gareth.sanders, Author at Sparkle Cleaning, Bristol

Within the cleaning industry, the 30th June – 1st of July is a big day, it’s student clean day!

From 9 am on the 30th June to 9 am on the 1st July a cleaning team has to work in partnership with the letting agent to check out all the tenants, do an audit of the property, the cleaning team has to then go in do a full clean including all appliances, get it checked once again by the letting agent ready for the new tenants to move in.

If the cleaning company aren’t organised and methodical it can go very wrong very quickly and if you fall behind in the first few hours it can be a disaster.

During the 24 hours between 30th June 2021 and 1st July 2021 Sparkle Cleaning completed cleans on 35, 4-bed properties including all appliances using a small team of only 4 people, usually a cleaning company will staff a lot higher however while planning in the weeks before and having additional staff on hand just in case we decided that this was all we needed.

We came to this decision because of the simple rules of teams, many successful companies have rules of only working in small teams, Steve Jobs, for example, had a 2 pizza rule, if 2 pizzas couldn’t feed everyone on a team then the team was too large.

There was always the possibility that it would go wrong but we had fallbacks in place. We had time and standard checks throughout the 24 hours, if at any point we missed 2 fallbacks (Usually set about 2 hours apart) then we had teams on standby that we could call in for support.

However, we were confident that we didn’t just have a good team we had a GREAT team and therefore we wouldn’t need the fallbacks.

A good and a great team can use very similar strategies on this sort of job however it doesn’t take a lot to go wrong even with a good strategy in place, previously I was talking with someone who used to work for another cleaning company. The other cleaning company had a similar number of properties to clean in the same time frame, there was a strategy put in place of we will send in 2 teams of 6 people, they would do the clean then the supervisors would go in and check the work making any corrections that were needed.

Needless to say, there wasn’t enough substance within the strategy and within a few hours, the supervisors were falling behind doing so many of the corrections that we lost touch with the cleaning teams and what property they were in.

As the supervisors lost connection with the teams, they also lost the opportunity to get ahead of the issues arising which meant that although they were supposed to be giving instructions to the teams, the teams ended up doing their own thing, the standards got worse and the supervising team spent more and more time doing the corrections. The supervisors then ended staying well into the night as the teams knew that they had to ‘clean’ a certain number of properties as they were on a day rate, then left, so once everyone had gone home the supervisors still had to reclean, so that the letting agent was happy with the standards.

The teams that were used in this example weren’t cleaners for the company, they had been bought in on a day contract to increase the numbers, the challenge with doing this is cleaners clean, people don’t clean to the same standard so you have to work closely with them to make sure that everything is being done. As the supervisors found, the team weren’t strong and therefore more numbers doesn’t mean an easier life. Especially if the supervisors are meeting these people for the first time, ob a big job that needs to be done to a good standard.

They would have instantly lost the first hour because they would have had to give the teams training on how to use the equipment and make sure the company was compliant with Health & Safety.

Working with such a new group of people communication would be one of the biggest challenges, especially if the supervisors haven’t had any training in communications. In this instance the supervisors had mainly been used for cover and therefore didn’t know how to efficiently communicate with the teams especially started to go wrong, they also didn’t have the confidence to ask for help from the management team who were back in the office.

At the end of the 24 hours, several problems meant that the supervisors had to work through the night and for a further 24 hours solid to make sure that the letting agents were happy. they weren’t happy, the company which had a great reputation in Bristol lost the contract and didn’t get those clean the following year and the supervisor also decided to leave the company.

When Sparkle Cleaning started to plan for the 35 student cleans we spent a lot of time working out how many team members we would need and how we would run the day, we decided to run the day with a smaller team having others on standby if we missed the fallback. We allocated each member of staff a particular role meaning that they were only responsible for there one area, once they were done they could move on rather than everyone chopping and changing to a different area if you were in the bathrooms, you cleaned your bathroom then moved onto the next property.

The 4 members of the team we used had all been working for the company for over 12 months and all had been trained to train, so they could all allwork in every area because they knew how to train other people they knew how to audit and therefore were experts in the standards we expected from the work.

