(By John and Pam McAuliffe - (owners of AAA Supershine Home Services - Melbourne Australia).
How it all began - Nuns were my cleaning instructors!
For what it's worth; I (John); have Nuns at the Catholic institution for orphans, (where I was placed as an infant); to thank for inadvertently thrusting me into my first experience as a child cleaner, which was at their huge complex where I was commissioned for the first six years of my life.
There was a strict daily regimen at this Orphanage, (which included heavy duty cleaning); and you knew "exactly" what you had to do each and every day, and you did not question the schedule laid out for you.
Very young cleaner
So there I was at the tender age of five, following those Nuns orders; regularly washing and scrubbing floors along corridors which never seemed to have an end to them.
No wonder there are many who coin the phrase; "cleanliness is next to Godliness!"
The old maxim; "give me a child until they are seven, and I will give you the man;" (at least in part), has come to pass in my experience.
I love to see the finished, (perfectly cleaned), end product, and unless, and until that state has been achieved, I loathe filth, grime, untidiness, chaos, and disorder.
To be honest; I am happiest and contented; only when I can cast my eagle eye around my own surroundings; and note a beautifully clean, shiny, spotless, and smudge free environment.
Clean surroundings and order are seared into my consciousness.
Early childhood shapes our futures
Our Childhood cleaning experiences have a significant bearing on why I/we are really good cleaners; or why we may find ourselves involved in the Home cleaning Industry today. (ask any Italian or Greek family to verify this fact).
As a teenager; I worked in a Factory, and I noticed most of the workers there, did not care too much about the job or their work environment. It was during those five years that I noticed how uncomfortable I was, working around the messy factory floor area, and did my best to keep my work space clean and tidy.
Retail management
A few years later, I entered the footwear retailing environment; and discovered there was a real need to maintain the stores in as clean and tidy a state as was physically possible.
This part of the job came naturally to me. After rising to the level of management with different retailers; I found myself obsessed with keeping these stores tidy and ordered.
It was at the management level, I also began to realize that many shop assistants had no idea about effective displaying, cleaning, tidiness, and orderly presentation of the merchandise, we were trying to sell to the buying public.
This part of the job came naturally to me. After rising to the level of management with different retailers; I found myself obsessed with keeping these stores tidy and ordered.
It was at the management level, I also began to realize that many shop assistants had no idea about effective displaying, cleaning, tidiness, and orderly presentation of the merchandise, we were trying to sell to the buying public.
Introduction to Domestic Window Cleaning
It was when I was in between jobs way back in 1979, that a relative introduced me to the idea of setting up a Window Cleaning Service.. He said it was easy; and because I was tall, it would be ideal for me.
It was at this point, that I decided to clean our own windows at home - with Windex! Needless to say; I did not enjoy this unimpressive initiation into the Window Cleaning industry; however, after much hard, frustrating, and very tedious time consuming work, I managed to struggle my way all the way around our entire house; and was relieved when I finally finished cleaning all of the windows to a very good standard.
It turned out that the main reason for my frustration, was that I was too much of a perfectionist; and at that point, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing! It became quite obvous to me, that if I wanted a "career" in this business, it would be necessary to glean from others in the industry, what was the best and most efficient way to clean Windows, and actually make a profit in doing so!
Our Home cleaning service
It was Pam; (my dear wife); who initiated the idea to begin our House Cleaning Services business; and this was about the same time as I began to take on the Window cleaning in earnest..
Pam saw a dire need for offering good quality Household Cleaning for mum's; (like herself); who really did not enjoy the experience of cleaning at all!
As a result of Pam's initiative; she launched a Domestic Cleaning Agency which she called "Pam's Home Help;" and this part of the business was an almost instant success.
Pam saw a dire need for offering good quality Household Cleaning for mum's; (like herself); who really did not enjoy the experience of cleaning at all!
As a result of Pam's initiative; she launched a Domestic Cleaning Agency which she called "Pam's Home Help;" and this part of the business was an almost instant success.
Indeed we discovered there were lots of people like Pam, who either did not like cleaning, or were too busy to clean properly.
During this time, we have developed a significant number of House cleaners and Window cleaners, and we are proud of the contribution we have made in raising the quality standard of Domestic cleaning services throughout the Melbourne Metropolitan area. The years have flown by; and we find ourselves now having been a part of the Home cleaning industry for 31 years.
Eye for detail
So far as my cleaning expertise was concerned; (and unlike Pam); I really enjoyed the challenge of cleaning, and always had an excellent eye for detail; and so I also began cleaning private homes, (in addition to cleaning my client's Windows).
From the word go, I was keen on attention to detail; and so whenever we added other cleaners; (and in order to cater for the increased demand for our services); we were very conscious of the need to select only House Cleaners, who also possessed an astute eye for detail.
This ability to notice things, is the hallmark of a great cleaner, and awareness of this important quality, is fundamental in the development of the best possible cleaners, and who will then also in turn provide the best possible Cleaning Service for our clients.
Excellent cleaners
Noticing the smallest detail, is what separates an excellent cleaner from an average cleaner.
Noticing the smallest detail, is what separates an excellent cleaner from an average cleaner.
It is my theory, that many "would be" cleaners, may not have not had the early training and experiences, which can instill into them, the importance of the fundamentals of the basic principles and techniques, in order to achieve an outstanding cleaning result.
Notwithstanding that an individual may not have had the ideal learning experience from a young age; we have learnt that the right type of people can be coached and trained to become excellent Cleaning Contractors.
Baby Boomer business owners
We are in our sixties now, (yes; part of the the much maligned Baby Boomer generation); and my wife and I have been in this Domestic Home cleaning business since 1979; and we still enjoy the challenge of helping our clients, ensuring that they receive the best available Home cleaner and/or Window cleaner.
The economy
The world has just been through the first round of the Global Financial Crisis; and this has created uncertainty in the mind of the consumer; and for this reason, it is vital that Clients receive value for their hard earned dollar.
Clients know what value looks like; and they will not put up with inferior; substandard, or second rate cleaners; and we are very keen to make sure that our cleaners live up to their high expectations.
Love to hear from others
This is a quick snapshot of our Cleaning history; and we would love to hear from any one who has a story about their involvement concerning Home Cleaning Services
From John and Pam McAuliffe
Owners of AAA Supershine Home Services
