Today the DCBN got some of the pressing questions we needed answering, asked at the Scottish Budget Debate. Full details can be found here

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The announcement on 23rd February 2021 in Scotland that the Tier 4 restrictions which prohibit domestic cleaning in all, but limited circumstances is likely to be in effect until the 26th April 2021 now puts even further financial strain on this already damaged industry and there is still no targeted support in place.

The DCBN has campaigned hard to change this and is now asking the Scottish Government why, when cleaning is vitally important to help reduce the spread and suppress the virus that we have been restricted in our ability to contribute to this cause.

We want to understand why Scotland is the only UK nation to restrict domestic cleaning activities as this has not been the case throughout the rest of the UK even at a National Lockdown level.

Why were the guidelines changed in late December 2020 to prohibit domestic cleaning in people’s homes at Tier 4 when it was previously permitted?

The industry also wants to know why specific funding has been allocated to mobile close contact services providing hair cuts and cosmetic services in peoples homes, yet a mobile cleaner is not entitled to specific funding and needs to rely on varying amounts from Local Authorities if they meet the criteria set.

Finally, we want to know why cleaning service providers are not seen as a part of the supply chain to the hospitality, retail and other closed industries and has been rejected from accessing any of the Strategic Framework Business Funding?

We will shortly be releasing some template letters for all cleaners and service users to send to their local MSPs to further raise awareness and would love you to share these and also to take just a few moments to sign and share the petition here.

Cleaning robot Franzi makes sure floors are spotless at the Munich hospital where she works, and has taken on a new role during the pandemic: cheering up patients and staff.

"Can you move out the way, please? I need to clean," trills the robot in German when people block her pre-programmed cleaning route.

"You need to move! I really want to clean!" she squeaks at those who still don't get out of the way. And if that doesn't work, digital tears begin to stream from her LED-light eyes.

"Visitors are not allowed in the pandemic, so Franzi entertains the patients a bit," says Constance Rettler of Dr. Rettler, the company in charge of cleaning the Neuperlach hospital that provided the robot.

Three times a day, Franzi bustles through the clinic's entrance hall, her feet automatically mopping the floors. Amused patients take photos of her, and some even stop to chat to the metre-high robot.

"Ah, there you are my friend," cries one elderly lady with a drip on her arm upon catching sight of Franzi.

"One of our recent patients came down three times a day to talk to her," smiles Tanja Zacherl, who oversees hospital maintenance.

- Extra employee -

Created by a company in Singapore, Franzi was originally named Ella and spoke English before coming to Munich early this year.

Yet her German is perfect as she tells her interviewers that she "never wants to grow up" and that cleaning is her passion.

When prompted, she can also sing classic German pop songs and even rap.

Rettler is adamant that the robot is not taking jobs away from real human beings but instead is supposed to "support" her flesh-and-blood colleagues, who have become harder to come by during the coronavirus pandemic.

"With the pandemic, there is lots of extra disinfecting work to be done in hospitals," says Rettler.

"While Franzi is cleaning the floors, our employees can concentrate on doing that."

A robot has its limits however. It is still unable to get into tight corners, and if it hits an obstacle, it bursts into tears and remains stuck until rescued by a human.

Yet Franzi also has a reason to be cheerful. After a test phase of several weeks, she appears to have settled in at the Neuperlach hospital.

Rettler's company has therefore decided to keep her there permanently rather than deploy her elsewhere.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/chatty-robot-franzi-cheers-german-030909801.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

A new series on the BBC due to come out later this year is based on gruesome crime scene cleaning.

Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead, is a state-certified cleaning technician with a very special field of work: as a crime scene cleaner he is responsible for the removal of any signs of death.

Wicky works for Shropshire-based cleaning contractors Lausen and is usually found, together with his baby-blue pickup truck, at crime scenes after the police have concluded their detective work.

Armed with chemicals, scrubbing brushes and cleaning rags, Wicky removes the gruesome mess at the scene of the crime. When carrying out his duties, he stumbles across the strangest of people: from the victim's relatives, employers, neighbours and acquaintances, to occasionally even the murderers themselves. And because he's a sociable type, he sometimes gossips more than he cleans.

