and cause larger health – both mental and physical -issues, which you can read about here.

From a financial perspective, clutter slows down the cleaning process, which means it will take longer, and therefore cost more, for you to have a space cleaned. To not run into this, we recommend the following five tricks to help reduce your clutter and increase your overall satisfaction.
1. Keep a bag for charity on the go at all times, adding to it as you go throughout your days (as needed). This way, you’re keeping what’s clutter to you out of sight, while also having a bag full of treasures for people when you take it to a donation centre.
2. When you’re cleaning, take a garbage bag round with you wherever you go. When you come across pieces of garbage, toss them in the bag. Items such as random sheets of paper, the mysteriously appearing tissue, or even those larger clumps of fur that accumulate rather quickly!
3. Store all your paperwork in one area – mail, grocery lists, school parent consent forms, etc. Once a week go through this and deal with the paperwork before it piles up.
4. Make the stairs a “no storage space” meaning…don’t leave things on the stairs. Rather, take them up/down when you realize they need to go to another level. Added bonus – a little extra exercise for your lower body!
5. Make cleaning up toys fun. Keep a nice box in your kids’ rooms where they can place their toys at the end of the day.
Is there a way to remove marks on the wall without removing the paint?

This is going to sound strange, but soft white bread will do the trick. Believe it or not, it is great at removing scuff marks from walls and paintwork. Gently rub the marked up area with a scrunched-up ball of white bread. It’s essentially like using a very big eraser.

Alternatively, you can use a Flash Magic Eraser or Bar Keepers Friend.
How can we prevent dirt from getting into the house?

You simply cannot prevent dirt from getting into your house. However, you can limit the amount of dirt that comes in. We recommend the following three ways to reduce dirt from infesting your house.
1. Invest in machine-washable doormats and wash them regularly.
2. Brush pets outside of the house to prevent excess fur in the house, and to remove any dirt they may have attracted while out and about. Many cats tend to roll around in planters and dogs love to roll around on the ground. They may not actually look like they have dirt on them, but they do. Trust me on this one…I learned this from my own cat.
3. When you see dirt, wipe it up so it doesn’t have the chance to build-up.
Why doesn’t our television ever look clean?

Think back – when was the last time you remembered to clean your TV – especially if it’s a flat-screen that’s wall-mounted? So many of us forget about them because they tend to “blend in” with the wall. Part of our routine for cleaning rooms with televisions in them is to make sure they are clean, and your picture is dust free. If you’re wanting to clean it yourself, we don’t blame you – they are very delicate. Here are a few steps as to how we clean them:
1. Use the right materials: a smart clean cloth and distilled water
2. Spray the water on the cloth. DO NOT spray it directly on the screen. This will harm it.
3. Using the dampened cloth, start at the top left corner, wiping right. Then repeat below.
4. Turn on the television and enjoy your next show (this isn’t part of our cleaning services, though!)
I love hearing all the different questions clients ask when we come in to quote a cleaning for their property as it helps me to understand what is important to them, along with their expectations of what “clean” means. These ten are some of my absolute favourites. If you have any questions that you’d like answered, feel free to reach out and ask away.

Of course, if you’re simply wanting someone to come in and clean, we can do that too! Connect with us for a quote.
December 14, 2022
Key Questions to Ask When Hiring a Cleaning Company
How do you hire a cleaning company? A question we always get. After all, when you’re hiring a cleaning company, you’re bringing people into your home who are responsible for making your property sparkle and you want to be confident in them. The best answer I can give is to hire the cleaning company that you feel most comfortable with.

That said, if you’ve never worked with a cleaning company before, you may not know what questions to even ask to know if they’re a fit for you. To kickstart your own hiring journey, below are twelve questions to help you determine whether or not a professional residential cleaning company is the one for you.

12 Questions to Ask a Potential Cleaning Service

1. Do you have any references?

While we have great reviews and testimonials, we do not provide direct references to our clients. The reason is that references are quite biased. Rarely does someone agree to be a reference unless they have great things to say about you (not in every case, though). At Clean Club Calgary, we’ve found the best references come from our Google Reviews where we currently have 4.9 stars from nearly 368 reviews. These are all customer submitted, of which we take the time to review ourselves and implement any changes based on feedback provided here.
2. How much do you charge for residential cleaning?

On average, cleaning companies charge between $45 and $65/hr/cleaner onsite. The exact fee for cleaning depends on the unique aspects of the home, frequency, and type of cleaning. Specifically for Clean Club Calgary, as of December 2024, we run at $65/hr/cleaner.

Within this question, we often are asked “how can we tip our cleaner?” While not all companies will allow tipping, we are thrilled when someone wants to tip a team member. There are a few ways to tip your cleaner should you want to acknowledge their work in a financial surprise. At Clean Club Calgary, all tips go straight to the individual requested. There are three ways to do this:
- Simply give the tip directly to the team member
- Add the tip amount to your etransfer payment, making note of who the tip is for, and we will send it to them on their paycheque
- When paying by credit card, add the tip directly to your payment, again indicating which team member it is for.
3. What will my cleaning include?

