To Our Valued Clients:
We want to assure you that we are keeping well informed on all updates and recommendations regarding the COVID-19 or coronavirus outbreak.

Take Time Home Cleaning has always used these methods and systems to ensure that we fully sanitized properties and avoid cross contamination:

First, at Take Time Home Cleaning, our cleaners are only cleaning 2 homes per day. Companies that clean in pairs or teams are cleaning 3-7 homes each day.

Second, we use a new set of disposable gloves at each home.

Third, we use high quality colour coded microfibre cloths to help avoid cross contamination. A new set of cloths and mop heads are always used at each home.

Fourth, we Never carry toilet brushes in our kits.

Fifth, we use disposable cloths for each toilet. These cloths are always thrown out after each use.

Six, we always pay extra attention to high touch areas like doorknobs; taps; all handles; light switches.

Seven, we always sanitize our vacuums and tools between jobs.

In addition, we are now implementing the following:
1. Our cleaners are required to wash their hands for 20 seconds upon entering and exiting each property.
2. They will now refrain from shaking hands or any other unnecessary touching.  They will keep the recommended 6 feet away from others.
3. Our cleaners will focus even more effort on those high touch areas listed above.
Please read the email sent to our cleaning staff:

Dear Staff,
Please be especially careful of your personal hygiene in order to avoid risk to yourself or others. Please do the following: (based on today’s most recent post on Government of Canada’s Public Health Agency site)  Much of this we already do. The risk is still considered Low except for those 65 or older; or those with pre-existing health issues. For the most current updates follow the link we previously sent to you.
1. Wash your hands for 20 seconds when you enter the home and when you leave
2. Always cough into your elbow;
3. Wear a new set of disposable gloves at each home as per usual
4. All cloths used to clean toilets are disposed of as per usual
5. Continue to sanitize your vacuum cleaner and equipment after each job
6. Make sure your dirty cloths are kept in your plastic bag and well AWAY from clean cloths
7. Be especially diligent about cleaning all the high touch areas in each home such as doorknobs and all handles, taps, light switches.
8. Keep yourself at a 6 foot distance from others; refrain from shaking hands or any unnecessary touching
9. As previously stated in the email link, the Government of Canada does Not recommend face masks.

If you require additional areas or full cleans please let us know and we will be happy to schedule that for you.

Thank you for your continued support!

We feel this post is meant to attack and to discredit our company and other Winnipeg cleaning companies that pay well and offer a fair compensation plan to their employees.  At Take Time Cleaning, we feel that we have at least been partly targeted and we would like to put right the false and misleading information included in this author’s blog post.

The information we are providing here pertains to Take Time Home Cleaning only.  We will refer to the writer of this blog post as “the author” and the company as company S.

FYI:

The author of the blog post charges her clients $48 per hour and pays her cleaners a starting rate of $13/hour.   After taxes her cleaners are making about $8 to $9 per hour.  Some companies will say that they pay low wages because they offer so much value through company vehicles and benefits.  Take Time Cleaning provides those too yet we are still able to pay our staff the high rates that they deserve.

FYI:

We currently employ several former employees of company S and we speak from an informed position.  At Take Time, our compensation plan pays about $6000 per year more than company S.  We pay travel and office time and full benefits over and above the cleaning wages.  Cleaning staff can also choose to use a company vehicle over their own vehicle.

We would like to respond to “The Questions to Ask:” listed in the author’s blog.

Is the advertised hourly rate ever docked?  The advertised hourly rate is NOT docked.  We G-U-A-R-A-N-T-E-E our starting rate of $17 per hour and 30 hours per week.  That’s what a Guarantee means.  Our rate is based on hours worked.

What do we consider working hours?  Time spent cleaning, driving, and attending office meetings, working trade shows, etc. is considered working time.

Is drive time paid?  Of course it is.  Drive time is paid at $12/hr.  Cleaning hours are paid at a starting rate of $17 per hour.  Yes that is our starting rate.  Not $12 not $13 not $14, $15 or $16 per hour but $17 per hour and the rate goes up from there to $23 per hour.  Drive time is paid at $12 per hour.  This competitor pays poorly and is trying to make the public believe that there is no way that Take Time Cleaning could actually pay a starting rate of $17/hr.  We do and we have been for years.  That’s why we have staff that have been with us for years.

If I use my own car will I get a mileage reimbursement for the wear and tear on my vehicle?  No.  We pay travel time only.  However, if you want, you can use a company vehicle instead.  If this is preferred, the hourly rate is less but it is still more than what company S pays.

If a customer has a concern that requires a recall for service, will I be paid for the time required to perform it and will it be at the advertised hourly rate of pay? 

