Patricia's blog

You may think I’m mad to be talking about cleaning for Christmas already but the thing about cleaning is that it all is so much easier if you just plan, plan, plan!  And I think that with only five weeks to go before Christmas it’s okay to at least talk about planning.

It’s that time again – YOU time!  At last the kids are in bed, the cat has calmed down and you can have a quiet cup of tea (or a glass of wine) in front of the TV.  However, your hopes are dashed as you walk into a room that looks like it has been hit by a bomb.  Don’t despair – relaxation is only a few minutes away.  Just grab your duster, a damp cloth and the vacuum cleaner and away you go.

When establishing Aboutime, our home and office cleaning company, I knew that bathrooms and kitchens were the areas on which people placed the most priority in terms of cleaning requirements.  Guests coming into the home look at the bathroom as the yard stick for home cleanliness and in the business environment it’s as crucial as the reception area.

Not a space to be viewed by any public eyes – however, being your sanctuary, it’s a space we want to be clean and comfortable.  A long day’s work can be simply washed away as we relax in a clean room with a fresh bed and not tripping over dirty clothes on the floor!

You can spend most of your life in the kitchen. It is, in many households, a focal point.  It’s where we gather to prepare and eat food and, when visitors drop by, often a cup of tea in the kitchen is the first port of call. 

First things first; I own a cleaning company. We provide cleaning staff to homes and businesses that like someone else to help with their daily workload.  Because of this I know exactly what our clients want and I know the type of person our clients like coming in to help in their homes.  I value the standards that clients require of our cleaning staff; and I know our clients value the fantastic quality our cleaners give back to them.

It amazes me that people just don’t wash their hands.  We talked recently to over 200 office workers and the results are quite astonishing.  Did you know that only two in five people wash their hands after they pop to the loo?  Really makes you wonder about that last cup of coffee and biscuit you were given this morning!

While relaxing last night surfing the internet, I noticed a survey that was recently run in the UK by Minitel.  It outlines the downturn in spend on household cleaning products and household appliances.  It is to be expected in the current pocket-tightening climate that our first reaction is to cut spend, but what is unexpected is the rise in bookings of home cleaners reported.

Times are proving difficult as they are for everyone.  We have been very lucky – our customers are still with us.  Even in these difficult recessionary times Aboutime customers want to stay.  They are saving in other areas but hugely reluctant to add further stress to their lives by letting us go!

This was something that really shone through in a recent survey we undertook.  Over 1000 people either in a relationship or with a family answered a few simple but thought provoking questions.

Maybe you're a lot like me. I've always loved the idea of having a beautiful home. When I was a child all my friends seemed to have those days of "staying in to clean my room" or "Mum won't let me out until my room is clean"!  I never did.  It wasn't because I was particularly good or over zealous in my hygiene routine.  I just like things to look clean and homely - a place I can enjoy and know that when anyone comes over they would enjoy too.