Before we started the day we spent 15 minutes briefing everyone on the day, who would be responsible for what, who to talk to if we had any challenges through the day when we would stop for breaks, lunch and dinner.
We also outlaid the use of the kit, everyone had their own and if they needed a top-up where to collect it from.
We wanted everyone to be working as independent as they could while also being part of a team, the reason for this is so that every team member can be fully responsible for their work and there isn’t any of the common ” so and so took my cleaning spray so I had to make so with something else” It’s your spray, write your name on it and keep it in your bucket.

Had to be lived during the 2 days, we were expecting a very long day to get it all done but we knew we could make it a fun experience, for example, one of the guys we had working with us insisted on singing none stop from the moment we started and by the end of the day we were all singing along, we had lunch set up for the teams and we provided dinner aswel just in case someone didn’t remember to bring food or didn’t bring enough and we also made sure we stayed on-site until every tenant had been checked in just in case any issues needed to be resolved.

Communication was going to be a key component to the day, what we didn’t want to happen was to be halfway through and realise we had been missing something or we weren’t working to the correct standard so once we had the first 3 properties done I walked around with the letting agents while they checked the work (it was all good) we then had a break while we discussed this with the rest of the team and gathered any feedback. What we were looking for specifically was any challenges they may have started to notice, was there a particular bit of kit that we hadn’t bought with us that would have been useful? Do we think we were going to run out of anything?

The most important part of the communication throughout the day was to give the team an overview of the task and the detail of their section. The team member cleaning the bathroom didn’t need to know the spec the kitchen had to be cleaned too and therefore didn’t get the checklist that went with the bathroom

The difference between a good and a great team especially in the cleaning industry can be minimal, it can be as simple as giving a team member too much information and them, therefore, being confused about what needs to be done or not building the team correctly.

The size of a team is often a common misconception one of the reasons we decided on a team on 4 to do 35 student end of tenancy cleans is so that we weren’t getting in each other way, this is also why we asked each team member to only do their allocated role until the very end and then leapfrog each other rather than working alongside. Student properties are generally not that big, with bedrooms, 1 shared bathroom and a kitchen, lounge and dining room all in the same room meaning 2 people working together can very quickly get in each other’s way.

The 4 people we chose to attend the site were based on experience. We have a policy that within 3 months of joining Sparkle Cleaning every team member should be able to train another team member because this policy means that all of our teams become upskilled quickly and when we have large jobs we don’t need to try and choose the top 2 or 3 team members in the company we have a massive pool to choose from. For this particular job we selected on a basis of who would want to do the full amount of time because we didn’t want to change teams halfway through the day as this would interrupt the flow, and who was audit trained we were hoping if we took trainers who were audit trained then we wouldn’t have to check the work so much as they would be able to audit their work.

Everyone had their particular tasks, there wasn’t any cross over and there was no kit sharing, you got your kit, wrote your name on it and it was yours for the day, we gave the team enough to last each set (time between breaks) at break time you bring your kit and top it up for the next set, everyone started the same set with the same amount of kit.

We had 35 4 bed properties to clean, started at 9 am and finished at 10 pm that evening, we had several breaks including 30-minute lunch and a 1-hour dinner.

Every tenant got checked into their new flats and we were asked to rewipe 1 cupboard that was missed, the team started and finished on a high and the letting agent was extremely happy with everything that was achieved.

We had a catch up with the letting agent 2 days after the cleans happened to make sure that there wasn’t anything else that came to light, which there wasn’t.

As with all these things, there’s only so much you can plan and the rest is luck however when the 4 of us sat down with a few beers on the evening and discussed what had happened if anything had gone wrong it wouldn’t have been in our control, we had the right team, the right plan and the plan was executed with precision, we originally aimed to complete all the cleans in 17 hours but got them done ahead of schedule in 13 hours.

We have already been awarded 2 more blocks of 35 both in September and been rebooked for next year.

Although there are many reasons to look for a new cleaning company when the current lockdown ends Sparkle Cleaning always recommend that you start looking well ahead of time, although there are several reasons why this could benefit you we have picked the top 4 reasons we believe you should consider.

As with all things supply and demand there is always a risk that cleaning companies will put their prices up.

