Hiring Mistakes I Wish I Knew: How to Attract & Retain Top-Tier Cleaning Staff

Why Is It So Hard to Find Good Cleaners?

Hiring in the cleaning industry is one of the biggest bottlenecks for business owners. You’re constantly cycling through staff, dealing with no-shows, struggling with quality control, and wondering why you can’t seem to find reliable, long-term employees.

I get it—I made every hiring mistake in the book when I first started my cleaning business.

The good news? You don’t have to.

If you’ve ever asked yourself any of the following questions, this blog is for you:

• Why do my cleaners keep quitting after just a few months?

• How can I tell if someone is actually a good hire before giving them a job?

• What interview questions should I ask to weed out bad applicants?

• How do I get staff to actually care about doing a good job?

• How do I stop wasting time on hiring and training only to lose staff?

Let’s break down the most common hiring mistakes in the cleaning industry and exactly how to fix them.

Mistake #1: Not Asking the Right Interview Questions

Most cleaning business owners focus on the wrong things when hiring.

They ask:
✔️ “Do you have cleaning experience?”
✔️ “Can you start immediately?”
✔️ “Are you reliable?”

The problem? Anyone can say yes.

The right interview questions dig deeper and help you predict how the person will actually perform on the job.

👉 Use Behavioral Questions: These reveal how the candidate has handled real situations in the past.

Instead of: “Are you good at time management?”
Ask: “Tell me about a time you had multiple tasks to finish in a short amount of time. How did you manage it?”

Instead of: “Are you a team player?”
Ask: “Can you give me an example of when you had to work with someone difficult? How did you handle it?”

👉 Use Skill-Based Questions: These test if they actually know what they’re doing.

Instead of: “Have you cleaned professionally before?”
Ask: “If a client calls and says their bathroom still smells after a clean, what do you think went wrong?”

If they can’t think critically or problem-solve, they won’t be a great fit long-term.

Mistake #2: Thinking “Good Pay” is Enough to Keep Staff Motivated

One of the biggest misconceptions in hiring is that money is the only motivator.

Yes, fair pay matters. But if money was the only thing that kept people loyal, then every high-paying job would have happy, long-term employees.

So what actually motivates great staff?

🔹 Recognition: People want to feel valued and appreciated for their work. A simple “you did a great job today” can go a long way.
🔹 Clear Career Path: Even in cleaning, people want to know there’s room to grow. Give them opportunities to take on responsibility, lead a team, or earn performance-based bonuses.
🔹 A Positive Work Environment: Nobody wants to work for a boss who micromanages, disrespects, or undervalues them. Your leadership style directly impacts how long people stay.

If you don’t provide a workplace people actually want to be part of, they’ll leave as soon as a slightly better offer comes along.

Mistake #3: Not Setting Clear Expectations Upfront

Most hiring problems come from a lack of clarity—not a lack of good staff.

If your employees don’t know:
📌 Exactly what’s expected of them (work quality, job scope, punctuality)
📌 Your company policies (lateness, uniform, client interaction)
📌 What happens if they don’t follow these expectations

…then you’re going to have constant frustrations, high turnover, and inconsistent work quality.

The solution? Set everything in stone from DAY ONE.

✅ Pre-Written Employment Contracts (so there’s no misunderstanding about hours, pay, and expectations)
✅ Clear Position Descriptions (so everyone knows their role)
✅ Staff Policies & Handbooks (so there’s no excuse for poor performance)

When your team knows exactly what’s expected of them, they are far more likely to meet and exceed those expectations.

How to Stop Wasting Time & Get Your Hiring System Right

If you’re constantly struggling with:
🚩 Staff quitting too soon
🚩 No-show employees
🚩 Clients complaining about inconsistent quality
🚩 Feeling like you can’t step away from your business

It’s not just a “bad employee” problem—it’s a hiring process problem.

The right hiring system filters out bad applicants, attracts great staff, and keeps them long-term.

Get the Hiring Resources That Took My Business to 7 Figures

I built my Ultimate Hiring Pack based on everything I learned from scaling my cleaning business.

✅ Legally Reviewed Employment Contracts
✅ Position Descriptions & Onboarding Docs
✅ Behavioral & Skill-Based Interview Questions
✅ Non-Compete & Non-Solicitation Agreements
✅ Done-for-You Staff Policies & Handbooks

I’ve helped over 400 cleaning business owners finally solve their hiring problems and build a reliable team.

If you want to stop struggling with hiring and start building a business that runs itself, this is exactly what you need.

Get it here → https://www.venturementors.com.au/

Frequently Asked Questions (SEO Optimized for Google Search)

How do I hire good cleaners?

The best way to hire good cleaners is by using behavioral and skill-based interview questions, offering clear expectations from day one, and ensuring your hiring process attracts the right type of employees. Our Ultimate Hiring Pack includes everything you need to simplify the process and hire a reliable team.

What should I ask in a cleaning job interview?

Instead of asking yes/no questions, focus on behavioral questions like:
🔹 "Tell me about a time you had to handle a difficult client. What did you do?"
🔹 "How do you handle time management when you have multiple cleans in one day?"
🔹 "What would you do if you arrived at a job and a client asked for additional services not included in the booking?"

These questions help you understand their problem-solving skills, reliability, and customer service approach.

How do I stop my cleaning staff from quitting?

High turnover is usually caused by lack of clarity, poor leadership, or unrealistic expectations. Make sure you:
✔️ Have clear employment contracts & policies
✔️ Offer competitive pay & career growth
✔️ Create a positive work environment

If you’re struggling with high staff turnover, our Hiring Pack provides the exact documents and strategies you need to fix it.

Your Hiring System = Your Business Success

If you don’t fix your hiring system, you’ll be stuck in an endless cycle of hiring, firing, and struggling to scale.

But when you get it right, you:
✅ Save time & stress by attracting the right people
✅ Increase staff retention so you’re not constantly rehiring
✅ Improve client experience & reviews with a reliable team

Hiring doesn’t have to be a constant headache—you just need the right systems in place.

🚀 Get the hiring resources that helped me scale to 7 figures → www.venturementors.com.au