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 International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association

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  • 05 Feb 2015 8:35 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    (NC) - When it comes to cleaning your home, being environmentally conscious is easier and cheaper than you might think. Plain white vinegar, just pennies an ounce, is a great alternative to traditional chemical cleaners. As a 2.5-litre jug of vinegar costs just a few dollars at your local grocery store, it works as an inexpensive all-purpose cleaner.

    The easiest way to clean with vinegar is to use an empty trigger spray bottle. Fill it with pure white vinegar and spray the surfaces you want to clean. When ready, just wipe clean with a paper towel. No rinsing required.

    What about the scent of vinegar? The scent goes away. The best part, it is safer to smell than fumes from harsh cleaners. With vinegar, there is no need to crack a window.

    According to the website vinegarworkswonders.com, vinegar can be used to clean a variety of surfaces from kitchens to bathrooms, to the laundry and nursery. Mirrors, wood surfaces, counters, sinks, toilets, tiles, floors are all areas good for cleaning with vinegar.

    For tougher jobs like unclogging drains, removing soap scum, mildew stains, and lime scale, try using Allen's double strength cleaning vinegar. It has that extra strength for tough jobs and can be diluted with water (using a 1:1 ratio) for everyday cleaning. More information on cleaning with white vinegar and where to find double strength vinegar is available online at vinegarworkswonders.com.

    Source: News Canada

  • 12 Oct 2014 8:38 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Dear IJCSA, 

    Hello my name is David, I am starting my own cleaning business and have a rather unorthodox method of drumming up some new clients. I was wondering if anybody had tried something similar or if anyone had any thoughts on weather this would be worth the go. 

    Ok so here's the idea; I have no experience in the business of cleaning and need some references and somewhere to start so I plan on pretty much giving my services away to a few companies with a low promo pricing (enough to cover the expenses) for a limited time. And then after the promo deal is over adjusting the pricing to the industry standards. Continue to market my janitorial service this way, and slowly increase my prices. 


    I plan on doing this so that I have testimonials on my website and so I can have some experience under my belt. I am thinking of this promo ploy as somewhat of an internship with my own business. 
    Well tell me what you think I would be happy to hear from some experienced business owners already in the game. What do you think? 


    THANK YOU, David


    Hi David, It is the same technique and the way that the cleaning franchises operate. Yet they never increase their prices and the clients are stuck with terrible awful service. Matt / IJCSA

    Good article below. 


  • 11 Oct 2014 6:21 PM | IJCSA - (Administrator)
    Hi IJCSA, 

    Just wondering of you were starting out today a small office and home cleaning business with limited funds ($2000) How would you advertise your new cleaning service? 

    Thank You, 
    Sarah





    Dear Sarah,

    First let me say two thousand is a nice starting budget. When I started my initial advertising budget it was around eight hundred. 

    Ok what I would do. maybe you already have some of the stuff. 

    - Go to Go Daddy and buy a 5 page website, domain name and hosting package. $19

    -Buy business cards $35

    -Buy postcards say around 1000 cards and stamps to match, $80

    -Join local chamber of commerce or business association $150

    -Buy flyers, color around 500 count $150

    -Nice logo shirts about 5 to start with $70

    -Buy vinyl graphics for vehicle. $150

    -Small banner ad in monthly local publication with coupon $100 

    Get an IJCSA Membership Here. 



    Now how I would use all the stuff. First let me answer another question from Dawn in Houston. If you do not have a office, which in most cases new service owners don`t. 

    DO NOT USE A P.O. BOX put all your advertisements with your home address on it. While on this subject talked to a woman last week (Carolyn from VA) who`s very first cleaning account was a barter at a small office complex in her town, she provides weekly cleaning in return they gave her a office. This is a great idea if you want a commercial address. 

    Back to using your home office address, let alone the tax benefits. People who hire cleaning services like to know where they are from, you informing them you`re a local person, maybe down the road from them already starts the trust relationship. Now if your freaked out about all the stalkers and mischievous people in the world seeing your home address, your in the wrong business. 

