House Cleaning Companies Address Client And Employee Concerns To Get Back To Work

At a time when homeowners and renters are more concerned about the cleanliness of their living spaces than ever, many who normally enlist a house cleaning service have eschewed professional cleanings this season.

Fear of contracting coronavirus has led some East End residents and seasonal renters to cancel their normal service, while at the same time some cleaning companies temporarily shut down despite being permitted to operate throughout the COVID-19 crisis as an essential business. It’s only this month that business has begun to pick up again for many South Fork house cleaning companies.

Cleaning company owners have instituted numerous new practices to assure both their employees and their clients that any chance of coronavirus transmission during cleanings has been minimized. Plus, new cleaning protocols have been designed to thoroughly disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

Cynthia Capalbo, the owner of C’s Home & Office Management in Sag Harbor, reported things have changed week to week since the COVID crisis began.

Things started OK, then business halted, she closed up for a time, and last month she reopened as business has continued to be slow but improving.

She noted that while she was never required to cease operations, it felt like the right thing to do for everyone’s safety.

“We went from very busy to very slow, and now we’re going back up the ladder again,” Ms. Capalbo said.

Concerned clients have wanted to know that no one coming into their home has the virus and that the employees are disinfecting according to CDC guidelines, she said. “It’s been very interesting to watch this unfold, and I do feel that we’re very confidant that we’re using the best disinfectants that we can.”

Her employees are wearing masks, gloves, hairnets and booties and wiping down their equipment daily.

“In residential homes, we may just use the gloves in the bathrooms as a cleaning technique,” Ms. Capalbo said of the past. “Now we use them the entire time, so you have to constantly change out the gloves, because you can’t cross contaminate.”

Through ISSA, the leading cleaning industry trade association, her employees have taken virtual trainings to become “COVID-certified.” They have learned the right products to use to disinfect and the right way to use them effectively to kill viruses.

Some clients have asked if her staff could wear hazmat suits while cleaning, but she has not required her employees to do that. That’s not going to be comfortable or feasible for her employees, she said.

Some clients have offered to keep paying their regular house cleaners even though they haven’t had them at their homes since March, Mr. Capalbo noted.

She said she understands that some people still aren’t ready to resume service.

“We want to do what’s best for everybody,” she said. “If you don’t feel comfortable, we don’t want to put you in an awkward position.”

Suave Soroka, the owner of My Hamptons Cleaning in Hampton Bays, reported that clients who paused their service told him they would be ready to have cleaners come back this month.

“The business went down significantly since March,” he said. “April was pretty much dead out here. My employees refused to come in to work, themselves.”

He said those two employees were scared to cross paths with “city people.” April is when many New York City residents came to their second homes on the South Fork or quickly rented a house so they could ride out the COVID-19 lockdown in comfort.

There were the older clients who, because of their age and concerns over the virus, canceled service, Mr. Soroka said.

My Hamptons Cleaning has instituted a number of policies to assuage clients’ concern while also protecting its staff. For instance, employees wear masks and gloves to interact with clients and while cleaning.

Cleaners have been asked to disinfect “touch points” such as cabinet handles, doorknobs and light switches. “Now I have heard that the virus can’t survive on surfaces,” he added. Still, they aren’t taking any chances.

Those surfaces were always cleaned regularly, but now it’s different. “In the past, we would not necessarily disinfect them,” Mr. Soroka said.

Rather than just using Magic Eraser sponges to remove stains and fingerprints, now they clean and then use the same industrial disinfectants that restaurants use.

But the disinfectant can’t just be wiped on and wiped off. Once it goes on, it needs to be left alone to dry, Mr. Soroka explained.

My Hamptons Cleaning has been called upon for pre-rental cleanings for houses that were moved into in May, and even for “secondary cleanings” for renters who wanted that extra assurance.

“They don’t trust that it’s clean,” Mr. Soroka said. “They want us to come in and reclean and redisinfect.”

Last year, he had more calls to clean Airbnb short-term rentals, but this year those have been rare.

Jocelyne Ranucci, the proprietor of A Votre Service in Sag Harbor, ceased her house cleaning business in the middle of March and remained closed throughout April.

“I decided not to do service at all,” Ms. Ranucci said. “Because of that, I guess I lost several clients, but I should think safety was more important. And then I established a long list of safety measures, and I told the clients that we might resume service.”

Some clients took her up on the offer, while others did not feel ready, she said. Still others would not agree to her safety measures.

Ms. Ranucci has just three employees working now. Normally, she would have 15 at this time of year. “This is my season,” she said. “But I am OK with that. It’s OK. Things will eventually pick up. For me, the most important [thing] is everybody stays healthy. After, we’ll see.”

Some clients want two house cleaners to come at once, to limit the number of hours they have workers in their house. But Ms. Ranucci said she sends just one at a time, unless the house is large and her staff members can work on separate floors while also not crossing paths with the residents.

She tells residents it is preferable that they are not at home when the cleaner is there — but if they are home, they should stay in another room, wear a mask and maintain a minimum 6-foot distance. “They have to respect that,” she said. “Some don’t want to do that, but too bad.”

For rental houses that turn over frequently, she waits two or three days after renters move out before sending her staff members in to clean up after them.

“It might not serve any purpose, but it makes me feel more safe,” she said.

She stopped serving commercial clients because she doesn’t feel it’s safe for her staff, who she affectionately referred to as “my ladies.”

Her rules also say that workmen and handymen can’t be working on the house at the same time the house cleaners are there.

She is also limiting individual staff members to visiting one house per day so they do not bring germs from one house to another. And the same cleaner will serve the same house week to week. If a staff member does not feel well, she can’t work that day.

Clients are asked to provide their own cleaning products so house cleaners are not bringing products from one person’s home into their cars and then to another home.

“Most people are happy about it and happy to comply,” she said of her rules.