"Sandy Sez" - FAQs |
Hi, I’m Sandy Robinson, chief cook and bottle washer as my granny used to say. Really, I’m the head of the field management and quality assurance department. I’ve been with John and Elaine since 1996 and I have seen and experienced just about anything this business can throw my way. Knock on wood! While cleaning houses sounds easy at times, I know that every home is like a fingerprint…it is unique. Your concerns and desires are what we key on in meeting your expectations. I have written a few articles over the years for our quarterly newsletter, “At Home.” We have broken out some topics below that may interest you. However, if you ever have a question at any time, please give me a call at 419-0021 or drop me an email ( ). I will be more than happy to answer it for you, or find someone who can. Take care and thanks. |
QuestionsQ: Shower mold and mildew keep coming back in my shower. Why can’t you get rid of it?Q: How do I clean water spots off my shower door? Q: Can I use a disinfectant on my kitchen countertops? Q: How do I thoroughly clean a self-cleaning oven? Q: Do you have any suggestions on how to live with cats and allergies? Q: What is your policy on holiday tipping? Q: How do I get my appreciation gift to my regular team? Q: What is your policy on damage? Q: How do you clean wood floors? Q: Should I leave notes for special instructions to my team? Q: Why won’t you empty my trash compactor? Q: What is your Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning system all about? Q: Do you have any Indoor Air Quality Tips? Q: Is there any way to cut down on soap scum? Q: What are those things you wear over your shoes? Q: But won’t these black shoe covers mark up my floors? Q: How is your Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning System good for my children? Q: How does your Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning System help us with flu and virus protection? Frequently Asked Questions AnswersQ: Shower mold and mildew keep coming back in my shower. Why can’t you get rid of it?A: As much as we wish we could, we cannot prevent existing mold and mildew from coming back between cleans if it has grown into the caulk or grout. While we can remove the mildew on the surface, it will quickly grow back. The only real solution may be to remove and replace the caulk or grout. On the good news side, there are some things you can to prevent mildew. The easiest thing is to open the shower door after your shower and let it air out. The best thing is to take the time to remove excess water off the walls and floor with a squeegee. It takes a minute but it is so very effective. Another step could be to mist down the shower with a neutral disinfectant. If you call us, we will provide a bottle for you at no charge. A:Wiping down shower doors with a small amount of lemon oil on a regular basis will prevent spotting. When water spots form from being left for long periods of time, they require an acid base cleaner to be removed. We do not use such cleaners as we find they are unsafe to use and can cause costly damage. Q: Can I use a disinfectant on my kitchen countertops? A: Never use disinfectant on a countertop used for food preparation. Residue can leech into food and then be ingested. Q: How do I thoroughly clean a self-cleaning oven? A: Self-cleaning ovens are very efficient for cleaning the oven chamber. Spills are turned to a powdery substance that can then be wiped away with a soft cloth. They do not however clean the sides of the oven door or the door gasket. Use a very mild abrasive cleaner for the door. Do not scrub the door gasket. Instead, use a wet, slightly soapy sponge to clean the gasket. Q: Do you have any suggestions on how to live with cats and allergies? A: If you have allergies to cats and have cats, here are some quick tips for minimizing cat dander, the microscopic flakes of dried saliva on cats' skin which causes allergies. Cajole a non-allergic housemate or friend to brush the cat daily and bathe him weekly. (This tip really makes my day, I need humor like this all the time). Ask your veterinarian about a spray for Kitty's coat that will minimize dander. Replace curtains and drapes with solid blinds, carpeting and rugs with hardwood floors or tile. Vacuum regularly with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a Hepa-level filter. Invest in an air purification appliance. Wipe down walls and flat surfaces regularly. Keep your bedroom off-limits to the feline brigade. Ask your allergist about making a serum from a sample of your cat's hair. If you don't yet have a cat, consider a shorthair over longhair. They tend to have less dander. Q: What is your policy on holiday tipping? A: First, I want to assure you that tipping is never expected, encouraged or solicited. Our teams are trained to understand this company policy. If you wish to show your team your appreciation, please let your heart be your guide. If you wish to show your team your appreciation, please let your heart be your guide. Some customers leave home-baked items, personal gifts or money. If you call the office, we can put monetary gifts on your credit card if you wish. I will say though that the best way to show your appreciation all year is to send in those customer comment cards. They can receive up to $600 per year from their excellent ratings. Q: How do I get my appreciation gift to my regular team? A: It is true that during the holidays, another team may clean your home. You can identify the gift for your regular team and I assure you they will receive it. Or call the office.
