Photo: Contributed
By Tom Kernaghan
Start creating the life you imagine … one free weekend at a time! For Daleen Qazilbash, time is simply too valuable to spend in ways that keep us from fully enjoying our lives. Qazilbash and her amazing team at Custom Cleaning Solutions are here to lift the burden of housekeeping so you can live your life more on your terms.
They begin by asking you the right questions so that they can clean your home, office, or job site according to your needs—right down to the fan blades. Thorough, skilled, and efficient when it comes to making your world shine, the experts at Custom Cleaning Solutions also know that establishing a customized home care program is about more than pristine surfaces. Ultimately it is about having a healthy and balanced lifestyle, and sustainable spaces for people, pets, and the planet—including our beautiful valley.
Qazilbash and her team have enjoyed wonderful success since she launched the company in 2017. They have a clear vision for how to make your home beautiful and livable while freeing you from worry, and are poised for growth in the coming years. We were eager to connect with her and gain some insight into the woman known as the “Super Cleaner.”
Let’s talk cleaning! Some find it therapeutic. Most find it tedious. You were in financial services until two years ago. What inspired and motivated you to jump into the cleaning business?
I was longing for a more balanced lifestyle. I have two active boys at home, and I really didn’t want to be spending more than nine hours a day, five days a week, outside of the home. When I wasn’t working I was cleaning the house, shopping, organizing the kids’ activities, etcetera. I was lucky to have a few minutes to myself at the end of the day.
I’ve always enjoyed cleaning and I know how to do it well. And I knew that combining this with my high attention to detail would help me to become successful. Having the opportunity to take the necessary task of cleaning to the next level and operate it as a business was definitely a bonus. My life is much more balanced now!
The “custom” aspect of your name intrigues me. People and businesses vary, and I would imagine cleaning preferences do as well. First, what are some of the most common concerns people have when they seek your services?
Yes, that is so true! Client preferences do vary, and that’s why we start out by having our clients fill out a comprehensive form. As for common concerns, we often hear that people struggle to keep up with the deep cleaning of bathrooms. We have also noticed that clients like to hand over the cleaning of floors, baseboards, and windows, as these are time-consuming and labour-intensive tasks.
Also, clients are sometimes initially concerned about who will be coming into their home and if it will be the same person every time. However, I know this is a short-term worry. Once they meet our staff they are pleasantly surprised at how warm, caring, diligent and hardworking they are.
What is one of the most surprising requests or experiences you have had in your work?
While we haven’t had many surprising requests, I have been pleasantly surprised at how many of our clients spend time getting to know our team members, which certainly makes their job all the more rewarding. And I know some of our staff have become quite close with our clients and really look forward to seeing them each visit.
I love that balance and healthy living are fundamental company values you apply to your team as well. Why is this important to you? What do balance and well-being mean to you?
As our family has grown and life has become increasingly busy, I have realized how important it is to balance both personal life and work so that you can stay focused on what really matters most: health and loved ones. I worked full-time for a large portion of our two boys’ childhood, and so it was important for me to find a way to spend more time with Warren and William as they grew into their teenager years. This is why I started this business. I wanted to scale back and hand off as much work as I could, and then prioritize my personal time and focus on what I enjoy the most. The reason I apply this to my team as well is that I have always lived by the golden rule: treat others how you would want to be treated. Because I try to incorporate that with my staff, we have a great give-and-take relationship when it comes to flexibility and communication. Balance and well-being are about caring for yourself and those around you.
Now for the fun finale! Tell us something quirky or interesting about yourself that many would not know.
Well, I have taken up a fairly extreme hobby as an adult, and it involves dirt! A few years ago I bought myself a dirt bike, never having set foot on an ATV. Since then I have fallen in love with off-road trail riding, and last year I even entered a few hare scramble races. And now I’m hooked!
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