Are You Crash Proof?

Peoria, IL -- An apartment building is a mess after the building's cleaning lady drove her SUV through a brick wall. Maricella Cuevas says she accidentally hit the gas when pulling into a parking space next to the apartments.

Now, there's a car-sized hole in one of the apartment's walls. Cuevas says she regularly cleans some rooms in the building. The car crash knocked a stereo cabinet onto the legs of a woman sleeping inside the building. She was taken to a hospital, but the injury is believed to be minor. The cleaning lady who ran into the building was startled by the crash, but was not hurt.

Of course, this article is funny since no one was seriously hurt. The apartment building may need some renovation - but other than that - it's just a funny side story.

But what would have happened if the cleaning lady was hired by you to clean your house? And what if your cleaning lady was just a cleaning lady - not a cleaning business? This is what would happen.....

1. You would be forced to pay for all damages.
2. You would be forced to pay for all injuries.
3. You would be forced to pay for all lost income as a result of the injuries.

And in the end, you would even be forced to hire someone else to clean your home!!!

If you're bound and determined to save those few bucks by hiring a cleaning lady, then you should know that you are assuming the same liability as a professional cleaning business.

You're an employer - not a customer.

Theft By Individual Maid

A person recently wondered why we post so many articles about maids stealing from customers. The person thought that such negative talk could lead to a negative impression of our own business. The answer should be simple.

The constant posting of articles detailing thefts by individual maids should serve as a constant reminder that cheap sells. Individual maids are cheap. That's their thing. An out-of-work maid knows that the easiest way to make some quick money is to simply offer ridiculous low rates and the customers start rolling in.

It happens time after time. And all sorts of problems arise soon after the hire. Some people are lucky. Some people just hire real bad cleaners. Some people just hire unprofessional cleaners. And some people aren't lucky at all. Some people hire individual maids that steal.

A quick Google search of news articles across this country reveals countless numbers of articles that proves my point. You are risking everything by hiring an individual maid.

There are several reasons to hire a professional housecleaning company. One reason is because our customer service is 100% better than someone that is just cleaning "on the side". Another reason is because you become a customer rather than an employer. But one very important reason should be obvious. The safety and security of your family is at risk when you an individual maid. I'm serious. It happens everyday. Don't let it happen to you.

Are You A Customer Or An Employer?

Kobe Bryant was recently sued by his ex-housekeeper. The California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board ruled that Bryant and his wife must pay $326 a week in unemployment benefits to their former housekeeper. The ruling affirms a decision by an administrative law judge who found that the maid testified credibly that she was forced to quit because she was "demeaned and humiliated" by her employer.

While that story is interesting, the most important item to take away from the verdict is the word "employer". Kobe employed his housekeeper. And as a result, he was forced to act like an employer. In other words, he had to follow all sorts of laws and regulations that he was surely unaware of because...........he's an NBA basketball player. Not the owner of a maid service.

Of course, the state of California says that Kobe was the owner of a maid service. So the question to you is.... Are you the owner of a maid service? There's one simple way to determine if you are the owner of a maid service.

Every single legal business entity is required to register for a Tax ID number with the federal government. This number tracks a business and forces a business to follow certain laws and regulations. Most importantly, this number gets you off the hook as a maid service customer.

To determine if your are a customer or an employer, click here. Now, the search isn't free. But it's important - just ask Kobe Bryant if he thinks it's important. Conduct the search now because tomorrow could be too late.

The Reverse Lottery Ticket

Hiring an individual maid is like playing the lottery in reverse. At best, you'll hire a cheap, quality driven cleaning professional. At worst, you'll hire a cheap thief.

It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is for these crooks to steal your money. You would never let a stranger enter your at home at 9PM just because she knocked on your door. But that caution goes out the window if that same stranger offers you a low rate for housecleaning.

Hiring a professional cleaning company costs you more money in the short term. But hiring an individual maid can certainly cost you more in the long term. Here's a couple that nearly lost more than $100,000 simply because they hired a stranger to clean their home.

Housekeeper Steals $107,000 Worth of Jewelry

The stranger may have a newspaper advertisement. The stranger may look decent. The stranger may even have references. But what do you really know about that stranger???

Has she been convicted of a crime in the past? How long has she been in business? Is she bonded and insured up to at least $300,000? Does she carry workers' compensation up to at least $1 million dollars? How can she guarantee your satisfaction each and every time? How can she guarantee her arrival time each time? And how can she guarantee you that she will be in business this time next year?

Those are the first questions you should ask every single prospective maid. But here's the first and only question most people ask.....

What are your rates?

The Simplest Way To Explain The Decision of Hiring A Maid

If you hire an individual to clean your home - YOU ARE AN EMPLOYER

If you hire a professional cleaning company to clean your home - YOU ARE A CUSTOMER

Which do you want to be?

Don't Tell Your Maid To "Break A Leg" While Cleaning

Three quick questions:

1. What happens if your maid falls and breaks her leg while inside your home? Since you're the employer, it's your responsibility to cover all medical expenses. In addition, you may be responsible for lost wages as a result of the injury.

2. What happens if your maid gets bit by your dog while in your home? Ditto the first answer.

3. What happens if your maid lies and fakes an injury while in your home? Then it's up the court system to decide the verdict. If you win, then you've still lost plenty of valuable time. If you lose, you may lose much more than just time.

One final question:
4. What happens if all three of these things happen and you've hired Two Maids & A Mop as your maid service? Nothing happens. You have no liability at all because part of your payment to Two Maids & A Mop acts like an insurance premium. You're not responsible for any injury at all. All you need to care about is the quality of the cleaning. Forget all the legal stuff when you hire us.

Dirty Maids Strike Again

HOUSTON, TX - Could your housekeeper be cleaning you out? It happened to a Houston woman-- her identity, stolen, by a couple of "dirty maids."

Now, two years later--she's got big tax troubles, over something she didn't do.

Shannon Lackey hired them to clean her house. “I said, wonderful job and then asked them to come back,” Lackey said. But Lackey had no idea her housekeepers were sweeping up more than dust.

“They were going around and cleaning people's houses and helping themselves to the identity and checks of their unsuspecting victims who thought they were just getting their house cleaned,” Assistant DA Mike Elliot said.

Joyce Butler and Harrison Johnson are the "dirty maids" who owned a company they called Afford-A-Maid. Butler and Johnson both pled guilty and were convicted of felony theft and money laundering. Johnson's now doing 18 months in a Texas state jail. Butler got 4 years probation, with 90 days in jail.

Lackey felt relief. “I thought it was behind me,” Lackey said. But she got the phone call last week from the IRS saying she has a $21,000 tax lien. Someone had filed a phony tax return-- in her name—and at the same time her housekeepers were busy doing their dirty deeds..

No one knows for sure who's behind that bogus tax return, but one thing is for sure: Lackey's troubles are far from over. “I just balled. I just balled! I thought it was over with,” she said.

And ironically, Butler still works as a maid but cleaning commercial businesses instead of homes.

Lessons To Be Learned
1. Just because someone calls themselves a "company" doesn't mean that they're really a company. Anybody can create a professional sounding business name. It takes about five seconds and zero dollars. Don't be fooled.

2. Do some research on your new cleaning company. Ask for references. Ask for proof of insurance. Ask for proof of the bond. And don't just hire someone because they're affordable. Would you hire a dentist simply because he's affordable? Better yet, would you let a dentist use a needle in your mouth if his business name was Afford-A-Dentist?

3. If you've hired a real cleaning company, make them prove to you that their employees are safe and secure. No reputable cleaning company will hire anyone that has a criminal background. And if you're bound and determined to hire an individual, do your own nationwide criminal background search. It costs about $50, but it could save you lots of heartache and money down the road. In this particular case, a simple background check would have shown that one of the maids had been an outstanding warrant for credit card abuse!

4. In a nutshell, treat your house the same way you treat everything else. Saving a few bucks is important - especially in today's economy. But seriously, would you hire just anyone to file your taxes? Would you hire just anyone to photograph your wedding? Would you hire just anyone to clean your teeth? Then why would you hire just anyone to clean your house?

Yes, we clean your toilets. And yes, we scrub your baseboards on our hands and knees. But that doesn't mean you should expect any less professionalism from us as you do from your accountant or dentist. In the end, you're still a customer. And no matter if we cleaning your kitchen sink or filing your taxes, it's our job to make you happy.

Start acting like a customer and these kind of news clippings will disappear.

How To Lose Your Personal Liberties......

A top U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee was arrested last year on suspicion of encouraging one of her cleaning ladies -- said to be an illegal immigrant -- to stay in the country.

An affidavit says Lorraine Henderson continued to employ a woman after being told she was an illegal immigrant.

Lorraine Henderson job as a Boston port director included helping keep illegal immigrants out of the United States. She was charged in federal court last year with harboring an illegal alien. An affidavit alleges that the immigrant was one of three Brazilian women -- all said to have been in the United States illegally -- whom Henderson paid to clean her condominium.

And just recently, Henderson was sued by two of her cleaning ladies for discrimination.

Of course, everyone knows why Henderson hired the illegal immigrant to clean her home. She was cheap. Cheaper than everyone else. So cheap that she legitimized the illegal activity.

If you hire a professional cleaning company, you never have to worry about being sued. You never have to worry about being audited. And you never have to worry about being arrested.

The question you have to answer is, " Do I want to save $10 - $20 so much that I'll endanger my personal liberties and freedom?" If the answer is yes, then go ahead and hire the cheapest cleaning lady in the world. If the answer is no, then go ahead and hire a professional cleaning company.

Understanding The Nanny Tax....

If you hire an independent housecleaner, then you are subject to what's called a "nanny tax". The tax can be best described in this manner.

Look at your next pay stub from your own employer. The difference between your gross income and your "take home" pay is collectively called your payroll tax. Those payroll taxes pay for such things as social security and unemployment insurance. Everyone has to pay them - not just you.

When you hire an independent housecleaner, those taxes still have to be paid - and since you are now the employer - that responsibility lies with you. The government requires you to report your housecleaner's income and it also requires you to pay the corresponding taxes.

Here's a great article that sums up the nanny tax.

Of course, you don't have to pay the nanny tax if you hire a professional cleaning service such as Two Maids & A Mop. Just one more reason to hire us!!!

Examining The Mind Of A Struggling Cleaning Business Owner

Everyone knows that it's quick, simple, cheap and easy to start a cleaning business. All it takes is a few bucks and little sweat. And for that reason, it's also just as easy to quit.

That's why so many people decide to contact a professional cleaning service. They just get sick and tired of going through countless numbers of cheap housecleaning "companies".

To get a more in-depth analysis of how the mind of a quick, simple, cheap and easy cleaning business owner works....... read this. Here's some nuggets from the linked article.

1. How To Start a Business Without Any Money - Start A Cleaning Company!!
"I am 21, a student and a business owner. Seven months ago I opened a cleaning business (I couldn't afford to open anything else) and since then my life has been a living hell."

2. How To Hire The Cheapest Labor Possible - And Get Away With It!!
"The first month I found it hard to get a contract, but I did get one eventually, and found some employees willing to work part time. In two months, something was stolen from the place I was cleaning... they almost gave up the contract but I returned the goods, fired the employees, and found new ones."

3. How To Quit Your New Company - And Leave Your Customers High And Dry!!
"In January my car broke down and needed a major repair on the engine. I needed to get the cash from my cleaning contracts for December but they didn't pay and I cannot pay my university, car insurance and taxes. I am so sick of it and I feel I am coming to a nervous breakdown pretty soon. Is running a business always so painful? Am I too weak, or did I just chose a complicated domain? I am starting to think seriously about closing because I feel I just cannot take it anymore."

Of course, that's not easy to read. There's no pleasure in knowing that someone is struggling. But the point of this post is to illustrate to you how the mind of a struggling cleaning company operates.

Since there is no investment in time or capital, there's really no need to pursue the venture any longer. Eventually, the business closes and leaves its customers searching for another option. The option for that customer is then two fold.

1. Do you keep on hiring the cheapest cleaner?, or...
2. Do you finally decide to pay a few more bucks and hire someone that you can depend on?

Cheap rates keep on selling - especially in this down economy. But eventually, time proves that your cheap rate is cheap for a reason.

Another Politician Gets Caught Gambling

Tax troubles have tripped up another Obama administration official.

Nancy Killefer withdrew from consideration to be the federal government's chief performance officer -- a new position -- because of her past failure to pay unemployment taxes for household help at her home.

"I recognize that your agenda and the duties facing your chief performance officer are urgent," Killefer wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama Tuesday. "I have also come to realize in the current environment that my personal tax issue of D.C. unemployment tax could be used to create exactly the kind of distraction and delay those duties must avoid. Because of this I must reluctantly ask you to withdraw my name from consideration."

You may never run for President. You may not even run for your neighborhood's board. But the fact still remains that you are breaking the law when you hire an individual maid. You can gamble and take the chance you'll never get caught. Or you can just follow the law and hire a professional cleaning company. The choice is yours.

It's Always The Housekeeper

The U.S. Treasury Nominee is in trouble for hiring an illegal maid for his home.

What would you do if you're neighbor was stealing from your garage?

The answer is obvious. You would defend your property. Call the police. Do whatever it takes to prevent the theft and punish the thief.

Well, if you're neighbor is hiring an individual maid - she's stealing from you. And your stealing if you're hiring an individual maid too.

Not paying your taxes is a theft. You're stealing at the expense of someone else.

It always amazes me when I meet normal, law-abiding people who justify theft simply because their maid is cheap. Are you a thief? And if so, are you justifying it?

Remember that scenario involving your neighbor. Does it feel different when the theft is blind? Either way, your pockets are being invaded.

Of course, it can all be corrected pretty quickly. Just hire a professional cleaning company. Pay your taxes. And don't steal from your neighbor in the process.

From Across The Pond.....

Here is a classic example of what can go wrong when you hire an individual housecleaner.

UNITED KINGDOM - Police are searching for a woman after about $50,000 in cash and jewelry were stolen from a family home.

Gaytri Mondal worked as a housekeeper but disappeared in September, along with $10,000 in cash and various items of jewelry.

Investigating Officer Matt Holman said: "Gaytri had earned the trust of this family over a long period of time. However, this trust has been abused and she is suspected of taking a large quantity of money and jewelry."

Call a professional.

Real Life Examples Of People That You Can Hire Today

Example #1 - Hi, my name is Susanne. I am looking for a job prefferably under the table pay. I have cleaned for aramark before at the niagara on the lake wineries (hildebrandt and piller) please let me know if you have anything available. thanks

Example #2 - MY SISTER AND I ARE LOOKING FOR CASH CLEANING JOBS UNDER THE TABLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET.WE HAVE LOTS OF CLEANING EXPERIENCE WITH OFFICES HOMES AND CLEANING FOR THE ELDERLY AND BANKS.WE ARE VERY RELIABLE AND OFFER A REASONABLE RATE.SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY PLEASE AND THANKYOU

Example #3 - I'm looking for any under the table odd jobs or labor jobs in or around the foothills area....just looking for some work

You get the picture. Hiring an "under the table" maid or cleaning lady usually results in you calling an "above the table" cleaning company at some point. You can repeat the mistakes of thousands of other people or you can just go ahead and hire a professional cleaning company first.

I always thought it was ironic that most people lock their doors at night, yet some of those same people sometimes hire just about anyone to clean their home (assuming that the price is right). The irony, of course, is that strangers are in your home voluntarily during the day.

There's a tremendous difference between a housecleaner and a professional housecleaner.

Top Immigration Officials' House Cleaned By Illegal Citizen

Every few weeks for nearly four years, the Secret Service screened the IDs of employees for a Maryland cleaning company before they entered the house of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the nation's top immigration official.

The company's owner says the workers sailed through the checks -- although some of them turned out to be illegal immigrants.

Now, the owner finds himself in a predicament that he considers especially confounding. In October, he was fined $22,880 after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators said he failed to check identification and work documents and fill out required I-9 verification forms for employees, five of whom he said were part of crews sent to Chertoff's home and whom ICE told him to fire because they were undocumented.

