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Are you Insured and Bonded, Ken?

5/7/2021

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(Do you even know what bonding means?)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.
  • How much do you charge for cleaning, Ken?
  • How much can you possibly clean alone, Ken?
  • What is meant by "Cleaning Specialist" or "Presentation Cleaning"?

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How Can you Possibly Clean Alone, Ken?

11/20/2020

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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​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

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​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

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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

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In my last article, I covered "5 Tips for Selecting Your Next Cleaner". I lay out an analytical and emotional approach to selecting the right cleaning service for your home or office. But what if you have a cleaning service now and they don't exactly meet the criteria of a legit company or they're not COVID prepared & educated? Don't fret! I have this follow-up article for you on how to break up with your current cleaner.

First off, let me make this disclaimer. I don't want any cleaning service to lose their job. We are not competitive with each other as most of us in the industry realize that there are way more houses and offices than cleaning companies. Secondly, if you're happy with your cleaning service, please ignore this advice!
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5 Tips for Selecting Your Next Cleaner

7/17/2020

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As the summer ends, many will start considering a new house or office cleaning company. Use this checklist as a tried & true way to interview potential candidates! I've been in this industry for 15 years and have served as an industry consultant for the last 4 years. This will help you!​

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State Of Cleaning In A Post-COVID World

7/10/2020

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I was asked by cleaning industry leaders to give a state of our industry talk on a virtual summit. I completed the talk today and thought some of the takeaways would be useful for my own community.

COVID-19 has raised the bar in our industry. Prior to COVID, the typical house or office cleaner had no governing body to report to other than the Departments of Labor and Taxation. There was also no formal licensing requirement in our state, nor was there an obligation for cleaning providers to be insured against liability. Cleaners had the right and freedom to self-select their own standards of excellence. Thus, the industry has been flooded with uninsured, unskilled, and unprotected cleaners.

During COVID, the Department of Health and Governor Wolf threw their hats in the game by qualifying our industry as "essential" under personal services to home and small business owners. By allowing our industry to operate when others could not, a microscope was placed on each of us. The post-COVID client is ultra concerned about germs and containing them. They want to minimize the spread of the virus and other pathogens. They want cleaning companies that are fully insured, fully protected, and implementing a COVID-19 disinfecting protocol.

Therefore, the leaders in my industry believe that cleaning company owners will start making the shift from teams to solo cleaners in your homes and offices. This is a WIN-WIN for the client and the company. The company achieves more efficiency and higher profits with solo cleaners for their clients. They are also providing safety measures to protect their cleaners and train them in the science of cleaning & disinfecting to better service their clients. The clients get the same single cleaner in their home EVERY time. They will never wonder who will clean, how many cleaners will be in their home or office, where they've been, and who they've been in contact since the last visit.

As you bring your cleaning services back to your homes and offices or as you screen companies to hire, please keep these trends in mind. The government is still NOT regulating us. However, there will be many companies reported and I personally believe that many of the cleaners I mentioned above with low standards of excellence and safety will be shaken out. This is a good thing as it gives you, the consumer, more trust when you search for a cleaning service to know that if they're still standing, they've probably fought to do so.

I operate my company, Carfagno Cleaning Incorporated, as a solo (or single cleaner). My COVID-19 Disinfecting Protocol is outlined on my website. As always, feel free to email me if you have any questions on the cleaning industry or have questions about your specific cleaning need. 
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Cleaning Science IV: Ken's Secrets to Cleaning Kitchen Sinks!

7/1/2020

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I've been teaching a series on cleaning science these past 4 newsletters. Last week, I gave some examples of how to think through the cleaning of soap scum and glass etching in showers. This week, we're going to share my biggest secrets... "Ken, how do you get the kitchen sink so clean?"

Tarnish on Stainless Steel – This is formed through chemistry (oxidation and mineral ions in hard water). The tarnish layer is acidic and requires only A & C to clean. You need a product like Bar Keeper’s Friend™, which has an acidic pH of 1.5 to 2.5. It eats the tarnish instantly, thus temperature and time are not relevant. With the soft part of a sponge or cloth, you can use light agitation to remove the tarnish. For stubbornly tarnished sinks, use more product and more agitation like a scrub pad or light steel wool.

Discoloration on White Ceramic or Stone-Based Sinks – These surfaces are very porous and react with food and the metal in wet silverware. The reaction that occurs discolors the white to a yellow, blue, or orange (rust) color. The most effective solution requires C & T. Use a heavy alkaline like ammonia or bleach with a pH of 11-13. Allow the chemistry to work with a 2-5 minute dwell time (from experience). The stronger the alkaline, the less time is needed.
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    Ken Carfagno is a presentation cleaning specialist serving the Indian Valley, PA.

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