What does it mean to have a clean house? ServiceMaster SRQ gets calls all the time from people who want their carpets cleaned or maybe just the tile and grout. When we arrive at the home we realize that the floors are just the start to their cleaning needs. It is true that cleaning your floors is a major part of keeping your home looking good. The problem with only cleaning floors is that is that is where all of the dust and dirt from the rest of the house ends up. Much like putting a band-aid on broken arm. The same happens with your home, most people only worry about the areas they look at on a daily basis. When was the last time that top bookshelf in your living room had everything removed and was really cleaned? Or for that matter when did you last clean those ledges in your kitchen that have all of those fake plastic plants? It’s true when you moved in you wanted to fill up your living spaces with things that are not only visibly appealing but also make you feel at ease. The problem starts when we become comfortable with things being where they are and not maintaining them. As an example, when was the last time you cleaned the tops of all the pictures hanging on your walls? Dust will form on any flat surface in your home that isn’t cleaned on a regular basis.
Just do this one test and then come back and finish reading, go to the closest door frame to your computer. Run your finger across the top and see what you find. OK, are you back? It was dusty wasn’t it? Don’t feel bad, you are in the majority of people that just spot clean their homes. It’s not that you are doing something wrong, you just need to hire ServiceMaster SRQ. We clean everyday, just like you go and do your job to the best of your abilities. When you have your home or office “Top-Down ServiceMaster SRQ Cleaned” you will notice that those areas you clean all the time don’t need to be cleaned as often. The reason for this is simple, we get all of the dust and dirt out of your home. Maybe I should just share a story about Mary and Buford our customers that continue to call us every year.
Mary and her husband Buford have a wonderful condo on Longboat Key where they stay when they aren’t back home in Vermont. They usually spend six to eight months of the year here, enjoying the warm weather and their view of the Gulf of Mexico. They get along great with their neighbors and have regular parties. Mary loves to cook her famous Parmesan Bacon Gougeres and homemade Fried Chickpeas with Garam Masala (which are too spicy for me). Buford likes to have his buddies over for Barbeque and a cocktail or two after an afternoon round of golf. He is especially proud of his BBQ sauce that I suspect is a combination of several name brands with a splash of California French Style Dressing. He still won’t tell me and I never push the issue, his pork ribs are that good. Anyway, here is the story of how we met Mary and Buford in the first place.
In 2005 Mary and Buford sold their very successful business in Vermont and retired. This suddenly gave them more freedom, so they started spending more time at the condo on Longboat Key. Before then they would either rent out or allow friends and family to stay there when they were away. They went from spending a few weeks a year to eight weeks in the first year. In 2006 they spent five months here and really fell in love with the area and the people around them. It was about this time they started to notice that their allergies were really starting to bother them when they came down. At first they thought maybe it was from their son and daughter-in-law’s three kids and two Pekingese dogs that they take everywhere they go. They called ServiceMaster SRQ to come out to deep clean the carpets and advise them on what other types of cleaning they may need to stop the itchy eyes and runny noses.
The first thing we noticed when we arrived was their baseboards were dusty and the A/C vents were coated in dust as well. Not to mention that dog hair was under and on top of all of the pillows in the living areas and everywhere else for that matter. We checked all of the surfaces in the condo and found that dust was everywhere. The most effective way to clean the condo was to move, vacuum, and wipe everything. We basically had to pick up and clean every single thing in the condo. I know what you are thinking, this sounds expensive. The best thing about our services are they are affordable, we charge by the hour not by the square foot. Mary was especially impressed with the detail we went to in order to show her exactly what processes we would use to clean her home. Buford was also impressed with the pricing system as he understood the cost effective nature of our services. We scheduled for a day the next week when they were going to Miami to visit some friends. We told them we didn’t mind if they were there while we worked and they laughed and said they didn’t want to be in the way. Three of our employees cleaned every single item in the condo. They also cleaned all of the ledges, upholstery, carpets, bathrooms, lighting fixtures, ceiling fans, appliances, tile and grout, took down and cleaned all the A/C vents, vacuumed the lanai, cleaned the patio furniture, and even washed their bedding for them. We also cleaned Mary’s kitchen like it had never been cleaned before. We pulled the refrigerator and stove out and cleaned behind them, which had probably never been done since the condo was first furnished. We wiped down all of her cabinets inside and out and even washed all of her dishes. We cleaned the inside of the refrigerator, oven, and microwave.
The next day we met Mary and Buford to see what they thought about the work we had done for them. Mary gave Chris and Myself a big hug the second we walked into their condo. She knew the condo was cleaner than she had ever seen it, not to mention all of their allergy symptoms were gone. When we showed her the inside of her cabinets and all of the little things we had done she hugged us again. We had quoted them 25 hours and had only taken 24 to clean everything. Buford was already sat down in his favorite chair like he he had just had it delivered. He offered us a seat on the couch and told us that he could breathe again and the place felt like home. We did all of this work for them for less than a thousand dollars and we still do. They have had us over for parties, referred us to their friends, and even come to several of our office functions. They never fail to call us every spring to let us know they are in town and to come in and preform the same Top-Down Cleaning service. Now they have us clean their A/C vents on a yearly basis as well. We love building relationships with people like Mary and Buford. We look forward to building a relationship with you in the same manner. ServiceMaster SRQ was founded on the principal that everyone we do business with is our neighbor. We are a locally owned and operated franchise and most of our money goes back in to Sarasota and Bradenton area owned businesses. Give us a call at 941 377-2455 to see what we can do for you, we will help you fall back in love with your home. We are ServiceMaster SRQ, your local cleaning professionals. We live by the slogan, “The clean you expect, The service you deserve”.