The reality is that all cleaning is customizable. When you request a quote, we go through a series of questions to determine what you want to be cleaned. This will help us understand the type of cleaning you need and the budget you are working with.

Prior to each scheduled cleaning, we will also confirm what you want to be cleaned during this cleaning. This communication ensures that we are all on the same page regarding what your expectations are so we can meet and exceed them.

That said, there are things that we are not able to complete, such as cleaning garages, outdoor windows, and carpet cleaning to name a few. We do, however, have trusted partners for these services who we are more than happy to refer our clients to.
4.    What types of cleaning products do you use?

We find that simple is best. We do not use green products because they do not work on hard water stains, thick grime, and other yucky messes. Rather, we use basic household supplies, such as vinegar, tide, dish soap, and toilet bowl cleaner. Other cleaning tools we use can be found in this post here. Of course, should you require specialty products, such as green ones, we ask that you provide these, letting us know what the product is to be used for (e.g., cleaning the kitchen, toilets, etc.) and where these products are kept in your home.

5.    Do you bring your own cleaning equipment and supplies?

Absolutely we do! We want to make sure we have all the tools to do the job without wasting time trying to find equipment. We also have a specific part of our team training program that goes through how to maintain our cleaning equipment. This ensures that all our team members have equipment that works well, is kept in good condition, and is able to support whatever scum, dirt, or grime that awaits them.

6.    How do we prepare for your arrival?

We simply ask that you tidy up by putting away personal belongings, clothes, dishes, and toys. We also recommend that you put away anything that is valuable such as jewelry and money. If you have anything that has sentimental value or is particularly delicate, please let us know not to touch this. We also ask that if something is broken in your home (e.g., picture frames, stove tops, chipped counters, etc.) to let us know ahead of time. This is for two reasons. The first, if something is broken and has jagged edges, we do not want our team to hurt themselves because they didn’t know something was broken. The second, we do not want our team members thinking they broke something in a client’s house if they did not.

7.    How will you access our home?

If you are not going to be home during your scheduled cleaning, we ask that you provide us with keys to your home, along with any access codes should you have an alarm system. We also ask that you leave instructions on how to properly lock up your house, including how to turn the alarm on and off, so we can leave your home safe and sound when we’re done.

8.    Who is the owner of the cleaning company? Am I able to speak to them?

Not all cleaning companies have this information readily available. In fact, not all cleaning company owners want to make themselves available. This is not how Clean Club Calgary operates. Rather, I am the owner! That’s right! Judith Virag here – author of these blogs and founder and owner of Clean Club Calgary. While I have a great management team who are more than capable of handling all client calls, when a client wants to speak with me, I am always available. If you would like to learn more about me, my why behind Clean Club Calgary, and how Clean Club Calgary came to be, check out our Team page or visit my LinkedIn profile.

9.    Do you complete background checks on your team members?

Yes. Before we provide an offer to a potential team member, we complete a background check. We also have liability insurance and WCB coverage to ensure that you, our people, and the company are all protected. These items are a signal that you are working with a legit cleaning company. Because of this, cleaning fees tend to be higher since we are sending in people who are screened, safe to send into your home, and are properly trained having gone through our extensive onboarding training program.

10. Is my satisfaction guaranteed?

Absolutely! Once we understand what your definition of clean is, our goal is to achieve and/or exceed this every single time. As such, we have a 24-hour guarantee. After this time period, it’s hard to know if we missed something or if the owner missed it during their review of the work. If, after you’ve checked our work and you find that you are not satisfied, call us right away within this 24-hour period. We will send the teamwork back to redo the work as this ensures that you get the cleaning you’ve invested in while also supporting the team member’s training so they do not make the same cleaning hiccup again.

11. What should I do with my pets?

Pets are some of our favourite customers. They help with dusting by using their tails, they keep us company as they watch us scrubbing toilets, and sometimes, they simply ignore us completely, staring out the window and daydreaming of wandering to the neighbour’s house.

Needless to say, we are very comfortable with pets. However, you know your pet best. If you have a pet that’s skittish, overly shy, or is an escape artist with doors/windows, isolate your pet in one room that we’re not cleaning or crate them, making sure they’re comfortable while we’re in your home.

12. Does Clean Club Calgary require me to sign a cleaning contract?

We used to, but now we do not. Today, we work on a clean-by-clean basis, where customers can cancel at any time if they’re not happy. At Clean Club Calgary, we do not want a client locked into a contract if they are not happy. Rather, we focus on being very communicative with our clients and our team, always wanting to solve a problem should one arise. This desire to do the right thing for our customers builds greater trust between us and removes the need for a contract.

There are other common questions we tend to get, so we’ve compiled them all in a comprehensive FAQ page just for you. You can find these other questions and answers here.

Of course, the best way to know if a cleaning company is the company for you is to connect, receive a quote, and begin your cleaning partnership today. Ready for that connection? Connect here for a quote.
July 15, 2022
How Often Should You Clean Your House?

