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Rock salt, muddy paws, snowmelt, and fireplace ash. If these are part of your winter days, then you know how much a traditional “spring cleaning” is needed. As we emerge from the doldrums of winter, it's time for most homeowners to ready themselves for better weather, and this means opportunities for residential franchise cleaning services.
After hunkering down for winter and recovering from the holiday rush, consider how your own cleaning needs are increased. Standard cleaning will take care of the increased dust caused by closed windows and dry air, but homes tend to need a little more freshening this time of year. If you're a franchisee, you can consider Spring Specials based of the following that boost your revenue.
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- Fireplace clean-out. Scooping ash and vacuuming out a fireplace is a dirty job, but it doesn’t take much time. It won't affect your cleaning crew time schedule much, and it will leave your customers’ homes with less ash to land on coffee tables.
- Patio readiness. We crave a warm spring day to break out the BBQ and enjoy the garden as it reawakens. Could you offer a one-day patio perk-up to garner new customers and get more out of current clients? Clean off patio furniture and lights, wash outdoor pillows, and hose off the deck so it is ready for company. A cheery flowering plant will draw people outside and remind your customers of your service every time they see it.
- Carpets and tile. The winter’s muddy boots and street salt can hurt and stain floors. As the weather improves and the days get brighter, the effects will be more visible. A house can only look so clean with stained floors, so offer a special deal. If cleaning grout and carpet is not your specialty, partner with another franchise to refer (while keeping a finder’s fee, of course). They win, you win, and your customer’s home looks better than ever.
- Window cleaning. Know how your dirty car feels clean if you can see out the windows? And how dirty windows make it feel dirty no matter how spotless it might be on the inside? A home is no different. Window cleaning inside and out will bring in the spring sunshine and make a clean house sparkle. Again, partner with experts, if needed.
- Pressure washing. This is my favorite spring cleaning service. After the rains and short days, mold and moss turn the wood decks and concrete pathways green. Pressure washing makes everything feel fresh again, from the sidewalk to the backyard. Sometimes, houses need it, too, to remove mold from shingles and stucco.
- Bed freshening. Of course, (many) people make beds regularly. But perhaps you could offer a bedding refresh that includes vacuuming and turning mattresses, laundering bed skirts, and disinfecting mattress pads. Some people don’t have the strength or appropriate vacuum attachments and would gladly pay a bit more for this once or twice a year.
- Ovens and refrigerator cleaning. Now that turkey won’t be splattering and smoking up the kitchen for a while, a good scrub of oven racks and interiors is in order. And even if you normally wipe open areas in a fridge, nothing beats removing every shelf to get in the nooks and crannies for crumbs and dried spills.
It’s a good time of the year for cleaning franchise services. With spring on its way, take the opportunity to boost your revenue with spring cleaning specialty offers. And be sure to suggest quarterly subscriptions or regular intervals to your customers. They will be grateful for every glance through a clean window to their spring-perfect deck.
Anne Daniells is a co-owner of Enterprising Solutions, a professional services firm specializing in corporate communication and financial improvement for businesses where she shares decades of corporate and entrepreneurial experience—including franchise ownership—in her writings on business culture. She has authored hundreds of articles for publications including AllBusiness.com, TweakYourBiz.com, and MSN.com. Reach out via her website for more on where corporate culture, communication, and human architecture collide.