In addition to the Chertoffs' house, the service once cleaned the home of former president Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as homes of Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. In those cases, he said, his company worked as a subcontractor and billing was done by a larger contractor firm.

Red flags everywhere!!! Anytime you hear the word subcontractor - be wary. Be vary wary because subcontracting is most often used as a means to provide cheap labor. Plain and simple.

Of course, another red flag deals with the illegal employees. A simple nationwide background check would have verified the citizenship of each employee. It would have cost $50 per employee, a lot less than a $23,000 fine.

In the end, this article proves a much bigger point. Cheap sells - even to our most decorated public officials.

If you want to hire a professional cleaning company, don't expect for a low price to be the biggest benefit that you'll receive. Expect on-time service, every time. Expect legal, safe and secure employees. Expect customer service at its best. Expect quality, nontoxic cleaning supplies. And yes, expect a clean house too.

Be careful out there. Hiring a maid is easy. So is starting a maid service company.

How To Hire An Illegal Maid

One would assume that a U.S. border official would know the difference between an illegal maid versus a legal maid. You know what they say about assuming....

A U.S. border official whose job it is to keep illegal aliens out of New England was busted yesterday for knowingly employing three Brazilian housekeepers who snuck into the United States unlawfully.

Cheap sells. Even when it breaks the law.

Cleaning Up By Cleaning Out

STUART, FL -- Laura Scoggins had a long criminal history, but people left her alone in their homes. Detectives say Scoggins took advantage of the freedom, going through jewelry boxes and stealing valuables.

Scoggins is a former employee of a cleaning service and is charged with taking items from the homes of clients and her employer while performing cleaning services.

Scoggins served time in prison for drug and theft charges before this latest crime spree.

And there you have it. A housecleaner with a drug and theft conviction. Which means that you have a housecleaner that is not bonded. Which also means that nobody is getting any type of monetary retribution more than likely.

When you hire a professional housecleaning company, demand that your cleaning company prove to you that each and every employee is bonded. Because you can't be bonded if you've been convicted of theft.

There's a reason you don't let strangers into your home at night. Why should it be any different during the day?

Even Government Doesn't Get It

Even government doesn't get it.....

"The council also approved the low bid of $7,800 from DK Cleaning Services from Conyers, as a cleaning service for City Hall. This bid was approved over three others of $17,400, $20,820, and $31,906."

Wait until next years budget meeting.

Pro's & Con's Of Hiring An Individual Maid

The Pro's
- CHEAP. The most obvious benefit to hiring an individual maid is the low rate. Individual maids are cheap. In some cases, very cheap.

- SAME PERSON. Some people prefer seeing the same cleaning person each visit. An individual maid is only one person, so you should be able to receive the same cleaning person each time.

- QUALITY. There's a chance that you may hire the world's most ambitious housecleaner. She's not cleaning for money. Nope, she's cleaning because she loves cleaning. Believe it or not, it happens. And when it happens, there's no cleaning company on earth that can compete against it.

- CHEAP. The low cleaning rate of an individual maid needs to be mentioned twice because that's the biggest reason for hiring an individual maid.

The Con's
- CHEAP. That low rate offered by an individual maid may look cheap on the surface but you're missing one big point. What if she quits? What if she's late? What if is she breaks something? What if she hurts herself? What if you owe additional payroll taxes? And what if she steals from you?

The answer to each question is that the cheap rate will suddenly become real expensive. When she quits, you have to hire someone else - your time is money. Same goes for late arrivals - who wants to sit around all morning waiting on a maid to show up? The rest of the questions are obvious. But we've provided a few real-world examples for illustration.

What if she breaks something?
What if she hurts herself?
What if you owe additional payroll taxes?
What if she steals from you?

- QUALITY. There's a chance that you have hired the world's best cleaner. But there's also a chance that you have simply hired an out-of-work person that needs some quick cash. And starting a housecleaning business is one of the easiest ways to make some quick cash. The question you need to ask yourself is this.... Are you a customer, or are you a side job? Because side jobs don't get the same attention as customers. When you hire a professional cleaning company, you're a customer. We think housecleaning from 8 AM - 5 PM Monday-Friday. Housecleaning is our focus and that should be a big deal to you.

- FLEXIBILITY. You can cancel at the last minute and we won't care. You can rearrange your cleaning schedule at the last minute and we won't care. You can even schedule a cleaning 12 months in advance and we'll guarantee that we'll be there - and on time! We don't get too sick to work. We don't get pregnant and quit work. We don't move out of town. And we don't sleep too late every now and then. We show up when you tell us to show up. Something even the best individual maid can't promise.

- CUSTOMER SERVICE. To sum it up best, professional cleaning companies treat their customers better than individual maids. Plain and simple - no doubt about it. And the reason that professional cleaning companies treat you better is because our entire day is centered around serving your needs. We don't use notebooks to schedule your housecleaning. We don't use your supplies to clean your house. And we don't take a day off and ask to reschedule your housecleaning. We clean houses and nothing else. And that's great to hear if you're wanting to hire a housecleaning company.

How An Individual Maid Gets Away With A Crime

It's really simple. An individual maid gets away with theft because you let her get away with it. No, I'm not referring to actual theft from your home. I'm referring to theft from our government.

Here's how Two Maids & A Mop is collecting money from you and giving it to our government:

Payroll Taxes - Each dollar that TwoMaids pays in wages is taxed. Two Maids & A Mop pays a percentage of that tax and the employee pays of percentage of that tax. This tax funds things such as medicare and education.
Social Security - Each dollar that TwoMaids pays in wages is sent to the Social Security Fund. Two Maids & A Mop pays a percentage of that tax and the employee pays of percentage of that tax. This tax funds your retirement.
Sales Taxes - Revenue generated from commercial cleaning (offices) is taxed by at least 6%. This tax funds local projects such as road construction and fire departments.
Federal Income Taxes - Any and all profits generated by Two Maids & A Mop is taxed accordingly. This tax funds anything and everything - from military expenses to government bailouts.

Here's how an individual maid is collecting money from you and giving it to our government:

Payroll Taxes - Zero.
Social Security - Zero.
Sales Taxes - Zero
Federal Income Taxes - Zero.

Obviously, it's not fair. But that's not the point. The point is that our government relies on its people for survival. Roads aren't built for free. And your social security check has to be funded by someone.

This much is true. If you are hiring an individual maid, then you are committing a crime. So is your individual maid. You probably don't care - especially if that means incredible savings.

You voted yesterday because that's your civil service. It doesn't end at the booth. Either hire a professional cleaning company or demand that your individual maid stop involving you in a crime.

Just because your theft is anonymous doesn't mean that you aren't taking money out of someone else's pocket.

Understanding The Risks Of Hiring An Individual Maid

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've seen all the news headlines about the sinking economy. The stock market is plummeting. Real estate has already plummeted. And most importantly, your pocketbook is a lot lighter.

The obvious way to combat a sinking economy is to cut back your expenses. And one of the most popular expenses to cut is your maid service. At least according to the experts.

The consensus from the experts suggest that you switch from the professional housecleaner to an individual housecleaner. After all, it's just housecleaning. Anybody can do it. So why not save some money and still get the same result - a clean house and a fatter wallet?

Now, the experts may be very knowledgeable in personal finances. But they're far from experts in residential cleaning. Because an individual housecleaner may do the exact opposite to your pocketbook. Just ask these folks if they believe that an individual housecleaner is the same thing as a professional housecleaner. Or just ask David Beckham about his thoughts on hiring an individual maid.

Saving money is important. But the risk far outweighs the benefit when you hire an individual housecleaner.

Caught Stealing, But Still Cleaning

DAYTON, OH — A woman who stole money from athletic boosters and the youth wrestling association was sentenced to probation, not to exceed five years.

The woman was ordered by Judge Timothy O'Connell to pay $2,864 in restitution to the boosters and $2,463 to the wrestling association. Both sanctions included a payment plan of $50 per month.

The woman, who listed her occupation as a self-employed housecleaner on a police arrest report, declined to speak before the sentencing.

Probation means no jail time. And unfortunately, self-employed housecleaner means that she can get a new maid service customer pretty easily by just offering a low rate. Of course, that would never happen to you - right?

This lady would never be hired a professional maid service company because she wouldn't pass a nationwide criminal background search. But she can be hired by you tomorrow - all because you think that there is no difference between housecleaning and professional housecleaning.

The first step in getting hired by Two Maids & A Mop is to pass a nationwide criminal background search. What's your first step in hiring a housecleaner?

Saturday Night Live??

Is this real, or is this a comedy sketch???? Nope, it's real and it happens everyday. But never to you, right?

LAFAYETTE, GA -- A man said a woman who was hired to clean his home stole his van.

According to the sheriff’s department reports:

On Sept. 5, between 6 and 7 PM, the woman came to the man’s residence and asked if she could clean his house for money. She said her electricity had been turned off and she needed money to turn it back on. The man told her that she could clean the kitchen and - if she got hungry - could fix herself something to eat.

The man fell asleep and when he awoke, he found the woman had left and taken $12 and his blue 1992 Chevy Astro van.

Even Celebrities Don't Get It

Courtney Love apparently can't handle her own mess anymore – and she has had a hard time getting properly hired help. The former "Hole" singer has chosen to post an advertisement for a housekeeper on her MySpace page rather than go through an agency.

Why? Because she says that the cleaning staff she has hired from agencies in the past are all “pigs who steal”!!

1. If they are stealing, then their bond should reimburse you.

2. Hiring randomly from your website is only going to make the problem worse.

To gain trust, you can start by educating yourself on the difference between a professional housecleaner and just a housecleaner.

Just Hire Anybody

Does Best Buy compete against a tech geek living in his parent's basement?

Does Ruth Chris compete against a lady who just purchased a cookbook?

The answer: OF COURSE NOT.

Because Best Buy is a business. And most importantly - because Ruth Chris is much better at cooking and serving steaks.

It's obvious that you can buy a cheaper computer from the tech geek. It's also obvious that you can buy a cheaper steak from the lady with a cookbook. You already know this, but you don't care. Because you want to be treated like a customer. And you know that a business will treat you like a customer.

Now keep in mind that we're talking about computers and food. Not your home. Not your most treasured valuables. And not your family's safety. Just computers and food.

Yet everyday, we hear this same old song and dance. "Your rates are too expensive. I'll just hire an individual."

How can your family's home be less important than tonight's dinner?

Why Hiring Your Next Maid From A Road Sign is A Bad Idea

CLERMONT, FL -- Instead of picking things up, a cleaning service is accused of trashing someone's house. The landlord admits she made a big mistake hiring someone off a roadside sign, but what she didn't expect is that the quality of the job depended on the race of her tenants.

The landlord doesn't want to be identified, but claims a cleaning service refused to clean bathrooms and a refrigerator because of the ethnicity of former tenants. The house was trashed, with garbage in every room, and the landlord blames an angry cleaning lady.

Every wall in every room was keyed and the hundreds of feet of scratches will require an entire paint job. The doors of appliances were all bent so they no longer close and someone emptied vacuum cleaner bags all over the house.

No doubt that this landlord has learned her lesson. Will it take this kind of craziness for you to understand the difference between a housecleaner and a professional housecleaner?

On Hiring Just Anyone.....

We staff more than 40 maids every single day. Before one of our maids walks in your front door, we put the prospective employee through an extensive interview process.

Click here to find out how we hire an employee.

For those that didn't click, the main point that you need to know is that every single one of our employees undergoes a nationwide criminal background search. Of course, anything could happen. Just because you've never been convicted of a crime doesn't mean you'll never commit a crime. But it is important to know that we don't just hire anyone.

It takes a lot to get hired by Two Maids & A Mop. After all, we pay more than any other cleaning company in the area. We offer full medical benefits. And we offer a relaxed work atmosphere that can't be found anywhere else (try finding a job that pays you to listen to the radio for 1/3 of the day!)

Long story short, we work our tails off when we hire someone.

But you don't! There's proof everyday that you only hire because the housecleaner is cheap. Just keep scrolling through this blog and you'll see plenty of evidence.

Or you could jut read this excerpt from another chapter of a maid gone bad....

"A woman has been sentenced to a 51-month prison term for the thefts of credit cards and a tennis bracelet from a house she was hired to clean. The sentence was bolstered by the woman's criminal history, which includes felony convictions for first-degree theft, second-degree robbery, and six for drug possession."

What isn't shown is this former maid's rate sheet. You can bet that she was cheap. And you can bet that people chose her simply because she was cheap. Which, of course, was exactly what she was looking for in the first place.....

A professional housecleaner is a lot different than just being a housecleaner. Think about that the next time you're hiring another individual maid.

Hire A Professional Cleaner

You have to know by now that anyone can start a cleaning business. It doesn't take a lot of money. It doesn't take a lot of smarts. And it doesn't even require a lot of work. All you need are some mops and buckets and you're in business.

Even drug pushers know that the easiest way to make yourself look like a professional cleaning company is to buy some mops and buckets....

"Over a seven-month span, an undercover New Hanover County, NC deputy rode in a van filled with vacuum cleaners and mops, posing as a cleaning company and buying drugs from 117 people, according to the sheriff’s office. She bought $5,500 worth of drugs, mainly crack and heroin."

This is your home. The same home that you sleep in every night. The same home that contains tons of your valuable possessions. And the same home that gets treated like a car's gas tank when you decide to hire a housecleaner.

Treat your home with respect. Don't just find the cheapest price. Find a professional.

Ugghhh....

Quit hiring cleaning ladies. How many times does it have to happen before you wake up and realize that hiring a housecleaner should be treated in the same manner as hiring any other professional?

SCOTTSDALE, PA -- A cleaning lady faces charges of stealing more than $15,000 in jewelry, coins and cash from two residences where she was hired to clean a house and care for a dog.

Scottdale police charged Patti Banaszak with numerous counts of theft and receiving stolen property in the incidents.

Pamela Soforic told police she hired Banaszak as a cleaning lady in July. Soon after, she began to notice small amounts of money missing from a petty cash box in her home. Soforic said she then discovered two diamond rings missing from her bedroom dresser drawer. Concerned, she searched for other items and found them missing as well.

The inventory included a gold band, a diamond ring, a diamond tennis bracelet, a sterling tennis bracelet, three gold coins, a roll of uncirculated silver dollar coins, $100 in cash and a watch.

After police contacted local jewelry stores, they learned Banaszak had been to a store at least three times and allegedly sold the missing items. Most had been converted by the business for use in making jewelry, police said.

Police said while interviewing Soforic, her neighbor informed them she had given Banaszak a key to her home to take care of her dog while she was out of town the previous weekend. The neighbor checked her valuables and told police she was missing a gold charm bracelet and a diamond/gold bracelet.

Start Hiring Professionals!

More Victims Of Cleaning Thief in Virginia

Presenting the quote that should be at the top of every professional cleaning company's website or brochure..........

"We should have paid more attention when we started to have suspicion that something just wasn't right," said one resident who had employed Martinez for 11 years and developed deep ties with her.

You can't expect to be treated like a customer if you don't treat your service provider like a professional. Start acting like a customer. Start hiring a professional.

How Do You Know If Your Maid Is Bonded And Insured?

One of the most common questions that we get asked is, "Are you bonded and insured"? It's a funny question because almost everyone that asks it doesn't have a clue as to why they are asking the question.

First off, why would you tell a prospective customer that you are not bonded or insured? Especially if that prospect will be fine if you just say that you are bonded and insured. So the first thing a prospective customer needs to do is not only ask the question - but they also need to demand that the answer be backed up with proof.

A bond and a general liability insurance policy are both represented as easy-to-read documents. Of the thousand or more calls, we may have had two people actually demand to see our bond or insurance policy. And you can bet that if we know that no one asks to see these documents - everyone else knows that too. So, make your cleaning lady prove it to you.

Secondly, you can determine the maximum payout limits of each policy by simply reviewing the documents. It won't matter if your cleaning lady is insured if her insurance only covers a few hundred bucks. A normal surety bond covers theft up to at least $10,000 and a normal general liability insurance policy covers damages up to at least $300,000.