If I had a nickel for every time I was asked, how often should I clean my house? I would have been able to retire a long time ago. I wouldn’t, because I love what I do, but I could. It’s that frequent of a question.

In a study completed by the American Cleaning Institute, they found that the average American spends six hours cleaning every single week, with a third left wondering if they are cleaning enough or even correctly. After all, there is a proper way to scrub the toilet, remove dust bunnies, and vacuum the rug to ensure we’re not just moving, but actually removing dirt.

Yet, how often you should you clean your house involves many factors, including how many people live there, if you have pets (particularly furry ones), your own preference and definition of what clean is, and so much more. Some may only require a monthly clean, some a biweekly, and still others weekly. The truth is, only you can decide how often you should clean your house.

To help you determine your own frequency, whether monthly, biweekly, or weekly, here are some insights to support you in determining what’s right for you.

1. Biweekly Cleaning

The most common frequency requested at Clean Club Calgary is our biweekly house cleaning service. The reason is that a biweekly cleaning builds confidence in our clients that the main areas of their home are cleaned every two weeks. It’s a beautiful refresh that gives our clients time back in their weeks, so they don’t have to worry about scrubbing the toilet or scrapping food splatters off the stove’s backsplash. This has helped many of our customers take back their Saturdays to spend quality time with their families.

2. Weekly Cleaning

The next most common cleaning frequency requested by families is weekly. It provides assurance that the bathrooms, kitchen, and dusting are all being done, providing relief that the family can simply relax and be together during their downtime rather than worrying about what new dirt friend is growing in the kitchen corner. We also find that people who have furry pets – yes this can be your children – do best with a weekly cleaning so they can stay on top of all the additional fur, especially when it comes to the seasons changing. Sorry – we can’t do anything about your teenager’s mood swings though.

3. Monthly Cleaning

We often recommend monthly cleaning for those who live alone or a couple (without pets) who are generally fairly tidy. These are people who tend to want a deeper clean but won’t take too much additional time because they tidy and clean up after themselves during the month. They typically want to know that the cleaning they missed throughout the month is completed by us. It’s a true team effort!

4. Cleaning Budgets

While we would recommend weekly or biweekly cleaning for busy families and people who have pets, we do recognize that cleaning is a luxury item on a family’s budget, so we need to work with what they can afford. To learn more about the pricing involved and budget for different types and frequencies of cleaning, read this blog here all about how much to budget for a typical residential cleaning [1] .

5. Cleaning Schedule

When we say monthly cleaning, this doesn’t mean that the cleaning will fall on every 1st of the month or every 2nd Wednesday of the month for example. For cleaning companies to maximize their schedules, it is either weekly, every 2nd week or every 4th week. It is extremely hard to offer regular cleanings every 3rd week. In fact, Clean Club Calgary doesn’t book tri-weekly cleans because these are too complex to accommodate our customers’ and our cleaning team members’ schedules.

6. Deep Cleaning vs. Rotational Cleaning Services

Monthly cleaning services typically require more deep cleaning and elbow grease because we’re removing a month’s worth of dirt/dust/etc. buildup. With weekly and biweekly cleanings, we’re able to rotate certain items (e.g., cleaning one room one week, another room the next, and so forth), so there is not as much buildup in between cleanings. This often comes down to the individual preference as to what type and how often the customer wants their space cleaned.

7. Health & Cleaning

Regardless of the frequency, there are items we clean each time to ensure the overall health of your family. This includes cleaning the bathroom (unless otherwise requested) and wiping down door handles, for example. The reason is that these items are often where germs remain and can directly impact the health of your family.

At the end of the day, the type and frequency of cleaning comes down to personal preference and the budget available. If you are someone who prefers to have a superbly clean and tidy house and has the budget, then weekly cleaning is recommended. The ultimate goal is to provide a cleaning service that suits you and your needs.

If you’re ready to take back your time and add regular cleaning to your household, then reach out to share which cleaning frequency best suits your needs. Simply connect here for a custom quote.

April 15, 2022
The Surprising Health Benefits of Cleaning and You

It was supposed to be a joke when Monica on Friends talked about cleaning as “the thing” she does to relax when stressed. I even had a good chuckle myself because, well, who doesn’t like to chuckle.

The thing is that Monica is actually the one who is having the last laugh at all of us as cleaning really does have health benefits, especially during times of high stress. It’s not just something to do to pass the time. We all know that there are environmental benefits (goodbye dust bunnies and random smells), but did you know that there are physical and mental health benefits as well?

Like it or not – cleaning can actually be a beautiful part of our overall health routine!

Let’s learn why!

Cleaning Gets Physical

Cleaning is physical – there’s no way around it. Even if gently sweeping a broom across the floor, you’re still moving. And all movement is good for your body.

Cleaning and the physical aspects help to get our overly sedentary bodies moving, get the blood flowing, our heart rate up, and a much-needed stretching of our muscles.

Not only that, but when we clean, we create a healthier environment for our house because we minimize dust, remove dirt that carries particles (and even bugs) that impact air quality, and help to limit the spread of any bacteria from surface to surface and person to person. Removing pollen, pet dander, mildew, and other hidden microbes ensures that we’re not inadvertently harming our immune system.