Of course you are paid for the time required to perform it!  If you have already cleaned that property and a reclean is required, you are paid at minimum wage to perform the reclean.  We verify ALL concerns before a reclean is performed.

If a company vehicle is provided, who pays for fuel, oil changes, maintenance and parking?  Who pays for the deductible in the event of an accident? 

Take Time Cleaning pays in each situation described.

Your basic rights as an Employee.  (according to the author)

The hourly rate of pay an employer advertises in the recruiting and interview process is the rate you are entitled to for all hours worked. 

We certainly agree.  We would like to remind the owner of company S that when advertising a Full Time position, you are required to provide F-U-L-L Time hours consistently.

An employer cannot dock your pay for performance.

Agreed.  At Take Time, we don’t do this.  More misinformation.

More Basic Rights As An Employee (according to Take Time Cleaning and we hope company S takes note)

At Take Time, we will never mistreat you.  For example, the admin will never shout the F-Bomb at you.

If you make a mistake we will never display your name or team number on a wall for all your co-workers to see.  We don’t believe in shaming our staff.

We are open and accepting of all your suggestions.  We respect your ideas and opinions.  In fact, we look forward to receiving them.

We will never involve you in plotting and carrying out schemes to discredit our competitors.  We hope you realize that there are legal issues with doing this.

In Response to a Competitor’s Blog Post and “Top 6 Questions Answered”:

Here we go again!

We feel that this post is at least partly directed at Take Time Cleaning and we would like to clarify.  Why would this be necessary?  Because Take Time Cleaning pays the best and offers the best compensation plans (there are two options) in Winnipeg.  This competitor finds it hard to compete and therefore looks for every way possible to misinform the public.

Take Time Cleaning offers TWO compensation plans Option 1 and Option 2:

• Our Starting rate is $4/hr MORE than theirs for our Option 1 and $1.55/hr MORE than theirs for Option 2 which is otherwise EXACTLY THE SAME AS THEIRS.
• We provide full Benefits for you and your family 2 months EARLIER than they do.
• We also offer our employees access to over 60 services at 50% off the regular price to help lower household expenses. These include practical services as well as fun stuff like restaurants, spa treatments, entertainment.

REMEMBER WE OFFER 2 OPTIONS FOR COMPENSATION

In response to this competitors “6 Questions Answered”

1. Of course you are paid for all travel time:

Option 1:  Cleaning hours are paid at $17/hr to Start (our starting rate is higher than their highest rate); Travel and meetings paid at min wage.

Option 2:  Travel is paid the same as cleaning hours.  $14.55 from punch in to punch out.
A higher rate and everything else is the very same as this competitor’s compensation.

2. Do we pay for transporting company equipment?

Option 1:  We allow our staff to keep company equipment with them.  We do not pay our staff from their home to their first job or from their last job to their home (and neither does this competitor).  However, if staff really want to, they can pick it up at the office and return it every evening OR choose

Option 2 compensation is identical to this company’s comp plan.  Doing this makes the day longer and is especially hard for mom’s needing to pick up children.

Guess which option everybody chooses?

3. Will I be paid for actual hours that I work?

Option 1:  We pay by the job ticket hour which means that every job has an estimated time set for it.  We thoroughly test the job times to make sure they are accurate.  Our job times are generous.

As well, our new cleaners are given extra time on each job they do.  Remember you are making $4/hr More than this company. Still if that doesn’t suit you, then choose

Option 2 which is identical to this company only we pay more.  You are paid the same rate for everything.

4. Do you wash your own cloths?

Option 1  Yes

Option 2  No

5. Do you have to provide your own vacuum?

Option 1 No

Option 2 No

6. Is there a health and dental plan? Yes for Option 1 and Option 2 and both are provided after 4 months of employment NOT 6 months.  Prescriptions, Dental, Optical, Life, Chiro, Physio, and Massage.

We hope this has cleared up the misinformation. (We believe it may be intentional)

Why do we pay so well?  We want long term happy employees NOT constant turn over and drama.  We have several former employees from this company now working for us.

• We value our staff. If you make a mistake, we won’t post your name or team number on a “Wall of Shame” chart for all your coworkers to see.
• We recognize each and every one of our staff individually for their consistent quality work. We don’t reward you only if you’re lucky enough to have your name pulled in a draw.
• We don’t pay our employees to post reviews and we don’t encourage our staff to rat each other out. Why would we?

It’s a FACT. Take Time Home Cleaning offers the best compensation plan in the Winnipeg house cleaning industry… by far. Compare us with other cleaning companies by starting rate, guaranteed weekly hours, benefits, bonuses, travel time, etc. Why do we pay so well? We want long term happy employees not constant turn over and drama. Cleaning is hard work.