The cleaning industry is fairly consistent with there pricing structure and although some companies decide to give a flat price and others give an hourly rate it is always somewhere in the region of £13 – £25 per hour however as with everything there are always a few companies that push the boundaries and as we saw at the end of the 1st and 2nd lockdown to their prices up to extortionate amounts.

After the first lockdown, we were asked to speak with a client’s current contractor to try and negotiate them out of a 3-year contract. Even though their offices had been closed for the past 6 months and no teams had been working on site they had still been forced to pay the entirety of the invoice, then when they did open back up the cleaning contractor increased their hourly rate from £16 per hour to £25 per hour just because they could!

Many cleaning contracts have run their course during the last few months of lockdown, so now is a great time to look for a new contractor.

There is no rush, many cleaning companies are now doing blind quotes to reduce the person to person contact meaning that it has never been easier or faster to get a selection of quote and have time to research the individual companies.

By bringing in a cleaning contractor you’ll have the faith and confidence that when you are able to open your premises you will be ready to go.

This will give both you and the contractor time to organise any signatures and checklists needed so that you don’t have to join all the companies that have left it to the last minute.

When the first lockdown ended Sparkle Cleaning saw a shift in mentallity where everyone wanted a cleaning company to come in and they wanted it as quickly as possible. Obviously, this caused a few issues as no cleaning company have several team members just sat around, we always ask for a 14 day period to get the teams organised (Although quite often we can do it quicker than this) but by doing it far in advance you can be happy that on the day you bring your team back it will all be ready to go.

There is no end to the reassurance of coming into a nice clean office especially over the last 12 months however as the pandemic hopefully starts to end and the vaccine starts to work we should be able to open up our offices.

In a recent study 3 out of 4 employees want to return to their offices, no necessarily every day but for a few days a week meaning that there will be a reason to downsize the office, theres no point in having 100 desks if you never have more than 30 people coming in. But, if the office size is reduced this will mean that people will share desks.

How do we stop germs from spreading while hotdesking? You can always ask the team to wipe everything down before and after use however some people will forget and some will ignore their responsibility. The obvious answer to us is to bring in an external cleaning company with a proven track record to support you.

At Sparkle Cleaning this is specifically what we do, we attend your sites with all the equipment and chemicals we need to make sure your site is as safe as possible. Before we start on our first day we will give you a copy of your checklist which will include all our Covid touchpoints to make sure no matter how many people share a desk during the day it always Sparkles at the beginning of the next one.

Discover your options about how Sparkle Cleaning can change your Commercial Cleaning experience call us now on 01172 591456

I have worked in the cleaning industry for almost 10 years, having to deal with teams, clients and contractors. In that entire time, we have always seen the same people look for jobs, the same people enquire about using contractors who have always bought on the same principle…..price.

At Sparkle Cleaning we have never dropped our price to compete as we will only compete on quality, this is why 30% of the quotes we miss will eventually come back to us.

Before covid the common denominator for many people was this price point, they would always say ‘can you drop your prices as X will do the same job £2 cheaper’ however what we have seen in the last few months is that price isn’t such an issue, companies are happy to spend a bit more because there is a better understanding of the difference between a £10 per hour cleaning company and a £15 per hour cleaning company and because of this understanding more companies are looking to outsource their cleaning meaning that what was a £24 Billion industry is only going to increase in the next few years.

As with everything though, when industry booms there are always people who jump on board and not everyone has the same standards, for example, when Covid first came out I saw cleaning companies buying fogging equipment off sites like eBay then going onto the forums to ask what PPE and chemicals they should be using, you can almost guarantee that they have no training and therefore will be putting their clients at risk.

A good cleaning company won’t have had to change too much when it comes to keeping teams safe. At Sparkle Cleaning we have always asked our teams to wear PPE, wash their hands and protect themselves as much as possible to keep them safe, therefore when the pandemic hit, we increased our chemicals to a medical-grade cleaner and retained on the use of the PPE – To date, we have had no team off with Covid and none of our sites has been affected.

This is where it is important to make sure you are going for a reputable company such as Sparkle Cleaning. It is part of our job to make sure that all the Health and Safety is in place and that we have trained our teams correctly, we need to be ticking our boxes to keep you as our clients safe as this is part of the service you are paying for.