Cleaning is Psychological

Cleaning is such a gift for our mental health. It allows us to feel a sense of accomplishment. It provides our mind time to wander and daydream; time to indirectly sort through our thoughts; and time to just be focused on something else that has a clear beginning and end.

Cleaning allows us to gain a sense of control of our environment – which is so much more important since the spread of COVID-19 due to the lack of control many of us are feeling in this uncertainty. There are also short- and long-term impacts on one’s mood, helping to lower one’s risk for anxiety and depression.

Further – cleaning, particularly deep cleaning, can inspire us to get creative or reconnect with hobbies. So many hidden treasures are found when we clean – old paintbrushes, pictures of travelling, medals from track and field days – that we can be inspired to start these hobbies again. Tapping into things that brought us joy for the sake of joy. And without cleaning, we may not have found these old treasures. Reigniting joy is just good for all our mental health these days.

Cleaning Stops Clutter

Clutter just appears suddenly. I know – I’ve seen it happen. But clutter, no matter how small, has an impact on our ability to focus, be present, and relax within a space.

Even more, clutter impacts our ability to make healthy decisions. A 2013 study highlighted in Psychological Science showed that when people are in a clean, more organized environment, they tend to make healthier choices both in terms of diet and physical activity. Meaning – our clutter isn’t just impacting our mental health…it’s impacting our ability to CHOOSE to make healthy physical choices.

When we take the time to remove clutter, even something as small as organizing the papers on our desk in a nice pile rather than “strategically scattered,” we improve our ability to tune into our body so we can understand what we actually need.

To get the benefits of cleaning, you don’t have to do a top to bottom of everything (like Monica would). Rather, a simple scrubbing of a toilet or vacuuming one single room, heck even emptying the dishwasher or putting those sink dishes into the dishwasher, can be enough to help give you a health boost.

If you already have your health routine in place, though, let us know. Perhaps professional cleaning can take you to a whole other level?

Connect for a custom quote.

October 21, 2021
How to Not Fall Back into Unhealthy Cleaning Routines

Fall is here! Even with the crunchy leaves that find their way into carpets, making vacuuming trickier, this has always been a fun time of year. The time of year where new routines start up, kids go back to school, extracurricular activities are all a tizzy, and the lazy days of summer are but a mere memory.

In all this busy-ness of the season, we at Clean Club Calgary keep hearing that cleaning falls to the end of the family to-do list. Between work, after-school/work activities, grocery shopping, sleeping, and enjoying your “play” time, fitting snippets of cleaning here and there leaves you constantly burnt out, feeling less refreshed than you could be. Worse, there are often hints of shame, guilt, even embarrassment that you are not able to keep up with everything, which includes a “well-cleaned home.”

Phew – that’s okay. That’s what working with a residential cleaning company helps you with. Yes, we do the cleaning but also, we remove those feelings of overwhelm and “never-done” so you can enjoy your day-to-day living.

It’s amazing talking with clients about why they work with us. More specifically, it’s learning what our cleaning does for them. From the feedback we’ve received, cleaning helps in many ways. Here are the five most common ones we’ve heard.

Cleaning allows me to have more mental space for what’s important to me

“I don’t have time or energy to do clean”, “I hate cleaning because I’m not good at it” “I just hate cleaning…period.”

Whatever the reason you’re not cleaning is not important. What’s important is how much space these thoughts of “not cleaning” take up in your mind. Work with a cleaning routine and/or professional cleaner that allows you to forget about the cleaning. All you need to know is when the cleaner will be there.

Cleaning allows me to tap into my inner joy

Mental space opened nice and wide, time is given back, you can now enjoy the things that need to be done rather than worrying about cleaning during your precious time.

No longer do you have to find snippets of time to clean, leaving you always holding the broom in one hand and a cleaning cloth in the other, a professional cleaner can get all the things done in a few hours (or over scheduled sessions, request dependent). Because of this, you get to enjoy those snippets of time you used for cleaning on things that light your heart a bit more. Whether it’s time with the family, getting outdoors, painting, whatever! It’s just not spent with a toilet brush.

Cleaning allows me to make better decisions

So many of our clients are still working from home. I’ve heard over and over again that if it weren’t for the knowledge that we were coming to clean, our clients would not be able to focus on their work.

The odd dust bunny floating by. Knowing the toilet needs to be cleaned. Seeing unmopped floors as you make your way to your “office space.” These are all tiny distractions that sit in your subconscious. When you know all these “little things” will be taken care of, you can bring more focus to your work because you do not have to constantly remind yourself to clean your space. With this, you free your mind up from visual stimuli that pulls your focus, allowing you to turn your attention and take action on the things that truly matter to you.

Cleaning allows me to enjoy my partner more

Cleaning is a pain point for a lot of couples. We hear this all the time. Plus, many of us Clean Club Calgary team members have there ourselves. You both want the cleaning done but expect the other to do it. Investing in a cleaner removes these expectations and has made some happier marriages because cleaning was removed from the equation.

