Service Terms and Conditions
Art of Clean is a Cambridge based family owned cleaning company offering a quality service and making sure that all clients are happy with the service they receive!
Deep Cleaning Removes Dirt, Germs & Mites
Eco-Friendly, Safe Cleaning Products
Fast, Effective & Personalised Service
Table of Contents
GENERAL
Payment Terms: Full payment is due immediately after the work is completed. Unpaid Invoices will incur a fee for obtaining payment and the fee will be passed on to the person the invoice was issued to.
The issues referred to in this document are not regular occurrences, in fact most jobs completed since the start of our business in 2005 have been completed without any issues or problems.
We believe it is important to make you fully aware of the issues you may encounter due to the cleaning and restoration of floors and furnishings our principle is based on integrity, total transparency, and honesty.
Art of Clean’s aim is to use our professional knowledge and best endeavour to clean and restore your floors and furnishings; our aim and intention is to restore your floor/ furnishing back to as close to its original condition as we possibly can.
To achieve the above standards, we may use products that might cause issues with surrounding areas. We will take every preventative measure to prevent and eliminate this likelihood however we cannot guarantee that some remedial work may result after our work has been completed.
On rare occasions, paintwork can blister or varnish can crack, skirting boards and kickboards may show light marks. Some light re-decoration may be required. Note that painted surfaces fade or slightly change colour over time, touch up paint may stand out. It is for this reason we bring these facts to your attention.
Once cleaning/restoration work has commenced on your floor – walking on your floor must be totally avoided. This is to prevent re-soiling of the prepared floor prior to the finish or sealer is applied.
If we are renovating the Kitchen floor or any area adjacent that prevents access to the kitchen, we recommend that you make temporary arrangements for meals and drinks. Typically, clients will re-site the smaller kitchen appliances to an alternative room for the duration of the work.
Final inspection of the completed floors after our restoration work has been completed should be viewed from a standing position (5 feet up and 2 feet away) with normal lighting. Glare, particularly from large windows and flood lighting, may magnify any irregularity in the floors this alone cannot determine acceptability.
Once cleaning or restoration works have been completed the floor will require a thorough and strict maintenance regime. The floors will not look their best or stay clean unless you treat them in the right way. Just like taking your car to be washed and waxed, it is inevitable, over time it will get dirty again. We can provide you with Maintenance guidelines and this should always be followed. Art of Clean cannot be held responsible if your floors re-soil due to incorrect maintenance.
Failing to do so will void the warranty on the work and can cause damage to the finish and the floor. Find the correct products for your floor on www.artofclean.co.uk/shop – For a regular professional clean and refinish please consider subscribing to our maintenance plan at a small monthly fee.
If the floor is walked on before the finish is dry, it will likely result in footprints in the finish, which cannot be removed without re-sanding / cleaning. To avoid the cost of re-sanding/cleaning and finishing, please ensure no traffic enters the area until the work is completed, and the new finish / sealer is dry.
Avoid dragging heavy objects on the floor within the first 14 days from finishing. Please note dragging heavy objects on the floor will cause damage.
Sometimes we are unable to remove stains from floors or furnishings. You place your floors and furnishings in our care, and we regard this as a high honour. If we feel we have made our best efforts to get the best results, and the marks or stains are still visible, we reserve the right to use our professional opinion and will advise against further attempts to remove the stains and marks.
Repair of any of the above issues or any other issues not listed above has not been costed within the attached quotation and would be the responsibility of the client unless agreed in writing beforehand.
The products we use on your floor are professional products of the highest quality. They provide protection against most spills and enhance the natural beauty of your floors and furnishings but can easily stained prior to curing fully. Avoid liquid spills, especially in the first 14 days after the work has been completed, and after this time, try to ensure that spills are cleaned up as soon as possible.
There are some everyday liquids that will penetrate any legal finish. These typically include urine, household cleaning product and anything containing food dye i.e., orange juice, ice lollies, Ribena etc. In the event of these being spilled on your floor, it is advisable to mop them up immediately as this will avoid long term staining.
All furniture needs to be removed from the room we will carry our restoration work in (floor sanding, stone/tile cleaning / LVT stripping & sealing). But if furniture is left in place and not moved as agreed, we may charge extra for moving it (unless agreed otherwise in writing).
If furniture is left in place – we will use our best endeavour to avoid damage to it, but we will not be held responsible for any damage that might occur to the items during or after the sanding and finishing of the floor.
