These deranged creatures live in immaculate houses prone to attracting clouds of imaginary dust. You could perform surgery in one of our clients' bathrooms, or eat lunch on her toilet, though we have never done either. And I could swear that our client Bob steam cleans the inside of his toilet brush receptacle.

Ours is not to question why.

We have a number of clients who fall into this category, and though we love them, we approach our work at their homes with caution. Evan often warns as I negotiate the white on white bathroom, "don't get anything dirty!"

Sometimes we compe

Okay, some people are pigs. But bless their hearts, because there's your job security. Besides, I know from personal experience that pigs are rarely even aware of their condition. However, when you first start a cleaning business you'll need to use careful powers of observation when bidding jobs in order to discern whether your potential client may in fact be one.

Here's why: They need to get what they want, and you need to get paid well for cleaning.

Your goal as you start a house cleaning business is to give a fair estimate, based upon the time it looks as if it will take to clean the place. You may underestimate the time it takes to move each little knick-knack, clean it, and clean under it, and move it back into place.

"Clutter Therapist" is now actually a 21st century occupational title and we all know a few stuff-addicted folks who could use the help of one. When you start a house cleaning business you'll notice that some people will pick up for the house cleaner and some people won't. It doesn't matter as long as you and your client can strike a deal you can both live with.

Practice not overlooking the details you may not normally see, things like greasy baked-on food stains under the burners, candle drippings in the bathtub. Zillions of tiny bottles and bowls of stuff clustered on each bathroom counter and on the shower floor will make starting a house cleaning business more difficult.

A word about pigs:

While you're starting a cleaning business it won't do you much good to be thinking of people as pigs while in the midst of their clutter, even if it's the only thing you can think about. Thoughts that hang around in your mind tend to teeter on the dangerous brink of your tongue, and the next thing you know you've just made an ass out of yourself.

One minute you're thinking, "how could these pigs make such a mess!" And the next minute your client is standing in the doorway with a weird look on her face and you realize with a pang that you just said it out loud.

When I consciously shift my perspective from judgmental to grateful, I feel better and work better. Besides, as I say, I know from personal experience that most pigs aren't even aware of their condition.

Then there are the neatniks.

Neatniks' homes look as though they are prepared for a squadron of home and garden journalists to descend upon them at any moment. No clutter, no mess, no dirt, nowhere, no way, no how.

These deranged creatures live in immaculate houses prone to attracting clouds of imaginary dust. You could perform surgery in one of our clients' bathrooms, or eat lunch on her toilet, though we have never done either. And I could swear that our client Bob steam cleans the inside of his toilet brush receptacle.

Ours is not to question why.

We have a number of clients who fall into this category, and though we love them, we approach our work at their homes with caution. Evan often warns as I negotiate the white on white bathroom, "don't get anything dirty!"

Sometimes we compet

Your goal as you start a house cleaning business is to give a fair estimate, based upon the time it looks as if it will take to clean the place. You may underestimate the time it takes to move each little knick-knack, clean it, and clean under it, and move it back into place.

"Clutter Therapist" is now actually a 21st century occupational title and we all know a few stuff-addicted folks who could use the help of one. When you start a house cleaning business you'll notice that some people will pick up for the house cleaner and some people won't. It doesn't matter as long as you and your client can strike a deal you can both live with.

Practice not overlooking the details you may not normally see, things like greasy baked-on food stains under the burners, candle drippings in the bathtub. Zillions of tiny bottles and bowls of stuff clustered on each bathroom counter and on the shower floor will make starting a house cleaning business more difficult.

A word about pigs:

While you're starting a cleaning business it won't do you much good to be thinking of people as pigs while in the midst of their clutter, even if it's the only thing you can think about. Thoughts that hang around in your mind tend to teeter on the dangerous brink of your tongue, and the next thing you know you've just made an ass out of yourself.

One minute you're thinking, "how could these pigs make such a mess!" And the next minute your client is standing in the doorway with a weird look on her face and you realize with a pang that you just said it out loud.

When I consciously shift my perspective from judgmental to grateful, I feel better and work better. Besides, as I say, I know from personal experience that most pigs aren't even aware of their condition.

Then there are the neatniks.