    Now website first, put your ideas onto your site. Follow the same look and feel for all the promotional items and handouts.

    Go to every chamber meeting in your nice logo shirt and get their early and place your flyers and cards on tables, use flyers, to go door to door, mail out your postcards 10 a day, no more no less. Some sites or online places say mail hundreds or thousands of postcards. You can`t handle that much business anyway to start, so start small. Now along with this I would use free sites like craigslist and backpage to place my free ad`s on each day pushing traffic to my website. Now the key to this advertising program, is do it each day, a good positive sales approach on your part, and don`t miss your chamber or association meetings. 

    Best of Luck! 
    -Matt / IJCSA


  • 11 Oct 2014 6:19 PM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Cleaning Business Start Up

    Starting a cleaning business is an easy and lucrative thing to do. You can start your cleaning business on a shoestring budget, and growth of the cleaning business depends on how much you put into it. The first thing you need to decide for your cleaning business, is if you are serious enough to make a real attempt to make some real money, with minimal work and overhead.


    Cleaning Business - Residential Or Commercial

    The first thing you need to decide for your cleaning business, is if you are going to clean residential properties or commercial, or both. I would suggest sticking to residential till you get the hang of the business. Most residential customers are a little more forgiving when it comes to you learning the ropes, and trying to make a go of this type of business. Commercial companies expect a little more, and they expect Urgency, which is something you may not be able to provide until you get more experience and time.


    Cleaning Business Supplies

    Now that you have decided you are going to clean residential properties, we need to get some supplies for our cleaning business. You will also need to check to see if your cleaning business needs to be licensed in your city for this type of service. Most cities don't require such a license for cleaning businesses.


    Cleaning Business Supplies That Will Be Needed

    1. Extension Duster

    2. Vacuum

    3. Glass Cloths

    4. Eraser Bars

    5. Grout Brush

    6. Lysol And Air Freshener

    7. Small Trash Bags

    8. Caddy To Hold All Your Cleaners

    9. Mop

    10. Multi Cleaning Rags

    11. Brillo Pads

    12. Small Dust Broom

    13. paper towels

    14. Assorted Cleaners (Pine Sol, Toilet Cleaner, Furniture Polish, Bleach, etc...)

    Cleaning Business Customer Base

    There are many ways to get customers for your cleaning business, and I will explain how to get them step by step. I would suggest getting some nice business cards with the name of your cleaning business on them. Please do not skimp on the business cards, You want your cleaning business to look and be professional. Start by handing out your business cards to people you know and explain that you are in the cleaning business for yourself now and would like to have them as a customer.

    Put and add in the paper for your cleaning business and explain what services you provide and a phone number that you can be reached at. If you are not by your phone all the time, have an answering machine or voice mail with a professional sounding message. Again you want to be professional about your cleaning business.

    Put an add on Craigslist in the services section for you particular city, and again make sure your add is professional. Leave them a contact email and a phone number to reach you at. You can put in the add that you will give free estimates for cleaning jobs, and that will draw a lot of replies which will lead to paying jobs.

    Hand out fliers for your cleaning business, put them on windshields, on bulletin boards, laundry mats, or wherever you can find to put them. A print shop can print these out for you at a reasonable rate. I suggest using bright colored paper that will draw more attention to your flier, and again put something on the flier, like FREE ESTIMATES, or HALF OFF YOU FIRST CLEANING SESSION. These tactic really work and you will have a lot of work in no time.


    Provide Refrences

    Good references when starting out is very important to be successful, ask some friends or family members if you can clean their homes for free or at a discounted. The sound of working for free may not be appealing but it will be worth it to get some good references to show potential customers.
    When cleaning your first homes, go for quality, not how fast you can clean the home. Cleaning efficiently takes a long time, but you will get to the point where you can do a thorough cleaning in no time. After cleaning make sure you go back and check all rooms again to make sure you didn't miss anything. Impress those first clients and word of mouth will spread quickly.