Who knew a vacuum had that much power?

Cleaning allows me to focus on what really matters

There are a lot of misconceptions about having a residential cleaning service out there: they’re expensive, people who use them are “hoity-toity,” using one makes me “less of a homeowner” because I can’t keep it clean, professional cleaning is a luxury item, etc. etc. etc. Yep, a lot of MIS-conceptions.

The truth is – we were never meant to be able to do everything – have a career, raise a family, support a household (chores, healthy meals, perfection), volunteer, do extracurriculars, and all the things we’re “supposed” to be able to do. Yet, humans survive in communities. This means that by recognizing how a cleaning service can support you in doing what really matters to you, you can enjoy working with one. Remove the stigma or belief that you have around a cleaner and discover what it’s like to say yes to Saturday outings just for fun or working without the fear of the ever-growing number of dust bunnies.

As we make our way through fall and into our yearly routine again, take the time to prioritize what’s really important that you do. The rest, free up your mental space. Perhaps a cleaning quote is the first place to start? Connect today to request.

September 16, 2021
Professional Home Cleaner or Independent Contractor: Who Has Your Trust?
Whether this is your first experience having your home professionally cleaned, or you’ve worked with residential cleaners for years, finding the right cleaner for your home boils down to trust.

I’m a tad biased when it comes to deciding between an independent cleaner or a licensed residential cleaning business seeing that I run Clean Club Calgary, a professional cleaning company. However, having first started in this industry as a solo cleaner myself, there are clear benefits to working with a cleaning professional over an independent cleaning contractor.

EARNING YOUR TRUST IS A PROFESSIONAL’S TOP PRIORITY

Cleaning is more than scrubbing and removing grime. It’s letting someone into your home, your safe haven, to transform it into a place in which you can simply relax. This requires trusting someone with your personal property. While there are plenty of good independent cleaners out there, who are typically more cost-effective than a professional cleaning company, there are clear differences that impact the type of cleaning experience you’ll receive.

This starts with having a professionally vetted and trained team, guided by a leader. This leader should be someone who is actively motivating, growing, and improving their cleaning team, setting up their client, the business AND their employees for long-term success. This translates to the quality of work because the cleaning team feels cared for and that they have an impact within the company. The result is a motivated, committed and professional team going into your home to enhance your home life.

DELIVERING MOTIVATED, RELIABLE AND CONSISTENT CLEANING

An independent cleaner is just that – independent. They typically do not have a backup cleaner to fill in for them should they be unable to make your appointment, often leaving you high and dry for cleaning services. Such events can include getting sick, having to care for a sick child at home, getting stuck in traffic, etc. From there, rescheduling may become a hassle if you are not able to have them clean your home when you want.

With a professional cleaning company, you typically have a cleaning team of two people. At Clean Club Calgary, we work to have the same team clean the same house so there is consistency in who is in your home. Should one individual not be able to make their shift, the other team member will still go, bringing another trained team member with them. This regular team member knows the house and client preferences, allowing them to guide the other cleaner, ensuring the quality of clean remains, without missing our promised cleaning date. Plain and simple, with a professional cleaning company, you are more likely to receive a team who will always show up and have a clear understanding of your expectations.

BUILDING AN EXPERIENCED, PROFESSIONAL WORKING RELATIONSHIP

Your home is not where your cleaner should get their emotional needs met. Unfortunately, time and again, I hear tales of cleaners who share all the details of their personal lives with their client…whether the client wants to hear it or not. In my eyes, this is incredibly unprofessional. When you hire a cleaning service, regardless of whether they are a freelancer, incorporated company, or close friend, they should be there to do one thing: the work you are paying them for!

A professional cleaning company understands this and equips their team accordingly. This translates into how we act and show up at your house. For instance, we have a clear pre-cleaning checklist identifying the next day’s required cleaning and specific client requests. This gives our people the knowledge they need to immediately start cleaning when they arrive rather than using the first 10 – 20 minutes of your time understanding what needs to be cleaned that day. There are a number of checks and balances, internal communications, and other policies in place to ensure our customers receive the specific cleaning they require that day. With an independent cleaner, often your cleaning needs are not identified until the morning they arrive and you have to use your booked cleaning time going over what needs to be done.

Another differentiator is ensuring the team appears as a united front. This shows up by wearing our company uniform and name tags over sweats, uniting us as a cleaning team while letting you know who is in your home. This is crucial for building trust in our people, our company, and our industry.
INVESTED IN GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED INDUSTRY-TRAINING

Anyone can clean. However, a professionally trained cleaner does so much more. Cleaning becomes a knowledgeable artform, using science to create fresh spaces.

One reason we focus on proper training with our team is as simple as understanding what products can be used on what materials. For instance, natural stone cannot come into contact with any acid. This means you cannot use any cleaners – including vinegar – that could damage the stone. If your cleaner is not properly trained in understanding what products can be used on what materials, you run the risk of having your home accidentally damaged. What’s more, a professional company will have the proper insurance to repair this damage should it occur. Chances are, an independent cleaner will not. What’s worse – and this is not always the case – but if they’re not aligned with your values of taking responsibility for their actions, a solo cleaner may just leave and never come back. Then, you’re out a cleaner and on the line for fixing the damage.