For some time now, Take Time Home Cleaning has employed an external consultant:

“As their consultant, my job is to ensure that my client (Take Time Home Cleaning) is following all government regulations regarding employment. I know the systems and operations at Take Time and I would like to assure everyone that this company is fully compliant with all government regulations regarding labour.”

We find it sad that some companies pay their staff so poorly and then resort to tricks, false information and implications to discredit their competitors and silly claims hoping to attract and hire new people.

At Take Time, we consider our rates to be F-A-I-R, NOT Too Good to be True! We pay well because we value our staff. Too Good to Be True? No. IT’s A FACT. We do pay that well — And, we follow ALL Labour Laws too!

After our winter season, just hearing the word Spring puts a “spring” in our step. That joyful word makes us think: tulips and daffodils; bbq’s and deck parties; shorts and sunscreen; and cleaning. Oh ya! Spring cleaning…. way to burst my bubble!

Although some of us truly love cleaning… the before and after; fresh smell of our house; the shine and sparkle, most of us… do not. Most people have great difficulty getting motivated to clean, especially, a deep thorough top to bottom spring clean. Here are some great tips to help you get in to the groove:

1. Plan an Event: held at your home shortly after the cleaning. This will kick start your motivation.
2. Make a Prioritized List: I am a big believer in organized lists and a timeline. The most critical tasks get done first.
3. Play Music: Make a playlist of your favourites, or just turn the radio on.
4. Set a timer and challenge yourself to what you can accomplish: 20 minutes always seems manageable. The countdown is a natural motivator. Repeat.
5. At Take Time We Always Work in a Systematic way: to start, go room to room collecting garbage, tidying and removing whatever doesn’t belong (like dirty dishes)
6. Make every Step Count. Be organized in your cleaning routine. Complete one level before starting another.  Don’t zig zag around the room or you will miss things.
7. Wear an Apron: with pockets to hold your cleaning tools and clean cloths
8. Colour Code Your Cloths: don’t mix up bathroom cloths with kitchen cloths etc. Change to fresh cloths often.
9. Reward yourself. Once your finished. Look over your work and touch up areas if needed. Now, treat yourself!

Or

Call the Experts: Many of us just don’t have the time for spring cleaning.  Like our radio ad says:

At Take Time Home Cleaning, 

We Know You’re Busy!  And We’re Here to Help you

Take Time to Live Well!

Take Time Radio Ad

Take Time Home Cleaning is thrilled to announce that we have just won the Top Choice Award for Top Cleaning Company in Winnipeg for the third year in a row! No other cleaning company in Winnipeg has achieved this hat trick before and we would like to thank our wonderful customers for voting for us time and time again. This recognition is so meaningful to us because it is authentic and comes direct from our customers. We strive hard to provide consistent quality service at an affordable price, and we value the opinion and feedback from our customers. We do not buy or incentivize our clients or our friends in any way to post fake 5 Star Google Reviews. Our reviews come from those who actually know the quality we provide and are happy to endorse us without any kind of financial reward.

Top Choice Awards is an International Marketing Research Company, providing social market insights and customer satisfaction analysis and solutions. Each year, they conduct a public survey that gives people like you the power to choose the Top Choice Award winners in each major city. The survey acts like a bridge between you and the businesses and professionals you know and love, allowing you to support your favourites and giving you the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback to help their business. Unlike traditional market research, Top Choice Awards conducts its studies openly and interacts directly with participants of the survey.

Thank you for our staff for providing quality service, and a BIG THANK YOU to our wonderful and supportive customers!

1. Are their staff employees of the company or simply independent contractors? It is important that your house cleaner is an employee, that way they are held accountable if something goes wrong. Contractors can disappear without notice and can simply move on to another company.
2. Are the house cleaners bonded and insured? This is important in case the cleaner gets injured within your home, they will be covered by their own insurance and will not affect your own home insurance.
3. Are they a part of the Better Business Bureau? If so, what is their BBB rating? Trusted companies such as Take Time Home Cleaning will have an A+ rating.

The Holiday Season Can Be A Very Stressful Time of Year!
Here are just a few tips to reduce the stress so you can enjoy the season.

1. Regular schedules may become disrupted because of decorating, shopping and entertaining, leaving people short on time and feeling rushed.

2. Make a list of everything that needs to be done and look for ways to get help: gifts to purchase, decorating, baking, cleaning

3. The holiday season can cause many people to feel lonely or depressed, which can be very stressful.

4. If you are feeling lonely, join others in volunteering to do something for those in need. You will find company and feel good about yourself for helping others.

