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The Birth of JTHousekeeping
Jessica Thomas • 23 November 2021
The Birth of JTHousekeeping
From day one JTHousekeeping has been about three core values; made to measure reliable service, pride in our work and staff autonomy. How we came to be who we are today is thanks to every client and staff member. This blog is about how we started and what we stand for.
I initially set out on my own as a domestic cleaner in Bath. As a single mum making the most of my 30 hours of government subsidised nursery allowance, I found this to be a flexible way to make money above £7.20 an hour which I was making as a waitress. This new found flexibility which also financially benefitted me, was a total blessing and I felt like there would be many more opportunities once I realised I could work in this way.
I very quickly had a great bunch of regular domestic clients who were pleased with the work I did for them. They all had completely different requirements of days, duties, hours and more. I considered this a pleasurable challenge and wanted my clients to have exactly what they wanted to help make their lives easier.
I realised that housekeeping was a more accurate description of my work that cleaning. I was doing laundry, walking dogs, taking rubbish out, delivering mail to post offices. I noticed that once I had the trust of my clients and I understood the way their households ran I was able to help them in many ways and they found comfort knowing someone they know they could trust was able to help out in other areas of their housework.
As my client base became bigger and bigger I began to realise that I wasn’t the only one who could benefit from this type of work and that if I set up to employ my own staff, I would not only be able to give others the opportunity to work flexibly and make a good wage, but we could take on many more clients who were in need of all JTHousekeeping has to offer.
I began to run my ideas past some of my closest clients to get their advice and input. With lots of support I began to take steps to build my business as an employer. All my clients gave me their feedback about cleaners they’d had in the past, both independent and agency employed. The main issues were very consistent; reliability, consistency and quality. I gave these issue a lot of thought and I managed to figure out ways of ensuring we avoided these issues.
Since this time JTHousekeeping has gone from strength to strength. Our clients enjoy being visited by the same trusted cleaner every time as well as a flexible and varied service and they are assured by our fully insured team. Our staff benefit from their jobs being flexible, well paid and having full autonomy over their clients, hours, products and the way they work. We have as a result expanded to clean holiday rentals in and around Bath as well as cleaning offices and deep cleaning homes at the end of tenancies.
JTHousekeeping began taking care of our clients short term rentals over 2 years ago and we adore all that goes in to these jobs. My personal passion for travelling gives me so much perspective on what holiday makers or working travellers really want. I personally, after my younger backpacking adventures, would not go away unless it as more luxurious and lovely than home. One of my favourite holiday cottages which I originally discovered on Airbnb is The Withy in Tregarne, Cornwall. In February 2020 we spent our 4th long weekend there in 2 years. The repeat customers are what we all want and in order to get these you have to have a stand out quality and exceptional service. These qualities will not only get repeat customers but also high levels of recommendations. In my opinion wonderful, personal customer service from the first enquiry builds loyalty and confidence in the clients booking plans. The properties we care for that have the feeling of personal care and consideration are the ones who have the happiest guests and are able to charge the most. These homes, as well as great customer service, have acquired the difficult balance between being lived in and well equipped but also clean and new to welcome guests as though they were the first. What sets JTHousekeeping apart as an all-round holiday rental facilitator is that YOU, the client, decide the level of service you require. We provide it ALL. We can just do a simple clean when you aren’t available to do so yourselves, we can provide full laundry services including linen rental, we can include services such a post forwarding and putting bins out and organising external contractors. There is also the option to just leave it all down to us from start to finish and watch the cash roll in. We currently take care of holiday rentals the cater to couples retreats, party houses and friends weekends away, family retreats and small groups. There are subtle differences in the service which we intuitively provide to each different type of accommodation but ultimately they all require the same level of service which leaves the guests feeling like they are getting very good value and everything is as perfect as they’d hope, if not better. We can organise all the added extra for our clients including but not limited to; champagne on arrival, nibbles, private chefs, private bar services, luxury toiletries, balloons and platters. These extras not only make the occasion very special for the guests but can also make your property stand out and increase your revenue. We are experts in all areas of holiday rental management. From your basic turnovers to full management. We work closely with our clients to ensure that you have full autonomy of your business. Ultimately you know the feel and the experience you want to provide your guests so we are here to listen, collaborate and work to ensure that you can provide that. In our opinions we tick all the boxes as well as providing excellent value for money so that you can ensure a maximum revenue from your holiday rental property investment.