And finally, don't forget the cleaning industry's best kept secret.

Housecleaning Is Easy Money

LAKELAND, FL - Two granddaughters of a housekeeper were arrested and accused of stealing jewelry valued at $17,000 from a client's home.

According to a Sheriff's Office report, the clients noticed that jewelry had started to disappear from the house whenever their housekeeper brought her granddaughter with her to clean. The jewelry included several diamond rings, a diamond bracelet, gold rings and a gold pendant.

The stories keep happening over and over again all over this country. Yet, we keep hearing this same tired phrase, "You're rates are just too much."

It always amazes me that someone will pay a professional accountant a small fortune to report their finances, but that same person will not even think about paying more than a few bucks to protect those same finances.

You already know this, but it bears repeating...

Hiring a housecleaner has very little to do with housecleaning.

Not To Beat A Dead Horse....

....but hiring a housecleaner has very little to do with housecleaning. The quicker you realize that - the easier it will be for you to understand that a professional cleaning company is far different than a cleaning lady.

SEBRING, FL - A woman who sheriff's investigators say worked as a cleaning lady remained in jail in lieu of $22,500 bond after a 71-year-old client reported someone took his cash, a watch and racked up charges on a stolen credit card.

Felicia Renee Carney, 38, also known as Felicia Silver, was booked on charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, petty theft second offense, grand theft $300 or more but less than $10,000 while victim was 65 years of age or older, fraud - illegal use of credit cards to obtain goods or money $100 or more, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

The total value of the grand theft was $1,949, the report stated, and petty theft amounts on the unauthorized credit card use added up to $720. Carney has a history of arrests.

The charges dating back to July 2004 include domestic violence battery, violation of probation for domestic violence battery, obtaining property by worthless check, giving a false name to a law enforcement officer, fraudulent use of a credit card and failure to appear, violation of probation for fraudulent use of a credit card, cocaine possession, along with several warrant arrests and driving with no driver's license or vehicle registration.

Sheriff's Capt. Randy LaBelle has some advice for anyone wanting to hire domestic help.

"Request references, and check them," he said. "If they don't give you any, then I'd be leery of them. Do a background check at the sheriff's office. Go online to the clerk of courts Web site and see if they've participated in any litigation. Contact your chamber of commerce and the Better Business Bureau."

You're Looking For The Wrong Kind Of Maid.....

...if you think that professional means perfection. As definite as death and taxes, you can bet that we will make mistakes. Every day and at every customer's home. All it takes is a little digging to find something.

This is one of the biggest hurdles that we cross with new customers. New customers know that their last maid was late all the time. New customers know that their last maid decided to cancel at the last minute one too many times. Most importantly, new customers know that their last maid rarely treated them like a customer.

That's why new customers decide to call us in the first place. But new customers also realize that our rates are higher than their last maid. Yes, we show up on time every time. Yes, we never cancel your appointment. And yes, you certainly get treated like a customer now.

But with such high rates, shouldn't the quality of our cleanings be exceptional? Some would answer yes. But the reality is that our cleaners are not computers or robots. In other words, they make mistakes - no matter how hard they work or how well they are trained.

The quality of our cleanings is good. So good that we've received countless numbers of customer testimonials proving that our work is pretty good. But our work isn't always great.

So what makes us great? And more importantly, what makes our rates worthwhile?

We're great because we guarantee our arrivals. We're great because we show up on-time every time. We're great because our employees go through an extensive nationwide criminal background search. We're great because we've got you protected against any worst case scenario. And we're great because we let your feedback determine our employees' paychecks.

But the real reason that we're great is much bigger than how we dust your nightstand. It's bigger, but very simple.

We listen. We listen to you more than any other cleaning service in your area. We encourage you to talk to us. We beg you to talk to us. And in some cases, we demand that you talk to us. And we listen for one reason. Because the more we listen to you, the happier we make you. It's been proven time after time.

No, you haven't found the world's greatest housecleaner. But yes, you have found the world's greatest housecleaning company!

Yes, It Happens To The "Professionals" Too

It's been said many times here that hiring an individual housecleaner is bad news. Yes, it probably means that you'll receive a low cleaning rate. But more importantly, it could mean that something bad could occur. Hopefully, you're individual cleaner will just show up late to your home. But in some cases, your individual housecleaner may steal from you and leave you without any recourse.

But it's not just individual housecleaners that can hurt you. Even professional cleaning companies can make your life miserable.

Click here to see what the four cleaning ladies on the right got caught doing...

So you know that you aren't supposed to hire an individual housecleaner. But now you find out that you aren't supposed to hire a professional cleaning company either. Now what?

First off, you still aren't supposed to hire an individual. Too many things could happen because that indvidual housecleaner isn't a business - it's just some side money. You wouldn't let a stranger from the street into your home, so why would you let someone in just because they left a flier on your mailbox?

Secondly, make sure that your professional cleaning company is bonded and insured. In other words, think of every worst case scenario that could happen and ask them how their company protects you.

Third, make sure that your professional cleaning company conducts a nationwide criminal background search on its employees. That goes for the owner's daughter-in-law and that goes for the little sweet girl with a pretty smile. Hiring people with clean backgrounds doesn't mean that you're completely safe, but you're exponentially safer if the background checks are conducted.

Finally, just because your professional cleaning company calls itself professional doesn't mean that it's professional. Professional means answering the phone every time you call. Professional means arriving on-time every time. Professional means hiring employees rather than contractors. Professional means a lot of things. It's like comparing a flea market to a department store.

A flea market has hidden gems amongst loads of crap that nobody else wants. In a department store, you rarely sneak up on a gem. But you also know that you aren't in a flea market. A department store is a business. A flea market is someone's side money. The difference is obvious.

Dependable, Honest, Consistent And CHEAP?

"What do you charge to clean a house?", said the potential customer.

"Well, it's hard to provide you with a quote without first knowing what you are looking for. So, tell me what you are looking for in a housecleaner", said the maid service manager.

The potential customers responds by saying, "I am looking for someone that is dependable, honest, consistent and cheap."

It was hard not to laugh. Because it ain't gonna happen. It's a myth. An oxymoron. There is no such thing as a cheap, dependable, honest and consistent maid.

The reason is simple. Money talks. You might be willing to offer your services for cheap. And you might tell your customers that you're honest, dependable and consistent. But the reality is that you can't be all those things. The money just won't allow you to be all those things.

Because at some point, another customer is going to be willing to pay your maid more money. Because at some point, your maid is going to get sick and tired of cleaning your toilet for nothing. And because at some point, your maid is going to decide to sleep in one morning rather than scrub your baseboards.

Your maid will do each of those things for the same reason that we're willing to do each of those things for you. Because money talks.

You can't buy from Wal-Mart and expect to receive Nordstrom's customer service. And you shouldn't expect to buy from an independent maid and expect Two Maids & A Mop customer service.

Have Mop, Will Clean

KENOVA, WV -- Some people in Kenova are breathing a bit easier after a woman has been taken into police custody.

Melissa Staley went by the name of Melissa Martin as she went door to door in Kenova. She told the residents she was down on her luck and would be willing to clean or mow lawns.

Officers had gotten several reports of a woman knocking on doors and asking the elderly home owners if they needed any work done. During the conversation, she asked to use the bathroom. That's when police said she made her move and robbed them. The victim didn't even realize their money was stolen until after the woman left.

After letting Staley inside her home, one Kenova resident discovered nearly $8,000 missing. Staley is now being held on grand larceny charges.

Click here for a video recap of this story.

It takes about five seconds for me to find these stories. About the same amount of time it takes for someone to "start" a new cleaning business.

Great rates sound good. A sad story may sound even better. But you're a customer. Start acting like one and you'll get treated like one.

Seven Misconceptions About Your Maid

1. How your maid cleans your home is very important. Of course, it is somewhat important. But the reality is that hiring your housecleaner should have very little to do with housecleaning. Is she dependable? Is she trustworthy? Is she insured? Basically, is she a professional housecleaner - or is she just a housecleaner?

2. Your maid's bond protects you. Not really. Your maid's bond only protects her. Because you'll need to convict your maid before any reimbursement can be delivered. That could take months. But more importantly, it means that you'll need hard evidence to prove your maid's guilt. And other than an outright admission, that's almost impossible.

3. Your maid needs to be licensed. A license is just an eloquent way of saying "tax". Your maid may be licensed. But her license only means that she paid the city and/or county government a few bucks - probably less than a hundred dollars. And nobody is really licensed anyway. There is no test. There are no qualifications - except that you need to pay some money to the government.

4. Your maid needs to be experienced. In most professions, experience matters. Experience teaches you. Experience helps you serve the customer better. But in the housecleaning industry, experience doesn't matter one bit. Because anyone can do this job. Yes, anyone. Experience is not much different than your maid's license. It looks good on paper, but it really doesn't mean anything.

5. Your maid will provide you with a FREE housecleaning estimate. All estimates are free. And if someone actually ever charged for an estimate, she'd go out of business. Nobody is willing to pay for an estimate because everyone claims to provide free estimates. It's not a benefit. It's part of the cost of running a cleaning business. And nothing more.

6. You need references before you'll hire a maid. References always sound good. That's the problem. Look up any marketing handbook and it will tell you to deliver references. There's a reason marketing books talk about references. It's because a reference is a sales technique. They're designed to sell you. Not to educate you.

7. Your maid is a business. It's been said before - starting a housecleaning business is easy. So easy that anyone can do it. And at some point, anyone will do it. You can call yourself a cleaning business, a maid service or even a professional housecleaner. But the reality is that you're not a business. You're just a person cleaning houses on the side, earning some extra money to pay for next week's groceries. You don't need insurance. You don't need to pay taxes. You don't even really need a broom - let your customer provide it. All you need are cheap rates. Because money talks. And somebody will hire you.

Your customer thinks that she's hired Janie's Professional Cleaning Service. But you know that all she's really hired is Janie.

Can You Hire Just Anyone To Clean?

Orlando, Florida --
Question: I do the books for a small design firm and am looking to accommodate one of our hourly, full-time customer-service representatives. She wants to earn some extra money by coming in on alternate weekends to clean up the office, and she is willing to do this as an independent contractor. This could be one of those "win-win" situations, but I'm afraid we could get in trouble. The amount we can afford for this cleaning service is less than what she would make if we had to pay her overtime rate as a service rep. In other words, we can afford her if she's treated as an independent contractor but not as a full-time employee entitled to overtime. Can we do this under wage-and-hour laws?

Answer: You would have a problem trying to impose this arrangement, but because the employee suggested it, and it's mutually agreeable, there are things you can both do that should make this arrangement acceptable.

You will need a signed agreement that makes it crystal clear the cleaning work is being done on a contract basis totally separate from her employment. The contractual arrangement should include her being paid separately for the cleaning work -- and on a per-job rather than an hourly basis. He also suggests that she be contractually required to provide her own equipment and supplies, and to make her own decisions on how the cleaning projects are controlled and accomplished. She might even consider forming a corporation, so that you could pay that legal entity instead of her.

In addition, you'll need to ensure that your employee carries her own workers' compensation, general liability and bonding. You'll need these three things because your company will be responsible if an accident, injury or theft occurs.

Cleaning Up While Dressing Down

TAMPA, FL-- A nude maid stripped off her clothes and stripped a homeowner of $40,000 in jewelry in a brazen robbery in the buff.

After the 50-year-old man hired the woman from the Internet on Friday, the maid stole from his suburban Tampa home despite not wearing any clothes. The woman arrived at the home in a one-piece, light colored dress. She took off the dress and cleaned the house for $100-per-hour, authorities said.

The man told deputies he left the maid alone in the bedroom to clean. When the man's wife came home from vacation, she discovered $40,000 in jewelry missing from their bedroom.

This article is funny. So funny that almost every newspaper in the country has ran the story. But the point remains the same.

Housecleaning is easy. So easy that anyone can do it. And this incident proves yet again that just about anyone will do it at some point.

You're hiring a stranger. And the only difference between this stranger and another stranger is that she claims to be a housecleaner. Would you let a stranger on the street walk into your bedroom alone? Of course not.

Start hiring professionals. And quit hiring strangers.

Nice Promises Are Meaningless

VACAVILLE, CALIFORNIA --
I want to caution my fellow residents about a scam I recently fell victim to. I hired a maid service and allowed them into my home to help maintain it while it was on the market. One of their key marketing points was trust. It also promised licensed, bonded, back-grounded and drug tested employees.

At first, I made sure my wife or I were always present while they were. A trust was built with our maid crew "captain" and, because of scheduling, I opted to entrust my house key to the service. I was assured this key would be kept in a secure place and checked out only to the crew leader on the day of the scheduled cleaning.

A few months later, my wife discovered jewelry missing immediately after the maid service visited. An employee was terminated for this and was implicated in another theft. I canceled the service and requested my key back. I was then informed the house key had been hidden under a yard ornament for nearly four months. After more than a month of seeking reimbursement from the company, I have learned that "licensed and bonded" doesn't really mean a thing. The company has refused to compensate us for the theft and has instructed its employees not to cooperate further. I am now in the process of filing a small claims action.

Unfortunately, this is yet another story of "buyer beware" where the customer, and this time the victim, does not come first. I hope anyone reading this will avoid the heartache this has caused my wife and the headaches it has caused me.

TwoMaids Commentary
1. A professional maid service never wants you to "hide" your key. A professional maid service wants to number designate your key and lock it in a fire-proof safe. So, if we lose your key - we lose key #23, not Mrs. John Smith's key or the 227 Baypoint Drive key.

2. Just about every cleaning service claims to be licensed and bonded. Check out this little known secret about being bonded and insured. Long story short, ask how your maid service hired their employees. And the best medicine - the maid service that you decide on should at least perform the same level of investigation on new employees that you would if you hired the maid directly.

Here's how we hire our employees. We do all this because we would expect you to do the same if we hired you to come into our home.

3. Theft is a reality. It can happen anyday to anyone. No reputable cleaning company can promise that theft is impossible. But a reputable cleaning can promise three very important things.

A. They can promise to conduct a nationwide criminal background search on every employee.

B. They can promise to start a formal investigation as soon as you report the theft.

C. And they can promise to fix the problem if they caused the problem. And more than just promising, they can put it all on paper for your protection.

How A Boston Maid Service Review Can Mean Something In Florida

On this surface, this review of Boston area cleaning companies appears to only be useful if you actually live in Boston.

But when you dig deeper, you can understand why the reviews can be helpful to anyone - including all of you right here along the gulf coast of Florida.

Here's the winning cleaning company's final comments:

Pros: Great customer service. They called to follow up after our initial call about rates, and after the cleaning they left behind a customer satisfaction survey and 49-point checklist of what they had cleaned. The two-person team also showed the best attention to detail and cleaned some of the spots the other services missed, including the insides of the microwave and toaster oven, plus the dust on a dining table centerpiece. They also folded a blanket left on the couch and cleaned the front entry hall though they weren’t asked to do so.

Cons: Some things, such as the kitchen trash can, weren’t put back in their original spots. And some kitchen tools in a drying rack were put away in odd spots.

The final word: Competitive price and an organized back office, plus good attention to detail, won our vote.

What this should tell you that communication is the backbone of customer service. The more you talk to your cleaning company - the better chance they have at making you happy. That's why we started the Pay For Performance Employee Compensation Plan. And that's also why we started the Pay For Satisfaction Plan.

Customer satisfaction can't happen if we don't know what makes a customer satisfied.

Don't Spend Your Life Cleaning

Hire A Professional Maid Service

Random Thoughts From The Cleaning World

1. A pair of crooks bullied a 10-year-old girl into letting them into a townhouse where they were caught on tape burglarizing the home. The girl was playing on the front steps of the house when the thieves approached and asked her if there was an adult home last Friday. "Two young guys forced her into the house," said Mark Appel, owner of the townhouse. He said the little girl was the daughter of his housekeeper, who was cleaning when the crooks struck.

