Blog
Run a tidier round
Down-to-earth advice on the bits of a cleaning business that aren't the cleaning - getting paid on time, winning the right clients and keeping your week running smoothly.
How to keep track of your clients' keys, without lying awake over it
You end up holding keys and door codes to a dozen homes and nobody hands you a system. Here's a simple, safe way to keep track of them, plus the insurance gap most cleaners don't know they have.
Getting paidWhen a client cancels a clean at the last minute: how much notice to ask for, and when to charge
A client cancels the night before and there goes a morning's pay. Here's the notice period to ask for, how to word your cancellation policy, and when a cancellation fee is worth charging.
ComplaintsWhen a client says you missed something (and how to stop it happening again)
The complaint usually comes down to one thing: the client expected something that was never in the clean, and nobody wrote it down. Here's how the agencies agree the list up front, and how to do the same with clients you've had for years.
GrowingTaking on your first cleaner: employed or self-employed, and what's left for you
Can you just pay a cleaner self-employed? Usually not, and it's not your call. The employed-or-self-employed rule, the insurance you need, what you must sort before day one, and how to work out what's left for you.
Your roundHow to plan your cleaning round by area (and stop driving all over town)
A round that grew one client at a time zig-zags across town, and the drive time is unpaid hours you never notice. Here's how to plan your cleaning round by area so your days stay in one place, with no fancy software.
Your eveningsHow to stop the 'what time are you coming?' texts, without being glued to your phone
The 'are we still on?' texts eat your evening, and a forgotten visit costs you a morning. Here's the simple reminder rhythm that answers before the client has to ask.
Looking professionalHow to make your cleaning business look professional (no logo or uniform needed)
A careful client often picks the cleaner who looks like a proper business over the one who cleans best. The signals that win that trust are small, mostly free, and a one-person round can have every one.
Time offTaking time off without losing your regulars
Booking a holiday or waking up too ill to work is nerve-wracking when you're the whole business. Here's how to handle it so your regulars wait for you, with two messages you can copy.
Repeat workHow to turn a one-off clean into a regular: the client you already won
The cheapest client you'll ever get is the one standing in the house you've just cleaned. Most cleaners let them walk out the door without asking. Here's how to turn a first clean into a standing slot, without the hard sell.
Winning workHow to win more cleaning clients: why a fast reply beats a low price
Most cleaners think they lose work on price. More often they lose it on time, because the enquiry sat unanswered while they were mid-clean. Here's how to win the keen ones without being glued to your phone.
Getting paidHow to get clients to pay on time (and chase the late ones without it ruling your week)
Chasing money is the worst part of the job, and businesses hit by late payment spend an average of 86 hours a year doing it. Here's a simple system that gets most clients paying on time, so you barely have to chase at all.
PricingPricing your first commercial clean (when all you've done is houses)
The way you price homes won't work on an office or a shop, and using it is how cleaners get stuck in a contract that doesn't pay. Here's the actual sum, worked through with real UK numbers, and the costs a house never carries.
PricingWhen to raise your prices (and how to stop dreading it)
Knowing you need to put your prices up, and never quite doing it, is the most common trap in cleaning. Here's when to raise, how to check it's fair, and the exact message to send.
PricingHow much to charge for a clean: a simple way to set your price
Most pricing advice is 'charge your worth', which tells you nothing useful. Here's the actual sum for setting a rate you won't regret in two years, with real numbers worked through.