Working with us
Clients’ expectations
Cleaner Handbook
We are the UK’s number one rated
domestic cleaning agency
Over 90% of clients recommend our service
“
Really pleased with the standard of cleaning. A
joy to come home to!
“
My cleaner is excellent. It has become a
pleasure to come home after work to a nice
clean flat after she has been in. She works
really hard and cleans thoroughly. I am very
happy with the service.
“
As a pensioner I was finding combining
house work with being self-employed had
become a real problem but Maid2Clean
solved my dilemma, it’s amazing what 2 hours
professional cleaning a week can achieve. I am
very happy with my decision.
We love great feedback about our cleaners! We’ll share
this with you as much as we can.
Working with us
Welcome to Maid2Clean!
We’re the largest and most successful domestic cleaning agency in
the area. We have thousands of clients who we place cleaners with.
We’re constantly advertising for new clients as well.
You’ll have your own clients who you go to every week, at times that
suit both you and the clients. You may have a few different clients to
make up the number of hours that you’ve asked us for.
The job of course is domestic cleaning, so you’ll be cleaning people’s
homes for a set number of hours each time. The actual work you do
will be as agreed with the client. They may leave a checklist out for
you.
Reliability as well as standard of work
is as important to us as it is to the
clients. So, when you start with us we’ll
bring you on carefully, ensuring that
everyone including you is happy with the
arrangement.
You’ll be self-employed so responsible for
your own tax and National Insurance. This
is nothing to worry about, it’s all quite
simple.
You’ll have access to some of the latest and best technology in
the country. Ask your local office if they can provide access to the
Cleaner Portal, this is an App for your phone that allows you to get
live notifications about new work. We’re always developing new and
useful features to help you.
Starting Work
It’s important that all the cleaners we use are reliable, honest and do
a good job. So, before we even consider you for work, we’ll need to
have confirmed your identity, eligibility to work and references.
By signing our application, you have agreed to the contents of that
and this handbook.
Once we offer you the first client, we normally wait until you’ve
started with them before giving you more work. This shows us that
you’re reliable and gives you a chance to confirm that the job’s right
for you.
We’ll then build you up to the number of hours you want.
Regular Jobs
Because it’s house cleaning that we do and you will be working in
someone’s home, it’s very important that we match the right people.
So, when it’s a regular job, we arrange for you to go and meet the
client at their house.
This is so that you both get an opportunity to meet to make sure you
like each other and so that you can discuss the work that needs to be
done and the products that are to be used. It also gives you a chance
to see round the house and to arrange a start date with the client.
First, we’ll contact you. We’ll ask if you would like to work for our
client. We’ll also tell you where the house is so that you can check it’s
not too far for you. Please think about this properly, as we expect you
to stick with it once you accept the job.
Once you confirm you want the job, we’ll talk to you about arranging
a time to meet that suits both you and the client.
Meeting the Client
• Dress casual but smart. Be on time. Always make sure you take
all contact numbers with you in case you get lost. If you use the
Portal these details will be available there.
• If you think you might be late, phone to explain that you’re on
your way and to apologise.
• The client will show you around the house and tell you what
they expect. If there’s anything you’re unsure how to clean, ask
the client how they clean it. If you think you won’t be able to do
everything the client wants in the time, just be honest and tell
them you may need longer to do a thorough clean. Make sure
you find out where the materials and equipment are and that you
know how to work everything.
• Check if they will be in or out when you clean. If they’re going to
be out, will you have a key? Is there an alarm?
• Finally, discuss a suitable day and time to start, then contact us
right away and let us know how you got on and when the client
would like you to you start.
• Remember that you work with Maid2Clean. You cannot work for
the client privately. We take theft of clients very seriously and at
the very least would stop giving you any work and, of course, you
would not be insured. Even if you leave Maid2Clean you cannot
continue with our clients.
One-off Cleans and Temporary Cover
Now and again we might offer you “one-off” cleans or ask you to
cover for another of our cleaners.
One-off cleans are where the client just wants one day’s cleaning.
Normally these jobs are between 4 and 6 hours. Temporary cover is
when one of our other cleaners is sick or on holiday and is usually just
for 1 or 2 weeks.
We don’t ask you to go for an interview for one-off cleans or
temporary cover, we’ll just arrange the day and time for you to go and
clean.
Do a good job - often the clients will ask us if they can have you
regularly!
What about Materials and Equipment?
The client will supply the materials and the equipment for you to do
the work.
