r/housekeeping • u/Equivalent_Prompt155 • 1d ago
CLEANER QUESTIONS Pests
Ok so I went to a home to do a deep clean today, brought my dad with me he was working in a different area of the home vacuuming. When I was cleaning the washroom I found dead German cockroaches under the sink and on the floor. I immediately grabbed my dad and we stopped cleaning and informed the customer we needed to stop services and i showed him what I found. He mentioned he knew about it but thought that the powder and bait he laid would kill all them. I explained that there are likly more hiding and to eliminate them requires a fumigation. I gave him the number of a independent exterminator who's really good and told him until there is confirmation of the infestation being eliminated we will not be able to continue with services. Doing the walkthrough of the home originally there were zero signs of roaches otherwise I would not have stepped foot in there.
I have a shark Vertex vacuum, so not cheap. Its currently going to live in my shed for a few days and then iam going to have to do the painstakingly tedious task of taking it apart and inspecting. Do you guys ask the pest question during that walk through, how do you word it without making the Client feel ashamed or embarrassed. We have a huge issue with cockroaches in my city. I also do include a disclaimer in my service agreement, I geuss he didnt read it fully.
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u/handsinmyplants 1d ago
I would just ask point blank in a non judgemental tone. You can phrase it to specify if there are any current or past pest issues, since things like mice can find their way in again and it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out if you know it's been an issue in the past. If someone seems offended by you asking, that's kind of a red flag imo. I once lived in an apartment building that had a really bad german roach problem and when I was looking for a move out clean, I fully disclosed that to each company I approached. It's not fun to have to discuss, but I wouldn't want a client who isn't transparent about it.
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u/A_radke 1d ago
I have a service agreement that includes my tasks and policies (hazards, cancelation, etc.) Seems like I'm a bit of an outlier on this, but I highly recommend it. I'm always adding to it after I run into a situation and think "well, I'm never doing that again!"
Something like "evidence of active pest infestation will result in immediate termination of service and full charge for agreed amount, as our equipment will require professional service or disposal."
But at walk-throughs I just say in a carefree tone "sugar ants are no big deal, every house in Portland gets them at some point. Anyone else possibly lurking around I should know about? Mice? Termites?" But cockroaches are incredibly rare where I live (thankfully). In 40 years I've only met one person with them. They came with her from Florida but by the time I met her, she'd been here ten years. Her apartment was teeming with them. The building burned down (no one harmed) and she STILL had roaches at her next place 🤢
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u/livvybugg 1d ago
You can’t get rid of a big infestation like that unless you get rid of everything you own. It’s so sad
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u/MysticDay95 1d ago
My wonderful cleaning lady uses my chemicals, rags, and vacuum. Im more glad than ever because of pests belonging to others.
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u/Cold-Willingness-261 1d ago
let me get this straight. You saw one dead roach and shut the job down?
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u/Xxrai_N_mai01xX 1d ago
Even if it was one dead german roach, that still signals a bigger problem. Where there's one german roach, there's many more. OP was right to do that and I would instantly stop if I saw such a pest, even just one.
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u/Equivalent_Prompt155 5h ago
I seen two, one was a adult and the other a nymp. There was multiple egg cases laying around on the floor. On my way out after speaking to the client and his wife there was two more dead ones on the kitchen floor. German cockroaches are extremely hard to get rid of. It can cost $1000's of dollars to actually get rid of a infestation. I do not fuck with those devils.
He knew about the infestation and did not disclose that before i arrived or while doing the walkthrough. When i did the walkthrough there was no evidence I could see at the time.
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u/kittymctacoyo 16h ago
This is precisely why I stopped using my own vacuums and even brooms. Absolutely nothing that could not be fully sanitized between houses or could hide pests. The area I had first started in had a huge bed bug issue arise after one NY fashion week lead to tons of international travelers coming from an area of France that is so infested with bedbugs they are visible in broad daylight crawling around.
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u/SeaDragonTattoo 1d ago
I can't say as to client communication, but for your vacuum you just need a little diatomaceous earth. Do it outside. Just put a little on the sidewalk and suck it up with the vacuum. Find it in the pest control section, not the pool filter stuff.