There was time when women cleaned their clothes with lye and their homes with bleach and vinegar. As the household cleaning product industry expanded, these same women may have been enticed by the latest claims of cleaning superiority and effectiveness. Scents were added to make the whole cleaning process more pleasant, and the household cleaner shelves in stores exploded in color as these new cleaning agents were packaged and repackaged in a variety of ways. Single use cleaning products hit the market and the cleaning product consumer purchased those as well.
After years of moving far from the lye and bleach cleaning days, consumers continue to have an increasing array of cleaning agents and chemicals to chose from. Amidst all of this progress, however, some individuals have become concerned about the safety of the smells, harsh chemicals, and new trends that are being used to clean our homes and businesses. As a result, a growing number of consumers now look toward a new house cleaning product market. Green cleaning services and the products that they use are increasing in popularity as many Americans look for a way to move back to more traditional products that are safer for their families.
Just as the lawn service industry has moved toward child and pet safe products, and the food industry has moved toward organic offerings for meats, fruits, and vegetables, the cleaning industry in seeing a major shift toward green cleaning services and practices. Selecting products that are good for your home and good for your family is a trend that does not appear to be going away.
Interestingly enough, even as home and business owners think about using more environmentally safe products, they are also looking toward residential and commercial cleaning services. If you are looking at hiring a cleaning service for your home or business, you might want to consider the following Tips for hiring a cleaning company:
- Get recommendations. Although you can begin your search on the internet, sometimes the better recommendations will come from friends and family. Professional cleaning services can have a large presence on the internet, but they may not be the best option. Check with people you know who have cleaning help and ask them what they think of the person or service who works for them.
- Avoid hiring friends. The thought of having a stranger in your home may be intimidating, but having to confront a good friend who is not doing a thorough job can be intimidating as well. Although you might want to help a friend out and help that person earn a little more money, carefully think through whether or not your friendship can endure the necessary criticism to correct tasks that are not being completed to your satisfaction.
- Have a budget in mind. Understand how much you are willing to spend on cleaning services. Companies that clean one a week or once a day often charge less for single visits. Residential cleaning that only comes once a month, however, will often have some of the highest fees. Understanding your cleaning budget can help you make initial decisions about how often you want your business or home cleaned.
- Understand the different kind of cleaning products. Green cleaning services are a growing trend and something that you might want to consider. While some homeowners have specific products that they want used on special pieces of furniture like pianos, it often makes sense to use the cleaning products offered by a service. Respect the choices that the professionals offer, but know ahead of time if you want to find a service that uses green or organic cleaning supplies.
Did you know that flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces for as long to 48 hours? Did you know that there are 21,000 germs for every square inch on a computer mouse, a computer keyboard, and an office chair? Did you know that a typical desk has as many as 10 million bacteria? Frightening isn’t it? For many green cleaning services are the solution to all of these frightening statistics. In a time when people know the danger of lye and bleach fumes, it should come as no surprise that green cleaning services continue to grow in popularity.