The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world as we know it to a standstill. Who would have thought this possible? We have heard from all the regulatory and government bodies that washing and disinfecting your hands is the way to eliminate germs but what about your home? How can you effectively keep it clean? What do you need to arm yourself with to safely disinfect your home and keep it germ free?
Now, more than ever, it’s time to take action and learn how to disinfect your home and what products you should use so that your home remains your safe haven. In this article we take a closer look at how you can disinfect your home against the harsh germs circulated by COVID-19 and many other viruses and bacteria and the most effective way to keep your family safe.
Cleaning and disinfecting may seem like the same thing, but there are differences. Cleaning does not kill germs, it’s the process of physically removing dirt and grime from surfaces. Cleaning helps to reduce the number of germs on surfaces to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria.
Disinfecting is the process of using chemicals referred to as disinfectants to eliminate and kill germs that remain on the surface after cleaning. It’s really important to clean surfaces before disinfecting to make the process much more effective.
Care should be taken to ensure your safety while cleaning. Here are 3 tips to keep yourself safe:
Germs can live on frequently touched surfaces for anywhere between 10 minutes to 12 hours. This includes items such as door handles, benches, light switches, taps, table tops, toilets, hand rails, remotes, fridge door, microwave and any other area of the home that is frequently touched. The key to cleaning and disinfecting these highly frequented areas is to use a high grade (also known as a hospital-grade) disinfectant after you have cleaned the surface.
Once applied to the surface it needs to cure (left there to dry) for 10 to 30 minutes at room temperature to ensure that all traces of bacteria are removed. After it’s cured, wipe the surface with a warm cloth. Be sure to rinse the cloth in warm soapy water before cleaning the next surface or better still use a fresh cleaning cloth for each area of the home you are disinfecting.
Regular household disinfectants are not adequate enough to eliminate and kill COVID-19 bacteria during the disinfecting process. Hospital-grade disinfectants need to be certified and contain at least 70% ethanol to effectively wipe out any bacteria. Using a high grade disinfectant will be the only way to ensure the hygiene and safety of your home.
During the cooler months that are approaching we tend to keep our doors and windows closed, however this action compromises the air quality in our home and increases pollutants. This creates a breeding ground for more bacteria, particularly when someone in our home is unwell.
The most simple and effective way to increase the air quality in your home is to simply open doors and windows. Try to do this on a daily basis, even if it’s only 5 to 10 minutes each day. It will create airflow circulation and flush out any harmful pollutants and bacteria that may be present.
It’s particularly important to open doors and windows when you’re disinfecting your home. Surfaces that have been cleaned and left to cure will work much faster and will allow you to get back to enjoying more time with your family.
Professional Cleaning & Hospital Grade Disinfecting
Bliss Home Care are offering new and existing clients cleaning and disinfecting service to protect your home and keep it safe. This is part of our regular cleaning service and there is no additional cost involved. We also offer this as a once-off cleaning or spring cleaning service. We want to ensure your home is free from any viral activity and remains your safe haven. Click here to enquire now.
Bliss Home Care is using BioCidal Hospital Grade Disinfectant. We are huge advocates for green cleaning and this disinfectant is bio-degradable which means it’s safe for our environment. BioCidal is a concentrated commercial grade quaternary ammonium compound (TGA approved by the Department of health for COVID-19) surface disinfectant.
BioCidal effectively cleans all surfaces including floors, walls, tiles, porcelain and laminated benches, leaving surfaces sparkling clean. It’s suitable for use in homes, hospitals, restaurants, hotels/motels and general industry.
Act now to ensure the you keep yourself and family safe in your home, cllick here to enquire now. (link to enquiry/covid-19 cleaning page)
P.S. Be Kind to Yourself
Just as important as cleaning your home is taking care of your mental health. You may be surprised to learn that there is a correlation between have a clean home and your mental health. There have been studies which show that decluttering and cleaning reduce cortisol stress levels and extend your physical well-being. Read our article Why Cleaning Your Home is Good for Mental Health and remember this is a stressful time so be kind to yourself.
If you are looking at hiring a house cleaner then there’s some things you’ll need to know. At Bliss Home Care we always have new cleaning inquiries and an important factor to clients and the management team are questions about who we employ, their qualifications and training as well as what security checks are in place.
So we thought we’d shed some light on how the Bliss team is selected, the qualities our team members have, our expectations and training regime. This guide will be helpful if you’re looking at hiring a house cleaner – you’ll know exactly what you can expect from your cleaner.
Also, if you are seeking to become a team member with Bliss Home Care you can use this guide to learn more about our employment process and what is required.
At Bliss Home Care our core focus is professional residential cleaning using eco-friendly products and methodology. We aim to deliver a house cleaning service that exceeds your expectations while ensuring we are keeping your home, family, pets and our cleaning team safe by not using any toxic chemicals. You might like to learn more about green cleaning by reading our article, 7 Reasons to Choose Green Cleaning.
We offer flexible employment opportunities to our team so that their hours can fit in around our clients and their own lifestyles and family commitments. We also aim to employ people in local areas so they don’t have to travel long distances to client’s homes.
We clean just about all areas of your home and this varies for each client and their requirements. A member of the Bliss management team will arrange an initial meeting with new clients to ensure we have a clear understanding of what they would like cleaned in their homes. This is then agreed upon and you’ll get to meet your cleaner as they get started. As a general guide the areas of house cleaning services we offer include:
We also perform regular follow ups both with our clients and conduct home inspections to ensure everything is running smoothly and cleaners are performing their role correctly. Our Supervisors are always available to discuss and adjust any aspects of your home cleaning. This is a very important part of our Quality Assurance process.
