HONEST MAIDS TEAMWORK REFERENCES
If you are reading this list is probably because you already saw our House Cleaning Order Video and Training Images. Welcome to your Honest Maids “At-Home” Cleaning Reference Page. Please refer to this page at least once every other month and check for changes marked in red. This page will serve as training reinforcement about what is acceptable behavior when in the visible presence of a client or when you are in absence of a Team Lead or Client on site.
General:
1. What if I am going to be late?
2. What if my team member is late?
3. Is it ok to wear my own t-shirts? What kind of clothes is acceptable?
4. Why does our schedule sometimes change last minute?
5. What areas do we serve?
6. How much in advance do we need to advise of personal time off?
7. Are the clients we go to, specifically the recurring ones, our personal clients?
8. Is it ok to make friends with clients?
9. Can I let myself in to a home when a client is home?
10. What should I do if I break something?
11. What if a client wants to add services on site last minute?
12. Can I personally give a quote if I am not a Team Lead or Supervisor?
13. Does my family and friends receive a discount? Do I?
14. Do we receive or can we expect mileage or gas reimbursement?
15. What should I do if I am having personal issues with a situation or person/client?
Kitchen/Dining:
1. Do we have to always wash dishes or put them away?
2. What if an appliance/area is moldy or infested with worms or other contaminants?
3. Do we run “Self-Cleaning” on appliances that have this feature?
4. Do we move the appliances apart from wall to clean behind them? Underneath them?
5. Do I need to clean the interior cabinets each time? What about the top of cabinets?
6. Do I need to clean the rail in the kitchen windows or sliding door to outside?
7. Generally speaking, about how much time should a kitchen and Dining room areas take to complete a detail cleaning?
Bathrooms/Laundry Room:
1. What should be the first thing I prep before anything else is done?
2. Do I clean the inside of the Medicine Cabinet?
3. What do I do with clothes or other private personal objects in work area?
4. Do I need to clean the cabinets’ inside at bottom of sink?
5. What is the general order of things done in a bathroom?
6. What do clean in laundry rooms?
Living/Bedrooms:
1. If I am cleaning bedrooms and living room or other living areas like halls and or loft – what do I clean first?
2. Do I need to fold or put away clothes? What if clothes is in my work area?
3. Do I need to make the beds?
4. Do I need to clean walk in closets?
5. Do I need to vacuum or clean floors even if no one else is done yet or area overlaps another area being done by a teammate?
Walls/Decorations/Fixtures:
1. Do I clean wall mounted lights or devices such as plug outlets, switches, light bulbs?
2. Do I need to dust/wipe any decorative items mounted on walls or in shelves?
3. Do I need to wipe entire walls?
4. Do I clean baseboards and crown molding?
5. What if there is a stain in the ceiling, like a splash?
6. Do I need to clean fans and or fan blades?
6. What if I break something?
Dos and Don’ts of Every Job
Please DO
Look professional
Be courteous to clients and teammates
Behave as if you are being watched
Remember cleaning for a client is not same as cleaning for yourself
Remember that we offer completed packages not hourly
Always prepare your supplies ahead at end of each work day
Report any wrongdoing or accidents to leadership, report to leadership before reporting to client
Remember to take breaks and stay hydrated and well fed
Remember that safety is your first priority. Your safety tops anything else.
Always be grateful and thank clients for welcoming us into their home before and after every job and before leaving clients’ premises
Be respectful of others, their thoughts, beliefs, and property
Be Honest
Take your time
Ask questions, A lot of questions
Keep open communication with everyone
Remember to keep a smile it makes our work seem easier and promotes yourself as friendly to others
REMEMBER THAT OUR GOAL IS TO DELIGHT OUR CUSTOMERS
Please DON’T
Show up to work late
See yourself as working alone
Show present yourself in an unprofessional manner
Share personal, political or religious experiences, thoughts or ideas with clients or teammates.
Assume is ok to do or not do certain items in an area. If you are unsure ask Team Lead
Rearrange clients’ personal items or decorate their spaces
Take anything from a client’s home that isn’t yours
When carpooling please don’t litter each other cars, do be respectful
Judge
Rush
Assume
Raise your voice
Take feedback personally
Take risks
Stay to yourself
DO REMEMBER THAT OUR GOAL IS TO DELIGHT OUR CUSTOMERS
General:
1. What if I am going to be late?
If you are going to be late to a job please contact customer directly first through phone call if possible and safe to do so, immediately following make let Team Lead and or other leadership role know that you are going to be late.
2. What if my team member is late?
If you know that your teammate will be late to a job and you are already on site please do contact Team Lead and notify, proceed to advise customer that fellow teammate(s) will be arriving shortly and ask if customer would like you to begin, reschedule or wait.
