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I did this interview with Angela Brown of Savvy Cleaner a year ago. Angela is a cleaning industry leader with a daily podcast & YouTube sharing cleaning concepts to cleaners and homeowners. She also runs the Professional House Cleaners private Facebook group with over 15,000 members. It was a ton of fun to talk with Angela about my kids. More specifically, we talked about how to get your kids to clean from a professional cleaning company owner.

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Are you Insured and Bonded, Ken?

5/7/2021

(Do you even know what bonding means?)

10/6/22 Update: Carfagno Cleaning servicing homes and offices as a solo operator (just Ken) changed in July 2021 to the Carfagno Commercial Cleaning. The C3 Experience NO LONGER serves homes. Our niche is professional office spaces like medical, financial, and professional. C3 is building a team of employees. As I stated in this article, employers MUST have bonding. C3 is fully insured and fully bonded. This original article is still very useful for non-employers.

Original Article: I'll keep this article short and sweet. I am fully insured. I am NOT bonded. Read my last article called "Do You Do Contracts?". I share that solo-operating companies do not need contracts due to reduced liability & legal disputes. When it comes to insurances for cleaning companies, most companies purchase three: General Liability, Crime Bonding, and Worker's Compensation.

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Do You Do Contracts?

4/16/2021

10/6/22 Update: This article was written when I was a solo house cleaner. I did not use contracts. Our business model changed in July 2021 and we hired a coach to help us grow Carfagno Commercial Cleaning (C3) as an employer. Today, we absolutely use contracts (agreements) to settle the terms of the cleaning arrangement before services begin. This article is still very valid for house cleaning companies and especially solo cleaners.

Original Article: As always, I'll answer this question from multiple points of perspective. I am a cleaner and have been cleaning houses and offices for 16 years. I am also a consultant in my industry and very aware of the various business protocols. I'll address this main question directly for my company first. Then, I'll go a little deeper to answer the other question many of you have.

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How Much Do One-Time Cleanings Cost?

4/2/2021

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This question and article come from a recent phone call with a referral of a realtor. Laura called me to get prices and possibly schedule me for a "Move-Out" cleaning. She had already sold her 4,700 square foot home and wanted to leave the house clean for the new owners. Toward the end of the call, I gave her a full map of what to expect for all future house cleaning options. This really helped Laura a lot, so I asked if I should include the information in an upcoming blog for my website. Laura's response was encouraging. "This is extremely helpful. Now I know what to expect cleaning to cost based on the type of cleaning detail I need."

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Why did you Leave Engineering for Cleaning?

3/19/2021

This is literally the most frequently asked question over my 16 years of cleaning houses and offices.

I loved and excelled in creative arts as a kid. This included drawing, creating mazes, and scheming up world-changing inventions. My Pop-Pop noticed this gift in me early and made me promise to give him my first million. In my high school years, I focused my creative energy on drawing and colored pencils. I was selected for AP Art in the 12th grade and receiving college credits for placing a 5 on my AP exam portfolio, This is the side of my brain that I wanted to follow for a career, but I figured there was no money in art.

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What Cleaning Products do you Use?

3/5/2021

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The follow-up to this question is this. "Do you bring your own supplies?" I'll answer both in this article.

Work Shoes, Gloves & Mask

My Covid-19 protocol states. "DISINFECT our cleaning tote, spray bottles, vacuum parts, wand, mop handle & mop, and the bottom of our indoor cleaning shoes prior to entry into any home & office." My work shoes are similar to Crocs. I clean & disinfect the bottoms of my shoes before every home and office that I clean. I provide my own viral-resistant latex gloves and mask.

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Home Trends that Intersect with Cleaning

2/19/2021

I want to thank and give credit to my friend Mary Ann Alig for inspiring this article. Mary Ann is a local realtor with Fox Roach. She writes a monthly real estate newsletter that is very helpful to me for many reasons.

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Do You Charge By the Hour?

2/5/2021

NO, I DON'T! I am heavily involved in the cleaning industry as a mentor and consultant. I literally see this question playing out so many times.

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How Do You Raise Prices?

1/15/2021

10/5/22 Update: In July 2021, our business model changed to commercial cleaning. The C3 Experience does have bonding, contracts, and automatic annual increases of 3%.

Original Article: I love answering questions about my cleaning business and the industry in general. This question is an important one! I've been a business owner for nearly 20 years and a consumer for over 30. I completely understand the need for price increases, but there is a right and wrong way to do it. I've noticed 5 methods over the years as a consumer and business owner.

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How Do You Do Price Estimates, Ken?

1/1/2021

This is a question I love answering! Many families assume that they can't afford my cleaning services, but that's not true. In this article, I will share my entire sales process for housecleaning.

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What Do You Move, Ken?

12/18/2020

I've conducted hundreds of house cleaning estimates over the years. Inevitably, this question is asked every time the homeowner and I encounter a china cabinet stuffed with decor, bookshelves booked solid, or a playroom with no place to play. I say this with humor as most homes are well kept and the homeowners just want to know what I'll move and what I'll clean around. However, there are some homes where there is more stuff on the floor than the floor itself

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Which Cleaning Services does Carfagno Cleaning Offer?