That's the chance you take when you hire an individual. The homeowner better be more concerned about getting sued by his housekeeper. Whether he knows it or not, he's the supervisor of a workplace environment. And as a supervisor, it's his responsibility to provide a safe, secure environment. Of course, he could have just hired a professional cleaning company and he wouldn't have to worry about a lawsuit. But then again, professional cleaning companies are so much more expensive than individual cleaning ladies.

2. A narcotics task force seized three-and-a-half pounds of heroin and arrested three people on suspicion of multiple drug-related felony charges. Arcelia Padilla and Yoann Rosas were arrested alongside Heber Ruiz. The drug bust was the culmination of a three-month investigation. Padilla, a housekeeper, was found in possession of the lion's share of the heroin with an estimated street value of up to $160,000.

That could be your next cleaning lady. And you would have no idea until it's too late. Four words: Nationwide Criminal Background Checks.

3. A dry cleaning store clerk arrived at work Thursday morning to find a surprise ceremony honoring her honesty. Jennifer Peña was so startled that she froze up and struggled to get her words out. Last week, Peña found $800 cash and a signed paycheck for about $700 in a pair of pants just dropped off by a customer. Peña, who has worked at the store for 2 1/2 years, immediately called the customer. The customer's wife rushed back and claimed the $1,500!

Proof that there are still good, honest people still alive. Not everyone is out to get you. Just be careful - because it only takes one unethical person to create a big mess for you.

How To Run A Cleaning Business And Not Pay Any Taxes - Ever!

A cleaning company in Minnesota faces 22 federal charges of tax evasion. The owner of the cleaning company faces a battery of charges that includes not paying sales taxes, failing to pay wage and withholding taxes, making sales after the Department of Revenue revoked his sales tax permit and failing to file or pay his personal income taxes over a ten year period.

It never hurts to say this more than once.

Starting a cleaning business is easy. Anyone can do it. And we're reminded everyday that just about anyone does do it. If you need more proof, here's one of this company's online advertisements.....

"Need a House Cleaning? My Maid is experienced and have good references serving Siant Paul area. My Maid do Dusting, vacuuming, Clean Showers, and everything in the house. Also if you need other types of cleaning be sure to call My Maid."

Of course, the ad is awful. It wreaks of an amateur. Misspelled words and terrible grammar may not mean much to you. All you need is a housecleaner after all.

But you should know that you're not just hiring a housecleaner. Because if you think all you're doing is hiring a housecleaner, then you've got a lot to learn.

Picking Up The Toys

Professional housecleaning is much different than professional organizing.

Professional housecleaning is just what it sounds like. Cleaning house - dusting, vacuuming, mopping, sanitizing and scrubbing. In other words, your bathrooms, kitchen, appliances and floors will all be cleaned.

Professional organizing is just what it sounds like. Organizing stuff like your closets, bathrooms, shelving and cabinets. In other words, your bathroom counter will look much more appealing. So will your kid's closet.

The definition is important. Because many of you think that the two services are identical. For example, you think that a professional housecleaning company should be expected to organize your kid's toys. And we can. But we don't.

We don't organize your kid's toys because we don't know where to put your kid's toys. We also don't organize your kid's toys because we're paid to clean. And your pricing is 100% based on cleaning time - not organizing time.

We've lost customers in the past because we didn't organize. And that's fine because those customers didn't need our service.

We're a professional housecleaning company. If you need your house cleaned, we'll be glad to do it for you. We talk about housecleaning everyday. That's our focus 100% of the time. And that's why we're good at it.

And that's also why we don't organize. Because we're not good at it.

What Happens When You Hire A Cleaning Lady

Before you do anything else - read this article.

Obviously, this lady is frustrated. She's frustrated because she keeps hiring the wrong kind of maid. Her maids keep showing up late. Her maids keep getting worse and worse. And her maids consistently clean a lot worse than she's ever cleaned her home.

So what's the solution?

The first step in this customers battle should be to hire a business. A business has one goal - to maximize profits. And in order to maximize profits, a business must accomplish two things.

1. A business must make its employees happy.
2. A business must make its customers happy.

If either of these goals is not met, then a business will not survive. Not over the long haul. So it's in the best interest of every business to ensure that these two goals are met on a consistent basis.

But this lady has yet to hire a business. What she's hired is a cleaning lady. Of course, cleaning ladies want to maximize profits too. But a cleaning lady's path to profits are much different.

A cleaning lady doesn't have to make you happy. A cleaning lady only has to answer to one person - herself. And the reality is that her rates are so good that almost anyone will hire her. Of course, her rates are so good because she steals from our government. But so do you when you hire her. So your feedback is meaningless. Your complaints are unheard.

That's why she's late all the time. That's why she never improves her quality. And that's also why you keep saying these types of things......

I'll go a couple more rounds. I can always clean up after she's been here. But really, where are the hungry college students?

Start hiring a business. Not just some hungry college student.

I don't make that kind of money and I have a college degree!

"I don't make that kind of money and I have a college degree!", says the prospective maid service customer.

You've probably had this same thought too. You're thinking that your maid earns more money than you earn in a given hour. And in some cases, you're exactly right.

But you're only right if you hire an individual maid. Because an individual maid has almost no overhead.

Imagine owning a business that didn't have to pay any employees. Imagine owning a business that didn't have to purchase any operating supplies. Imagine owning a business that didn't have to purchase any form of insurance. Imagine owning a business that didn't have to spend any money on advertising. And most importantly, imagine owning a business that didn't have to pay any taxes to their local, state or federal government.

Well, quit imagining because that's exactly what's happening in your neighborhood. There's an individual maid cleaning your neighbor's house right now that isn't supplying cleaning supplies. She isn't bonded. She doesn't have a general liability insurance policy. She's never been licensed to work in your county. And she earned your neighbor's business by posting a 25 cents flyer on their mailbox.

And all the while, she's never paid one penny to the government. That's because your transaction is invisible. So she gets to bypass the federal payroll tax. She gets to bypass the federal income tax. She even gets to bypass your county's occupational license tax. All because your transaction is invisible.

Which of course means that she is invisible too.

So, yes - there are maids out there that are earning more money than you earn in one hour. But thy're earning that money only because you let them get away with it. And why do you let them get away with it?

You already know the answer. Cheap sells.

Stealing From The Sheriff

A cleaning woman is in custody for stealing from a former sheriff following a sting operation by the local police.

Janet Sullivan, 57, was arrested Monday after police conducted an investigation based on a complaint from the former sheriff that the woman was stealing from him. According to documents, the former sheriff reported to police that his wife's wedding ring was missing.

When the former sheriff told police he recently hired Sullivan as his cleaning lady, they decided to do a "bait" operation. Police photocopied $500 worth of $20 bills and then placed the originals in the former sheriff's home prior to Sullivan's arrival to clean. When Sullivan left the house, police counted the cash and noticed $120 was missing.

Sullivan, who was being followed after leaving residence, was contacted by police in the Taco Bell with $20 bills matching the photocopies. A search of Sullivan's purse at the police station revealed a white powder substance, which field-tested positive for meth. The former sheriff also positively identified his wife's wedding ring from the contents of the purse.

Sullivan was arrested and has been charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property, one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property.

Commentary
This cleaning lady was by herself. She wasn't employed by a cleaning company. She was a drug addict. And she was far from professional - her mug shot proves that much. But I'm sure that her rates were great!!

So you're sitting there and thinking, "I would never hire someone that looks like that". But you say that because you already know what happened. Cheap rates work. They work everyday. Because you think that all you're hiring is a housecleaner.

Little do you know that hiring a housecleaner has very little to do with housecleaning.

Hiding From Uncle Sam

California, 1995--Governor Pete Wilson disclosed today that he had employed three part-time housecleaners whose Social Security taxes he failed to pay. He also said that he had made good on the missing Social Security payments by forwarding checks to the Social Security Administration, with back interest and assessed penalties.

"I have never intentionally failed to make necessary Social Security payments," the Governor declared. "But I take full responsibility for these oversights and have satisfied my obligations to Social Security."

The total in back payments was about $15,000!

The year was 1995. But the premise remains the same today. It is your responsibility to pay all federal payroll taxes if you employ an individual housecleaner.

Of course, professional cleaning companies take care of this chore for you. Or do they?

The cleaning industry is marred with unethical, unprofessional "cleaning companies". Just because your cleaning company has a business card doesn't mean that it's really a business. And just because they tell you that all payroll taxes are being paid doesn't mean that all payroll taxes are being paid. And just because you think that all payroll taxes are being paid doesn't mean that you're off the hook if they aren't being paid.

It's still your responsibility. But don't fret. There's one fool proof way to determine if your cleaning company is paying its fair share. Just ask one of their employees this simple question:

Does your employer deduct anything from your check?

No need to get technical. No need to even call the deductions payroll taxes. Because if the answer is no, then your cleaning company isn't paying any payroll taxes. And you owe the government some money.

How Hiring The Wrong Maid Almost Cost A Customer $3,700

In Phoenix, a registered sex offender was arrested after a home was robbed during a house cleaning. According to the victim, the house cleaner was found using the internet bulletin board called craigslist.

The house cleaner was arrested after he was found to be in the possession of $3,700 worth of stolen goods from the home. He had been convicted numerous times, including kidnapping, rape and armed robbery. Of course, a simple background search would have prevented this crime.

The homeowners were alerted when the house cleaner requested that he be paid in cash - at a different location!

Lessons to be learned from this debacle
1. Conduct a background check. Or just hire a professional cleaning company and make sure that they supply you with proof that each employee has been checked.

2. Make sure that your house cleaner is bonded and insured. This doesn't prevent a crime, but it does protect you.

3. Never hire a house cleaner that requests cash. The main reason a house cleaner requests cash is because she wants to get rid of the paper trail. In some cases, that only means she's trying to avoid paying taxes. But it could also mean that your house cleaner is hiding something.

4. Never hire anyone just because she's cheap. And never hire anyone just because she's calls her business a "cleaning company". This business is easy to start. It doesn't take a lot of money. It doesn't take a lot of work. Heck, it doesn't even take a lot of guts. Anyone can start a cleaning company. And it's for that reason that so many quit. Because if it's easy to start, it's just as easy to quit.

The Timeline Of A Cleaning Lady's Theft

Joann Douglas had cleaned at the DeChellis home every other Wednesday for about a year and cleaned at DeChellis’ Italian Cafe every Friday for a couple of months. Douglas had worked for a cleaning company when she first provided cleaning services for the DeChellises’ daughter. Later, Douglas began to work for their daughter independently of the cleaning company.

Warrants were recently issued for the arrest of Joanne Douglas for the burglary of the DeChellis' restaurant.

No, we're not beating a dead horse.

Here's the timeline of this cleaning lady's theft.....

1. The DeChellis family needed a housecleaner. So they hired a professional cleaning company.
2. Joanne Douglas worked for this professional cleaning company.
3. The company assigned Douglas to the DeChellis account.
4. The Dechellis family became comfortable with Douglas.
5. Douglas knew that they were becoming comfortable.
6. Douglas also knew what the DeChellis' were currently paying her employer.
7. So Douglas charged just a little less.
8. In the end, Douglas makes more money and the Dechellis family spends less money.
9. Everybody's happy. It's a perfect situation.

Of course, that was before Joanne Douglas was arrested for theft. It seemed improbable. But it happened.

Cheap, individual housecleaners steal (no, not all of them!). They steal because it's easy. And they keep stealing because people choose them for one reason. Because they're cheap.

And if you still don't believe me, click here.

She Was As Sweet As Pie

“She was as sweet as pie,” DeChellis said of her cleaning lady, adding that she never suspected her of doing anything improper — even after the restaurant she owns with her husband, Lou, was broken into sometime around New Year’s Eve.

And so another one bites the dust.

If you hire an individual housecleaner, you have to assume a large amount of risk. Sometimes that risk results in just poor work ethic. But sometimes that risk results in theft. And there's nothing you can do about it. Your money is gone. Lost. Unrecoverable.

Of course, this victim will need to hire someone to clean for her again in the future. She's learned her lesson. And she's learned it the hard way. You can bet that her next housecleaner will be bonded. She'll be insured. And she'll come with a criminal background check.

Most importantly, she'll come from a professional cleaning company. Because a professional cleaning company screens its employees. A professional cleaning company bonds its employees. And a professional cleaning company insures its customers.

Of course, none of that means that a professional cleaning won't steal from you. It's happened before. But what it does mean is that a professional cleaning company will protect you.

Your money is not gone. It is not lost. And it is able to be recovered.

Click here for the full story.

Don't Feel Guilty

It all started so innocently. All I needed was a little tidying up. With my schedule, I just didn't have the time to clean my house. So I hired a maid. And boy have things spiraled out of control since that fateful first housecleaning.

My name is Ron, and I am a maidaholic.

Of course, this is fiction. But the reality is that many people find themselves feeling guilty after hiring a maid service. Take at look at some of these comments found on the web....

Guilty Pleasure #1

Guilty Pleasure #2

One of the best quotes from these stories is this quote....

"What a waste of money!" My mother-in-law had just discovered my guilty pleasure. "Can't you figure out how to clean your house on your own? Are you that lazy?"

And that's it in a nutshell. You don't want people to think that you're lazy. What you really want is for people to think that you scrubbed your own toilets. And you want them to walk out of your home impressed. Impressed that your floor is clean. Impressed that your kitchen is spotless. And most importantly, impressed that you live so clean!

Your grandmother never hired a maid to clean her house. And your mother-in-law might call you lazy if she finds out you've hired a maid. But it all boils down to one question. And your answer to this question should determine if you're ready to hire a maid. The question.....

Which of these two things is most important?

1. Your personal time and freedom
2. Your neighbor's approval

And if you picked number two, you might want to take a peek inside your neighbor's window. Because a 1999 study from Medimark Research estimates that 27% of all households have hired a professional to clean their home. So if you live near four homes, chances are that at least one of those homes was cleaned by someone that doesn't live there.

Don't feel guilty. We're all doing it!

The Tax Evasion Scheme Explained

Part One
During a department investigation, it was discovered that from 2003 through 2005 a couple allegedly received over $140,000 of taxable income that was not reported to the State of Minnesota. According to the complaint, the couple owes the state at least $9,750 in income tax for those years.

William McCann allegedly admitted that he had been doing remodeling jobs since 2002 and had received $25 an hour, even though he is not a licensed contractor in Minnesota. He admitted to running a lawn sprinkler service for the past four years as well. The income he received from both of these jobs was not reported on the couple’s tax returns.

Patricia McCann allegedly acknowledged that she knew her husband was involved in remodeling and construction projects, and that the money was put into their checking accounts, but was not reported on their individual income tax returns. She also admitted to failing to report that she had received $225 per week for house cleaning services since April 2003.

Click here for the full article.

Part Two
The I.R.S. estimates that as many as four million people owe payroll taxes (known as nanny taxes) each year, that means that fewer than 1 in 13 are obeying the law.

"My accountant told me I have to stop this and issue paycheck stubs and report what I pay to the I.R.S.," said Elaine, a divorced 42-year-old mother of two who covers Hollywood for a magazine and asked that her last name not be used. "But since no President is ever going to nominate me for the Cabinet, what do I care about paying this stupid nanny tax? And if I get caught, I'll just pay the fine and go on doing what I am doing."

So why should you care?

Maybe this statement will hit home with you.....

The law requires anyone who pays a nanny or other servant more than $1,100 this year to report those wages to the I.R.S. Assuming that only one in thirteen is doing so - and that the tax evaders spend as much on household help as the upright citizens do -the Federal Government is losing $1.2 billion a year in Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Click here for the full article.

Part Three
And why should this statement mean anything to you....

1. Because your salary gets whacked because of these payroll taxes. If you have to pay them, why shouldn't everyone else?

2. Because your housecleaner is a thief. She's stealing from your government. And if she'll steal from your government, she might steal from you.

3. Because you're stealing from your government too. And that can't make you feel too good about yourself.

Housecleaning - The Hamburger Of The Service Industry

You know how to cook a hamburger. You know that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make it taste like every other hamburger. And you know that if you don't want to cook one, then you can just take a short trip to your nearest restaurant or fast food chain.