We thoroughly train all our team members individually so they have an understanding of the green cleaning products as well as how they are best used. Our extensive training program also offers hands-on training so that new team members learn how to safely clean without causing injury to themselves in compliance with our Health and Safety Policy.
Our house cleaning team is fully supported by our management and training team and we regularly have training sessions to revisit and review our cleaning methods as well as introducing any new cleaning products. New team members are placed with an experienced ‘buddy’ who will have them learn on the job as well. This helps with the hands-on experience when initially beginning with our team.
While prior cleaning experience is not expected, the willingness to learn and being a diligent and reliable team member is very important to us. It is expected that our team members also have a valid driver’s licence and a reliable car.
Our team members are energetic individuals who enjoy what they do. They have pride in their work, are diligent and reliable. As most of our team members work autonomously, we do require our team members to have the following qualities:
We understand your home is your personal haven and sanctuary and we take security very seriously. We are very selective about the people we employ. New applicants are thoroughly screened and checked before becoming Bliss employees.
We do not hire any sub-contractors or contractors which is important to our clients, so they know exactly who is coming to their home. This also means that our team is covered by WorkCover and are insured for public liability and any damages.
Our recruitment program is rigorous and each applicant will go through an initial phone screening. If successful they are invited to interview and are subject to background checks, identification checks, employment history is reviewed, and references are checked before being offered a house cleaning position.
We also assess an employee’s reliability and character to ensure they are a good fit for our team.
Given that Bliss Home Care is very aware of work-life balance we like to offer our cleaning team flexible working arrangements to fit around our clients as well as our team members. We create our rosters based on employee availability and the client’s requirements.
We generally offer a minimum of 15 hours a week of casual employment (Monday to Friday) and our preference is to hire cleaners in local areas to minimise travel. This means that we attract many women and men who like to work around their family commitments and often work during school hours after they have dropped off their children at school or childcare.
When you are a client, this means that you’ll most likely have a mature team member who is diligent and reliable, and one who also respects your home environment.
We understand that you’re a busy individual who has little time for cleaning or getting on top of your household chores and we’re here to help. If you’re looking to hire a cleaning service to free up some of your valuable time then we welcome you to click here for a quote. Contact Us for a Quote
We’re very proud of the service the Bliss team provides and many of our team members have been with us for many years. We do it best, naturally.
Are you seeking flexible employment with a green cleaning company? If you believe you’re a good fit for the Bliss Home Care team we’d love to hear from you! Click here to send us your resume Join Our Team
Let’s face it we’re all busy, overworked, overscheduled and find it difficult to fit in mundane tasks such as dusting, cleaning, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping, not to mention washing and ironing. Affordable cleaning services make house cleaning services not just a luxury but a necessity in our fast paced world.
Things you Need to Consider When Hiring Cleaning Service
As experienced environmentally friendly cleaning service providers, we often get enquiries from people who have had a bad cleaner experience in the past, so we want to share our top 5 tips on what you should be asking when considering a cleaning service. After all cleaners come to your home, so you should feel that you have competent, reliable and trustworthy cleaners doing the work.
Here are the top 5 questions you should ask when considering hiring a cleaning service:
Does your company have employees or do you use sub-contractors?
When a company has its own employees they have more accountability and greater support from their employer versus a sub-contractor. An employee will be allocated to clean your home, so you know exactly who is coming to your home each week and they will become familiar with your requirements and consistently offer high standards of service. Companies who offer sub-contracted cleaners may change who is allocated to clean your home from week to week and sub-contractors may not be covered by insurance and WorkCover. This potentially puts you and your family at risk so always choose a company that has its own employees for a more reliable service and peace of mind.
What cleaning products does your company use?
Does the company your thinking of employing use environmentally friendly cleaning products? Your health is the most important thing in the world so it’s important to identify if the company uses any toxic or harmful chemicals when cleaning your home environment. Bliss Home Care ONLY uses green cleaning products to ensure your safety and that of your family and pets. If you’re unsure about the differences, read our blog Why You Should Choose Environmentally Friendly products for a better insight… https://blisshomecare.com.au/choose-environmentally-friendly-products/
Does your company offer training and quality assurance?
A training program is important for employees, employers and the client. Employees that have training are competently trained in workplace procedures and processes. They become proficient in all aspects of cleaning. Employees will feel more engaged and have a greater sense of accountability when a good training program is in place. A quality assurance by conducting regular Home Inspections will ensure the client is satisfied with the service being provided and any discrepancies should be dealt with immediately.
Will your company come out to assess my home?
It’s important that your needs and requirements are met, always. Your cleaning company should come to your home to determine what your priorities are and develop a cleaning plan based on your specific needs. This is often referred to as a pre-cleaning assessment.
When we conduct a pre-cleaning assessment we walk through your home with you to identify the priorities and then we train the cleaner allocated to your home to ensure that they focus on these areas of importance.
Does your company offer training and quality assurance?
A training program is important for employees, employers and the client. Employees that have training are competently trained in workplace procedures and processes. They become proficient in all aspects of cleaning. Employees will feel more engaged and have a greater sense of accountability when a good training program is in place. A quality assurance by conducting regular Home Inspections will ensure the client is satisfied with the service being provided and any discrepancies should be dealt with immediately.
If you want to reclaim your time and entrust your home to cleaning to experts, be sure to speak with a cleaning company before hiring them to clean your home. Ask the above questions, and any others you may have. Your home is your sacred space and it’s important that you feel you have employed the company that is best going to best suit your needs.