    The Job At Hand

    When ever you get a customer or two for your cleaning business, be respectful at all times and be professional as possible. Always ask them how they would like there home cleaned, and if they have any special request. When cleaning do a thorough job, don't break anything, and don't re-arrange anything. When they see how well of a job you did and compliment you on it, It ok to ask them to spread the word about your work. Truth is, they probably know someone else that is in need of you cleaning service.

    What To Charge Customers When Starting A Cleaning Business

    In my opinion, I would not do anything for less than $20.00 per hour. You have to factor your supplies, gas, and your time in the equation, and I think that is a fair rate of pay for this service. So if a house is going to take you a couple of hours to clean, charge $40.00 or $50.00 for the job. There are not a lot of jobs out there where you can start off making that type of money. Remember as your cleaning business grows, you may have to hire help, so factor that in when giving estimates in the future. How much you can make at your cleaning business depends on how much of yourself you put in to it.

    Your Cleaning Business Should Offer Gift Certificates And Promotions

    House cleaning gift certificates make great gifts for any occasion. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Housewarmings, Weddings, Baby Showers, Christmas and Valentines Day. I have a lot of requests for gift certificates around Christmas. If you have a website you can email the gift certificates to the recipient.

    Offer a referral program. If one of your current customers lands you a new cleaning account. They get 50 percent off their next cleaning session, or the next cleaning session is free. This is a good system for getting new clients fast and your current customers do all the work in getting new clients.

    Offer coupons for cleaning services at a discounted rate. This is also a good promotion that will land you new customers quickly.

  • 11 Oct 2014 6:15 PM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    What is the average pay for a cleaning service employee? Cleaning service job wages. 



    Quick Facts: Janitors and Building Cleaners
    2014 Median Pay $22,320 per year 
    $10.73 per hour
    Entry-Level Education Less than high school
    Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
    On-the-job Training Short-term on-the-job training
    Number of Jobs,  2,324,000
    Job Outlook, 2012-22 12% (As fast as average)
    Employment Change, 2012-22 280,000

    What Janitors and Building Cleaners Do

    Janitors and building cleaners keep many types of buildings clean, orderly, and in good condition.

    Work Environment

    Most janitors and building cleaners work indoors. However, some work outdoors part of the time, sweeping walkways, mowing lawns, and shoveling snow. Since office buildings are often cleaned while they are empty, many cleaners work evening hours. The work can be physically demanding and sometimes dirty and unpleasant.

    How to Become a Janitor or Building Cleaner

    Most janitors and building cleaners learn on the job. Formal education is not required.

    Pay

    The median hourly wage for janitors and building cleaners was $10.73 in May 2012.

    Job Outlook

    Employment of janitors and building cleaners is projected to grow 12 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Many new jobs are expected in facilities related to health care, as this industry is expected to grow rapidly.

    Similar Occupations

    Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of janitors and building cleaners with similar occupations.




  • 28 Sep 2014 8:27 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)
    Find the best commercial cleaning service.  >>
     

    Professional commercial cleaning companies to perform customized cleaning at your commercial location.
    • Free Estimates
    • Certified Commercial Companies
    • One Time, Daily, Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly Services
    • No Sign Up Required

    Full directory of commercial cleaning companies near you.



  • 28 Sep 2014 8:19 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)
    A lot of members always ask, what is the best price on janitorial insurance and bonding? Or also known as cleaning insurance, every company should have it. 

    So how much does Janitorial insurance cost? Honestly it varies from state to state. You should be roughly in the $500 per year range for your cleaning insurance and bonding, and almost all cleaning insurance agencies offer a yearly financing program. Below is the information the IJCSA Janitorial Insurance & Bonding Program. Please feel free to compare quotes.

    We suggest all cleaning companies should have janitorial insurance and bonding. 







    Save Roughly 40% With The IJCSA Janitorial Insurance Program


    The IJCSA Janitorial and Building Maintenance Services Insurance Program through Allen Financial provides outstanding protection for our members throughout the United States. Our comprehensive janitorial insurance program gives you the ability to combine broad property, liability, commercial auto, bonds, workers compensation and umbrella coverage with a low discounted member preferred rate.