And most importantly, you know that one of the biggest allures of the hamburger is that it's cheap. Of course, it better be cheap.

It better be cheap because you know that you can just as easily cook one at your house. It better be cheap because almost all hamburgers taste the same. And if it's not cheap, then well, you'll probably pass on the burger, or just stay at home and cook one for yourself.

Yes, that's the residential cleaning world in a nutshell.

You know how to clean your home. You've been doing it for a long time now. You know that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to scrub a toilet or mop a floor. And you know that you can hire a cleaning company for next to nothing.

Of course, this is all true. It's true that you shouldn't have to pay too much if all you're looking for is a cleaning company. But if you've already hired a cleaning company, then you already know that you aren't just hiring a cleaning company.

You're hiring someone to show up on-time every time (because most cleaning companies are notorious for being late). You're hiring someone that you can trust (because you need to know that the stranger in your home didn't rob their last customer). You're hiring someone to provide you with real customer service (because mistakes are bound to happen - and when they happen you need to know that someone is listening).

And after we show up on time. And after we prove to you that our employees are bonded, licensed and insured. And after we explain how our pay for performance plan benefits both our customers and employees.

After we do all that.....

The we'll start cleaning. And after our job is done, maybe you can sit back and enjoy a hamburger!

How To Avoid Hiring The Next Bonnie & Clyde

Police say the break ins began in October and continued through December. The targets were beachfront homes on the Isle Of Palms in South Carolina.

Each time, the thieves were interested in one particular item, flat screen televisions. Investigators say 41 year old Willie Brown Jr. headed up the operation, with help from two women who work for a St. Stephen maid service that was hired to clean the rental homes.

"There was no forced entry and investigators believed that the perpetrator did in fact have a key or access to a key," said Isle Of Palms Police Sergeant Dawn Caldwell.

Click here for the full story.

It can happen to anyone. You hired the wrong person. And you won't know that you hired the wrong person until it's too late. But there are some ways to ensure that your next hire isn't the next Bonnie & Clyde.

Step 1. Conduct a nationwide criminal background search. That's how we do it. And here's how we do it..........
Criminal Record Search

Step 2. Ask for references. And not just from their best friend. Make sure that the candidate provides you with at least three previous employers.

Step 3. Require that your next maid provides you with a copy of their surety bond policy. And make sure that the bond is current. A surety bond only lasts for twelve months.

If you haven't figured it out yet, hiring your next housecleaner has very little to do with housecleaning.

The Reality Of Perception

We often talk about how important it is to understand that you get what you pay for. In our industry, the cost of starting a cleaning business is close to zero. And since the investment is minimal, the investment in the quality of the service is minimal as well.

But a recent research study at the California Institute of Technology suggests that high prices sometimes lead to false perceptions.

The study asked 20 people to sample wine while undergoing functional MRIs of their brain activity. The subjects were told they were tasting five different Cabernet Sauvignons sold at different prices. However, there were actually only three wines sampled, two being offered twice, marked with different prices. A $90 wine was provided marked with its real price and again marked $10, while another was presented at its real price of $5 and also marked $45. The testers' brains showed more pleasure at the higher price than the lower one, even for the same wine!

Click here to find out more about the study.

One of our housecleaning packages includes a two hour cleaning for $125. You get two maids, along with all necessary cleaning supplies and equipment. Nobody in our area charges anywhere close to this for just two hours of work. In fact, many of our competitors charge as little as $10 per hour (one person).

One might think that our $125 cleaning is way better than the $10 per hour cleaning. In some cases, that's very true. In other cases, our $125 cleaning isn't that much better than the $10 per hour cleaning. The reason is simple:

You're not paying us to be the best housecleaner in the world. You're paying us to be the most professional cleaning company in the world. That means that we'll show up on time every time. That means that we'll utilize the most effective cleaning products and supplies available. That means that we'll provide you with the safest and most secure employees in the area. And that means that you'll receive better customer service from us than anyone else in the area. Our service doesn't start when we walk in your home and it doesn't stop when we walk out of your home.

That's what you're paying for. And yes, the statement still rings true.....

You get what you pay for!

The Cleaning Service Debate

The presidential race is in high gear right now. It seems as if there is at least one debate per week. A debate is a powerful tool. It gives you insight on how a person will react under pressure. And of course, the answers from the debate help you determine which candidate supports your most important issues. A debate is truly democratic. You get to listen and make decisions on your personal beliefs.

So that leads me to a proposition.....

What if the cleaning industry had a debate? What if all competitors in our field stood up and fielded questions from potential customers? How amazing would that be? And how easy would it be for Two Maids & A Mop to win!!

It would be a slam dunk. Nobody would be able to compete against us. Nobody could compete us because all we would have to do is explain our pay for performance plan. After each question, we would end our argument like this....

"We pay our employees based on our customer's overall satisfaction level. We do this by letting our customers rate each housecleaning on a scale from 1-10. The rating provided by the customer is the only tool used when determining the pay rate for our employees. The happier our customers are; the more our employees are able to earn with our company."

And the debate would be over. Just like that. Because nobody we compete against can even get close to matching our commitment to customer service.

Of course, there won't ever be a cleaning service debate. It may be that no one would even care enough to watch the debate. But it's more probable that none of our competition would want to show up. They'd have no chance.

Which leads me to my final thought....

If it's so obvious that we would win a cleaning service debate, why don't we win every customer battle? The reason is simple. Because most people don't understand that hiring a cleaning service has nothing to with cleaning. And there's no way to figure this out until you've hired the wrong cleaning service. Cheap sells. And it will continue to sell. But cheap only lasts for a little while. At some point, you want quality. Because cheap still means that you're using your hard earned money. And if you're going to use your money, you might as well use a little more of it in order to receive higher quality.

The cycle always repeats itself. You hire the cheap cleaner-then you call us because you're not satisfied. We can't change the cycle. It's all part of the education.

Maid Service Accounting 101

You have three choices when it comes to housecleaning. You can clean the house by yourself, you can hire a professional cleaning service, or you can hire an individual maid.

The first choice is easy to figure out. All you'll need is a some cleaning supplies and maybe a little sweat too.

The second choice isn't that complicated either. All you need to do is select the cleaning service that best fits your needs. Some people want cheap. Some people want fast. And then some people want professionalism. As a consumer, it's your choice.

The third choice is a little more complicated - at least if you follow the law. Of course, the choice is still yours to make. You can hire anyone that you want to hire. But since you're hiring an individual, you must ensure that all taxes are paid. And there's lots of taxes to pay!

Click here for a great article that tells you everything you need to know about taxes and maids.

Another Article On How To Hire A Housecleaner

The Wall Street Journal has published a great article on how to hire a housecleaner.

Click here for the article. Here are some snippets...

• Generally, the best way to find a cleaning service is to ask family and friends for recommendations. We have two friends who use the same service, and they rave about it.
  
  
• Cleaning services generally handle the tax collection for their workers, but Gerry and I may have to pay the so-called nanny taxes for an independent house cleaner. Generally, if we pay a nonfamily member more than $1,500 a year to work in our home, we must pay Social Security, Medicare, state and federal unemployment taxes, and withhold federal and state income-taxes.
  
  
• I've heard friends tell me they've had trouble hiring workers, such as nannies and housekeepers, because the workers demand to be paid "off the books." Some homeowners are more than happy to oblige, but that can be a mistake. Besides the risk of an IRS audit, paying child-care, cleaners and other in-home workers "under the table" may prevent homeowners from taking valuable tax breaks, such as the child-care deduction.
  
  
• If we did opt for an independent house cleaner rather than a service, background checks would be up to us. We'd need to get the worker's Social Security number to check for criminal history.
  
  
• In the end, we went with the cleaning service our friends recommended. It saves us the hassle of worrying about taxes, insurance and background checks.
  

P.S. The article still didn't address the most important question. The question - How can you ensure my satisfaction?

Tips On Hiring A Maid Service

And I didn't write any of these tips this time.....

Maid Service Hiring Tips

The best of the bunch -
Satisfaction: Ask if the maid service measures customer satisfaction and if so, what type of procedure is used to collect responses. Are you asked to fill out a survey online or on paper? Will a manager contact you following the house cleaning to be sure your expectations were fulfilled or exceeded? The steps a company takes to ensure a customer's satisfaction tells a lot about how much they value their customers.

Please, please ask this question. Because we'll win this battle every time. Nobody else can compete with our pay for performance plan. Absolutely Nobody!

Shameless Plug

Check out this news article.

Yes, the story is about Two Maids & A Mop. Yes, I wrote the story. And yes, I only wrote it because I was trying to get someone's attention.

But it's all true. And if you're looking to hire a maid, then reading this can only help you.

How To Spot An Ilegal Contractor

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Tuesday fired a landscaping company for using illegal immigrants to work on his lawn.

Click here for the full article.

No, you're not running for president. And you're probably not even running for your local city council. But the fact is that you could be hiring an illegal contractor. Here are some points to consider when hiring your next housecleaner.

1. Make sure that the cleaning company is bonded, licensed and insured. The key word is insured. Insurance isn't cheap. And that's a good thing for you. Being insured means that you have a policy in place in case of damage caused as a result of the housecleaning. If nothing else, it's the first step in determining if your company is professional or amateur.

2. Make sure that your cleaning company performs extensive background checks on their employees. A background check costs money. And a lot of companies don't perform these checks for that very reason. But they are important. First off, hiring a convicted felon voids the surety bond. This means that if they steal from you, then there is no policy in place to protect you. Secondly, you need to know that the strangers in your home have never been arrested for any type of violent crime or theft.

3. Make sure that your cleaning company is really a company. A real cleaning company pays payroll taxes. A real cleaning company pays income taxes. And if they don't, then it's your legal responsibility to do that for them. Because Uncle Sam wants a cut of this transaction. And if you don't do it for them, then you are just as guilty as they are. Ask for the company to prove that all taxes are being paid. Don't worry! If they want your business, they'll do it.

4. Make sure that your cleaning company only hires legal citizens. A cleaning company hires an illegal immigrant because the labor is cheap. Think about it: If your cleaning company is hiring illegal immigrants, what else are they doing illegally? Now how can you determine if someone is a legal citizen? Refer to point number three. A legal citizen has to pay to payroll taxes.

5. Make sure that your cleaning company has more than a handful of customers. Now this technique isn't perfect. There are some quality individual housecleaners out there that follow the law. But the fact is that our business is easy to start. And the fact is that a lot of people use this to their advantage. They can start this business today. Make a little money tomorrow. And then quit the next day. Ask your cleaning company for references. Don't let them dictate the names to you. You dictate the list. Ask for customers only in your zip code. Or your subdivision. Or whatever. You see, most companies have a standard list of references. They hand them out when someone asks. And these three or four people say all sorts of good things about the company. Of course, it could be that the reference is the owner's bother. Or the owner's next door neighbor. That's why it is important for you to determine the parameters. And if they can't, then keep your eyes wide open. It doesn't mean they're bad, but it does mean that they might be bad.

Three Reasons Why Your Last Maid Service Sucked

1. Your last maid service sucked because they paid their employees the old fashioned way.They were paid a commission. This system works if you're a used car salesman. This system works if you're a stock broker. But this system doesn't work if you're a maid. Because your clients want quality. And your employees want quantity.

2. Your last maid service sucked because they weren't really even a business. Starting a maid service isn't difficult. It isn't expensive. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist. And when something is easy to start, it's just as easy to quit.

3. Your last maid service sucked because they had an abnormally high employee turnover rate. What would you do if you had to clean your own home three times today? And what would you do if I told you that I was only going to pay you minimum wage today? You would quit.

Bad Apple Alert

When 83-year old Lorraine Nelson got a phone call last month from a telemarketer offering carpet cleaning for $57 per room, she thought she was getting a deal.

“These guys showed up and, while one worked, the other one kept me busy outside talking,” said Nelson. “They gave me two separate receipts and never told me what the real cost would be.”

Nelson said she gave the men $100 cash as a deposit and asked the balance be put on her credit card. She was soon informed by the workers that stronger and more expensive cleaning solutions were needed to treat her carpets.

“They gave me a second receipt for $856 and I wondered what the charge was for,” said Nelson, who increasingly felt intimidated by the workers. “I asked them what happened to the $100 I gave them and they said that was their tip.”

Click here for the full article.

The formula is simple. Everybody knows that money talks. So the simplest and most efficient way to attract your attention is to offer a service at a ridiculously low price. That gets them in your door. Cheap sells.....

Be careful. Cheap may sell, but cheap has its own high price to pay.

Cleaning Services Analyzed

A newspaper in Minnesota recently published an article on area housecleaning companies. The article's intent was to inform its readers on what to expect from local cleaning companies if they needed to hire a cleaning service for the upcoming holidays. Click here for the full article.

The paper concludes that its better to hire an individual rather than a large company. The paper concludes this by hiring three local outfits. Here's a few snippets from their experiences with the three companies....

The First Company-The first company selected was Mary's Maids, which quoted her $26 an hour and estimated four hours based on her description of the home. She was told to provide cleaning supplies. A team of two arrived at 10:45 a.m. and started cleaning upstairs. She left the house and returned at 12:15 p.m. to find them both still working upstairs. They said they had to leave by 1 p.m. and wouldn't be able to get to her first floor, which they guessed would require another five hours to clean. To top it off, the upstairs didn't appear to have been cleaned. 'I could see the dust on the shutters over the bathtub,' Ratzloff says. Same with the top of a dresser and the hallway chandelier. The team said they spent 90 minutes on her shower, and Ratzloff couldn't tell.

The Second Company-Randle went to the company's Web site to request a service quote and then spent two days playing phone tag with an agent. The first available opening was nine days out. Randle explained she had $100 to work with and the living room, dining room and kitchen were her priorities. That's about all she could get, since the company charges $70 an hour (average time to clean a whole house: three hours). Randle requested a call 20 to 30 minutes before the team arrived, but they showed up unannounced. The two cleaners vacuumed and cleaned glass tables, a dining table, TV and computer very well, she says. The kitchen countertops and outside of the refrigerator were also sparkling. But an entire side of her entertainment center and baseboards were left dusty. In the kitchen, they missed mopping around the stand-alone stove. When the company followed up the next day, Randle expressed her concerns. 'I was told I couldn't expect much with the money limitation I gave them'.

The Third Company-Patterson called to schedule an appointment and was quoted a price of $99 (the company bases charges on size of home and type of flooring rather than by the hour). Patterson was told the service would include high dusting, wiping down kitchen cabinets and appliances, hand-washing floors, wiping windowsills and vacuuming under everything. One cleaning person arrived on time and cleaned the house in about 2½ hours. Patterson's first impression: The house looked and smelled great. The inside of the microwave sparkled. But upon further inspection, she discovered the kitchen cabinets and hood above the stove had not been wiped.

Several conclusions can be gathered from this informal study. But the article's conclusion that smaller companies are better than larger companies is not one of them. Here's my view of the "study".

1. To make a conclusion that smaller companies are better, shouldn't you have to at least hire one small company?

2. Your budget determines the quality of your cleaning. Two Maids & A Mop would not have even cleaned these three homes. Our one time cleaning jobs are straightforward. You either get a deep cleaning (hourly rate with no constraints) or you get a one time cleaning (two hour maximum for two maids). Our one time cleaning doesn't promise the world. It only promises time. You get what you pay for.

3. Customer service stinks in the housecleaning industry. Poor communication will almost always create a bad customer experience. All three of these companies performed awful in that respect.

Take This Test

1. Does your maid make the same mistakes over and over again? If yes, move on to the second question. If no, stick with your current maid service.

The reason: She might be late. She might be unprofessional. But quality is the most important virtue as a customer. It's hard to find a maid that cares about her quality. If you have her, forget about her bad virtues.

2. Has your maid been late more than once during the last six months? If yes, move on to the third question. If no, then stick with your current maid service.

The reason: Showing up on time is rare. If you have a maid that shows up on time, that may just be enough reason to keep her.

3. Has your maid started getting too comfortable with you? If yes, move on to the next section. If no, then stick with your current maid service.