3. Is it ok to wear my own t-shirts? What kind of clothes is acceptable?
It is ok to wear your own t-shirts from time to time. Honest Maids tries to provide t-shirts to employees and some contractors who wish to wear our shirts instead of their own. If you need additional shirts from the ones provided to you by Management you can request additional. If we have any available we will provide or you we can order more at a discounted price. We don’t have uniform to respect comfort levels of each individual but skirts, short shorts, sandals or dress shoes of any kind are not allowed during working labor hours. Transparent items of any kinds are prohibited and any outfit that is too revealing or see-through.*
4. Why does our schedule sometimes change last minute?
As a small business we do not have the luxury to reject calls if they are outside of normal business hours, sometimes a job is added later in the evening, it is your individual responsibility to check schedule each night and recommended each early morning. During the workday, sometimes clients call last minute to reschedule or cancel at their convenience.
5. What areas do we serve?
Our primary market is the “West Valley” this includes but is not limited to: Avondale, Buckeye, Laveen, Tolleson, Litchfield, Glendale, Estrella Park, Deer Valley, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Ahwatukee, Sun City, Phoenix. Occasionally we service homes in Chandler, Tempe, and Mesa.
6. How much in advance do we need to advise of personal time off?
We know that things happen, we prioritize family, our contractors always have the opportunity to reject calls as offered a day prior. Employees are encouraged to provide Management with at least 4 days advance notice of the days/time that you will be missing from work. There is no time to make up.*
7. Are the clients we go to, specifically the recurring ones, our personal clients?
No. All the clients that are provided by Honest Maids whether is for employees or contractors are acquired by Honest Maids, LLC and do not automatically transfer rights to contractors or employees. For Contractors, the jobs provided are simply an opportunity to fill their own schedules, create their own sense of job security and source of income without having to source the jobs or equipment themselves.*
8. Is it ok to make friends with clients?
Of course, remember to always be professional though. Don’t interpret kindness for friendliness and pressure for relationships. Be friendly always and professional above anything else.
9. Can I let myself into a home without knocking or checking first even if the house is empty?
No. Even for recurring homes please always ring doorbell, knock on door or otherwise notify client that you have arrived and ask for permission to step into their home.
10. What should I do if I break something?
Please clean up first. Put items aside. Notify Team Lead – Continue your work, upon completion of the entire scope of work, if client is in premises notify customer, apologize, and refer customer to call Management if they wish to have item replaced or ask for discount.
11. What if a client wants to add services on site last minute?
Please refer those questions to Team Lead, if you are the Team Lead and are unsure of whether to accept added work please advise client to call Management or have Management call client. Team Lead, use general good sense to negotiate this request- if request won’t add more than 5 minutes per person to complete and significantly affect the pre-ordered work to be done you can feel free to accept work and complete as part of the original work order as long as it does not put you or anyone else in danger, put you or anyone else in a position to do something that is against Honest Maids core values or policies.
12. Can I personally give a quote if I am not a Team Lead or Supervisor?
We would prefer that you leave the bidding to Team Lead or Management. If you have a potential client interested please hand them your Honest Maids business card and ask for them to contact Honest Maids and offer them a 5-10% discount for doing so that same day of inquiry.
13. Does my family and friends receive a discount? Do I?
Of course! Feel free to share the love, be proud of what you do and who you do it with and help your family and friends. As employee you do get 50% discount for your own home, if you wish for us to schedule a team for your home just let us know.
14. Do we receive or can we expect mileage or gas reimbursement?
Contractors do not receive any reimbursement for their services. Honest Maids already provides certain resources to enable new contractors the ability to start contracting without any prior knowledge, experience, and tools. Anything else such as vehicle expenses, gas, mileage, food, etc are not covered by Honest Maids unless individually mutually accepted. As employee we do try to compensate as possible for your additional expenses that come out of emergency situations or that are needed to complete a job. We don’t offer mileage or gas reimbursement for everyone as base package but if you feel that you are accruing out of the ordinary expenses due to travel let us know and we can discuss.*
15. What should I do if I am having personal issues with a situation or person/client?
Please let your Team Lead know and or Management, together we can discuss how to proceed.
Kitchen/Dining:
1. Do we have to always wash dishes or put them away?
You should try to not touch anything that comes in direct contact with food, dishes included. We also don’t offer washing dishes by hand as base package but in the case that a client requests that please ask them to give Management or Team Lead a call.
2. What if an appliance/area is moldy or infested with worms or other contaminants?
Please do not touch it or try to breathe it. Notify Management or Team Lead we will notify client and together decide how to proceed.
3. Do we run “Self-Cleaning” on appliances that have this feature?
No. Sometimes these features are released into products for marketing purposes only and do not provide the quality that is expected and can jeopardize your work if you rely on that being completed by the appliance feature. In ovens, the self-cleaning feature raises the temperature and that’s how it ‘cleans’ which can sometimes actually damage the unit itself.
4. Do we move the appliances apart from wall to clean behind them? Underneath them?
It is not required, but if you feel is necessary please ask for help from another teammate. We do try to clean the bottom and sides of the appliances including the refrigerator. Be watchful of laundry rooms where lint collects behind doors, behind the units and remember to empty the lint tray collector of the dryers.
5. Do I need to clean the interior cabinets each time? What about the top of cabinets?
Not unless is requested by client and or assigned by Management and or is move out or move in cleaning. Do remember to open the cabinet doors and at a minimum clean the edges of the doors immediately on the frame.
