How We Attract, Keep & Continually Grow with the Best Cleaners in the World
- Dave Harting
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
If you’ve been in the cleaning business for any length of time, you already know one of the biggest challenges we all face...
Finding good technicians and keeping them.
It’s not easy.
The work is physical, the hours can be tough, and in a lot of companies, people come and go like it’s a revolving door.
In the video clip above (from our "Cleaning With Purpose" Podcast), we were asked a great question:
“How does our company attract and keep the best cleaning technicians? And how do we make sure we have a stable, well-trained team our clients can count on?”
We’ve talked about this a lot internally, but I wanted to share our approach publicly because I believe it’s what sets us apart. Here’s what actually works for us.
1. We Pay More Than Minimum Wage — Because You Get What You Pay For
Let’s start with the obvious one: pay.
We don’t pay minimum wage. Never have, and we never will. If you want quality work and people who take pride in what they do, you have to pay accordingly. We pay a little more than most of our competitors, and yes, that sometimes means our prices are a bit higher than the lowest bids out there.
But here’s the thing — we’re not a low-ball company. We don’t chase government contracts that get cheaper every single year in that endless “race to the bottom.” Nobody wins in that game — not the workers, not the company, and definitely not the client who ends up with inconsistent service.
We’d rather do the job right, pay our team fairly, and deliver the kind of consistent, high-quality cleaning our clients expect.
2. Culture Fit Comes First
Pay is important, but it’s not everything.
Recently, we created a core values video that explains who we are and what we stand for.
Every applicant watches it before we even move forward in the hiring process.
Then we sit down and ask:
“Does this resonate with you? Does this feel like a place you’d want to be part of?”
If they don’t connect with our values, we’re not a good fit — and that’s okay.
We’d rather hire someone who believes in what we’re doing than someone who’s just looking for any paycheck.
When people are aligned with our core values, they tend to stay longer and care more about the work.
3. Making Part-Time Cleaners Feel Like Part of the Family
This industry has a unique challenge: many of our team members work part-time and spend most of their time out on job sites instead of in an office. For years we struggled with how to make them feel truly connected to the company.
I’m happy to say we’ve made real progress.
We’ve built a stronger support structure with account managers, assistant account managers, and lead technicians. There’s now a clear chain of people who know our technicians personally and are there to help.
Our team has an app so they can quickly request supplies or report issues, and someone actually shows up — a real person — to support them on site. When problems pop up (and they always do), we don’t leave them hanging. We talk them through it, empower them to make things right for the client, and make sure they’re paid for their extra time.
We also do simple things like company barbecues from time to time. Nothing fancy, but it gives everyone a chance to connect face-to-face, laugh a little, and remember we’re all on the same team.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, keeping great cleaning technicians comes down to three things:
Paying them fairly so they don’t have to jump ship for a couple extra dollars
Hiring people who genuinely share our core values
Building real connectivity so they feel supported, valued, and part of something bigger than just another cleaning job
It hasn’t always been easy. The nature of this industry makes it tough. But year after year, we’re getting better at it — and I can see the difference it makes in the stability of our teams and the quality we deliver to our clients.
If you’re a business owner in the cleaning or service industry, I’d love to hear what’s working for you.
Drop a comment below or reach out if you want to talk shop.
Here’s to building stronger teams and delivering better service — the right way!
Dave