At Clean Club Calgary, we ensure we’ve provided our team with the right training and tools to ensure a quality clean. These items were developed based on my IICRC Technician certification, a globally recognized cleaning and restoration certificate. Two of these items we provide are:
- Solvent Usage List: This list provides insights into what solvents can and cannot be used on specific materials. We ensure our team can access this 24/7, ensuring they can easily review should they need to when supporting our customers.
- Cleaning Training Manual: Our training isn’t a simple, “Read this and you’ll be ready to clean for our clients.” We require new cleaners to review and learn a specific section of our manual and then watch the in-house training videos we’ve developed showcasing our client’s expectations of cleanliness. From there, they go with a cleaning lead to our client’s home and implement what they’ve learned. The leader then looks over their work and guides on how to improve (if needed). The process continues until the new team member successfully meets all criteria within our manual.
SUPPORTING HOME BUSINESSES WITH CLEANING WRITE-OFFS

An independent or solo cleaner will most likely have lower pricing than a professional company. However, this lower price actually limits you, the client, in the long run, particularly in relation to cost savings and tax write-offs.

As more companies introduce Work-from-Home Policies and home offices are the bread and butter for numerous entrepreneurs, clients have the opportunity to write off a portion of their cleaning service as a business expense for their home office. A professional company will have the proper invoicing system, allowing you to properly track payments and provide official receipts for Revenue Canada for writing off a portion of your cleaning as a business expense.

Solo cleaners tend to work with cash payments only (not all!) and are not able to provide the appropriate paperwork for the CRA. In addition, cash payments are “under the table,” and these individuals are not paying taxes on the income they’re earning. This lowers the reputation of our industry and minimizes the training and dedication that other companies have invested in.

PROTECTING BOTH CUSTOMERS AND OUR TEAM IMPROVES SERVICE

A cleaning company’s goal, other than providing a quality clean, should be to retain customers and work to resolve issues together. This is quality service in action. If there are any issues, such as not meeting cleaning expectations, the professional company should come back to rectify these because they have more ability to do so. A solo cleaner may simply not respond or come back.

A professional cleaning company must also have insurance, be bonded, and have WCB to ensure clients and their team are protected. In addition to these non-negotiable pieces, running background checks on potential hires is crucial for ensuring we are doing our due diligence in protecting ourselves and our clients. The worst horror story I have come across is an independent cleaner here in Calgary who stole from the client. When the client contacted the police, the client was informed that the individual was in the country illegally and they were trying to locate this individual. Needless to say, this client was never compensated for their loss.

PROFESSIONAL AND CLEAN SHOULD GO HAND IN HAND

Clean Club Calgary is building the bridge between the cleaning industry and a professional standard. Of course, there are solo cleaners who are reputable, honest, and there to provide the best service they can for their clients, but not always. By focusing on proper training, customer service, and empowering our team to take ownership of their role, professional cleaning is our client’s reality. It comes down to supporting the client ahead of their cleaning time; protecting them and the company through proper channels; and focusing on honest, open, relationships dedicated to providing a higher quality of life.

Regardless of whether you’re looking to work with a solo cleaner or a professional cleaning company, do your due diligence before letting anyone into your home. Ask questions, learn their process for scheduling/rescheduling, hiring, and cleaning your home. Sometimes, the benefits that go with a professional cleaning team can save you headaches and even money in the long run.

Have a cleaning horror story that scared you? Perhaps a cleaning company that pleasantly surprised you? Please reach out and share your insights – we are always here to learn more about the industry and what you’re looking for in cleaning services. Connect today!!
March 12, 2020
The Three Truths Behind Your Residential Cleaning Costs
Residential cleaning is a rip off! Why pay someone to do something that we can do ourselves? It’s super expensive and never great service. Cleaning companies make huge profits and are just racking up the money…but not sharing it with their staff.

Yep. A lot of these statements are true of the industry. However, a lot of them are not true of most cleaning companies who are working hard to build reputable businesses. I believe it’s important to change these overall beliefs, demonstrating that cleaning is about more than, well, cleaning. It’s about a quality of life. To do this, I want to start by being completely transparent about the real costs of where your hard-earned money goes.
TRUTH 1: HOME CLEANING IS AFFORDABLE FOR MOST HOUSEHOLDS

There is a misconception that to invest in residential cleaning services, one must be earning hand over fist in cash, with lots to spare. The key to affording it is working with your budget and developing a schedule that suits your lifestyle. For instance, there are a number of ways you can split a $520 monthly cleaning budget. Let’s break it down here:

Monthly Cleaning Budget: 520 CAD

Results in: 8 cleaning hours / month at 65 CAD / hour

Cleaning Options:
- Option 1: 1x/month for 8 hours, 1 lump sum payment, monthly cleaning list
- Option 2: 2x/month, 4 hours/visit, 2 lump sum payments, cleaning priority list
- Option 3: 2 hrs/week, 4 lump sum payments, weekly cleaning priority list
While the budget remains the same, the spacing of payments and type of cleaning can be manipulated to fit your family’s budget and life schedule.

