03/02/2026
Let's talk about the stuff Noone wants to talk about ya'll! If you know me at all you know I love to keep it real and today is no different! Owning a cleaning business was a perfect fit for me since I'm one of those weirdos that actually likes to clean and generally loves interacting with our awesome clients. When i moved here to Tennessee from Idaho in the summer of 2022 i didnt know a soul. I have still not made many "friends" but the ones I do have ALL started out as clients. And im so thankful they have opened thier arms, hearts and homes to me. Along the way I've found some tips and tricks about what makes it work for the clients as well as the cleaner, most commonly missed areas and what to do & what to avoid at all costs. I will post these in a series of posts to make it easy to refer back to later! I think we will call this THE DOWN AND DIRTY SESSIONS. 🤣 Today I will entertain you with my thoughts on being a great cleaner and a great client! For today were discussing client relations. Here's the scoop!
EVERY CLIENT IS DIFFERENT!
They all have different needs, wants, things that annoy them, budgets, things that make thier hearts happy to come home to etc... our job as the cleaner is to quickly identify those through GREAT communication. It's simply not enough to throw a price at a potential client, show up and hope the work you have done passes muster. Take time to get to know your clients on a personal level and have a good new client questionaire that covers expectations, policies and procedures, payment, cancelations and even pet info. This helps keep you informed on things as well as them. I'm happy to post mine for whomever needs ideas. Just let me know in the comments and I'll add them to this post. When I say the clients are all different I mean that! I have a Cornucopia of personalities I work for and knowing their preferences for which chemicals I use, which area of the house to start in, and what drives them crazy from the get go helps both of us! I mean it when I tell them during the initial walk through to PLEASE remember I have thick skin and don't get offended easily. I need them to tell me right away if they like or dislike something I've done, if they need something I don't normally offer but wish I would or if the time they get cleaned isn't working for them. Too often I see cleaners lose clients due to a lack of communication when it could easily be addressed and fixed. If you have a good relationship with your clients it eliminates the guesswork. I've been told I am "too personal" with clients. That taking extra time to get thier sourdough bread recipe or sharing a hilarious mishap I had that morning is too time consuming but here's the deal ya'll... I wouldn't do it any different. In order for us to communicate openly i have spent TIME building those relationships! I need that so they don't feel uncomfortable asking me to do an extra task cleaners don't normally do, to tell me if they had a life change and need to figure out how they can still afford cleanings or even ask me if I can pet sit over the weekend because their pet sitter cancelled and the dog really likes me (happy to do it!) Those close relationships build trust and you have to trust the person who is inside your personal space often unattended. My clients know I truly care professionally and personally. If life gets in the way they know I am flexible and won't charge a huge cancelation fee when they are sick or unable to be cleaned. I too know they won't drop me if it's snowing like crazy and can't make it up the driveway to clean thier house. It's give and take because they are not just a number, a paycheck or just a client to me. They are people I treasure! Just last week one of my sweet client friends called me the same day I cleaned her house for a favor. She is one of the hardest working women I know and I could tell immediately she was stressed, tired and at her wits end. The context of our convo was basically this. " Help! I have a dinner party in a few days and I need help decorating and making my space look warm and inviting. Can you do that?" ABSOLUTELY! I was honored she would even ask. When I got there she directed me to what she needed but wasn't sure if I'd do. I laughed as I re-potted 2 plants and staged them in better locations thinking what a fun change this was to do! I folded her cloth napkins into roses and set the table that looked so lovely Martha Stewart and Snoop dog would nod in approval. I knew she wouldn't take offense that I dug through her china cupboard to locate her gorgeous wine glasses to complete the table. I also cleaned and organized the inside of her fridge so the chef she hired to cater could quickly find an item they may have forgotten. I didn't ask her if it was OK because we have a RELATIONSHIP & thank God she is very forgiving! By the time I left I was so thankful she thought to call me. I truly enjoyed doing it and quite honestly felt guilty accepting payment because you shouldn't get paid to have that much fun. My clients know my kids names, ask about my dog by his name and return favors with a great bottle of cabernet. It works for us. Take the time to know your client family if your a new cleaner my friends. I promise you it is an investment to your business that you'll never regret!
I'll close this out by asking a trivia question that I'd love you to try to answer in the comments! I'll give you the answer in the next post!
Ready?
What are 3 things missing in most homes being professionally cleaned that your cleaning lady secretly wishes you had handy?
And... go!
