Newsletter . Issue 3 . Summer 2014
On International Women’s Day, Rachael attended a special reception in Whitehall to recognise the important contribution women in Wales are making to their communities and the Welsh economy.
Rachael of Mrs. Bucket Cleaning Services
Wales Office Minister with portfolio responsibility for equality, Baroness Jenny Randerson hosted a dinner for prominent senior businesswomen in Wales at Gwydyr House. Guests included Janet Jones, Chair of the Federation of Small Business in Wales, Emma Watkins, Director of CBI Wales, Connie Parry, CEO of Hurns Brewing Company, and Cilla Davies OBE, Chair of the Prince’s Trust Cymru. Baroness Randerson “I wanted to celebrate International Women’s Day in a way that would stimulate further action to support women in Wales. So I invited a group of high achieving, successful Welsh women to join me for a discussion and some action planning. They are leaders of a wide range of organisations including business, higher education and sport. I am a great believer in the value of role models and we had a room full of them, sharing experiences and suggesting ideas to encourage the next generation to seize the initiative. And being practical people we agreed to work together in future to put our ideas into practice”
If you’re looking for a reliable, highquality, value for money commercial cleaners…Call us NOW!
Welcome from Rachael
Hello everyone...welcome to the Spring/ Summer issue of Sparkle. We’ve had a busy but really positive start to 2014 which includes winning our largest contract to date, something I’m extremely proud of my team for achieving. Over the last couple of months we have also been celebrating everything that’s great about being a woman! We ran a fantastic Mother’s Day competition to give a busy mum a spring clean of her home. I was also fortunate to be invited to Whitehall for a special International Women’s Day event. The ladies in attendance were all really inspiring and I was really encouraged to hear the UK Government will focus its efforts on promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment and Raising Girls’ Aspirations this year with a view to putting women at the heart of the UK’s economic growth. Read on for lots more updates from Mrs Bucket and our focus on ‘office cleaning’. I hope you find it interesting reading and your feedback. Remember any contributions are welcome so email me at rachael@mrs-bucket.co.uk
Awards-tastic We’re thrilled to announce that Rachael has been shortlisted as a finalist in two prestigious business awards.
Mrs Bucket secures record cleaning contract We’re delighted to have secured our largest contract to date with Olchfa Comprehensive School in Swansea, the second largest comprehensive school in Wales. We won the commercial cleaning contract after demonstrating our skill and expertise in a competitive tender against companies from across South Wales. We’ll now be responsible for the day-to-day cleaning of the school, which is home to over 1,900 pupils. Kim Hurlow, area manager at Mrs Bucket, said: “We’re delighted to have won the contract with Olchfa Comprehensive School as it is a fantastic opportunity for our team. Educational establishments have particular requirements when it comes to their cleanliness, which is especially true for Olchfa as it has such a large number of students so maintaining a clean environment is essential to their health and wellbeing. As a result, we conduct regular spot checks to ensure the areas are being thoroughly cleaned consistently.”
Proud to be supporting Capital 5x5 challenge We’re proud to supporting the Capital Challenge 5x5 in aid of Ty Hafan which will see ten people from South Wales cycle the five capitals of the UK and Ireland in five days. Taking place in June, the cyclists will start in Cardiff, before heading for London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin before returning to Wales. The brainchild of Armed Response Officers Neil Richards from Bedwas and Ian Davies from Carmarthen, the challenge is aiming to raise £50,000 for Ty Hafan, the hospice which offers comfort, care and support for lifelimited children and young people. Rachael’s husband Dan is one of the cyclists taking part, alongside Dylan Morris, Dave Thomas, Kath Thomas, Howard Thomas, Simon Williams, Lyn Evans and Jim Dyson.