TRUTH 2: PROFITS ARE INVESTED BACK INTO THE CLEANING COMPANY’S PEOPLE

To be incredibly frank, Clean Club Calgary currently has a slim margin at only 10% in profit. This goes directly back into the company and the development of our people through team building workshops, individual training, and educational opportunities. In addition, 90% of what you pay for is for a lot more than clean floors. It supports an entire ecosystem that supports Calgary’s economy, both in terms of service offerings and in adding jobs. The reality is you are supporting a local business, along with the costs of running a reputable, ever-improving company. This breaks down into specific business, operations, and human costs.
BUSINESS COSTS
- Insurance: making sure that both our customers and our team/business are covered with the proper type and amount of insurance is crucial to building a reputable business. By having the right insurance, we are able to stand behind both our team and our customers should an issue arise.
- WCB: if anything happens to our team while on the job, we must take care of them. This means investing in WCB coverage to, again, protect both our team and our customers.
- Background Checks: you are trusting us in your home with all your personal belongings and your family members! We cannot, and will not, hire anyone who has a history with red flags. This means covering timely and accurate security checks to make sure we continue to earn your trust with the right people on our team.
- Team Payroll and Business Taxes: as with most businesses, one of our largest overhead costs is the employee payroll. At Clean Club Calgary, this accounts for more than half of your hourly rate. In addition, there are also those fun CRA taxes, such as GST, Payroll, and Corporate taxes that all incorporated businesses must pay. We are a business who takes pride in paying our team a healthy living wage while still remaining in good standing with the CRA.
- Administrative Fees: all of the above have monthly administrative fees to obtain proper coverage and certifications, along with ensuring we remain up to date with industry organizations.
OPERATIONAL COSTS
- Overhead costs: items such as cleaning supplies, office rent, and our user-friendly booking system through Jobber is crucial to ensuring that you receive quality cleaning when you want it.
- Travel Costs: not all cleaning companies do this, but at Clean Club Calgary, we pay our team for travel time and mileage in between cleaning jobs, particularly since a team may clean three sites a day. We do not charge the client for this time, but we ensure that this is covered as travel is a requirement of the job, much like it is for a sales rep.
- Advertising: cleaning is a very competitive industry. Even though word of mouth is our preferred – and most common – way of advertising, we still invest in professional advertising services, such a Google AdWords, to ensure we remain competitive in the market.
- Image: running a professional company goes beyond the quality of service (but never overshadows it). It’s in how we show up, including with what we wear, how we carry and present ourselves, how we communicate and respond to clients – all of this takes time to train, reinforce, and ensure that you receive a consistently positive cleaning experience.
- Ongoing Training: Currently, there is nothing available for residential cleaning training in Calgary. Any training we do receive must be done outside of the province. For instance, I completed my IICRC House Cleaning Technician certificate to properly support my clients, along with onboarding my team through best practices, industry standards, and new cleaning techniques. Since training includes completion in person, one must travel to where the training is taking place. While I would love to bring this type of training to Calgary (future goals!), there is nothing here at the moment for us to send our team to. We account for this when completing our yearly training budget.
HUMAN LABOUR COSTS
- Back-Breaking Work: cleaning is not easy on the body, especially for people who have mobility limits or body injuries. Yes, you are paying us to take this physical labour off of you and, while we are absolutely honoured to do this, we then place the stress on ourselves. You are literally paying us to put additional strain our bodies.
- Team Benefits: to ensure that our team remains in tip-top shape due to this additional strain, our company must take care of them. Specifically, Clean Club Calgary has an excellent health benefits plan that keeps our people happier and healthier. Read more about how we invest in our team here.
TRUTH 3: THE QUALITY OF YOUR HOME LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS IMPROVES

As I sat down with a recent prospect and his wife, he said,

“you are really taking care of things that we would otherwise fight about!”

At the end of the day, he’s right. You are investing in getting your time back in multiple ways – from not having to do the actual cleaning, to avoiding the time-wasting “who does what” convos and “who can hold out the longest” mind games we have all done (myself included, much to my husband’s own frustration). Residential cleaning is as much about providing you with a quality clean as it is about investing in the quality of your personal relationships.

I fully acknowledge that cleaning services are a luxury investment as they are something that most households can do on their own. At the end of the day, though, the primary question isn’t about how much your residential cleaning services cost. Rather, it should be about what impact this investment has on your life. From there, it becomes easier to understand exactly what the cost is – time, money, and harmony – for cleaning your home.

If you are curious to learn more about where your cleaning investment goes, I am more than happy to have a conversation. Contact me when you’re ready.

Alternatively, know someone who wants to understand a bit more about cleaning costs? Share this blog with them!
December 12, 2019
3 Cleaning Truths Successful Companies Don’t Want You to Know About
Your business may not be in cleaning, but cleaning is still part of your business. It represents your brand, your goals, an overall experience for your clients and employees alike. Knowing this, is your business unintentionally leaving some dirt on your brand’s reputation by not utilizing a proper cleaning service?