Q: How do you clean wood floors? A: We hear this question a lot so I thought I would explain our standard procedures. These procedures pertain to kitchen floors which are always cleaned on hands and knees and to wood floors you are paying to be cleaned other than vacuuming. Unfinished floors: We use Murphy's Oil Soap and do not leave excess water on the floor. Finished floors:Most finishes are polyurethane. Most builders recommend Bona-X. We use Zep, which is basically the same thing, but without ammonia, which is not a healthy cleaning chemical. From our years of experience, we think Zep does a better job. We dampen the Shmop, wringing out excess water and then spray the Zep onto the Shmop. We are here to please so if you want us to use your product, we certainly will. Q: Should I leave notes for special instructions to my team? A: You can; however, while most of our team leaders are conversant in English, they do not necessarily read well, especially some of our English idioms. We ask that you call the office with any special needs you want to communicate. We will gladly translate them for you. Also, if they are in your home, we have Nextel radios so you can talk to the office in “real time” and we can translate your desires directly to the team. After 10 years of experience, I can tell you that English is a tough language to understand, and I’m just talking about me! Q: Why won’t you empty my trash compactor? A: Experience again has taught us that not all compactors are alike and that our teams do not always understand how to safely unload and load them. It has been a costly experience, but I hope you understand how easy it is to damage the compactors, especially when they become older and more used. If you remove the compactor bag, we certainly will remove the bag from the house. Keep in mind our ladies may not be able to lift a heavy bag, so if it is a large trash bag, you may need you to put it in two bags, or keep it light.
Q: Do you have any Indoor Air Quality Tips? A:Here are some tips I learned at my certification class. Some are easy, some are hard to do, and I left out the ridiculous ones. Keep walkways and porches clean. Since 87% of dirt comes in through the doors, use entry mats inside and outside the door. Reduce the wear of outdoor shoes inside the house-use slippers or socks instead. Use quality vacuum equipment as good as what we use that can trap particles down to 1-2 microns. Normal paper vacuum bags are only good to 7 microns. Vacuum more often, or pay us to come more often. (Sorry, couldn't resist the temptation!) Use high efficiency filters in your heating and cooling system. Clean carpets semi-annually. We recommend the first clean be a steam extraction, and the rest can be with a low-moisture, maintenance cleaning system. Wash bed linens weekly in 130-degree hot water to kill dust mites. We do offer mattress vacuuming. Q: Is there any way to cut down on soap scum? A: Great question and we have good news! Some advances in science are good for home cleaning and I want to share with you something we have found out the past few years. If you use liquid soap, you won’t have soap scum. Can you really believe it is that simple? Just put a little of the soap on a wash cloth or better yet a “pouf,” a nylon mesh wash cloth, and that’s it. That’s why we see fewer groceries stores shelves with soap bars! Q: What are those things you wear over your shoes? A: Many of you know that part of our Healthy Cleaning system is that we wear shoe covers in the home to keep from tracking dirt, dust and pollutants into your home from the outside. Initially, we wore the disposable kind like they wear in hospitals. A good idea but for some reason, it did not work for us. Our workers comp claims for slips and falls skyrocketed with one of our employees requiring knee surgery and missing work for over a year. To fix this, we tried covers of many kinds. None worked well enough for the safety of our employees. Finally, we found “Shoes for Crews” who back up their product with a $5000 guarantee to pay for the accident if it is caused by a slip while wearing their shoes. We selected the slip-on shoe covers so we could maintain our Healthy Touch system. That is, we only wear them in the house and we clean and disinfect them regularly. Q: But won’t these black shoe covers mark up my floors? A: I understand the concern, but I can guarantee you that they will not harm your house in any way while keeping us safer. Thank you for your understanding. Q: How is your Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning System good for my children? A: Kids love getting into every nook and cranny, every niche and corner of your home. Unfortunately, that’s also where dust, dirt and allergens collect. Thank goodness you use The Maids Home Services, the most thorough and healthiest cleaner in town. Our patented Back Pack Vacs extend to clean deep under beds and other furniture. They’ll lift the dust and dirt off your baseboards, out of your registers and vents and up out of your carpets. In fact, our Vacs can actually capture up to 99% of all dust, allergens, bacteria, pet dander, pollen and other pollutants. Little ones spend a lot of time on hands and knees in kitchens and bathrooms, that’s why we clean those floors–on hands and knees. It’s the best way to do it thoroughly. In your bathrooms, we use brushes to help remove mold, mildew and stubborn soap residue. We use disinfectants to keep mold and mildew away. We disinfect and remove fingerprints from your light switch plates, doorknobs and telephone receivers.  Q:
How does your Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning System help us with flu
and virus protection?A: If you are armed with regular cleanings from The Maids, you’ve got a defense against common winter ailments. The Maids Home Services 22-Step Healthy Touch® Deep Cleaning System is guaranteed to make your home cleaner and healthier – from your kitchen to your bedroom. It isn’t only what we clean, but how we clean that gives your home the healthiest, most thorough cleaning. By cleaning your kitchen and bathroom floors on hands and knees, we do a much better job on grease, germs and bacteria. Besides cleaning all kitchen cabinet, appliance and counter surfaces, we also use special brushes to clean out the little crevices where germs and bacteria gather. In the bathroom, we use a grout brush to remove mold, mildew and stubborn soap residue so unhealthy spores are eradicated. We disinfect all bathroom surfaces. We even brush clean the toilet seat hinges every visit to be sure bacteria and hidden germs are eliminated. We clean and disinfect phone receivers, light switch plates and door knobs which is a great way to stop the spread of germs. And of course, all team members are fully trained to ensure that you receive only the highest quality clean possible. We know that “Nobody Outcleans The Maids. ®” Thank you for allowing me to serve you---Sandy |
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