The reason: It's human nature to get comfortable. We all do it. That's why it's important to constantly remind your maid that this isn't a friendship. It isn't a relationship at all. You're her customer. And she's your vendor. Her job is to make you happy. And if she doesn't, it's your job to find another vendor.

Now if you answered yes to all three questions, then you've found the perfect maid service right here.

But Two Maids & A Mop isn't really perfect. We're going to make mistakes. But one thing is for sure, you can bet that you'll answer NO to each of these three questions.

Turning Negatives Into Positives

Industry Negative
The barriers of entry are essentially zero. No start up capital is required. No education is required. Nothing except a little sweat.

TwoMaids Positive
That means that a lot of customers aren't going to be happy. When something is easy to start, it's just as easy to quit. And that's exactly what happens. A cleaning business dies every minute. And then another one starts. And all along the way, we're still here.

Industry Negative
There are no limits on pricing.

TwoMaids Positive
Our claim to fame isn't pricing. Being cheap is a business owner's last resort. You sell yourself cheap because you know you've got nothing else to sell. We sell our pay for performance plan. We sell our guarantee for on-time arrival. We sell our commitment to customer satisfaction. And our customers know that we're not the cheapest in town. And they're fine with it.

Industry Negative
Negative stories surround our industry. Thefts. Broken items. We've even heard of one customer that caught her maid sleeping on the customer's own bed!

TwoMaids Positive
Three words - pay for performance. Our employees get paid based on our customer's satisfaction level. The happier you are; the more our employees' are able to earn with our company. Our employees know that only one thing matters: customer satisfaction.

Industry Negative
Maids just aren't real professional.

TwoMaids Positive
If you're reading this, then you already know how we turn this negative into a positive. If you don't get it, click on the following links.....

The Pay For Performance Plan - Explained

The Customer Advisory Board

Three Quick Facts About TwoMaids

Scary Stories About Your Maid

In the spirit of Halloween, here's a few scary stories that might hit home with you.

1. Your cleaning lady didn't show up today. Did ghosts take her away? Did aliens abduct her? Nope. She just quit on you. Just like you're last cleaning lady.

2. Your maid service is late again. Is it because they think your house is haunted? Is it because your house is located on a creepy hollow? Nope. They just don't care about you. They're unorganized. And they're late every time.

3. Your housecleaner keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. Did your resident goblin put that dust on your nightstand? Did your maid see a ghost in the mirror? Nope. They just forgot again. Just like last week.

4. Your maid keeps leaving earlier and earlier. Is it because your kid's doll is possessed? Is it because your dog is evil? Nope. She's just gotten too comfortable with you. She's your buddy. And you're no longer her customer.

5. You keep hiring one bad housekeeper after another. Did a wicked witch cast a spell on your home? Is your house haunted and you don't know it? Nope. You just keep hiring the same person. You want your house cleaned. But you don't want to pay too much for it. After all, it's just housecleaning.

But of course, if it was only about housecleaning then you wouldn't be hiring a new maid four times a year.

Happy Halloween!!

On Being A Snob......

How much do you charge? The question gets asked everyday. And we have a different answer almost every time.

And not for the reason that you're thinking. Yes, it's important that we know the size of your home. Yes, it's important that we know how often you'll need our service. And yes, it's important that we know what city you live in. But it's even more important that we know your history.

We need to know what has happened to you in the past. Have you recently fired your maid because she quit abruptly? Have you recently fired your maid because she stole from you? Have you recently fired you maid because her quality has slipped? Have you even fired your maid? Have you ever even hired a maid? The list could go on and on.

But the premise is simple. If you've fired your maid, then we want you as our customer. If you have never hired a maid, we don't want you. Nope. We don't want you at all. We want you to hire someone else. Then call us back. And then we'll answer your questions.

No need to explain. If you're recently fired you maid, you already know why. If you haven't, then you'll know soon enough.

The Dissatisfied Maid Service Customer

You've hired the wrong maid. Here's one of the reasons that you're unhappy.

1. Safety Issues
No, you're not concerned about your physical safety. But you are concerned about your stuff being broken on a regular basis. You can accept mistakes. But over and over again? You're tired of this mess.

2. Theft Issues
You've just noticed that your favorite ring is gone. And you know that the only other person that has been in your house today is your maid. You're tired of this mess.

3. Quality Issues
It really started out great. Your house looked wonderful after her first visit. But it steadily got worse over time. It's gotten so bad that you have to clean when you get home now. But it's hard to complain. After all, you know how much your maid needs her job. You know this because she's become your friend over these last several months. You're tired of this mess.

4. Reliability Issues
You're sitting there again. Waiting on your maid. She's late again. Just like last week. You're tired of this mess.

5. Affordability Issues
You know that your neighbor pays less for her home to be cleaned. You also know that your house is the same size as her house. What gives? You're tired of this mess.

We know this because you tell us everyday. We're the last refuge for many dissatisfied maid service customers. And that's fine with us because we want you to be educated. You need to know that hiring a maid has little to do with housecleaning. Once you know this, call us.

If You've Never Hired A Maid Before.....

Then you think that the work is simple and brainless. And you'd be right. The work doesn't require a high level of education. The work doesn't require any special technical expertise. The work requires sweat. Lots of sweat. Five days a week. Three times a day. Think about that for a minute. Think about cleaning your own house three times a day for five consecutive days.

Then you think that pricing is the only real difference. After all, you already know that anybody can do the work. But of course, that's the problem. If anybody can do it, anybody will do it. Being cheap is easy. Just as easy as starting a cleaning company.

Then you think that a professional cleaning company cleans better than you do. And why not? Your accountant knows more about money management than you do. Your attorney knows more about the law than you do. Professionals are supposed to be better than you. And we are. But we're also human. And we make mistakes. Of course, that's where the professionalism comes into play. When we make mistakes, we correct them. Fast.

Then you think that your maid is going to show up when she says she is going to show up. And she might just do that. But if she's like most in our industry, she won't. The reason is simple. This isn't a business to her. You're not a customer to her. You're just a quick and easy way to make a few extra bucks. She doesn't care if you fire her. She doesn't care because she knows that she can get another customer in a second. Because she's cheap. Remember why you hired her in the first place?

The you think that your cleaning company needs to be bonded. Of course, it doesn't hurt. But it doesn't really mean anything either. Being bonded means that you're not going to get reimbursed anything unless you can prove that your cleaner stole something from you. A bond only pays if a conviction occurs. Plain and simple. (FYI: A bond costs less than $100)

Then you think that hiring a maid is easy. And it is easy. It's easy because there are hundreds to select from. You can pick up the yellow pages. You can search the local classified ads. You can ask your neighbors. There's a bunch of us out there. And that's what makes it so hard. It's a crowded marketplace. And there's some rogue participants mixed among the crowd. It only takes one wrong hire to figure out what I'm talking about.

When Your Individual Maid Goes Corporate

You've worked for the cleaning company. And you know two important things.

1. You know that customers want the same people every time.
2. You know that customers don't want to pay a whole bunch of money for your services.

You also know that you can accomplish both of these things if you start your own cleaning business. So you start one. And why not, you can get started for less than $100. And all you need is just a few willing people to schedule you on a regular basis. Which leads you back to the two things you already know.

So you charge less than the professional cleaning companies. And you perform all the work yourself. Everybody's happy.

Case in point #1......

“She’s a very hard worker,” the customer said. “She’s a quiet, unassuming lady. She’s always responsible and punctual, which are important qualities. And she charges a lot less than the corporate cleaning services. I think she’ll really build up the business.”

But then something happens. You want to make more money. And you want to stop cleaning everyday. So you hire an employee. Then another one. And then all of sudden, you've become a company.

Which means that you have to start charging more for your services. And which also means that you have to start sending different people.

And most importantly, it means that you've lost your market advantage.

So if you're a customer, know that it won't last forever. Know that your individual maid will quit one day. And know that she's quitting for the same reason that you hired her in the first place.

She'll quit because she doesn't want to clean your toilet anymore.

Case in point #2....

Rice serves most of her customers on a bi-weekly basis. She currently has nine regulars. She can handle 20 regular customers on her own, she said. After that she plans on hiring employees. “My goal is to build up the business,” Rice said. “It’s been going really well. I started out going into neighborhoods and putting fliers on the doors. That’s how I got my first customers. I’ve just started advertising. I’m hoping that will build up my clientele.”

Click here for the perfect illustration of how an individual maid starts out small, gets your business, and then gains your trust. And the whole time, she's striving to quit.

The Life Cycle Of A Customer

The First Stage
You've done the work before. You know it's not rocket science. You know that anybody can do it. So you hire the cheapest person. And that's all you care about right now. Because you think everyone is the same. The only difference is price.

The Second Stage
You've grown sick of your current housecleaner. You wonder if you've hired the wrong person. You still recognize that the work isn't rocket science. But you're really getting sick and tired of waiting and waiting on the maid to arrive. Not to mention the lack of consistency in her work. So you decide to hire another maid. You just picked the wrong one the first time.

The Third Stage
Ok, now this isn't funny anymore. How can you keep hiring the same old maid every time? This maid shows up late too. This maid keeps getting worse and worse over time. And this maid isn't much different than your last maid. So you reach a fork in the road.

The Fork In The Road
This is the place where you decide to either pay a little more for your housecleaning, or just go back to doing the work yourself. Some of you don't have the time. Some of you don't have the physical capabilities. And then some of you just don't want to do it any longer. For you, the choice is obvious. You're not going to do the work. You're going to hire someone dependable.

The Fourth Stage
You've already hired the cheap, individual maid. And you've discovered that getting your house cleaned has little to do with housecleaning. You've got to worry about punctuality. You've got to worry about dependability. You've got to worry about consistency. And you've got to worry about professionalism. So you hire a professional cleaning company.

So you start calling all the professionals. And you start hearing lots of great things. Things like we'll send the same person every time. Things like we'll guarantee our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Sounds good to you. So you hire the cheapest cleaning company you can find. Because they all sound the same.

The Fifth Stage
Are you kidding me? You're still waiting on the maid to arrive. You're still complaining about the same mistakes. You're getting different people all the time. And now you're paying more than ever. You're wondering if anyone does this thing right. Do you live with the mistakes? Or do you try to find yet another maid service company?

The Final Stage
This is the only stage where we want to earn your business. We don't want you anywhere else. We don't want your business anywhere else because you think housecleaning is about dusting and vacuuming. You think housecleaning is easy. You think anybody can do it. After all, you've been doing it all your life. And quite good if you must say so...

This is the stage where our pay for performance plan sounds good. This is the stage where our commitment to customer feedback sounds good. This is the stage where our guaranteed on-time arrival sounds good. This is the stage where you decide that you get what you pay for. And this is the only stage that will make you appreciate us as a business.

If you hire us anywhere else in the life cycle, you're just going to think we're too expensive. Because you're going to think anybody can do it. And more than likely, you're going to fire us down the road.

The Pay For Performance Plan - Explained

If you are one of our customers, then you get this little reminder every time we clean your home. But you're probably not one of our customers. That's why you're reading this in the first place. So why not read this and then maybe you'll understand why someone would decide to hire us.......

One of the most common questions that we receive is the question, “Why do you think you’re better than all the other cleaning services in town?” It’s a valid question because the fact is most cleaning companies say that they are better than everybody else. What makes Two Maids & A Mop so different?

It all boils down to three little words: pay for performance. That’s what makes us different. We pay our employees based on our customers feedback. The happier our employees make you; the more money they’re able to make with our company. It’s a simple concept. But the funny thing is that we’re still the only cleaning company around that does business in this manner.

Most cleaning companies pay their employees on a commission basis. A commission is defined as payment received as a result of a sale. The more sales you make; the more money you make. So what does that tell you about most of the cleaning industry? It’s in the employees best interest to clean as many homes as possible so that they can earn more money. Now there’s nothing wrong with that idea. People should want to earn more money.

The problem is that the speed of the cleaning directly affects the quality of the cleaning. Our employees get paid like every other job. They clock in for their day’s work in the morning and they clock out when they are finished for the day. However, our employees hourly rate is determined by you - the customer. You rate each cleaning on a scale from 1-10. The rating that you provide is applied to a pay scale. And that’s how our employees get paid.

Just think of it this way. The pace of our cleaning doesn’t really matter. It’s the quality of our cleaning that matters the most. Now get ready to get impressed by our professionalism. You’ve never encountered another cleaning service like Two Maids & Mop.

That’s why we get to call ourselves “The Most Customer Friendly Housecleaning Company In The World”. And that’s why we think that we’re better than any other cleaning service in town.

The Top Five Most Frequently Asked Questions

It's true that every house is different and every customer is different. But for the most part, we hear the same questions over and over again. Here's our top five most popular questions....

1. What are your rates? What do you charge?
The phrases change, but the premise is the same for everyone. Everyone's first question deals with our rates. Click here for a detailed answer to the question.

And if you're too lazy to click, just know that we can't answer this question without first asking you a series of questions, such as....

1. What is your home's total square footage?
2. How many bedrooms/bathrooms do you have?
3. How often do you require our service?
4. What type of cleaning do you require?
5. Where do you live?

Make sure you click here for a better explanation.

2. Will I be able to get the same two people each time?
Yet another question that isn't so easy to answer. Click here for a detailed response to this question. And if you're too lazy to click, here's a synopsis.

It's our goal to send the same people every time. It makes your life easier and it makes our life easier. Our system works like this. Two people are assigned to a route. Your home is also assigned to a route. As a result, you should get the same two people every time. The only reason that you won't receive the same two people is because one of the two people isn't at work. Which is exactly the problem. We can't guarantee you that everyone will be at work every day. Stuff happens and people miss work. People also quit. And when they quit, we lose one of the two team members.

The good news is that we will show up. You don't need to worry about that. We will show up. And you can bet that the two people who show up will care. They'll care because your opinion determines their pay level.

3. Are you bonded, licensed, and insured?
In a nutshell, yes, yes, and yes. But there's far more to the story than a simple yes. And of course, we have a link for you to click so that you can learn more about this subject.

Click here to learn more about the joke of the cleaning industry called a bond.

And click here for even more information on bonds, licenses, and insurance.

4. Do you supply your own equipment and supplies?
Yes.

Click here for a detailed description of our cleaning equipment and supplies.

5. Do you need to be home for us to clean your home?
No. We only need you for three things. We need you to let us in your home. We need you to tell us what you want us to accomplish. And we need for you to critique our cleaning after we're finished.

Entering your home can sometimes be accomplished without you. We do accept customer keys if you can't be home when we arrive. We lock each safe in a fire proof safe and we also number designate each key to ensure your safety.

We can also talk to you before the cleaning to discuss your specific needs. Of course, talking directly to us at your home is a great benefit. But then again, you're hiring us because you don't have enough time in your day anyway.

And we'll either call or email you after we're finished to receive your critique of the cleaning.

Three Quick Facts About The Housecleaning Industry

1. There are a lot of us out there. There's a new cleaning company opening every day. And of course, there's another cleaning company closing every day. The solution:

Do your homework. Don't just ask for three references. Ask for a complete history of the company. Housecleaning is brainless. And when something is brainless, you get all sorts of people without a brain. It's your job to figure out who has a brain.

2. There is no such thing as the perfect maid. Everybody makes mistakes. You know this and you admit this. But just wait. Just wait for that mistake. Just wait for that kitchen floor to be dirty. Then tell me if you're ok with mistakes. Because if you're like everybody else, you're not ok. You're not ok because you paid good money for the house to be cleaned. And it's not clean. And you're not happy. The solution:

Relax. When it's all said and done, it's really just a little dirt, dust, or grime. We can fix it. But give us some time. We'll listen to you and we'll fix it. You don't need to threaten to cancel the service. You don't need to raise your voice. Just relax. After all, it's just housecleaning.

3. There no reason to care about being licensed and bonded. But there's a lot of reasons to care about being insured. A business or occupational license costs less than $50. A bond costs less than $100. Neither one does anything for you really. A license is a tax - plain and simple. A bond is supposed to reimburse you for anything stolen. But you've got get a conviction in order to make the bond pay out.

