Housemaid : Fake Intention

This recent news does not have anything to do with cleaning, really. BUT; it still has things to do with housemaid.

As freely re-told from the news link : http://cetak.kompas.com/read/2010/12/05/02490241/satiyah.rekayasa.cerita.perkosaan… Last Wednesday 1 Dec’10, there was a housemaid in Jakarta; admitted herself of being abused and raped by thugs, when the master was not around. Some money and valuables were also missing, allegedly taken by the same bad guys. Later on however, either this maid was very mixed up with her own version of storytelling or the tale itself was too bad to be true, the police found out that the said incident was a pure hoax. The rape was faked by sprinkling “sticky” liquid around her body, turned out to be water sugar, which of course was soon denied as proof of sexual assault by a simple forensic job. It was actually quite an irony that she had thought so far to fake some semen look alike, but failed to anticipate that she might have to do a lab test to justify her claim. Long short story, the housemaid was the one who robbed her master.

Moral of the story? Well, bad intentions are every where, but good people are hard to find nowadays.

A Great Joke

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine they lay down for the night, and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend awake. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?” Holmes questioned.

Watson pondered for a minute. “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?”

Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. “Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent.”

Cleaning Chemical : A Necessity or A Choice ?!?

Some Things You Should Know About (Cleaning) Chemical

From time to time, we at Clean Home Indonesia are often asked about the cleaning chemical we use. Surprisingly, most clients do not ask about the subject because they have concern with the health hazard issues, instead – on the contrary – they are wondering on why there is less fragrance in the cleaning chemical. It is indeed a contrary because fragrance does not directly have anything to do with the cleaning quality, but it is certainly an added chemical substance. We are not sure though whether this is a typical of Indonesian market, who loves the suggestion that the better smell is the better cleanliness.

Disclaimer aside, Clean Home Indonesia does not have anything to hold against the usage of cleaning chemical. However, we should all be aware of some consequences of using chemicals, which are the topic of this article.

I. Waste : During the manufacturing process, many cleaning detergents release toxins into the air, negatively impacting our health & environment.

II. Traditional cleansers require safe containment, often in large barrels which are difficult to store and even harder to dispose of.

III. The transportation of general purpose cleaners from manufacturer to warehouse consumes gas & contributes additional air pollution.

IV. Warehousing cleaning detergents not only requires energy to power lighting and equipment, but it can also consume valuable product storage space.

V. Most cleaning detergents are packaged for sale in plastic. According to the EPA in 2003, only 9.4% of this packaging was recycled.

VI. Some general purpose cleaners may endanger employees and customers by increasing the incidence of chemical injuries, slip and fall accidents, and indoor air quality issues.

VII. Overuse of traditional cleansers on floors can leave a filmy residue that collects dirt. Achieving the highest standards for environmental health and safety can be difficult as it depends on mixing an exact ratio of detergent to water.

VIII. Organizations that use general purpose cleaners must follow government regulations & may require the implementation of costly chemical management systems to track usage & disposal.

IX. Sending detergents down the drain adds to the toxicity of our water supply. Reducing the effects of this pollution requires the consumption of even more energy

So which one would you choose : a better environment for every one of us… or a fragrance that last luckily an hour or so? You decide.

Enjoy life… while we clean.

Design : Is it even important for Cleaning Service business?

In Indonesia, cleaning service job is still perceived as merely an “end-of-the-world” kind of work, the last thing you’ll ever pick if you’ve got no other choice.  That explains why the cleaning quality in Indonesia – generally speaking – sucks big time.

At Clean Home Indonesia, we always stress out that a job is a job, whether it is cleaning or typing. As long as it has decency & does no harm to other people, we should not feel less nor inferior.  That is also why we train them about many things other than cleaning skills, but that would be another posting for another day.

So back to the topic : is design element important for a Cleaning Service business? We would say, of course it is, the least is for branding or positioning purpose. While cleaning is no significant skill that only a few people could do, there are certainly some techniques or “tricks” to achieve a better result yet in a more efficient way. So why not a good look on design? If you can’t value even yourself, what can you expect from other people?

This is an example of our new brochure design. As we enter the 11th month of operation (in Surabaya), many inputs coming in about the language used for the previous brochure, which was English. So here we are issuing the new brochure in Indonesia language, also with some major changes mainly in layout design.

Enjoy life… while we clean.

Housemaid : Repulsive Behavior

Traditional housemaids, particularly in Indonesia, are dependable if you are lucky to find one. If not, well.. then you are doomed. Check out this news, freely translated from http://cetak.kompas.com/read/2010/11/18/0327554/100.tki.berbulan-bulan.menunggu.pemulangan :

“100 Indonesian Housemaids Waiting For Months For Repatriation

Thursday, 18 November 2010 | 03:27 WIB

Dubai, Kompas – More than a hundred Indonesian workforces who had worked at Dubai, have been waiting for months for repatriation. They are not able to go back home because their passports have been detained by the employer or employment agency. Currently they are being accommodated by the General Consulate of Indonesia in Dubai. “They are averagely 120 people staying here,” said Mansyur Pangeran, the Consul General, last week. The number of troubled workers is not that big if compared to the general population of Indonesian workforce in Uni Emirate, which is about 100.000 people, with the composition of 80% working as housemaids and the rest as professionals.

Almost all of the troubled workers being accommodated at the Consulate had experienced problems with their previous employers, mostly included the abuse of physical & psychology. Namely Ayu Hayati (23), a young woman from Karawang, West Java. She was working for an Iranian family at Al Mutena. “I had been working for the family for about 6 months. Within the first 3 months they were okay, but for the next 3 months everything was changed. I had been slapped on several occasions and they didn’t even pay my salary for the last 3 months,” she said. A big fight happened when Ayu was told to clean the glass window, as the employer kept on complaining the quality of cleaning. Ayu admitted that she was indeed very upset, so when she was asked later on to make some tea, she intentionally added her URINE into the tea. Her doing, however, was caught red handed by the employer and she was brought to the police. She was thrown in jail for 12 days and later was picked up by the Consulate.”

Believe it or not, but if this ever happens to you – whether in Dubai or not – guaranteed you may have different perceptions about tea for your whole life.