We’ve now been officially locked down for 58 days (who’s counting?) and for some lots longer. What a strange and unusual experience for us all. After the growing anxiety and anticipation of potentially losing my business which is my pride and joy, to the reality that life as we know it would be in total uncertainty for weeks to come, I decided not to let it beat me. There have been relentless ups and downs for us all over the last couple of months but for us there are finally some “green shoots”. For now it seems that JTHousekeeping has weathered the storm and I am extremely proud to be able to say that at such a difficult time for so many. Providing consistent, personal, customer-centric services with passion and understanding for clients and employees has always been non negotiable for me and for now it seems that has been enough. I don’t think that now is a good time for complacency though, in fact I never think there is a good time for complacency, and in the coming weeks, months and years I will continue to do everything with integrity to ensure the future of my lovely little business for my brilliant clients and my staff. Here I have outlined some of our services and changes going forward. As of Monday 11th the government gave cleaners the all clear to get back to work which I am so grateful for and I know my staff have been keen to get back to it. We resumed domestic cleaning on Monday 18th May and thankfully the majority of our customers invited us back in to their homes to help them with all their household chores. There are other customers who are giving themselves a little more time before commencing cleaning again or they are still furloughed so feel like they can’t yet justify paying for a cleaner. We completely understand everyones positions and at this bizarre time we are all individually navigating through something we never have before. All of our clients are of course welcome back as and when they would like. We are also welcoming new client’s which is hugely exciting and unexpected after so much worry over the previous months. Firstly we have updated our health and safety policies ensuring our staff and clients are adequately protected from any potential spread of the virus. We have also updated our insurance policy with this new threat in mind. There have been tonnes of deep cleaning and end of tenancy cleaning enquiries and bookings all around Bath and Bristol areas as people want to refresh their homes after lockdown, students tenancies end for the year and offices plan to resume working. For your end of tenancy deep cleans we provide a detailed invoice and including our company number so that you can pass that on to your landlord. We are providing deep cleaning for offices and all commercial properties which includes thorough disinfecting of all surfaces and equipment. Not only that but we can supply your PPE, antibacterial spray and wipes and hand sanitiser on a regular basis when we visit to undertake our duties. All of our cleaning is in line with current government advice so you and your team can rest assured that returning to work is as safe as can be. Our post lockdown domestic deep cleans are entirely made to measure, like everything we do, and we have some fabulous offers on for these. From, ovens, to cupboards and drawers, sparkling windows and disinfected EVERYTHING, we will get your home clean, safe and beautiful. We even have a professional grade carpet cleaner and detergents so that can be included without having to invite another person in to your home. Many are booking for after children return to school and these booking can be adjusted as it becomes clearer when that time will be. Our holiday rentals are of course out of action until further notice, 4th July at the earliest, but we very much look forward to getting back to doing what we do best and getting your holiday lets sparkling ready for new guests who are finally venturing out. Finally, I have upgraded our laundry equipment so we can serve more clients more quickly. We provide full laundry services in and around Bath and Bristol for domestic customers, holiday rental owners, bed and breakfasts and business uniforms. We wash, remove stains (where possible) dry and iron to perfection and pick up and drop off are included in all of our quotes. It brings my staff and I so much joy to be serving you all again, old and new clients. Onwards and upwards!
Housekeeping brings so many people so much joy and despite it being something many people find to be a chore, the results we can all agree bring us a huge amount of pleasure. Your home should be your refuge, your joy and a huge comfort to you by reflecting your values and achievements back at you. Taking care of this space is becoming increasingly important to us and rightly so. With homeware shops becoming more and more popular along with peoples obsessions with different washing powders, cleaning products and even cloths, our homes are our hobbies and a source of huge pride. While this is important we must be mindful of having yet another thing to beat ourselves up about. I set up JTHousekeeping as a side project to make money while I was studying to become a Psychotherapist so my priority and focus in life is to do what I can to make people feel contented and pleased. This is the result I saw from cleaning people homes too. The sense of pride and serenity when coming home to a clean tidy home is second to none in my opinion. I am also certain that every domestic cleaner’s own joy comes from providing this feeling for their clients when they get home from work. The smell and the feel of a clean home are such a joy to everyone. Even my 5 year old expresses her happiness when her room has been tidied and cleaned. It feels like your foundations have been laid each time and you can look forward to other things. In my home, I like to aim for a good balance. I do prefer things to be clean and tidy of course but continuously maintaining this as well as other obligations is not always worth it. It’s exhausting and creates frustration and stress. I’ve found myself nagging away at family about towels in the wrong place and toys where they shouldn’t be. It didn’t seem fair. I am lucky enough to have a cleaner every Monday and then I generally do a good clean on a Friday too if need be. The rest of the days I pick my battles. Maybe the kitchen sink will get a good bleach, maybe the sofa will get a turn, maybe the bathrooms will get a quick once over, but I don’t beat myself up about it. One thing I would suggest, and I find this this works for all areas of life, is tell yourself “I WANT to ……” not “I SHOULD do….”. It sounds a bit “pop psychology” I know, but it really works. “Should” is for obligations and that’s never appealing. “Want” is for YOU, it’s empowering because you can do what you want! If you want to clean your house you will. I also find it helps to focus on the things you want from your home, the things that make you feel good, the reason you wanted your home so wonderful to start with. For me a fluffy dressing gown, clean good quality sheets and good coffee are top of the list of indulgences (which is quite long, I assure you). So if I can sleep in nice sheets, get up put my dressing gown on and have a nice coffee the rest can wait. As with all areas of life focus on thing’s that bring you joy not stress where possible. We will find joy in doing the rest for you!