COVID-19 – You Are Not Alone!

We’ll get through this together

Hello everyone, My name is Antoaneta and I am the CEO and Founder of FastKlean. With today’s post, I would like to express my gratitude to all of our loyal customers and fantastic cleaners.

The last week has been really difficult for everyone. Not just for us, at FastKlean, not only for the United Kingdom but for the world as a whole. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the lives of everyone around the world. Last Tuesday was one of the extraordinarily difficult days – with the global toll mounting, everyone was panicking. People were calling to postpone their scheduled services, put their subscriptions on hold on hold, or even cancel. And even though we tried our best to keep a level head, it got to us as well. 

For the first time in a long time, we were caught off-guard. As the CEO and leader of FastKlean, I knew that it was my duty to approach this situation with calm and composure. Creating more panic and worries for our clients and cleaners was the last thing I could afford. And let me tell you – it wasn’t easy.

Over the span of 20 years, the FastKlean family has grown significantly. What once started as a small project with a handful of cleaners, is now a first-choice cleaning provider, offering safety and stability to more than two-hundred experienced professionals. We have multiple teams, dedicated to each of our three major divisions – Domestic Cleaning, Commercial Cleaning and One-Off Deep Cleaning. Our field teams are also backed up by the full-time office, customer support and digital marketing experts. This was no time for weakness – I couldn’t afford to let my people down. Yet, I had no idea what to say or what to do.

I had read up on the virus when I first heard about it, and I kept up with the latest information by the World Health Organisation. Still, I didn’t know the best ways to approach the situation yet. I was not sure which methods would be the safest for our cleaners, and I was not willing to put them at risk. Things were moving, we were taking measures, but everything was going painfully fast. We needed time to implement the policies and time to adjust. But, to my surprise, everyone was understanding of the fact that we’re in this together – both our cleaners and our customers. 

I’d like to use this opportunity to give a big “Thank You” to our domestic clients. Thank you for all of your patience, understanding and support. You were absolutely fantastic throughout these trying times. 

During this week, we’ve received countless calls from our cleaners, letting us know that they’ve been paid for up to three months in advance. Some of our clients were also eager to let us know they understand the difficulties that we’re facing and that they’re more than happy to pay the cleaners to cover their properties for a few months in advance. They wanted to be sure that our cleaners will be well off during the troubling times ahead.

This has done wonders for morale in our offices – our people are much calmer and motivated to do their best, knowing that their job is well-appreciated!

On the commercial side, we know that a lot of offices were closed. Naturally, we’ll be taking the appropriate action, and doing our duty in helping the UK government to keep things under control. A large number of commercial properties will need to be thoroughly disinfected and scrubbed top to bottom. 

For our one-off deep clean, we’ve got our end of tenancy projects. We’ve done a lot of training, talking and preparations. We’ve done our best to ensure that our cleaners have all the necessary tools and knowledge to handle the situation. We’ve taken measures to keep both the clients and cleaners safe and eliminate the possibilities of spreading germs. We’re ready to perform deep cleans, sanitisations and disinfections.

Naturally, the cleaning products are seeing an increase in price, but this is expected. We’ve got our steam machines – having your carpet steamed with hot water and extraction will go a long way towards disinfecting your home. Mattresses can (and should) also be disinfected, along with upholstery and even tiles or flooring. The sinks, doors, furniture follow not too far behind.

We’re ready to disinfect nurseries, schools and educational facilities. Even though experts warn that the elderly are the group who is most at risk from the virus, this doesn’t mean that anyone should be taking the situation lightly! Even the slightest chance of infecting a child is not something that I’m willing to accept.

With everyone as worried as they are, we have made sure that all of our cleaners who want to stay away for the duration of the crisis can do so without taking unnecessary risks. Luckily, a large portion of our staff is thoroughly determined to fight on the frontlines against the virus, and are willing to do their best in protecting the citizens of London.

As a CEO of FastKlean and FK Domestics, I’d like to once again thank you all for the support! If you need to cut a few hours, I understand. The entire world is worried about the virus, and I want you to remain as calm and stress-free as possible.

Thank you to our amazing cleaners, some of them are ready to work in the present conditions to help everyone who needs the service! I have requested all to stay home but some of the cleaners want to work and help. We have advised them to be extremely careful, to travel by cars not by public transport where possible.

Thank you to our suppliers, who are doing their best to keep us fully stocked and ready to hold back the spread of the crisis!

Remain Calm!

I’ll also urge you to try your best to remain calm and collected. We are all worried about our livelihood, about our families and about our own wellbeing. But panicking never helped anyone! 

Please try to keep a level head and listen to the people in charge. Our Government and the Health Authorities are working towards resolving the situation. Following their advice is, in my opinion, not just the safest, but also the best choice. 

We’ve received calls from some of our clients who work from home, saying that cleaning is going to be the very last thing that they’d cancel. They want our cleaners to continue with their scheduled sessions. In essence, just because some public places are temporarily closed, doesn’t give us an excuse to forsake personal hygiene!

I know news changes every hour and I am confused and never been in a situation like that before. Some clients want the cleaners some of them don’t. So please bear with us to make the right decision. Your safety and the safety of the cleaners are the most important thing at the moment.

Cleaning is just as important as food

Another client called to let us know that, even though they asked their cleaner to not visit the property for a week, they still paid them, because they want them to remain safe and secure. They told us that events like this viral outbreak often serve as a wake-up call about the real importance of cleaning.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we’ll have the easiest of months. With fewer projects to work on, and without help from the government, cleaning companies are in for a rough ride. 

This is why, as a CEO and leader, I believe that it is my duty to help keep morale high. 

I keep in touch with my cleaners daily. We’ve got our dedicated in-house chatrooms, Facebook groups and everything. I try to upload videos every day and to provide them with the latest information, tutorials and advice from experts, as soon as it becomes available. All of this has been instrumental in keeping everyone’s spirits up in the wake of the pandemic. 

We managed to quickly design and implement strict coronavirus policies that will help us protect both our teams and the customers. But we also need your cooperation – you need to know how to take care of yourself as well!

Wash your hands well and wash them often – it really does make a difference! 

Respect Personal Space – protect yourself and those around you!

Our experts will come to your premises, outfitted with masks, gloves, overshoes and a new outfit for every property. Still, you need to do your part as well – we aren’t using hazmat suits, after all. Please vacate the rooms that are being disinfected, and let your cleaner do their job, without worrying for potential health hazards. 

In closing, I’d like to urge you to consider the fact that we’re in this together and we can beat this together. Let us:

• Support each other
• Respect each other
• Understand each other
• Help each other 

And, in case we are faced with a lockdown, don’t despair. The offices and business will still be there, waiting for us, after the worst is over. We’ll also be there – ready to help you out with the clean-up, disinfection and sanitisation. So, if it comes to that, remember to sit tight and keep your chin up – no job in the world is worth more than your health! 

Thank you all for watching, and until next time

Stay safe! 

© FastKlean