We know a lot of our members have started training in forensic and crime scene cleaning and whilst this series is not going to make the industry look glamourous, it also will highlight the level of work and training that goes into professionally working in a field like this.

The Cleaner

It is amazing to see that more and more employers who bring the cleaning inhouse are ensuring that their staff are professionally trained with more than just a couple of hours handover. 

This week, the Royal Household were inundated again with applications after advertising a Level 2 Housekeeping Apprenticeship opportunity. 

The successful candidate will join the team of Housekeeping professionals; learning on-the-job while they work alongside them to upkeep, clean and care for interiors and items, ensuring they’re presented to their very best.

The apprenticeship will also involve off-the-job training, supported by a separate learning provider. Following a structured programme over 13 months, they’ll gain specialist technical skills that will form the foundations of a housekeeping career, as well as providing them with an understanding of the wider hospitality profession.

At the Domestic Cleaning Business Network, we also understand just how important training is and we insist that all of our members have taken basic training in order to join. That is why we worked with the Domestic Cleaning Academy to create and deliver free training covering COSHH, Health and Safety and Risk Assessments as well as how to work safely around Covid-19 and this is now available free to all of our subscription members on our website.

We all know that clean doesnt have a smell as such, however if we could bottle our favourite scent, what would it be?

Well, I am putting my vote in for the new Fabulosa "Pornstar Mar-Clean-i!

As a professional cleaning trade association, we reccomend using high quality products that do not have a scent as these are often not necessary and contain additional chemicals that can increase the risk of using products for you and your staff, however the thought of working alongside something like this all day does make me smile!

Cleaning has never been as important as it is right now. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more people are using disinfectants and if you are only cleaning at home then your exposure limits are going to be minimal, however when you use cleaning products all day every day, you need to ensure that you are following the guidelines and the information on the Safety Data Sheets. With the household cleaning market booming, there are now concerns about the "toxic load" - the body's supposed build-up of potentially harmful chemicals.

Many of the every day cleaning products we use at home need personal protective equipment to use and these are detailed on the labels. However when you look closer at even a simple disinfectant spray, you are advised to avoid inhalation of the spray mist and contact with the skin and eyes. 

Last month, the Domestic Cleaning Business Network provided free training to over 300 cleaning business owners, teaching them all about professional cleaning products, risk assessments and safety data sheets to help keep them and their staff and customers safe

The government has withdrawn a sexist poster designed to encourage people to stay at home after it attracted cristicsm over its depiction of only women engaged in domestic tasks, including standing with a mop bucket, home-schooling children, holding a baby near an ironing board and relaxing on a sofa with a man and child. 

At the Domestic Cleaning Business Network, we know that many of our business owners are men and despite being historically a heavily women led industry, we are seeing more and more men join into what is a growing professional industry.

As the largest trade association for the industry, we often get asked about discrimination in the workplace and provide our members with the latest legislation and advice.

Do you struggle getting your money from clients?

Our last DCBN webinar was about debt collection with our very own associate director Claire Hogan. She gave lots of tips and hints how to do it correctly and get your cashflow back on track.

Many cleaners struggle to get payment from their clients and having to act as the cleaner, business owner, payroll, HR and finance can blur the lines somewhat at times.

When you join the Domestic Cleaning Business Network, you get access to a full range of template documents and support to help chase payments and guidance to the best documents and templates to help you structure your business the right way

Join the DCBN to watch all of our past or future webinars for members only.

DOMESTIC cleaners across Scotland have seen their incomes fall by more than 80% during the pandemic and now there is a warning that “sheer desperation” from their exclusion from financial support measures could put householders and wider communities at risk.

Unlike their counterparts in England, domestic cleaners here are unable to work, apart from those carrying out essential duties in the homes of people physically unable to do housework themselves.

The DCBN has been lobbying hard to try and rectify this and its been great to see some progress with Dundee City Council the first to mention cleaners as being eligible for teh Discretionry Grant Funds.

Check out the rest of the article in The National

https://www.thenational.scot/news/19034526.covid-scotland-exclusion-financial-support-putting-cleaners-risk/