However, insurance costs thousands of dollars. Insurance pays you back if something is broken or damaged. For example, imagine if a very expensive piece of art was destroyed. An individual cleaner without insurance could just run and hide because she doesn't have the funds to reimburse you. Of course, she could if she had insurance. But insurance isn't cheap. And that's exactly why she doesn't have it. But then again, you probably hired her because she was cheap too. The solution:

Don't just hire a maid because they are cheap. There's always a reason why rates are low. Rates are usually lower because overhead is lower. And a big part of a cleaning business' overhead is insurance. It's called general liability insurance and it's just like your homeowner's insurance. When something happens, they open an investigation. Someone estimates the damage and that's how you get paid. Long story short, force every cleaning company to provide you with their general liability insurance policy.

The Hard Way To Open A Maid Service

The Easy Way

Step 1. Go to Wal-Mart and buy the following items: one vacuum, one big bag of rags, three mops, one mop handle. Don't buy anything else because your customers will be able to supply everything else.

Step 2. Print about 100 cheap looking flyers and distribute them in an area neighborhood. You want the flyer to look cheap because you want the customer to know that your rates will also be cheap.

Step 3. Call all area cleaning companies and determine their rates. Charge less than everyone.

Step 4. You're in business in less than 48 hours.

The Easier Way

Step 1. Don't buy anything. Don't buy a vacuum. Don't buy a mop. Don't even buy a rag. Your customers will supply everything for you anyway.

Step 2. Go knock on a bunch of doors. Ask the customer what she is currently paying her housecleaning service. Then clean the house for free. Remember, your time cost you nothing so you're not really losing anything.

Step 3. After you've finished, tell her that you'll charge her less than she is currently paying. Remember, you don't have to pay taxes on this new income stream so go ahead and charge her $10 per hour.

Step 4. Your in business in less than 24 hours.

The "I Look Professional" Way

Step 1. Go purchase a business license and a surety bond. Now you get to tell everyone that you're licensed and bonded. And just think, both of these things only cost you about $75 bucks.

Step 2. Repeat all the steps from "The Easy Way" method.

Step 3. Your still in business in less than 48 hours.

The Hard Way

There are no steps. There are no steps because there is no quick way to start a real, professional cleaning company. It takes time. It takes patience. And it takes an investment. Here's what you'll need to invest in order to open a maid service the hard way.

1. Yes, you'll need money. Money buys you proper insurance coverage. Money buys you some real advertising. Money buys you employees. And most importantly, money buys you time. Because you're not going to get rich overnight. It's going to take time to run your new company this way. And time means money. So yes, you'll need money.

2. You'll need patience. This thing isn't going to take off overnight. Know that it will take at least one full year before you ever see a paycheck.

3. You'll need an education. No, you don't need a college degree. Not at all. But you will need to educate yourself on customer service. You'll need educate yourself on your cleaning products. You'll need to educate yourself on everything from A-Z. You're running a company now and it's your job to know everything. And the game changes everyday. So you'll need to learn more and more everyday. Learning never stops.

4. You'll need good people. Your people will determine the success of your new company. Of course, it's your job to find these good people. And it's your job to retain these good people. You can't do everything by yourself.

So why would anyone select "The Hard Way"? After all, it is a lot harder. You select the hard way because it's the right way. The hard way doesn't rip off the government. The hard way doesn't scam its customers. And the hard way doesn't rely on you being the cheapest in town. The hard way gives you the best chance of making it down the road.

And that's the goal of every new business. Not just to be here today, but to be here tomorrow too.

Remember These Three Points

You're going to hire us one day. It may be that you hire us today. Or it may be that you don't hire us until several months from now. But you're going to hire us at some point.

You're going to hire us because you're going to get sick of your current housecleaner. She's going to start showing up late on a regular basis. She's going to start becoming too close to your family. She's going to start missing the same things over and over again. And she may even just quit showing up one day. That day is coming. And when it does, you'll call us.

So when that day comes, remember these three important points about Two Maids & A Mop.

1. You will not receive the same person each and every time.

This is how we lose the majority of our customers. Everybody wants the same person in their home. Heck, so do we. But the reality is that we can't do it. There are just too many variables for us to overcome. Vacation, sick time, and most importantly, employee turnover. Nobody makes housecleaning a career. And we don't blame any of our employees for leaving. People need to have ambition. How can we get upset with someone that decides to leave our business for a more lucrative business? The fact is that our compensation system is far better than the average cleaning company. But the larger fact is that we can't compete with some businesses. Some businesses are able to trounce our compensation system. And when that happens, we're happy for our former employee. That's what makes our country so great. There's always a way to get ahead. It's up to you to decide how far you want to go in life.

2. You will get sick and tired of our constant need for your input.

Our pay for performance plan works because it gives our employees a reason to care about making you happy. Of course, the only person that knows if you're happy is you. And the only way that we can know if you're happy is to talk to you. Every time. So we're going to contact you after each and every housecleaning. We do this because we care about your opinion. And we do this because your opinion is the only thing that separates us from everybody else. Without your feedback, we're just like everybody else.

3. You will be inundated with countless offers that promise to beat our price and our service.

Your mailbox will have a flyer in it one day. Your doorknob will have one too some day. The reason for all these flyers is because there's a new cleaning business born everyday. A cleaning business is cheap to start. For some, there is no overhead. In other words, the money that you pay them is 100% profit. With no overhead, it's pretty easy to beat our prices. Of course, there's a reason you decided to hire us in the first place. Make sure that you keep remembering that because you will forget it somewhere down the road. You'll forget it because we'll do so many things right. We'll show up on time every time. We'll correct our mistakes when you tell us about them. We'll call you after each cleaning to determine your satisfaction level. We'll do a lot of things that no other cleaning service has ever done for you before. We do all these things because you're our customer. You're not just another attempt to make some easy money. And most importantly, remember this. If it's easy to start, it's just as easy to quit. That's why your last maid quit showing up....

The Independent Contractor Maid Service Company

One of the tricks of our trade is to classify your employees as independent contractors. The reason for this tactic is all about the numbers. At least on the surface.

Let's say that you're an independent contractor for a maid service. That means that the maid service agrees to pay you a set amount of money for work performed. In other words, you'll get paid as if you were your own business. The amount of time or resources dedicated to your work doesn't really matter. You can work one hour or you can work ten hours. In either case, you're getting paid the same amount of money.

Now let's say that you're an employee for a maid service. That means that the maid service agrees to pay you an hourly wage for work performed. Pretty straightforward stuff. You get paid based on the amount of time dedicated to your job.

Ok, trivia question time. Why would a maid service company prefer the independent contractor strategy?

A maid service would prefer the independent contractor strategy because it's much easier to calculate profit margins. For example, the maid service knows that they will be paying someone $50 for a job that earns the company $100. Thereby making the profit margin 50%. The employee model isn't quite as simple.

An employee may get stuck in traffic on the way back to the office. An employee may need to stay a few minutes longer in the home because the customer has a special request. Anything could happen to lengthen the employee's time sheet. This all costs money to the maid service company. Which means that this shrinks profit margins as well.

So what's the big deal? The big deal is that the independent contractor strategy is sometimes a big scam. The company may be employing this method because it can pay its "contractors" less than a fair wage. In some cases, the wage may even be less than minimum wage. This tactic is also very popular because it allows the maid service company to employ illegal aliens. The liability isn't with the company. It's with the independent contractor. Which leads me to yet another example. If there is no liability, what happens when something goes missing? You guessed it. The maid service isn't responsible. The independent contractor is responsible.

Now let me say that not all companies that employ the independent contractor strategy are scam artists. But the reality is that this strategy is easy to manipulate. And it's happening somewhere in your town today. Here's an example of a company getting caught in southern California recently.

Be careful out there. The maid service industry is ripe with bad apples. Just because they call themselves a business doesn't mean that they care about you as a customer.

Florence Johnston

You may remember Florence. She was George and Weezie's housekeeper. She lived in their luxury Upper East Side apartment. Every single day.

Florence cooked. Florence served food. Florence cleaned the dishes. Florence answered the door. And Florence cleaned the house.

Florence became like family. She went shopping with Weezie. She slept in her own bedroom. She invited dates over to the apartment. And she made repeated jokes about George.

Now it's obvious that The Jefferson's was a sitcom. It wasn't real life. Not even close. But it can leave you with one big impression.

You see, George couldn't fire Florence. George couldn't fire her because Florence was too close to the family. She was family. And you can't possibly throw a family member out of the house. That's just not right.

So George was stuck. He was stuck listening to the same jokes day after day. He was stuck waiting on his food. He was stuck answering the door for himself. And he was stuck paying Florence for nothing.

All because she became part of his family. And it can happen to you too.

Your housekeeper is your employee. You are your housekeeper's customer. At some point, human nature takes over. And when it takes over, forget about discipline. Forget about professionalism. Because it's too late.

Your employee is now your friend.

Or, you could just hire a professional cleaning service. Maybe even one called Two Maids & A Mop.

You're always our customer. And it's our job to make you happy. Every time.

Starting Versus Running

Most people think that running a cleaning service is easy. After all, it's just housecleaning. The statement is somewhat true. It is VERY easy to start a cleaning business. All you need is a few fliers and a vacuum and you're in business.

The hard part comes after you open the doors. The even harder part is figuring out how to keep the doors open. The owner of a cleaning service must be multi-talented.

You're an accountant. You're a marketer. You're a personnel director. You're a quality control officer. You're a sales rep. And of course, you're a cleaner too.

Take a look at this list of the top 25 home based businesses.

Cleaning services are right up there with riding schools. And for those of you that don't know, you can open a riding school if you own your own barn, land, and horses.

Be careful out there. There's a new cleaning business being started right now in someone's kitchen. She's making her fliers and she's getting ready to put it on your mailbox.

Just remember my famous quote....if it's so easy to start, then it's just as easy to quit.

More Tips On Hiring A Professional Maid Service

How To Hire A Professional Maid Service

Nothing new in the article, but it is a good primer for anyone out there that is just getting started with their search for a maid service. Read the article, then call us and ask us each one of these questions.

But don't forget about the most important two questions that you should ask your new maid service.

1. How can you prove that you are dependable?
2. How can you prove that you'll make me happy every time?

P.S. Click here for a few more tips on hiring a professional maid service.

Yet Another Reason To Not Hire An Individual Maid

Taken from a recent Dear Annie column.......(Click here for the full article)


Dear Annie: I’ve had the same cleaning lady for over 20 years, with no problems until the last two. Lately, I have been missing jewelry and blouses. My husband couldn’t believe “Corinne” was taking anything until one of his expensive gadgets went missing. We are both in declining health and must have help in the home, as we cannot do it ourselves. I know Corinne is taking advantage of this. She is an excellent worker, but she always carries a large purse and it’s easy to walk out with things. What should I do? I’m afraid if I confront her about these missing items, she will quit. I’ve hidden my expensive jewelry, but even so, things continue to disappear. Any suggestions? — No Name, No State

Dear No Name: It’s possible you are mistaken about the stealing, so first approach Corinne and say, “I can’t seem to locate my pearl earrings. Can you find them for me?” This gives her notice that you are aware things are missing, and it provides an opportunity for her to “discover” them without making accusations. If she doesn’t do so and things continue to disappear, it’s time to find a new cleaning person or hire a cleaning service. We know you are accustomed to Corinne, but apparently, she costs more than you intended to pay.

You know it's time to find a professional cleaner when you can't even confront her about items missing from your home. You've gotten too close and she's gotten too comfortable. You've become a friend rather than a customer.

Of course, think about all the money you're saving by hiring her.........:)

The Customer Application

We've always joked about the idea of forcing customers to apply for our service. Sort of like our employees have to do when they want to work for us. Of course, we've never really applied the concept to our business. But the idea isn't such a bad idea.

Here's what our customer application would like....

1. Have you ever hired a maid service company or personal housekeeper?
2. If so, what was the worst thing about each of your past housekeepers?
3. On a scale from 1-10, how important is it for you to receive the same exact cleaning crew each time?
4. How often will you be able to provide feedback on your housecleaning?
5. Why do you need to hire someone to clean your house?

There are specific reasons for each question. Think of it like a flow chart. Each answer takes you in one of two directions. At the end, you have one final conclusion.

What we're looking for in a customer is someone that has hired a maid before. She has had bad experiences in the past with her housekeeper. She realizes that we will send different people from time to time. She wants to provide feedback on our service. And she needs us because she doesn't have enough time in the day to take care of everything.

That's our perfect customer. That's who we make the happiest. Everybody else dislikes a little something about our company. It could be that they think our rates are too expensive. That's because they've never been burned by an unethical housekeeper in the past. It could be that they really want the same people in their house every time. That's because they're home every day and they critique our work too stringently. It could be that they just want to pay us to clean and then be done with us. That's because they don't really understand why they hired our company in the first place.

The customer application is still a mere joke right now. But the time may come for the joke to become reality. We want to make everybody happy. And we can't make you happy if your idea of happiness is different than our idea.

The Merry Go Round

Imagine if an employee for a clothing store decided to sell lesser priced clothing in the clothing store's parking lot?

Imagine if an employee for a grocery store decided to sell lesser priced food in the grocery store's parking lot?

The answer is obvious. The employee would be fired. And the employee may even be sued or arrested.

That's what happens when a customer of a maid service company decides to hire an employee at a cheaper rate. The employee steals business earned by the employer.

Here's what the employee is thinking....

"Why not just charge this customer a little less than what the maid service is currently charging? I'll make more money, plus the customer will be getting a deal. There's no way that the customer will say no because she loves my work."

Here's what the customer is thinking....

"Why not just hire the employee rather than the company? Her rate will be cheaper and I'll get the same service that I'm currently getting."

And so the deal gets done. Until the former employee gets another job. Or until the former employee gets a higher paying gig. Or until the former employee steals from the customer. Or until the former employee just decides that she wants to sleep in one morning.

It will happen. Nobody cleans forever. They always quit. And if they don't quit, they get used to you. They get used to making the same mistakes over and over again. They get used to eating breakfast with you every time. They get used to taking a break on your couch every time. They get used to you paying them no matter if you're happy or not.

And then you remember why you hired the maid service company in the first place.

And then you hop right back on that merry go round.

Why Not To Hug Your Maid

We hear it all the time. It's one of the main reasons people decide to use our service. It's also one of the main reasons that people decide to stick with their current housecleaner.

Click here to figure out what I'm talking about.

"But what to do? She's been in my family longer than my dog. Longer than my kid, for that matter. She has a key to my house – a sign of trust I haven't even bestowed upon my mother. So firing her is out of the question."

We hear this almost every day. At some point, you are going to have to fire her. Because she's become too friendly to you. And unfortunately, this is business. And in business, productivity is expected because money changes hands.

Of course, it's really not your current housecleaner's fault. She's just getting away with what you allow her to get away with. So here's my suggestion.....

Fire her and never look back. Hire Two Maids & A Mop. Yes, you'll get different people from time to time. But it's the lesser of two evils. Because you won't ever need to discipline one of our employees. This will be business. And our job will be to consistently satisfy your needs. And if we don't, you can fire us too.

Our job is to make you happy. Sure, we wouldn't mind becoming your friend. But our job is to earn your money.

Stop being a friend and start being a customer.

On Firing TwoMaids

We posted an article describing the reasons people fire their maid a few weeks ago. The reasons still hold true. But we get fired for three other reasons.

1. You found someone cheaper.
Most of our customers come to us from other maid services. They come to us because they're sick and tired of the amateur hour. They want someone professional. They want to pay us and be done with it. But something happens along the way. They get used to us. They forget that their other maid canceled all the time. They forget that their other maid showed up late time after time. And they forget that their other maid kept making the same mistakes over and over again.

All you know is that you've been pretty happy for the last 11 or 12 months. If we can do it, so can someone else. You figure that you must have had bad luck with your other maid. So you pick up that flier on the mailbox and you call to schedule service. After all, you're saving $15 per visit. And then we get fired.