6. Do I need to clean the rail in the kitchen windows or sliding door to outside?
Yes, try to clean as much as possible. Think of the clients’ daily routine. As they use their kitchen some like to look out the window and would enjoy having those rails/crevices cleaned as well. Let’s do our best each time.
7. Generally speaking, about how much time should a kitchen and Dining room areas take to complete a detail cleaning?
A kitchen can vary in time, as you know we try to send as many available to each job in which case you take more time on certain areas like the kitchen.
Bathrooms/Laundry Room:
1. What should be the first thing I prep before anything else is done?
It depends, generally anything requires one of our cleaning liquids to ‘sit’ for a few minutes should be done first such as shower heads, bath/tub/shower floor as well to facilitate scrubbing when you get to it.
2. Do I clean the inside of the Medicine Cabinet?
Not necessarily, please do always at a minimum open the mirror door and clean the shelving space immediately available without having to move everything or handle clients’ personal/medicinal items.
3. What do I do with clothes or other private personal objects in work area?
We don’t offer this as base service, please try to not handle personal garments or any clothes if possible. Ask client to move or put away the clean clothes so that you can clean entirely that area. If you have to move the clothes yourself move them to another visible location such as the bed after bed has been made or a chair- specially if the clothes is in the floor. Ask/Notify client.
4. Do I need to clean the cabinets’ inside at bottom of sink?
Always do check them, specially for move out and move in jobs. Underneath the sinks sometimes get ignored by everyone, remember that our clients invite us over because of how detailed we try to be which enables a great experience.
5. What is the general order of things done in a bathroom?
As trained, anything that needs to ‘sit’ to soak should be done first. Floors should always be last, while all air and return vents in ceiling and other higher wall items should be cleaned first to drop dust,lint and spider webs onto the floor should be done first.
6. What do clean in laundry rooms?
When it comes to the washer please open the door and wipe the surfaces, not the drums, and any build that is visible. On dryers, please do the same as well as empty the lint tray. Check for lint or build up behind or around the appliances, behind doors and any shelving. We do not remove or transfer clothing.
Living/Bedrooms:
1. If I am cleaning bedrooms and living room or other living areas like halls and or loft – what do I clean first?
Base your effort on good judgment, ask a Team Lead if unsure but generally speaking it would ok to start work with any dedicated areas like bedrooms, living rooms and avoid cleaning common or walkway areas first because others can be walking pass back and forth after you clean it forcing you to clean it again later.
2. Do I need to fold or put away clothes? What if clothes is in my work area?
We don’t offer this as base service, please try to not handle personal garments or any clothes if possible. Ask client to move or put away the clean clothes so that you can clean entirely that area. Refer to this question/answer for more information.
3. Do I need to make the beds?
Yes
4. Do I need to clean walk in closets?
Always check them, vacuum them at a minimum if needed. Use your good judgement and clean what is needed.
5. Do I need to vacuum or clean floors even if no one else is done yet or area overlaps another area being done by a teammate?
No, please always coordinate your work with everyone else around you and remember that floors are generally always the last item to be completed in each job.
Walls/Decorations/Fixtures:
1. Do I clean wall mounted lights or devices such as plug outlets, switches, light bulbs?
Yes
2. Do I need to dust/wipe any decorative items mounted on walls or in shelves?
Yes, but please always be careful with decorative items that can fall or be damaged if wiped with moist/wet cloths or moved while dusting.
3. Do I need to wipe entire walls?
No but always remember to spot check every wall and surface of the area in which you currently are.
4. Do I clean baseboards and crown molding?
Yes, always dust/wipe them as needed do not use sponges to scrub because it can remove the paint or scratch the paint. Use our general purpose cleaner and a damped towel if you need to remove a stain.
5. What if there is a stain in the ceiling, like a splash?
Use your judgement, ask for help and if it cannot be cleaned due to safety or other reason notify the client of acknowledgement and that it wasn’t cleaned or cleaned as thoroughly as hoped for.
6. Do I need to clean fans and or fan blades?
Yes, always be mindful that fans must remain balanced as you clean hold the center motor unit to hold fan in place with one hand while you wipe, clean or dust the opposite side of a fan blade.
6. What if I break something?
We cover this subject here.
As a team, we are all trying to make Honest Maids a trustworthy brand that promotes friendliness, customer satisfaction, health and enjoyment above anything else. Our work does not revolve around cleaning but it does revolve around offering an experience of delight to each of our clients.
We believe that before Honest Maids, those that have needed home cleaning as a service have been the ones who have needed it the most but have been priced out. We are helping busy families, commuters, parents, businessmen and women who seek to make positive changes in their lives. Our goal is to encourage those lifestyle changes through a delightful affordable and valuable experience each time.
*Honest Maids takes pride in the collaborative effort we put forth with contractors and employees alike treating everyone with respect and allowing for development knowledge as well as opportunities on a situational case by case basis. All contractors who join us do so understanding that they are contractors, that they can terminate their partnership with Honest Maids at any moment, receive help, resources to facilitate their own work completion but that by no means do these opportunities and resources bind either party to be responsible for one another. Open communication is encouraged.