12/4/2020

10/6/22 Update: In July 2021, our model changed to service a specific niche of professional office spaces such as medical, financial, and professional. This article is useful to learn about our old model and to help other cleaners out there.

Original Article: Carfagno Cleaning has literally done it all in over 15 years of cleaning. Before I share the main services offiered, let me refresh you on a few other commonly asked questions.

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How Can you Possibly Clean Alone, Ken?

11/20/2020

10/6/22 Update: C3 no longer cleans solo. We are an employer in the Indian Valley servicing professional office spaces.

Original Article: I love the illustration in this image. When you tear the word "impossible" in two, you get "I'm possible". It's the same letters emphasized differently, but the change makes all the difference in how our brains respond. In this article, my goal is to share the common misconceptions of solo cleaning. I will break down each perceived negative and show you the "possible". Let's get started!

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Let's Talk Warts!

11/6/2020

You're probably wondering how warts are remotely tied into cleaning! I had no idea until meeting our family podiatrist, Dr. Liliya Kalyan. At first, it was just my daughter (see picture above). These warts started showing up on the boys causing my wife to make weekly appointments for all 4! A few weeks ago, I took my daughter and was able to ask some questions as I was very curious.

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Will You Take Cash?

10/16/2020

It was early 2007 when I was asked this question for the first time. The person asking me was a local business owner and friend. He wanted me to clean his rental unit. Now, he didn't ask to pay me under-the-table. He implied it and I knew it. This was a difficult place to be. First of all, we really needed the money. I didn't want to say no to the cleaning job or offend him. Plus, I didn't want to do something that I knew was wrong. It took me a few seconds to respond. "Yes. I do take cash as well as checks. Just to be clear and you're probably not even asking me this, but I am required to charge sales tax on all cleaning services."

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What Happens when you Break or Damage my Property, Ken?

10/2/2020

10/6/22 Update: C3 is a fully insured & bonded professional office cleaning company. We ONLY clean professional office spaces. Breakage does occur from time-to-time by employees. It's human nature. We fully document and communicate any damage. If needed, C3's insurance policy will take the claim.

Original Article: In my article, "5 Tips for Selecting your Next Cleaner", I stress how critical it is to hire an insured cleaning service. You will have tremendous peace of mind knowing that you, your family, and your property are covered if any bodily harm or property damage occurs due to my cleaning. This sounds great when you see it written, but it's vague. I've been cleaning for 15 years. In this article, I will share a few short examples of how I broke or damaged property and how we dealt with it.

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How Much Do you Charge for Cleaning, Ken?

9/18/2020

I highly encourage you to read my previous article first, "Did you Know Cleaning has a Specialist too?" I was recently asked what level of a cleaning specialist I was and I had to really think about it. In the article, I concluded that I was a Level 3 Cleaning Specialist. However, I have changed my position and now consider myself a Level 4.

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20 Moving Tips from a Realtor and Cleaner

9/4/2020

I have a realtor friend from one of my local networking groups who shared this presentation a few weeks ago and I LOVED it! I asked Mary Ann Alig of Berkshire Hathaway if I could share her presentation and her answer was simple. "Ken, you can share it ONLY after you finish it with the cleaner's perspective!" It's a deal Mary Ann! I have been in the cleaning industry for over 15 years and have worked with a ton with families, their realtors, and movers to help them transition to their new home. So here you go Mary Ann, I've added my two cents to your list to make it an even 20 tips! (Note: Mary Ann wrote #1 - #17)

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Are You Locking Your Windows?

8/21/2020

I've been cleaning homes since 2006 and have noticed a dramatic increase in home security as technology improves. Alarms have gone from wired to wireless. Cameras surveil various angles and locations of the home. Garages have keypads. Families are more secure than ever and they can do so at an expense less than it used to cost. This happens so predictively that economists give it a name.

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Did You Know Cleaning Has A Specialist Too?

8/14/2020

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10/6/22 Update: This article is the foundation of the 5 levels of the C3 Experience!

Original Article: We admire and respect doctors as they save lives, especially in 2020! They deserve this admiration. Doctors invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and 11 to 15 years of their life to earn their title as a medical specialist. Within the medical community, there are various levels of specialization. Each additional level requires more time and monetary investment.

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How To Communicate With Your New Cleaner

8/7/2020

This is the final article in my series in finding & retaining a great cleaning service for your home or office. Make sure to check out these articles when you are faced with finding a new cleaning service: "5 Tips for Selecting Your Next Cleaner", "How to Break Up with your Cleaner", "How to Build Trust with your New Cleaner". I hinted at the end of the last article that communication is so vital that it deserved it's own lesson. Here are 3 tips you can incorporate to create a professional, trusting, and corrective cleaning service that you will keep for a long time.

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How to Build Trust with your New Cleaner

8/3/2020

This article is part 3 in a 4 part series in finding & retaining a great cleaning service for your home or office. I covered "5 Tips for Selecting Your Next Cleaner" in my first article and "How to Break Up with your Cleaner" in the second. My goal in this article to show you how to nurture your new cleaning relationship to build trust so you can be partners in the upkeep & cleaning of your home or office for years to come. Does that sound like a great goal? Trust me... it is. It's stability for your new cleaner and peace of mind for you.

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How to Break Up with your Cleaner

7/27/2020