2. You're sick and tired of us making mistakes.
But wait a minute. We just said that customers hire us because they're sick and tired of their maid making the same mistakes over and over again. That's still true. That is one of the biggest reasons customers hire us.

But we get fired for this same reason. The reason is because we never hear about the mistakes. Our business is centered around the pay for performance plan. Customer feedback is the backbone of our success. Without it, we're just like any other maid service. And that's what we become when you don't talk to us. We become just another maid service.

So you decide that you're sick of the mistakes. And we're stunned. Because we've tried to talk to you for weeks. But we didn't hear anything. So we assumed that you were happy. Of course, your response is that you didn't want to get anybody in trouble. And the last thing that you wanted to do is cause someone to earn less money.

Feedback is important. Without it, we're just anybody else. So you might as well go ahead and fire us if you don't plan on talking to us about your satisfaction level.

3. You think that we should be cleaning your house better
You're talking to us on a regular basis. And we're documenting every single mistake. But the work that we're performing isn't up to your expectations. In your mind, all these little mistakes are ridiculous. A professional cleaning company shouldn't be making mistakes. After all, professional means better than the average person.

But the reality is that we are not better than you. For the most part, you're going to clean your house better than us. It's a fact. Our employees are paid to clean your house. And they want to make you happy. But you live in your house. Every day, every minute. You're invested in that house. And you care about it a whole lot more than we do. That's human nature.

Accountants know more about taxes than the average person. Attorneys know more about law than the average person. But a professional housecleaner does not clean your home any better than you can clean your home. But that's what you're wanting from your maid. So you decide to keep looking. And then you fire us.

How To Choose A Maid-The Video

Click here to watch a video that describes the four key factors that should be considered when choosing a home cleaning service.

The four points include:

-Ask for referrals
-Ask for an in-home cleaning estimate
-Ask the company to define "clean"
-Ask about employee training

The most important question didn't even get mentioned. The question.....
How do you plan on making me happy on a consistent basis? (Hint:think pay for performance)

Tips On Finding A Great Cleaner

Here's an article that provides you with tips on finding the best cleaning staff for your office.

The article could just as easy have been written for homeowners searching for the right maid. Here's some tidbits.......

"If you visit a bank or other office that's sparkling clean — don't be shy. Ask an employee if they're happy with their cleaners and see if you can get the phone number"
----Ask your neighbors about their maid. A neighbor's recommendation is much more valuable than a big ad in the yellow pages.

"If you suspect one company is a bit more professional and has better equipment but they charge a bit more, you won't regret paying that little extra."
----You get what you pay for.

"What I usually do when things start going bad with cleaners is to hand out anonymous comment forms to employees," she says. "I compile the complaints and send them to the company."
----You value your maid service more when you know that they're listening to you.

We Only Have Five Customers

We'll clean more than 250 homes this week alone. But we really only have five customers. If you're reading this, keep reading and you'll find yourself in one of these descriptions.

The Overworked Customer
You work a lot. You work so much that you don't have time to clean your home. That's why you hired us.

The Retiree
You're retired. Some of you don't want to clean your toilets any longer. Some of you can't clean your toilets any longer. That's why you hired us.

The Wealthy
You're rich. You have the means to hire somebody else to do the dirty work. There's nothing wrong with you. The fact is that you don't want to clean any longer. That's why you hired us.

The Mover
You're either moving in or out of a home. The house is totally empty. And it's a big job. Too big a job for you because you've got all sorts of other things to worry about during your move. That's why you hired us.

The Business
You either own or manage a business. And you need someone to clean your office during the work week and during normal business hours. More than likely, we already clean your home. You like what we do in your home, so you might as well hire us to clean your office.

Knowing who our customers are makes our life a lot simpler. We get to focus on just five types of people everyday. Sure, we could clean your rental condo on the beach. We could clean your bank late at night. We could even clean your carpets if we wanted to.

But we don't want to. We want to focus on just a few things. That gives us the best chance at doing one of those five things right.

I Know What You're Thinking

What nobody wants to say, but what everyone's really thinking......

Click here to see what you're really thinking

A synopsis for those that didn't click......You want a squeaky clean house. You want it cleaned fast. And you want it as cheap as possible. That's what you're thinking.

Don't feel bad. You didn't know any better. You thought that your needs were legitimate. So in an effort to educate you on the realities of the maid service industry, I've put together some required reading for your weekend.

Curl up and learn why you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Required Reading #1

Required Reading #2

Required Reading #3

Required Reading #4

Required Reading #5

The Unreputable Cleaning Company

Carlos Diaz broke the law when he crossed the border and took a job as an office janitor. Click Here For The Rest Of The Story.

The article talks mostly about how many of the country's illegal immigrants have started paying taxes to the IRS. But that's not the important part of the story. No, the important part of the story deals with the fact that so many cleaning companies hire so many bad people.

When you compete in the "I'm Cheaper Than You" world, this is what you get. Because somebody will always be cheaper than you. Now how they get to be cheaper than you is a different story.

A reputable cleaning company has to purchase loads of insurance. A reputable cleaning company has to pay payroll taxes. A reputable cleaning company has to provide workers' compensation. A reputable cleaning company has to pay city, county, state, and federal taxes. The bottom line is that a reputable cleaning company has to pay a lot more than an unreputable cleaning company.

But many people don't care. Because the name of the game is money. And if you're cheaper than the reputable cleaning company, so be it. After all, it's just cleaning. Anybody can do it.

And anybody does do it. Convicted felons. Illegal immigrants. Fugitives on the run. All because they know that somebody will hire them. Somebody will hire them because they'll work for nothing. And that's exactly what is needed. Because to get new business, an unreputable cleaning company has got to be cheaper than everybody else.

The fact is that you can never be sure. Look at yesterday's horrible shootings on the Virginia Tech campus. Virginia Tech is a great school. They don't just let anybody in. So I'm assuming that this murderer had proven that he was intelligent enough to handle the stresses of campus life. But yesterday proved otherwise.

Cleaning companies are in the same boat. We conduct nationwide criminal background checks on all of our employees. We interview each one before they're hired. And we send them out with one of our training managers to determine if they are suitable for our workplace. But they are strangers to us. But we do know their history. And history tends to repeat itself. But our system isn't yet perfect. People with clean backgrounds can still do some crazy stuff.

But it's a lot closer to perfect than just hiring anybody that will work. And that's what many unreputable cleaning companies are doing right now. They're hiring for one reason. Because the person will work for nothing.

The moral of this story..........

Don't just pick your next maid because she's cheap. Don't say no to her because she's cheap either. Ask her questions. Conduct reference checks. Perform a background check. Basically, do what every other reputable cleaning company does. Make sure that the stranger you are hiring has not done strange things in the past.

The Minivan And The Maid

You were rich if you hired a maid twenty years ago. Maids were considered luxuries. In the same class as a Roll Royce. A status symbol.

Today, you need to hire a maid because most of you are just too busy to clean your house. You've got loads of work in front of you. You've got activities planed with your kids in front of you. And the weekend has become more about work than pleasure. So the thought of spending 2-3 hours cleaning house every week has taken a back seat to all of your other obligations. Today, your maid is in the same class as a minivan. A necessary evil.

The minivan is a ubiquitous symbol today. You own one if you have a family. You need one if you have a family. The minivan's biggest attribute is that it provides you with enough space to fit everybody and everything in it. But the minivan has changed over the last few years. You can get TV monitors attached to the backs of seats. You can get DVD players controlled by a remote control. You can get a big engine. You can even get reading lamps if you want them. All for a price of course.

So you buy a minivan because you need the extra space. But you pick the minivan because of all sorts of other things. Think about your maid for a while.

You hired a maid because you need your house cleaned. But why did you really hire your maid?

Rates are an important topic. In fact, that's all most people even care about when they call us for help. That's their first question. The funny thing is that consumers thought this same way about minivans not too long ago. And the only reason consumers think differently today is because the minivan industry started offering alternatives.

That's what Two Maids & A Mop is. We're an alternative right now. Our pay for performance plan speaks for itself. At some point, the maid service industry may wake up and realize that being the alternative works. But until we become standard, we'll keep winning.

Thank goodness that the maid service industry is slower than the minivan industry. It makes me look smart.

Guts Are Ugly

There's only two reasons. And they're both pretty straightforward.

1. You become a maid because you enjoy the challenge of housecleaning.
2. You become a maid because you need a job.

Reason #1 happens. There a select few people out there that really enjoy cleaning for a living. Cleaning isn't degrading to them. Cleaning isn't mundane to them. Cleaning is rewarding. Cleaning is fun. And it doesn't hurt that cleaning produces money to boot. If you find someone that enjoys the art of cleaning, pay them whatever they ask. Because you've found a needle in a haystack.

Reason #2 happens too. It happens often. It happens so often because cleaning doesn't require an education or specialized skill. And it happens because getting a cleaning job isn't that difficult. Don't believe me? Here's your challenge....

Pick up your area yellow pages directory. Call all the cleaning companies in the directory and ask them if they're hiring. They're hiring. And they're hiring today. Because somebody in their company quit today. And because they know that somebody is going to quit next week.

Turnover is rampant in our industry. Two Maids & A Mop is no different. We have employee turnover just like the everybody else. And yes, we're hiring today in all three locations. And we'll be hiring next week too. That's the nature of our business. That's the facts of our business. People quit. People quit because cleaning isn't a career. It's a one-way street. And one-way streets all lead to the same place.

If I were you, I'd search for that elusive cleaner who loves to clean. But the problem is that she has her limits. One problem is that she's hard to find. But the bigger problem is that she's already been found. And she's booked solid.

So you're probably stuck with us. But we're not all that bad. We show up on-time every time. We let you determine our employees' paycheck. We communicate with you every step of the way. And we do a pretty good job of cleaning too.

Yes, most of our employees work here because they need a job. Yes, we lose employees from time to time. And yes, the guts of our business aren't all that pretty.

But guts are supposed to be ugly.

So stop thinking about our ugly guts and start thinking about our pretty face. Because that's what you'll be seeing when you hire us. Ugly guts with a pretty face.

The Faceless Face

He's cutting your grass right now. He's picking up your garbage right now. And she's vacuuming your floor right now. You see the same faces all the time. But you don't recognize any of them. Because they're faceless.

They're faceless because their work is mundane. It's simple. So simple that anybody can do it. And that's who's doing the work for you right now. Anybody. Anyone.

Anyone - that is - that charges you the lowest price. Because you may not recognize their face, but you most certainly recognize their cost.

At Two Maids & A Mop, we could do the same thing. We could hire faceless people. Pay'em nothing. Replace them as soon as they leave. Then replace them with another faceless person. And it would work. Because it works everyday all over this country.

It works because you let it work. You accept the beer breath from your faceless lawn guy. You accept tardiness from your faceless cleaner. You accept all these things because their benefit outweighs their cost.

Your benefit is money. You save money by hiring faceless people. That's why most cleaning companies hire faceless people. Because they're cheap. And it saves them money.

But what happens when you realize that your benefit isn't really saving you money? Then you call us. Because you're sick and tired of the same, old song and dance. Because our employees aren't faceless. They get paid based on your feedback. Your satisfaction directly determines their paycheck. And that makes you pretty darn important.

Hiring someone to do something that anyone can do seems simple. Logic tells you that you shouldn't have to pay a premium for a service that is mundane. But you're forgetting one important thing.

If the job is so simple that anyone can do it.......then anyone will do it.

The Endless Cycle Of The Frustrated Customer

Musings from around the internet.....

Question. Do I have to pay for bad cleaning service?
I hired a woman to clean my house and old apartment. She said she would bring cleaning supplies and wanted about $65 for the house and $40 for the apartment. The day she was to clean the house she was late, then did not do much of anything. The floors were covered with dirt and bathrooms untouched. The best I can tell is she wiped a couple counters and windows. The next day I was scheduled to meet her at the apartment at 9am, she called at 10:30am and said she would be late, so 11am, then at 11:30 am after waiting now 2.5 hours I said forget it. She called and harassed my babysitter and now threatens small claims court because I would only pay her $30. Do I have to pay her anything?

Answer. I would say pay her the $65 for the time she was there, since you did make another appointment with her. The second time, its her fault, so you don't owe her crap for that.


Q. I want to take a cleaning company to small claims for bad service. What would be the process?
The company is located in Brandon/Valrico, Florida. They came out to clean 3 times and all 3 services were unsatisfactory. The third cleaning was with a new Maid. They were suppose to come to do a free clean and that person never showed. I asked for my money for just the last clean and they did not want to refund it, now I want for all 3 cleanings. Please let me know where I have to go and what the process is?

A. Go to the local courthouse and file the claim. It is usually $25 bucks. You can sue them for that too.

These questions were taken from a simple Yahoo search. I'd imagine that there's plenty more out there. What this tells me is that people still don't get it.

You're asking the wrong questions. Call the least professional cleaning company in the world and you'll get the same answers from the most professional cleaning company in the world. The reason is simple. You only have three questions.

- How much do you charge?
- How do you clean?
- Are you licensed, bonded, and insured?

Start asking these questions.........

- How can you guarantee me that you'll be on-time every time?
- How can you guarantee me that I'll be satisfied every time?

That's the only two questions you need to ask. Because we all clean the same way. Because we all are licensed, bonded, and insured. And because the only thing that separates us is price and customer service.

Pick your poison.

Same Story Over And Over Again

Heard last Friday at an in-home estimate....."I'll pay whatever you're charging if you can just show up on time". (From someone that had been using the same cleaning service for two years)

Heard last Friday over the phone....."Please help me. I hired a cleaning service for a party this weekend and they still haven't shown up". (From someone that had only hired one cleaning service in her life)

Heard last Monday at an in-home estimate....."We fired our maid because she started showing up later and later." (From someone that had the same maid for 10 years)

And then this was heard at an in-home estimate last Friday....."I'm not paying that much just to get my house cleaned. I can get my house cleaned for a lot less than that anyway." (From someone that had never hired a cleaning service before)

Hiring a housecleaning service has little to do with housecleaning.

It Won't Happen To You

It probably won't happen to you. Or anybody that you know for that matter. But paying someone under the table is illegal. It's called tax evasion. And it can be a serious offense if you're found guilty.

But instead of thinking about it that way, think about it this way. What happens when you pay someone under the table? Here's what happens.

First off, your money goes directly into their pocket. It's not used to support our ever-growing government. So think about your social security. Think about your payroll taxes. Think about your father's disability benefits. Think about your cousin's medicare benefits. Everything gets knocked out of balance. Your future social security benefits are funded by you. Every employee pays a tax toward the social security fund. When your maid gets paid under the table, you stick it someone's grandchild twenty years from now. Because the social security fund is supposed to shrink to zero in about twenty years. All other taxes work the same. Your taxes are put into a pot. That pot pays out the benefits. Yes, you're only one person. But think about this. A 2000 study determined that the U.S. government was missing about $355 billion dollars due to payments received under the table.

Second, your money is never reported as income. So your maid gets a break when income taxes roll around. Is that fair to you? You have to pay taxes on every dollar that you earn. Why shouldn't everyone else play by the same rules.

Third, your maid is unethical. She's robbing the government. So what makes you think that she won't rob you? Think about it. What if you discovered that your maid stole a soda from the local convenience store? You'd fire her. Because you wouldn't trust her. And a soda is less than a buck. When you pay her under the table, she's stealing way more than a buck. And yes, she's stealing from you. Indirectly.

Finally, she's robbing you blind anyway. She gets to piggyback on our shoulders and charge you just under our rates. That way, she gets to look good because she's cheaper. And she also gets to make a killing. Because your money is all profit. There are no expenses. Just labor. But we charge our rates for a reason. We charge what we charge because we have to pay taxes. We have to buy supplies. We have to buy insurance. We have to pay our employees fairly. We have to do all these things in order to be legal.

Look, I'm not perfect. Everybody is guilty of this at some point in their lives. But under the table workers create a big problem. What may seem like savings may actually end up costing you more money down the road. Because the lost tax revenue has to come from somewhere. And guess who that person is?

YOU. Not your maid.

Click here to learn how to follow the rules