Career Mirror -- by Nancy MacKenzie

Arriving early to an empty house, putting on some favourite music and rubber gloves, the cleaner begins another day. Once this house is done he will lock up and move on to the next one, spending his day making home a nice place to come back to for many grateful Calgary families.

"It's enjoyable work," says Randy, a house cleaner running his own business since 1998. "I can work at my own pace. I don't have to start too early and there is always the flexibility of being able to change days." Randy's decision to start his own cleaning business came about during a slow down at the company where he was working as a journeyman electrician. He had enjoyed cleaning his family home as a teenager and friends had always commented on what a great job he did. So, he decided to give professional cleaning a try.

"There were no start up costs," explains Randy. He already had all the supplies and equipment he needed in his own house. Initially, Randy advertised by delivering flyers door-to-door on his newspaper route. These days, Randy no longer needs to advertise as all new clients come from referrals and there is more than enough work for one person. In fact, he is now able to select which customers he takes on and has been able to reduce his travel time because he only works close to home.

In addition to being punctual and conscientious, Randy says "you have to be a people person." Developing a sense of trust and negotiating a fair price are important aspects of the initial meeting with new customers. While there is ongoing phone contact there can be long periods of time without ever seeing a customer in person.

A typical day for Randy begins with a quick drive to the first customer's house where he tries to begin cleaning by 8:00 AM. He likes to do the kitchen and bathrooms first so he doesn't waste time putting his gloves back on. Then he dusts, vacuums, and washes the floor. He works two to three hours on each house, depending on size, and does no more than two houses each day.

While house cleaning is considered to be a great form of exercise, "cleaning can take its toll physically," explains Randy. Just a few years ago he was diagnosed with "trigger finger", a cramping of the hands caused by repetitive activity. A small adjustment to the way he wrings out rags and the problem was eliminated. He now pays more attention to the way he uses his body while cleaning to avoid any further problems.

According to Randy, the future looks bright for house cleaners as long as the economy is good. "It will go as long as people need housecleaning," he says. The busier life becomes the less time people have to clean their houses. His advice for anyone looking at entering the business is, "you have to enjoy it. Sometimes people ask me if I ever get tired of cleaning and I say that I have never thought about getting tired because cleaning different houses makes my job different every day."