The biggest change to have come out of the pandemic for the cleaning industry is the amount of innovation that has occurred. The cleaning industry has been fairly static for many years however in the last 12 months we have seen a wide range of products like robotic cleaning machines so that if a company has to go clean an infected area they can do keeping their teams safe outside the building, there have also been leaps forward in the simple PPE that is available for all teams.

Discover your options about how Sparkle Cleaning can change your Commercial Cleaning experience – www.sparklecleanup.com – 01172 591456

Sparkle Cleaning had been working with a large serviced office cleaning the communal areas for a couple of years when the client recommended them to another branch and made an introduction. The other branch had become increasingly frustrated with their current cleaning provider who hadn’t been spending the correct amount of time on-site, but claimed that they had and continued to invoice for the full amount of time. This resulted in hours and hours of the client’s time wasted on searching through security reports and extracting swipe card access information in order to review the actual time spent on site. Despite the evidence, their existing provider insisted it was wrong and refused to compensate the client, which damaged the relationship beyond repair. It was at this moment that the client knew they needed to make a change and invest in a company that not only care but could also deliver.

In the initial meeting with the client, they were obviously quite apprehensive given their previous experience but Sparkle Cleaning were able to provide a simple and effective solution by implementing a time management system with GPS tracking.

The existing team were TUPED over from the previous supplier and introduced to The Sparkle Way. They instantly felt welcomed to the family and commented on how nice it was to see the management team in person and the support received from day one. Sparkle Cleaning worked closely with the team to make the transition as smooth as possible as a change of employer can be unsettling if not done in the right way. The team were really receptive to the new way of working using a simple time management app which has enabled us to rebuild the clients’ confidence in their cleaning provision.

Once the team had been with us for 3 months they were gifted annual passes to the local zoo. The team feel recognised and valued for their hard work and the results of feeling this way speak volumes on the client site. The team are more engaged and motivated and the standards have improved significantly.

As a direct result of the positive steps we have taken, Sparkle Cleaning has been awarded more business cleaning individual units within the serviced offices and are currently in discussion about taking on more regional branches to deliver the same results across the board.

“Having worked with many different cleaning companies, it is sometimes better the devil you know. However, from the first contact with Jaclyn, we were blown away from the service Sparkle Cleaning delivered.”

Sparkle Cleaning was approached by the London Head Office of a Finance Company during the planning stages of a large office move from Bath to Bristol. At that time they were working with a large national company and saw lots of change of staff both within the team and management, meaning it was getting harder and harder to communicate with them. The client had been operating in Bath for a number of years and had become very unhappy with the poor standards of their existing cleaning company. Staff were fed up with things regularly being missed and no communication from their cleaning company so when the opportunity came up to move to a bigger office, it was a no brainer to change cleaning providers at the same time.

Initially, the client was concerned about changing as it can be a lot of hassle and doesn’t always improve the situation but Sparkle Cleaning was right beside them every step of the way to make the transition smooth and easy, setting their mind at rest from day one.

The move-in date was delayed and pushed back slightly but Sparkle Cleaning was able to flex with their needs to ensure a thorough deep clean took place on the weekend of the move. The office facilities were absolutely sparkling and ready for the client to move into their new home for business as usual on the Monday morning and a dedicated DBS checked Sparkle Cleaning team member was trained and ready to go from day one to facilitate the regular office cleaning.

Sparkle Cleaning formed a fantastic relationship with the client, leaving them with total peace of mind that the work is consistently being carried out to a very high standard thanks to our simple checklists and they love knowing that their customers are wowed each and every time they set foot in the office.

The client was so happy with the service and professionalism they received that they referred Sparkle Cleaning to a partner company and have also entrusted us to source and supply their consumable items on a monthly basis. The relationship has gone from strength to strength and we’re really pleased to say that Sparkle Cleaning changed the way the client feels about cleaning contractors for the better which isn’t an easy feat.

There are a number of reasons why someone would hire a Sparkle Cleaning, the main reason though, of course, is to ensure that their space is as clean and tidy as possible. Hiring a cleaning company can be expensive, which means that you are going to want to make sure that you get the best return for your investment. But how can you do this?

How do you know that you have chosen a professional cleaning company? Here are the things that you should definitely expect from them and for them to do when they tackle your cleaning jobs.