She is one of three finalists in the Talent and Innovation category of the IoD Wales Director of the Year Awards, which celebrate outstanding and inspirational directors from across Wales. Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the IoD in Wales, said: “The awards praise business achievements across Wales and the calibre of our winners over the last four years has been outstanding. We celebrate those who are able to adapt and grow and for those that take the calculated risks and push the boundaries. Our awards bring all parts of the enterprise community together and focus UK-wide attention on Welsh success.“ Rachael has also been shortlisted in the ‘Women in Leadership’ category of the Leading Wales 2014 Awards. Barbara Chidgey, spokesperson for the Leading Wales Awards, said; “There is a lot of talk about the importance and impact of leadership in today’s society, our role however is to uncover and celebrate real life examples of leadership that have touched people’s lives.” I’m sure you’ll join us in wishing Rachael the best of luck in the finals of these awards.
We will all have our fingers crossed!
Those wishing to sponsor the Capital Challenge 5x5 team can do so via https://www.justgiving.com/capitalchallenge5x5
Spotless Reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We think we’re great, but don’t just take our word for it. Here’s a glowing testimonial from Julia Rebhan of The London Women’s Clinic (Wales)...
We pride ourselves on having such a beautiful clinic and as a medical facility with laboratory and theatre on site, we can’t take any risks when it comes to the standard of cleanliness. Your staff take pride in their work and we trust them completely to live up to our high standards. I can honestly say, the only time I really have to give the cleaning any thought is when Maxine comes for her regular inspections and asks me if I have any comments! I would be happy to recommend the Mrs Bucket service - I just wish you had a team in the area where I live, so I could use you at home too! Julia Rebhan Business Coordinator
The A-Z of Mrs Bucket Janitorial Services - we help clients maintain their premises throughout the week, by performing janitorial services including removing bins and waste and restocking supplies.
Award-winning - we are a multiaward winning cleaning company having been recognised by the Institute of Welsh Affairs and the Federation of Small Businesses to name just a few!
Buckét - our company name is certainly a talking point! Some customers call us Mrs Bucket, while others call us Mrs Buckét. Like Hyacinth from the popular Keeping Up Appearances sitcom, we pronounce it Mrs Buckét (like Bouquet!).
CRB checks - All our cleaners are CRB checked so you have complete peace of mind and trust in us at all times.
Deep clean - sometimes a regular clean is not enough so we offer a deep clean service where every inch of your house or business is given the Mrs Bucket treatment.
Educational establishments - we work with primary schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities to ensure they are clean and hygienic for their students and staff.
Floor buffing - in heavy footfall areas even the most dedicated cleaner may struggle to mop clean hard floors so we have top of the range equipment to offer a buffing service for all your non-carpeted areas.
Green cleaning - we strive to use sustainable products and deliver our services in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
Home cleaning - our home cleaning service allows our customers to arrive home to a clean, fresh house so that they don’t have to clean on their precious evenings and weekends. Innovation - not only do we use the most innovative cleaning products and methods, but we take an innovative approach to operating a cleaning business and are the only cleaning company in Wales to have a Cleaning Academy which ensures our staff are trained to the highest standards.
Kitchen clean - this high-traffic area of your business requires attention only a professional cleaning service provides. From wiping and shining all surfaces to sweeping and mopping floors, we leave your kitchen professionally cleaned and smelling fresh. Locations - we service the breadth of the M4 corridor in south Wales from our bases in Swansea, Cardiff and Newport. MOP system - our specialist customer relationship tool allows us to be friendly and flexible for any of your cleaning needs, whilst being fast and efficient with any issues that may arise. This makes us an obvious choice for anyone who needs a cleaner to work around them. New services - we are constantly evolving our services to meet our clients’ needs. Our recent addition being our specialist carpet and upholstery operation.
Office cleaning - a clean office and building makes for a safer and healthier working environment and this is proven to help minimise staff absence. Our office cleaning service is tailored to your individual business needs and our flexible hours means we can clean with minimal disruption to your staff and your daily operation. Products - our cleaners use different colour cloths and mops for different areas of a premises. This is put into practice in every workplace where we clean and is vitally important to prevent the spread of germs.
Quote - need a quote for your cleaning needs visit our website www.mrs-bucket.co.uk and follow our three-step process. Rachael Flanagan - Rachael set up Mrs Bucket when she was 18 with just £20 which she spent on promotional flyers. Over the past seven years, she has grown the company from a domestic cleaning company to a full-service cleaning company with offices in Swansea and Cardiff, 140 employees and over 250 domestic and commercial clients across south Wales.