      Policy & Coverage Highlights Commercial General Liability & Bonding Limits
         
    National A rated, Admitted Company Per Occurrence $100,000 to $10,000,000
    Preferred Rates - Immediate Quotes General Aggregate $200,000 to $10,000,000
    Monthly Payment Plan Products Aggregate $200,000 to $10,000,000
    24 / 7 Claims Service Personal Injury $100,000 to $10,000,000
    Immediate Certificates of Insurance Medical Payment $5,000
    Lost Key Coverage Fire Legal $50,000


    For more information contact:
    The Allen Financial Team for a FREE Quote. Members must be in the business directory to be eligible for discounts. 

    Allen Financial Group | Toll Free (800) 874-9191 | www.eqgroup.com 


  • 28 Sep 2014 8:14 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Find a green cleaning certified company here. 


    Now you can get certified right from the comfort of your home and/or office, anytime day or night. Online Certification Courses and classes from the International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association are an excellent way for you to expand your knowledge and continue your education. All of our certification programs and materials are included withmembership

    Members are encouraged to certify at their own pace.

    IJCSA Master Certification (IMC) - The most comprehensive in depth online cleaning and janitorial certification program available today. 250+ questions w/ 110 written essay questions. Verbal oral exam. Average test certification time 12 hours. Average course study time 80 hours. All course materials available online.


    Bloodborne Certification (BPC)  Bloodborne Pathogens Certification OSHA I And OSHA II Approved. Are you at risk of exposure? Stay OSHA compliant. As someone who may come in contact with blood, you are required by OSHA to be trained in bloodborne pathogens. OSHA fines for non-compliance can be as high as $70,000. Avoid fines and stay compliant with effective training that will help keep you safe and up to date.

    Green Cleaning Company Certification (GCC)- Residential and commercial consumers are no longer satisfied with services saying they are green companies. In some commercial situations a certification is required for you to clean their building, so they stay current with their own certification process. Green cleaning is now the most popular choice for service providers based on health and environmental reasons. 

    Chemical Hazards Certification  (CHC) Improve your understanding of the underlying health and environmental impacts of chemical hazards by reviewing the toxic effects of materials and the basic mechanism of MSDS.

    Customer Service Certification (CSC) A company's reputation is only as good as the customer service it provides. Please a customer, and your client base will swell with relatives and neighbors who catch wind of your top-notch representatives. But upset one, and brace yourself for disaster.


  • 28 Sep 2014 8:04 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Just a quick tip. Was doing some work on a members website. Browsed his google analytics reports. 72% of his website visitors were female, cross checked figures over several cleaning websites, and the ratio was about the same on all of them. So ask yourself the question, and look at your website. Is it appealing to females? 

    Are your cleaning services priced right and focused on the female gender? 


    Regards, 

    Kevin Carnahan


    Find a commercial cleaning service here. 

  • 28 Sep 2014 7:57 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    For a Maid Service Business: Your initial staffing needs will depend on how much capital you have, how large a business you want to have, and the volume of customers you can reasonably expect to service. Many independent maid services start with just the owner. Others will start with the owner and an appropriate number of maids. If you handle the administrative chores, chances are you won't need to hire office help right away.

    For a Janitorial Business: You may be able to start with no employees--or just one or two part-timers. If you have the capital available and the business lined up, you may need to hire more. You may also want to consider an administrative person to handle the records and answer the phone during the day; after all, if you're working all night, you need to schedule some time to sleep. As your business grows, consider a marketing/salesperson, a customer service manager, and crew supervisors as well as additional cleaning personnel.

    For a Carpet Cleaning Business: Depending on the strength of your pre-opening campaign and your startup budget, hire at least one service person and possibly two as you're getting started, along with an employee experienced in clerical work who can book appointments and handle administrative chores. Though one person can likely handle most of the residential jobs you'll get, you may want to consider staffing each truck with two people: a senior technician and a helper. The helper can assist with the prep work for each job (unloading equipment, moving light furniture, etc.), mix chemicals, empty buckets, clean up afterward, etc. This will make each job go faster, which is more efficient and cost-effective and also generates a greater degree of customer satisfaction.


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