One thing you must never use is bleach. It’s not safe and can cause a
lot of damage. Bleach spills are not covered by our insurance.
What about Payment?
You’ll be paid by the client on the day that you clean for them. The
rates can vary slightly depending on the area you’re working in,
but we will have told you this. Most of the time clients will leave
the money out for you in cash. Some may wish to pay you by bank
transfer. We are happy for you to discuss whatever suits you.
You’re paid by the client, not by us, and for employment purposes,
you’re self-employed. Basically this means that you’re responsible for
paying any tax that might be due.
Often, particularly when you’re working 16 hours or more, you’ll
qualify for tax credits. We can provide you with proof of earnings, just
give us a call and we’ll provide this for you.
Self-employment just means that you must tell the tax office each
year how much you’ve earned, then if there’s any tax to be paid they
will tell you how much. Everyone has a tax allowance which is £11,000
per year (in 2017), so you can earn this without paying tax, but even
if you don’t earn this much you still must tell the tax office. You may
also be able to pay small NI contributions (the “stamp”) to guarantee
your state pension.
Be aware that earnings can affect benefits so you’ll need to tell the
benefits office as well.
For further help please call the HMRC helpline 0300 200 3300
Clients’ Keys
Many clients will give you a key to their house.
You are responsible for these keys and you must treat them with
care. If you finish with the client you MUST make sure the key is
returned to them straight away. Do not post them in the mail.
You must NEVER label the keys with an address. Use a coding
system instead.
Working for the Client
• Always be punctual, never let the client down. If you can’t go to
work as agreed, ring the client and let them know. Offer to go
later in the week if possible. Let us know.
• Treat our clients as you would any job. Always turn up on the
agreed day at the agreed time! Never change the day without
asking our client if it’s convenient.
• Remember that we must provide clients with a continuous
service. We can’t just miss a week here and there. If you don’t want
the work, there’s always someone else who will.
• Never use or answer the client’s telephone except to check in with
us if we’ve asked you to.
• Never take anyone with you including friends, children or pets.
• Always clean thoroughly. The client should notice you have been
and be pleased with the results!
• If the client has left a list, or is using our “Client Instruction
Checklist” start at the top and work through it. If you cannot finish
in the time, leave a note for the client and let us know. Never rush
the job.
Star Rating System
So, how do we decide who to offer work to? We rate every cleaner
with our star system. If the interview goes well and you are
successful, you go onto our system with a star rating of 5.
How do you increase your rating? Simple - reliability, honesty, great
standards of work, good communication and willingness to work.
Losing points is just as easy. Being unreliable, letting clients down,
poor standards of work, bad communication or unwillingness to
work. If your rating goes down, we’ll think twice before we give
you extra work. If your rating doesn’t improve we may reallocate
all your clients to another cleaner and no longer use you. We really
can’t afford to keep a cleaner that has poor standards.
We talk to clients constantly and use all their feedback in the rating
system.
Stealing Clients
On occasion, clients have approached our cleaners and asked them
to work privately without the agency. Never do this. You will no
longer be covered by our insurance, you will lose any clients you
have and will never be offered any more work.
As you can imagine, after we have incurred the cost of getting a
new client and recruitment expenses, the last thing we want is a
cleaner to prove how disloyal they are by stealing our customer
from us.
You have agreed on the application form not to steal clients
from us. This is theft and we take this very seriously. We have no
hesitation in taking legal action for loss of income.
Insurance
Whilst you’re working for our clients we provide important
insurance cover in case of accidents or breakages. It’s very
important that you let us know any changes with the hours you
work for clients so that we can adjust the cover.
Sickness and Time Off
We all become ill from time to time but don’t forget, even if you
don’t go, the client will still need a cleaner.
As soon as you know you won’t be able to go to a client you must
let them and us know about it.
First, call the client. If you know you’ll be OK later in the week, ask
the client if you can go on a different day. If you don’t think you’ll
manage to go at all that week, apologise to the client and ask them
if they want someone to cover that week, if so, ask them to call us
directly.
So, what about holidays? Well the first thing you need to do is to
give clients a week or two notice. Ask them if they would like us to
arrange for a temporary cleaner during your holidays - if they want
cover tell them to ask us directly.
Whether it’s sickness or holidays, always give us a call and keep us
up to date.
We expect you to discuss bank holidays directly with your clients.
If you have a client on a bank holiday, please make arrangements
to reschedule directly with the client. Do not just take the day off
without discussing with the client!