Perhaps your office or studio is absolutely spotless, thanks to you and your team staying late and scrubbing down the toilets, wiping down desks, and chasing the dust bunnies away. But, did you truly start your own business so you could scrub it at night? As a Calgary small business owner myself, I understand the urge to do your own cleaning in order to save a few pennies here and there, and that often starts with cleaning. Yet, if “cleaning” is being spoken in hushed tones over the water cooler, it may be time to think about professional services. Imagine what could happen to your business, your reputation, your team’s happiness if you invested in an economical professional cleaning service?

Let’s explore a few truths as to how commercial cleaning can advance your company.

TRUTH ONE: CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO CLIENT HAPPINESS

Yes, when a client comes into your office, a patient into your practice, or a yogi into your studio, they are absolutely judging the space they’re in. By welcoming them with a truly clean space – dust free, smell free, stain free, junk free – you’re creating an environment people want to be in. Even better, you’re creating a business that people want to come back to, while sharing their positive experiences with their friends.

Other benefits from cleanliness show up in your team’s performance by through improved focused, increased engaged, and overall happy attitude when working in a clean environment.

TRUTH TWO: CLEAN IS IN THE EYE OF THE CLIENT

What you may believe is clean may not actually be clean to your clients or customers. Make sure that you think of who is using your space, why they’re there and what the space is used for to understand what clean truly is. From there, it’s a matter of utilizing a cleaning service that supports the type of quality clean your business requires.

For example, we have a chiropractor practice as a client who happens to specialize in babies. As such, they have babies crawling on the floor of their practice all the time. It is absolutely crucial that their floors be immaculate so the parents bringing their babies in can rest easy knowing that they are letting their child crawl on a clean floor. We all know that there is nothing quite like the eagle eye of a parent. Ensuring this practice is clean at all times is essential in supporting our client’s reputation with their key clientele.
TRUTH THREE: CLEAN MAKES HAPPIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE TEAMS

More and more, we’re learning how hygienic workplaces contribute to your overall employee health, satisfaction, and productivity. Ensuring your business is clean, truly clean, helps improve employee productivity as it limits the spread of airborne illnesses, such as the nasty flu. While it is obvious why building a culture of “cleanliness” is important to keeping employees healthy (e.g. hand washing programs, work remotely if contagious, “no touch” doors, etc.) in order to limit the number of sick days taken, we’re also learning more about how a clean workplace can enhance the overall mindset of your team. By reducing clutter in the office, kicking out those dust bunny “employees,” and even wiping the fingerprints off the glass doors that welcome clients, your team will begin associating quality and positivity with your environment. As such, you’ll have happier, healthier, and a much more productive team focused on the role you hired them for in the first place.

By using a professional cleaning service, you’re also going to help improve the indoor air quality. Reason being is that we have the proper tools to remove the type of dust that sticks to walls, windows, and mirrors – those particles that get in the vents and send who knows what throughout the air and into our lungs. We have also invested in the right supplies to ensure we’re taking the dirt with us, such as high-powered vacuum cleaners, leaving your studio space with a real clean, not a surface one. With cleaner air comes easier breathing. This ultimately leads to a team with clearer thinking abilities, allowing them to be more creative and engaged.

ULTIMATELY, CLEANING AND BUSINESS GO HAND IN HAND

Cleaning doesn’t have to be done every single day in order for your business to benefit from professional services. What’s important is understanding what clean is to you, your employees, and your customers. When working with a cleaning company, such as Clean Club Calgary, you have a dedicated team member whose sole purpose is to make your office spectacular and represent your brand in a positive light. This means gaining a clear understanding of what “clean” is, how often your cleaning should be done, and how cleaning can support your overall business goals.

If you’re not sure whether your business could benefit from a professional cleaning service, take a moment to answer the following (be honest…we won’t tell):
- Toilet Time: Does someone want to sit on the toilet or are you making your customers squat more than they need to?
- Garbage Smells: What’s the garbage can smell like? Not the actual garbage bag…but the can itself? (yep – these too need to be washed)
- Fridge Critters: Is there something crawling in your team fridge? If yes…your employee satisfaction is most likely not that high…or at least falls every time the fridge is opened.
- Look Way Up: When was the last time you cleaned the high areas in your office, removing the dust that impacts air quality?
- Smiles Abound? Observe the overall mental health of your employees. While there may be a number of items that contribute to a person’s mental health stressors, make sure the cleanliness of your environment isn’t one of them.
If your answers to these sent some shivers down your spine, you could very well need support in seeing how cleaning can support your business growth. A commercial cleaning company will be able to walk you through each of these questions (and then some) to understand what your primary concerns are and how to start addressing them.

The ultimate truth here is that you’ve worked hard to build a business you can be proud of. Take it even further by investing in cleaning services that focus on you, your productivity, and your client satisfaction. Connect with Clean Club Calgary to see how you can relax with commercial cleaning services.
November 14, 2019