5. Time pressures can disrupt eating, sleeping and exercising habits, so our bodies become more vulnerable to stress.

6. Continue your exercise program, get plenty of rest and eat healthful foods. Keep the Christmas baking in the freezer or if you are really tempted…keep it at your neighbours

7. Extra financial pressures and not being able to afford the gifts you would like to give can also cause stress.

8. Look for ways to reduce the stress of shopping and financial pressure.

Every year Take Time Home Cleaning sells $1000’s of dollars in gift cards. Who doesn’t want their house professionally cleaned? Our gift cards can be purchased in any denomination. What an easy and inexpensive way to cut down on the stress of shopping.

Too busy to clean? Take Time Home Cleaning can help you with that. We do residential cleaning as well as carpets and upholstery.

Need help with decorating or running errands? We do that too.

Take Time Home Cleaning provides 100’s of hours of free cleans every year through our volunteer efforts.

For an instant estimate and information on all of our services go to https://www.taketime.ca/ or call 204-770-7103.

One thing we often hear from our clients is how much they love walking into their home after Take Time has been there. “Energized, a great pick-me-up, happy and more patient with kids, New-lease-on-life” …. Just a few of the reactions we hear from clients.

Having a clean home is a huge boost to a person’s sense of well being.

Blogs and websites that focus on cleanliness and organization are numerous — for instance, Things Organized Neatly, Apartment Therapy and Unclutterer, to name only a few examples. Pinterest contains countless organization pictures and tips, and Buzzfeed regularly runs listicles designed to appeal to “your inner neat freak.”

What is it about a clean well-organized home that makes people so satisfied? Why do some people spend their free time scrolling though blogs that teach them how to clean efficiently or rearrange their closets or the best way to color-code their filing cabinets?

Keeping things clean and organized is good for you, and science can prove it.

A study led by associate professor NiCole R. Keith, Ph.D., research scientist and professor at Indiana University, found that people with clean houses are healthier than people with messy houses. Keith and her colleagues tracked the physical health of 998 Americans between the ages of 49 and 65, a demographic known to be at an increased risk for heart disease. Participants who kept their homes clean were healthier and more active than those who didn’t. In fact, house cleanliness was even more of a predictor for physical health than neighborhood walkability.

In 2011, researchers at Princeton University found that clutter can actually make it more difficult to focus on a particular task. Specifically, they found that the visual cortex can be overwhelmed by task-irrelevant objects, making it harder to allocate attention and complete tasks efficiently.

The human body is made up of tens of thousands of integrated biological and neurochemical systems, all of which are — yes — organized. Many of our cells operate on strict schedules, or circadian rhythms. Even at the atomic level, we are well-regulated and well-organized. Without this organization, our bodies would collapse into chaos. Maybe we crave symmetry and cleanliness in our homes because it supports our physical state.

Whatever the reason, staying clean and organized is a good thing. It helps us feel better about ourselves, it keeps us productive and it may very well keep us physically fit.

Want to have a clean and organized home but just don’t have the time to keep it that way. Give us a call! Take Time Home Cleaning & Lifestyle Services 204-770-7103

1. Divide your pantry into zones. For example, group dried rice, beans and quinoa together in one zone. Then create another zone for flours, another for sugars and so on
2. Use clear storage containers so you know what you’re looking at.
3. Tape cooking or soaking instructions for rice, grains and beans on their respective containers, as well as the dates you last filled each bin.
4. To organize cans, use Can racks to keep cans in control. They come in varied shapes and sizes. Tip:Make sure your labels face out in order to easily identify the contents of each can.
5. Use shoe racks:You read that right. Hang a shoe rack (the type with pockets) on the back of your pantry door. You can use it to store anything from packets of yeast and instant oatmeal to measuring spoons and afterschool snacks.
6. Use Magazine racks to organize the lids of plastic food storage containers or pots and pans. You can also use these racks as receptacles for boxes of foil, plastic wrap or parchment paper.
7. Next, hang a dry-erase board or chalkboard on the door of your pantry. When you use the last of an item, note it on the board. That way you’ll always know which dried goods you need more of and won’t have to suffer from any shortage or surplus.
8. Alternatively, you can keep track of inventory by making a list of items you always keep in stock, along with the quantity you currently have. For example:

• Marinara sauce — 2
• Cans of black beans — 4
• Aluminum foil — 1

When you use an item, update the list by reducing the number, so that you never have to worry about being caught without your favorite food or necessary cooking materials.

9. Hire Take Time Home Cleaning to help you plan this out and set it up for you.

Take Time Home Cleaning offers a full menu of additional services all designed to help you TAKE TIME to live well!

Check us out at www.taketimecleaning.com or call us at 204-770-7103.