The Chamber of Commerce are staging The Big Debate tomorrow which will discuss the living wage issue.

The motion is: This house believes a voluntary living wage of £7.20 per hour would be good for business in Brighton.

Here at Green Mop, we have always insisted on paying a fair wage for the hard work we ask our Green Moppers to undertake. Cleaning is traditionally low paid work, and many of our competitors only pay minimum wage.

But I think the fact that we are fair employers paying fair wages and rewarding staff for good, consistent work means that Green Mop can stand out from the rest. We attract and retain better quality staff, who work hard for a reasonable wage. A fair wage.

This means that we may not be the cheapest (we’re by no means the most expensive either!), but I know we offer great value for money as my team can maintain a great cleaning standard, and be rewarded accordingly.

I will say that often potential customers seem to like the sound of better paid, fairly treated employees, but the need to keep their costs down tests their resolve. We sometimes lose out to cheaper cleaning companies, but these customers often come back when they realise they’re not getting value for money!

Personally, I wouldn’t want to work any other way. But we have to be realistic and recognise that the market may not be prepared to bear the increased costs.

I look forward to hearing the heated debate tomorrow evening!

As a green business, the use of a diesel powered van to go about our business is a tricky subject. With the best will in the world, we have to be realistic and acknowledge that we need to use the vans for some of the work that we do. We actively encourage our workforce to use pedal power / walk / use public transport to get to their assigned jobs. We have bike pool to help with this too. Our policy is always to assign work to the Green Mopper who is nearest to the site etc etc.

HOWEVER. Bulk packs of loo roll (recycled of course) are not easily squeezed into a back pack. The 5 litre drums of eco friendly cleaning products we use are quite heavy. The bright green Henry vacuum cleaners that need to be delivered just won’t fit in a bike basket.

So the use of a vehicle in order to do our job is essential. We have 2 vans. Both are utilised to move supplies around the city. We do this efficiently and thoughtfully to save on diesel, for the cost as much as for the carbon footprint. This is what keeps our workers working, giving them jobs. Which I think is really important. We also deliver hygiene supplies to our customers. Again, an essential service to keep the city working.

So it is hugely disappointing to see the rise in parking for trades people and businesses. Traders and businesses are trying to do their jobs. A painter and decorater can’t go to work on a bike or public transport with all their tools can they? So they have no choice but to pay huge parking permit costs.

As an advocate of all things ‘green’, I find it disappointing that the green doubters are shaking their heads and saying ‘told you so’. They all thought that this was the sort of thoughtless policy that a Green administration would advocate. I have no answer for those people. What are they trying to achieve? It won’t reduce vehicle use, as it’s a necessity not a choice.

Maybe the council could target unnecessary vehicle use instead of usage which is essential to keeping the city working and thriving. Maybe the illegal parking that takes place at school drop off and pick time? Maybe large cars pay double for parking? Maybe a levy on more than one car per household?

Excellent feedback received for Green Mop’s Worcester branch. A deep clean for a very busy woman who was feeling guilty about not finding time for her housework. The customer, Suzanne, discussed her requirements with Claire from Green Mop Worcester, and was quickly reassured that Green Mop could deal with the cleaning, whilst she got on with her other priorities.

Suzanne from Worcester says:

“To Claire at Green Mop (Worcester),

The minute I met Claire, I really liked her. She gave an aire of knowing exactly how she was going to help me with my house cleaning problems. My lifestyle is such that housework is taking a backseat more and more often, yet at the same time I feel guilty when I only have a minute to flick a duster here and there.

Claire came to our house to look at the task (or should I say catastrophe), she was smart enough to take control immediately (someone needed to). I actually expected her to stand there saying Well errrr this needs something and maybe that could be done, you could possibly look at that etc.etc..

Each room looks like a bomb has hit it.

Claire (and her Green Mop team) arrived in due course a few days later to tackle the issues. They were extremely efficient and straight away I felt relaxed and not embarrassed about the mess we had left her to deal with, enough to leave Claire to it while I got on with my work.

I was away for some time so didnt see her before she went. What I do have to say is that on my return, my house now looks like a home that someone cares about , and I am so happy that everywhere is polished, scrubbed, cleaned and tidy. Hahaha I made myself a sandwich and found myself searching for every crumb. Respect for other peoples work you see.

So please, please, please recommend Claire at Green Mop. She is nice, she is kind and she’ll change your life for the better.

Let someone do the housework that knows how it should be done.

You know if you dont delegate youll stagnate.

Kind regards
Suzanne”

As it is Apprenticeship Week, I thought I’d tell you how the Apprenticeship scheme benefits our Green Moppers.

City College Brighton look after our Aiden. He was already employed by Green Mop, and is a bright lad. Enthusiastic and hard working, but with no formal qualifications.

So he was keen to sign up for the Apprenticeship Scheme. He get’s training while he works. So he’s earning and learning. The Assessor visits him at one of the sites Aiden works at, and works with him there.

Green Mop benefits from having a motivated worker, getting excellent training and advice. And our Green Mopper Aiden benefits from gaining useful training that will stand him in good stead for the future, along with a qualification at the end of it. We have also given him a pay rise and a promotion to Lead Cleaner as he can share his knowledge and train new Green Moppers.

It’s a win for our business, and it’s a win for our member of staff. I’d encourage all business owners to have a chat with City College to see how Apprenticeships can benefit your business and your workforce. Check their website here.

We know some cleaning companies add a premium for choosing green. But we try hard to remain competitive without compromising on our green principles.

Good old fashioned white vinegar and soda crystals are great value. And our janitorial supplier has an eco range which is brilliant and about the same price as their toxic stuff.

We buy most of it in 5 litre tubs, refilling bottles, and diluting to make it go further.

It’s not just an environmentally friendly way to work, it’s also cost effective.

And we make our own anticacterial spray with vinegar, water and tea tree oil. Natural, effective and cheap!

So, you have to know what you’re doing, but green cleaning doesn’t have to be expensive.

Give us a call to find out more.

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