[letzclean]

I need some help rather quickly please been round to a family house that was ibadly infested with bed bugs! I mean really bad, so bad in fact they had to call in experts to get rid of them! I would like some advice on how much to charge for this deep clean which will include sanitation of the property and removing lots of dust! Also what method of cleaning should I use your help would be greatly appreciated! I would like to quote rather soon. Speedy replies apprecited

Kind regards
LC

[J. Deans]

Hi Letzclean.

What size property?
How many bedrooms?
How many bathrooms/WC's/en-suites etc.?
Carpets to be fully cleaned?
Curtains/sofas/matresses etc. to be fully cleaned?
Oven/fridge/cupboards etc.?
Garage/out-buildings?

The list is endless. No one can give you any idea of price without this information.

The best advice I can give is to go and do an official survey. Find out exactly what the requirements are relating to all of that above - and more.
Then estimate the time it will take to carry out the clean.

Then lets say you estimate it will take 3 cleaners a whole day. 3 x 8 = 24 hours. Decide how much you want to pay your cleaners. Lets say £7.50 per hour = £180.
Add your material and running expences, say £50.
Business expences, £20.
Profit 35%.
Total £337.50.

Simple as that. Just make sure you always over estimate the time it will take you to carry out the full clean by at least 20%. So in my example, you tell the client that it MAY take 1 day, but you are allowing for 1 and a half days. If you get it done in a day, great! You are happy and so is the client. But if they WANT it done in a day, take an extra cleaner and tell them you must increase the price accordingly.

As for the cleaning method. That would take too long to go through everything here. If you are a cleaner, you should be ok with most things. If there is something specific you are concerned about - ask about that...

Hope this helps and good luck...

[letzclean]

Thank you J Deans, it seems on this site that when you 1 or two  answers to your post the quality is top draw! rather than 10 people giving conflicting feedback. well the house is a one bedroom that has not been cleaned for a long time some (3years+) the place is absolutely covered in dust alot if  of the paint work is smoke stained, it is gonna take 3 people definitly a day and half minimum I have told them 2 days hope it does not take 2 days cause that will start to eat into my profit in fact gobble it right up as they are on £10 an hour my calultions were slightly more but you were spot on in the breakdown of cost cheers mate much appreciated

[J. Deans]

My pleasure.

I actually quote at £15 per cleaner/hour - but I didn't want to risk you losing the job!

Using your information, the quote would now be somewhere around £418.50 ?
My quote would be £580.50.

But, from what you have said, I would honestly expect to complete the job in one day.
Dust is not a problem. Take 3 vacuums (if 3 cleaners) plenty of bags and run around the whole house with them first. You will be surprised how quickly that makes a huge difference.
Just 'suck' up everything that will go into the nozzle! The amount of dust/ cobwebs etc. that you get rid of in this way, makes the actual cleaning so much easier and quicker.

BTW, we never (rarely) use bleach. But in some cases it can work wonders on things like paintwork. Just be very careful with it.

Have fun...

[letzclean]

Good Morning  J Deans you are definitely reading from the same page as me I was going to charge £15 ph but as you said did not want to loose the job and the people are really nice. thanks for the info regarding vac first will do. what is BTW m8

[J. Deans]

New to forums and texting?
Try this:

http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp

BTW = 'By The Way'


BTW, use one of those little round brush thingy adapters on your vacuum. It loosens the dust as well as sucking it up. Great for on top and inside cupoards, flat surfaces, window sills, skirting boards and for getting cobwebs and stuff.

[letzclean]

   cheers m8

[Bertie Boo]

J Deans

I thought it was just me who vacuumed and vacuumed and vaccumed again in the worst-case scenario houses. You are soooooooooo right, you do a blo ody good vacuum of EVERYTHING and suddenly it looks like half the work is done! Talk about being able to see the woods for the trees.

The best dusting brushes i have ever use are those off the Dyson cleaners. They are 32mm so will fit many other vacuums (including Henry). I got mine off ebay, they are big and round and can be angled in so many directions. It makes suction-dusting soooooooo damn easy.

Stephen

[J. Deans]

Cheers Stephen.

Another little tip is the 'Kitchen Get-Out Clause'

Basically, if you find yourself confronted by cupboards with ten years of grease build up, a manky old oven/hob and tiles that look like they were reclaimed from a Romanian orphanage. Make out like you are happy to 'attempt' to clean them, but tell the client that they will have to sign your disclaimer - for Health & Safety reasons.

This usually puts the fear of God into them. They will ask you why, and you tell them politely that food preparation and storage areas (cooker, cuboards and tiles) in this sort of condition cannot be cleaned to the required insurance standards.

If you are lucky, they will tell you to leave them, as they are being replaced anyway. If you are slightly lucky, they will say, have a go at them anyway and we will get them replaced later.
If you are unlucky, they will say, just clean them, that's what I am paying you for! In which case you have still lost nothing. But the client is less likely to be 'picky' later when everything is not gleaming like new - because you have pre-warned him.

IMO

[letzclean]

   Thanks again J Deans and Stephen. Do you do a lot of domestic cleaning J Deans?