Spot checks - all our cleaning contracts are subject to spot checks by a dedicated manager. This is to ensure our standards don’t slack and also means you have a single point of contact if you need to contact us. Training - each cleaner employed by Mrs Bucket is trained in our specialist Cleaning Academy which arms them with the skills required to clean your premises thoroughly. As a result, you can expect the highest standards of cleaning at all times. Upholstery cleaning service whether you are a bar, restaurant, hotel or other premises, we can revitalise your furnishings and upholstery with our steam cleaners giving them a new lease of life.
Value for money - we offer more than just your average cleaners ensuring that you see a return on your investment and value for money. Washroom cleaning - not many people enjoy cleaning toilets but we do! We take the hassle out of washroom management, looking after everything from air fresheners, to baby changers to hygiene monitors and management systems so that you can get on with managing your business. Xtra mile - our meticulous attention to detail means that we always go the xtra mile for our clients.
YouTube - Let us tell you why we are the best, visit our YouTube channel to view our promotional videos online http://www.youtube.com/mrsbucketuk
Zzzzz Our impeccable service means you can sleep rest assured that your cleaning is taken care of!
Check List Entrance/Reception/Office Areas
What’s the dirtiest place in the office? You may be surprised to hear it’s not the office toilets. The worst offender is, in fact, a man’s desk! Most people spend a large chunk of their day parked in front of a computer. While they type away, these office workers are shedding millions of bacteria. A study sampling bacteria from 500 offices has shown that surfaces inhabited by men tended to have more bacterial cells than those inhabited by women. The researchers had two suggestions of why this might be. First, this could be just because men are often larger than women, so they have more surface area to grow bacteria, and therefore end up shedding more bacteria into their environment. The second idea is not nearly as flattering. Previous studies have shown that men are just dirtier than women; they don’t wash their hands or brush their teeth nearly as often. This could be the cause of their extra dirty offices (and orifices), the researchers said.
Something to bear in mind, next time you eat your lunch at your desk!
What to include in an office cleaning checklist… There’s more to commercial cleaning than just vacuuming the floors, here’s a sample of a cleaning checklist. This list is general and we customise our cleaning schedule to your specific requirements. Our cleaners maintain a checklist of activities in a communications book that they will leave at your premises so you can see exactly what cleaning has been done and when. These books are also useful for our clients and cleaners to highlight any problems or issues or for you to leave any special requests or instructions.
Sparkle. If you want to add some Sparkle to your We hope you’ve enjoyed reading
office cleaning, contact us now.
01792 886 665 EMAIL: hello@mrs-Bucket.co.uk
www.mrs-bucket.co.uk
Remove rubbish and replace bin liners Vacuum all carpets and mats Vacuum all hard floors Vacuum under all cushions Dust all horizontal surfaces of desks, chairs, tables and other furniture
Damp wipe all horizontal surfaces with disinfectant
Mop all hard floors with disinfectant Remove cobwebs from front entry and immediate surrounding areas
Remove fingerprints and marks from around light switches and door frames
Clean automatic glass doors inside and out Spot clean all glass Polish all brass and bright work (including strip on entrance floor)
Spot clean walls and painted surface Collect all rubbish, papers, bottles etc. from front entrance and between buildings
Weekly Cleaning Spray buff all hard floors. Twice a Week
Toilet & Bathroom Areas
Stock toilet tissue, hand towels, facial tissues and hand soap
Empty rubbish bins and wipe if needed and replace bin liners as required
Clean and polish mirrors Wipe hand towel cabinet covers/hand dryers Wipe down door sills - remove all dust Toilets and urinals to be cleaned and disinfected on both sides and disinfected/ sanitised and wiped dry
Clean and sanitise all basins. Polish all bright work to basins
Dust partitions, tops of mirrors and frames Remove splash marks from walls around basins
Mop clean restroom floors with disinfectant
Lifts & Stairs Remove rubbish from all areas Polish all brass and bright work Vacuum all hard floors Mop all hard floors with disinfectant Spot clean internal glass in lifts