You may know the key areas that you want to be cleaned out in your workplace, however, it is just as likely that you will have no idea where to start. A professional cleaning company will be able to give you helpful advice on the key areas that you need to focus on, which parts need a deep clean and which parts could be fine with just a clean every now and then instead.

Cleaning a commercial property is very different to cleaning a home. Not only does it need to be done on a much larger scale, but you will often need to think about using different products and equipment during the clean too. A professional cleaning company will know the right equipment that they are going to need to use and they will have it as a part of their kit too. Making sure that your office or workplace is as clean as it can be.

A professional cleaning company will make sure that they take their time when it comes to cleaning your office or workplace. Of course, you may worry that the longer that they take then the more it will cost you, but it is most important to make sure that they do a good job and that you are going to be left with a clean workplace that you are going to be proud of.

One of the best things about organising a professional company to clean your premises is that you are going to see the results straight away. You will feel the benefits and you will know that you have definitely made the right investment with your money.

There are a number of things that you can expect from a professional cleaning company, however, the most important thing is that they are going to do exactly what you want them to and leave you with a beautifully clean building that you can be proud of.

No-one wants to work in a dirty office space. This means that many companies ask for a commercial cleaning company like Sparkle Cleaning to come in and make sure that things are as clean and tidy as possible. It is relatively easy to spot when your office is clean, cleaner than it used to be, however, does this mean that it is clean enough?

Here are some of the things to keep an eye out for in order to try and ensure that your office is as clean as it can be.

When you welcome someone into your business premises, you are going to want to make sure that you make the right impression. One of the best places to start is to make sure that the front door and any reception area is as clean as it can be. Not only should everything be clean, but it is also important that any furnishings look like they are in the best condition possible, otherwise you may find that they see your business in a negative light, which is never going to help you to make a good impression.

Communal areas are great in an office space as they bring together your staff and help to boost team morale. The only downside of communal areas is that they are notorious for becoming dirty and unhygienic over time. This means that this part of your office space needs to be cleaned as much as possible. Bins should be emptied, floors should be cleaned and dishes and cutlery need to be put away. All things that can really help to make sure that the space looks neat and tidy.

Another part of an office that may end up not being as clean as you would hope are the workspaces, desks, and stations that your employees sit at. People spend a lot of time sat in these areas which means that they are going to quickly become dirty. It is important that workspaces are cleaned on a regular basis. You should encourage your staff to clean up after themselves every day, to cut down on clutter and on a less regular basis the workspace as a whole should be cleaned. It is also important that you think about keyboards, as they can really build up an assortment of grime and dirt within the keys, which is incredibly unhygienic.

A professional office cleaning company is going to know exactly how to make sure that your office is as clean as it can possibly be. Whether it is using the right tools for the job, or tackling the areas that really need extra help, you can be sure with their help that your office is going to feel the cleanest that it ever has.

In September 2020 Managing Director Gareth Sanders was featured in What Magazine discussing the importance of having values in business

When I started my business, I didn’t really have a plan, but I had £800 in my pocket, a lot of management and business experience as an employee to draw on and an idea of what sort of company is great to be part of. I’ve worked in companies before where I’ve not been valued. I know how that feels and I never wanted that for our business. Historically, cleaners have not always been treated well by their employers or by clients they work for and we believe cleaning is a valuable career – not just a minimum wage job.

I’ve thought hard about the culture and values I personally live by and those I want my company to live by. We, at Sparkle Cleaning, are unique because our business is more than just a group of people who are cleaning – it’s a family of people who mix fun with professionalism and always support each other to offer the best possible service to our customers. Our staff love being part of a team and in an industry known for high staff turnover we have a great retention rate, with people who joined us when we started still being with us today. We strive to keep our staff happy by paying fairly and offering support and training when required, as we believe that great team members help us to add value to our business and provide a better service for our clients.

I wanted to create an environment at Sparkle Cleaning where ‘family first’ is a guiding value. When people work for us, they are part of our family – they can take ownership of their work and they have a part to play in a team. We reward excellent behaviour and work. If we get great feedback from one of our clients, the staff that work on that project are rewarded. We want people to grow with us, have enjoyment in their work and become confident team members and team leaders. We deliver high quality, dependable cleaning services because our people are committed to doing the best job possible.