Cleaner Development & MaidVersity
As a registered cleaner, there are exciting development
opportunities with us. We have created the world’s first online
training programme and qualification in the domestic cleaning
sector. This initiative is called MaidVersity.
MaidVersity came about by our determination to increase the
skill sets of cleaners and as the result of requests from clients. We
encourage you to register and complete the programme. You can
register here: www.maidversity.co.uk
We’ll also call you regularly to check how you’re getting on, we’ll
check all your clients, let you know of any feedback we’ve had and
go through any holidays you have booked.
Stopping Cleaning for Maid2Clean
We know that personal circumstances change and there may come
a time you want to leave us for a new job. Whilst we will be sad to
see you go, please be honest with us and let us know.
Please call us before telling any of our clients, we can then work out
the best way to change over, and to arrange key return.
Finally, please remember our terms and conditions do not allow
a client to continue with a cleaner for at least 18 months after
terminating our contract. This also applies if it is you that leaves.
Your agreement with us prohibits you from working for any clients
introduced by Maid2Clean except under a Maid2Clean contract. We
may prosecute any breach of contract.
Cleaner Portal
(where available)
Your interviewer will have let you know if the Cleaner Portal is
available in your area.
Our Cleaner Portal allows you to access many different features, in
the palm of your hand:
• View, accept or reject available jobs in the area
• View your clients’ details
• Manage your availability and work status
• Report any holidays or absences to us
• Contact your local office
• Receive notifications of new work available and upcoming
events
If you have a smartphone you can download the App from your
devices store – simply search for “Maid2Clean Cleaner Portal”.
Otherwise you can access the portal directly on the internet by
going to www.cleanerportal.co.uk
Simply register an account and you will be able to access all your
details directly online!
Sample Client Checklist
Below is a copy of a priority checklist that we make available for
our clients. They may choose to leave this for you to work from, so
please make sure you follow it fully.
Client Instruction Checklist for …………… hours of Cleaning
Client: Please mark any tasks that should be completed and state their priority –
“A” priority (these MUST be done) or “B” priority (you would LIKE these to be done IF time allows)
POSSIBLE TASKS AND PRIORITIES, Cleaner POSSIBLE TASKS AND PRIORITIES, Cleaner
A or B A or B
ONLY FILL IN THOSE REQUIRED Tick Done ONLY FILL IN THOSE REQUIRED Tick Done
ENTRANCE AREA KITCHEN
Wipe skirting boards Clean hob
Wipe door clean Clean cupboard doors
Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets Wipe down appliances (fridge, etc)
Mop floor (hard floors) Clean all surfaces
Other: Clean sink & buff taps
LIVING ROOM Clean windows
Dust picture frames Clean window sills/ledges
Clean mirrors Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets
Wipe skirting boards Mop floor (hard floors)
Dust/clean fireplace (if applicable) Clean cupboard tops)
Dust/wipe all surfaces Other:
Polish
Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets BATHROOM
Mop floor (hard floors) Clean bath
Clean window sills/ledges Clean sink
Clean under sofa cushions Clean mirrors
Clean windows Clean shower inside/outside
Other: Clean all tiled surfaces
DINING ROOM Clean taps & buff up
Dust picture frames Clean toilets inside and out
Clean mirrors Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets
Wipe skirting boards Mop floor (hard floors)
Dust/clean fireplace (if applicable) Clean windows
Dust chairs Other:
Dust/wipe all surfaces BEDROOMS (state which ones to be done if not all)
Polish Clean mirrors
Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets Dust picture frames
Mop floor (hard floors) Wipe skirting boards
Clean window sills/ledges Dust / wipe all surfaces
Clean windows Polish
Other: Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets
HALLWAY & LANDING Mop floor (hard floors)
Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets Tidy beds
Mop floor (hard floors) Wipe window sills/ledges
Clean mirrors & picture frames Clean windows
Polish handrails Other:
Dust and wipe skirting boards EN-SUITES & CLOAKROOM
Clean windows Clean hand basin
Other: Clean mirrors
Clean shower inside and out
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Clean all tiled surfaces
Clean toilets inside and out
Sweep/vacuum floors/carpets
Mop floor (hard floors)
Clean windows
Please supply your cleaner with the relevant cleaning materials. Health and Safety: DO NOT USE BLEACH
Weekly Earnings
Hours Paid Hours Paid
April October
May November
June December
July January
August February
September March
Weekly Earnings
Hours Paid Hours Paid
April October
May November
June December
July January
August February
September March
We are the UK’s number one rated
domestic cleaning agency
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Maid2Clean
