An Active Facebook Group
Dear hosts, The Hosting Journey Facebook Group is very active. Just recently, Darlene talked about Airbnb’s Experiences finally coming to her city. And Micaela she shared her website, Hank was talking about his most popular amenity and he was asking what was ours. What is my most popular amenity, you ask? My House Manual, of course. I’m telling you, my guests just love it! They often mention it in my reviews.
Calder just said: “Evelyn is truly a Superhost and there are many personal/thoughtful touches around the apartment, as well as a very thorough neighborhood guidebook.” Don’t you just love a great review? We live for those.
Now let me tell you about this week's show. One of the most popular question members of the Facebook group ask is “How to hire and most importantly, keep, a cleaning person?”
I consider my cleaning person the most important member of my team. And if you listened to Episode 33 How to build a team for your Airbnb, you’ll agree. Sure, this month my roofer seem to be sharing the top spot and most of my money! But that’s another episode. In general, the cleaning person is the glue that holds the team together.
I know what you’re thinking, expecting you to find a reliable cleaner feels like I’m asking you to prove the existence of Bigfoot. I’m not. Listen up, everyone (that includes you, too, bigfoot enthusiasts). I didn’t say he didn’t exist, I just implied it.
Finding the Elusive Cleaning Person
So, how do you find “the perfect cleaning person?” Someone who insists that the toilet seat is not clean until you can see your reflection in it? Someone who takes their role so seriously that you may secretly refer to them as the dust police? Someone who you can trust with your home, who is good with your extensive checklist, and who can identify a stain and knows how to remove it by just looking at it?
Yes, people. There is a lot more to a cleaning person’s job than…well…cleaning. This episode isn’t really about cleaning, after all. It’s about how to find that perfect person for your team.
In Hiring and Keeping a Cleaning Person, we go deep into how Vera Shulgina hires, trains, and retains her cleaning crew.
Vera helps Michael Mckay at his company, Stay. She helped Michael create a process and system for hiring the cleaning crew for his vacation rentals. You might remember Michael from Episode 37: How to Build a Community of Hosts.
Vera and I quickly start discussing whether you give someone a chance if they don’t have everything you’re looking for. She doesn’t, even if the person checks off every other item on her list. If they don’t check this one particular item, they don’t make the cut. Sound harsh? You just have to listen.
Set Them for Success
On to training your cleaning person. Just hand them the key, and tell them to get started? No. Please don’t do that!
This is your team, Captain. You want to set them up for success. Set them up for the win against their rival: the messy listing. Give them a pep talk so motivating and clarifying that the spiders will shudder in their corners and begin unweaving their webs. The used sheets will attempt to wash themselves. The messy listing will be no match for your cleaning person.
Yes, cleaning is cleaning, but you’re a Superhost for a reason. I know I like things done a very specific way, and I also know I’m not alone in this. We talked about writing checklists, taking photos, and using apps to help you train your staff.
Look found your bigfoot (ahem, I mean perfect cleaning person). They’re trained and ready to take down their opponents. Now you just need them to stick around–and be happy that they’re working for you. How do you keep your cleaning person happy? Don’t be a Scrooge. Be generous.
Can you afford to give them a raise? Yes? Then do it. Don’t kid yourself, everyone wants more money. But what do you do when you can’t afford the raise that they’ve asked for? Vera and I talked about that, too.
If you want to see the checklist I give my cleaning person and the ad Vera posts for finding that right person, just click below.
I want to thank Vera for joining us today. She has a lot of knowledge about this topic, which I am sure has been helpful for everyone so far.
A Little Controversial is OK
I was just thinking that I love the idea of a salary. Something about it just seems so stable in this day and age.
Mind you, the salary is per listing. For me to determine if I can pay my cleaning person a salary, I need a spreadsheet. The numbers need to be analyzed, and they need to make sense for your business as well.
Remember that you don’t have to hire a cleaning person. If you’re terrified of spiders and cleaning other people's things and just grossness in general…a cleaning person might be the solution for you.
I still do some of my own cleanings, but I do have a person that cleans every so often. When I’m traveling, busy with The Hosting Journey, sick, or just sick of cleaning.
My cleaning person has been with me for over a year. It’s good to have someone who knows your home, your style. Not to call them last minute for an emergency but to just be able to relax, take a deep breath, and know that you can have peace of mind. Know that your home and your business are taken care of. That’s what a great cleaner provides. Peace of mind.
Your Host,
Evelyn
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