After the value and culture are established, the rest of the business comes together more easily. People are key – the right people. Having clear values and culture makes recruitment a lot easier as a business owner. For example, we know we’re looking for people who put their family first and believe in keeping things simple, adding value and having fun. We know by recruiting well into a great environment that you will also retain those staff. This reinforces the great company culture, helps the business continue to produce excellent work and reduces the running costs of your business. Running my business is part of my life. We all get tough days in business and this alignment of personal and business values makes the hard days easier and decision making simpler. I wish you well on your journey.

After Boris Johnson returned to number 10 last night and announced that now we are at the maximum risk of contracting Covid 19 it’s important to remember to go back to basics.

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Sparkle Cleaning works very closely with other companies in our sector such as A Cleaning Service so that if one of our clients needs a service we can’t provide we have a highly-skilled, vetted alternative.

What preparations have you got in place to ensure your home or office is safe and protected against COVID19 (coronavirus)?

Coronavirus has definitely got us all thinking about our cleaning routine and this extra time at home has given us the perfect excuse to do a proper spring clean! I don’t know about you, but it seems we are all getting pretty used to our little clean bubbles at home so the thought of going back to an office where everyone touches everything suddenly seems quite gross!

Here are some top tips to ensure your workspace is safe for when you return back to work!

Greet your returning employees and customers with brilliantly clean carpets! Carpet cleaning is such an effective way of reducing dirt and bacteria build up in an office and it makes such a difference to the overall aesthetic of the building. Dirty carpets can really stand out and leave an impression on your staff and customers that you definitely don’t want to be associated with your brand!

Let’s think about a coffee cup in your office (yum we love coffee… I can almost smell a fresh cup now…!). Every time you fancy a fresh hot beverage, you change your mug, right? If we used the same mug for weeks on end in the office, the mug would start to get mouldy and full of bacteria (and everyone in the office would think you were super weird!). Well, carpets kind of work the same; they act like a filter system and like your coffee cup, they should be cleaned regularly for optimum results!

A professional carpet clean has so many benefits from making the office look and feel more professional, to actually having a number of health benefits too! Especially in offices where we keep our shoes on the whole time (although we do like the sound of office slippers being introduced!), just think of the germs and bacteria that each employee is naturally walking into the carpets every day. Also, dirty carpets can affect conditions like asthma and other conditions and illnesses. As with any form of cleaning, regular carpet cleaning helps to create a much safer and healthier working environment for your staff to be in.

Ensure your office has a full deep clean before staff return. Not only does regular cleaning reduce the threat of Coronavirus and gets rid of nasty bugs, but your office is likely to be super dusty too if it hasn’t been used in a while right?! So make sure you get your general cleaning company to do a super deep clean before all the staff return back to work. Make sure they concentrate on areas like skirting boards and ceilings to remove any cobwebs and spiders that may have chosen your office as their new place of residence!

Employees may be nervous to return back to their old office life when we have been told for what seems like forever to become hermits! So give them the peace of mind that they are returning to a sparkly clean office that is safe and not covered in sticky coffee stains that have been left for a month or two!

If you are unhappy with your current cleaning company or your current team require additional support, we work with a fantastic commercial cleaning company called Sparkle Cleaning. Check out their website at https://sparklecleanup.com/ or call us today for more information.

Our final top tip is to get your building fogged before your staff return. Fogging is the process whereby high pressured machinery is used to create a fog-like mist of antiviral products to cover all surfaces. This is the BEST way to ensure your building has been fully disinfected as the mist covers everything from keyboards and phones to the ceilings and walls! It is completely safe for electrical products and is such a fantastic and easy way to ensure your office is totally safe from harmful bacteria or viruses that may be lurking on those surfaces or in that carpet!

So there you have it! Here are some of our top tips and things to look out for when thinking about returning back to your office! As we slowly creep towards the end of lockdown, it is really important that you start getting prepared and get these things sorted. You want to reaffirm your commitment to your staff by ensuring they return to a SAFE and HEALTHY working environment. If you need help organising any of the above, please GET IN TOUCH TODAY! A Cleaning Service can organise all of this and help return your office back to a space you and your staff can be proud of!

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