I want to talk about something that surprised me when I first got into the cleaning business. Most cleaning companies use the same vacuum at your house that they just used at someone else’s house an hour ago. And then they’ll take that same vacuum to three more houses after yours. When I really thought about it, I realized how unsanitary that actually is.
Think about what a vacuum does. It sucks up everything from your floors and carpets. Hair, skin cells, dust mites, pet dander, food crumbs, dirt from outside, pollen, and who knows what else. All of that goes into the vacuum bag or canister, sure, but it also gets trapped in the brush roll, the filters, and all those little crevices inside the machine.
Now imagine that vacuum was just used at a house where someone has a pet. Cat hair and dander are now embedded in the brush roll. Then it comes to your house, and you’re allergic to cats. That vacuum is literally spreading allergens all over your floors and into your air while it’s supposedly “cleaning” your home. The same thing happens with dust mites, bacteria, and other microscopic stuff you definitely don’t want transferred from a stranger’s house into yours.
I’ve seen some pretty gross things in my years doing this work. Vacuums that smell bad because they’ve been picking up who-knows-what from dozens of different homes. Brush rolls completely clogged with hair from multiple households. It’s disgusting when you think about it.
The worst part is that most people don’t even realize this is happening. You hire a cleaning company, they show up with their equipment, and you assume everything is clean and professional. But that vacuum they’re using? It might have just come from a house with bedbugs, or a home where someone was sick, or a place with serious mold issues.
Some cleaning companies will tell you they clean their vacuums between jobs, but let’s be realistic. When you’re running from house to house on a tight schedule, are you really going to take apart the vacuum, clean the brush roll, wipe down all the surfaces, and sanitize everything between every single job? Probably not. Maybe they’ll empty the canister if it’s full, but that’s about it.
That’s why we do things differently. We don’t provide vacuums, and we ask our clients to have their own vacuum available for us to use. The reasoning is simple; your vacuum stays in your home. It only picks up stuff from your house. You know exactly what’s been in it and where it’s been.
This approach actually protects you in several ways. If you have allergies or asthma, you’re not being exposed to allergens from other people’s homes. If you have small children who play on the floor, you don’t have to worry about bacteria or germs being tracked in from somewhere else. And if you’re particular about cleanliness in your own space, you have peace of mind knowing that the tools being used in your home aren’t contaminated with debris from a stranger’s house.
Now, I get that some people might not have a vacuum or might have one that’s broken. We can work with you on that and help you find a solution that makes sense for your situation. We do provide a broom, and we are also able to use yours. But our standard practice is to use the homeowner’s vacuum, and we’re upfront about why.
My favorite brands are Miele, Dyson, Electrolux. I have seen some newer and beefier Dyson models be very finicky about its filter. A slightly older Dyson model (still cordless) has served me well, they are easy to repair and maintain. Miele makes a great corded vacuum. Their cordless vacuum is also nice, but not the greatest battery life and the vacuum itself is heavy. Dyson wins on weight, it’s very light. The Electrolux is a cordless vacuum that is also lightweight but seems to not have the best battery life. If I had to choose a favorite it would be a Dyson. The reason I would choose a cordless Dyson is because they have a washable Hepa filter, they are lightweight, and the battery life is decent. Maintenance is not complicated either.
Take a look for yourself at
https://www.miele.com/en/com/index.htm
Anyway, at the end of the day, cleaning your home should actually make it cleaner, not potentially introduce new contaminants. We’re in the business of making your space healthier and more comfortable, and that means thinking through every detail of how we work. Not sharing vacuums between houses is just one of the ways we take sanitation seriously.
Cleanliness is the obvious issue, the landfill is the second issue. The people behind Essential Cleaning care about your health, being less wasteful, and making an impact however we can. Contact us for a quote to see if we can help transform your home.