Neatniks' homes look as though they are prepared for a squadron of home and garden journalists to descend upon them at any moment. No clutter, no mess, no dirt, nowhere, no way, no how.

These deranged creatures live in immaculate houses prone to attracting clouds of imaginary dust. You could perform surgery in one of our clients' bathrooms, or eat lunch on her toilet, though we have never done either. And I could swear that our client Bob steam cleans the inside of his toilet brush receptacle.

Ours is not to question why.

We have a number of clients who fall into this category, and though we love them, we approach our work at their homes with caution. Evan often warns as I negotiate the white on white bathroom, "don't get anything dirty!"

Sometimes we compe

Practice not overlooking the details you may not normally see, things like greasy baked-on food stains under the burners, candle drippings in the bathtub. Zillions of tiny bottles and bowls of stuff clustered on each bathroom counter and on the shower floor will make starting a house cleaning business more difficult.

A word about pigs:

While you're starting a cleaning business it won't do you much good to be thinking of people as pigs while in the midst of their clutter, even if it's the only thing you can think about. Thoughts that hang around in your mind tend to teeter on the dangerous brink of your tongue, and the next thing you know you've just made an ass out of yourself.

One minute you're thinking, "how could these pigs make such a mess!" And the next minute your client is standing in the doorway with a weird look on her face and you realize with a pang that you just said it out loud.

When I consciously shift my perspective from judgmental to grateful, I feel better and work better. Besides, as I say, I know from personal experience that most pigs aren't even aware of their condition.

Then there are the neatniks.

Neatniks' homes look as though they are prepared for a squadron of home and garden journalists to descend upon them at any moment. No clutter, no mess, no dirt, nowhere, no way, no how.

These deranged creatures live in immaculate houses prone to attracting clouds of imaginary dust. You could perform surgery in one of our clients' bathrooms, or eat lunch on her toilet, though we have never done either. And I could swear that our client Bob steam cleans the inside of his toilet brush receptacle.

Ours is not to question why.

We have a number of clients who fall into this category, and though we love them, we approach our work at their homes with caution. Evan often warns as I negotiate the white on white bathroom, "don't get anything dirty!"

Sometimes we compe

One minute you're thinking, "how could these pigs make such a mess!" And the next minute your client is standing in the doorway with a weird look on her face and you realize with a pang that you just said it out loud.

When I consciously shift my perspective from judgmental to grateful, I feel better and work better. Besides, as I say, I know from personal experience that most pigs aren't even aware of their condition.

Then there are the neatniks.

Neatniks' homes look as though they are prepared for a squadron of home and garden journalists to descend upon them at any moment. No clutter, no mess, no dirt, nowhere, no way, no how.

These deranged creatures live in immaculate houses prone to attracting clouds of imaginary dust. You could perform surgery in one of our clients' bathrooms, or eat lunch on her toilet, though we have never done either. And I could swear that our client Bob steam cleans the inside of his toilet brush receptacle.

Ours is not to question why.

We have a number of clients who fall into this category, and though we love them, we approach our work at their homes with caution. Evan often warns as I negotiate the white on white bathroom, "don't get anything dirty!"

Sometimes we compe

These deranged creatures live in immaculate houses prone to attracting clouds of imaginary dust. You could perform surgery in one of our clients' bathrooms, or eat lunch on her toilet, though we have never done either. And I could swear that our client Bob steam cleans the inside of his toilet brush receptacle.

Ours is not to question why.

We have a number of clients who fall into this category, and though we love them, we approach our work at their homes with caution. Evan often warns as I negotiate the white on white bathroom, "don't get anything dirty!"

Sometimes we compete with each other to find actual dirt somewhere. I go to great extents to find ways to get my dust rag dusty by climbing very high and wiping the tops of cupboards that will never be seen by any member of our species. One day recently a professional-style microscope appeared in the kitchen of one of these neatnik clients of ours. Perhaps she is inspecting our work at a microscopic level after we leave.

When you are starting a house cleaning business, train yourself to pay attention to the level of clutter in a home while estimating your fee. It's fine to be a pig, but it's never okay to make of yourself an ass. And keep in mind, neatniks are people too.

Just remember while cleaning their homes, don't get anything dirty.