All telephone and internet cables should be disconnected prior to our arrival (including modems and telephones) should it be deemed necessary to maintain internet and telephone connection, any damage to equipment / cables will be the client’s responsibility.
We cannot be held liable for faulty mains electrics. We assume your electrical circuit is fit for purpose. If you are unsure, please contact your electrician for advice prior to our arrival. If our equipment trips your power, it will be due to the circuit not being powerful enough for this.
We patch test our professional products prior to the restore/clean commences to ensure the products do not react in an adverse way. In very rare cases, adverse reactions can come to light several hours after the work has been completed. We will do everything to minimise the risk and take reasonable steps to correct this though we do not take responsibility for outcomes beyond our control.
If in the unlikely event you have any objection to any of our terms and conditions, you must make Art of Clean aware of your objection in writing by email within a reasonable time frame, a minimum of 48 hrs prior to the work starting. Once you request the work to proceed, we assume you have read and agreed to our terms and conditions.
COMPLAINT’S PROCEDURE
Our commitment to all our customers is to always deliver the best service and results. We wish to do the same and more would you feel unsatisfied with any work we have completed for you.
The complaints procedure involves the following:
Any complaints must be received in writing by email or post within 14 days from the completion of the work. (If possible, photographs would be appreciated)
You will receive an email confirming receipt of your complaint. Your compliant will be investigated within 7 working days of the confirmation of receipt.
We take all feedback/complaints very seriously and we will contact you by phone initially and arrange a follow up site visit. At the epicentre of our business is that we want our customers to be completely happy with the work completed if necessary; we will arrange for re-cleaning / working the areas of concern.
If after our inspection and any remedial action completed by Art of Clean, In the unlikely event that we cannot rectify the issue, we will inform you of this.
Art of Clean will be totally transparent with you and will identify and share our findings if we have made an error that has affected the finish that cannot be rectified; we will arrange for either a full or partial refund within 14 days from the date the findings have been made.
If our investigation concludes that the results are not down to the quality of our work or the service delivered, and you are still feeling unhappy, we will request that you contact the NCCA to arrange a third-party opinion through their DRS (dispute resolution service) you will be initially liable for this cost. The NCCA will arrange an independent inspector to review and examine your complaint. Their findings will be totally impartial and are reported directly back to you. If the findings are that Art of Clean is at fault, we will refund you the total cost of the inspector within 14 days. If the findings from the independent inspector are in your favour, we will take the necessary steps to correct the matter based on the findings from the independent inspector.
Kindly note that we do not replace new for old. Would items require replacement we will have the option to pay for the value of the single items in question.
STONE, TILE, LVT (Luxury Vinyl/ Sheet Vinyl) CLEANING
Because part of our cleaning process uses hot water at high pressure to rinse our cleaning products from your floor, there may be occasions where some water ingress is evident on the bases of wooden kitchen units.
Usually, this dries out without any problems; however, please be aware there may be a faint ‘water mark’ visible once dry, and some cracking might be visible.
If your kitchen units are manufactured from MDF or chipboard, then there is a possibility that water may soak into the base of the MDF or chipboard units causing them to swell and expand. Once MDF or chipboard has expanded, then it typically does not return to its previous condition. This unfortunately, can be unavoidable.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we cannot remove stains from the grout lines or remove all deep scratches and all dirt. In most cases, the grout cleans up almost like new.
We tend to find that occasionally there may be small patches, typically around the cooker and sink areas, that will not react to the cleaning process as the stain may be so deep that we cannot remove it entirely.
Our cleaning process will expose any weak grout by washing it away. The downside is that if there are any cracks in the grout, loose grout or if there is an air pocket below the surface of the grout that was not visible before cleaning, our cleaning process may expose this. Some re-grouting may be required, and this will be chargeable. This does not apply to Amtico/Karndean/LVT.
The sealers and dressings we apply to your floor offers protection against oil and water-based spills and enhances the natural beauty of the floor. Sometimes we use a solvent-based seal and there may be an odour from the product whilst it dries, so we ask that your home is well ventilated whilst the seal dries and for a short period after until the odour has gone. In some cases where the stone or tile is porous, the smell can remain for a few days.
Once we have sealed your floor then NO FOOT TRAFFIC must enter the areas sealed for minimum period of 6 hours AFTER the final coat has been applied. Any footprints/marks in the seal may leave a print on the floor that we may not be able to remove. Drying time depends on airflow and humidity. If the floor is still not dry after 6 hours, it will be your responsibility to remain off the floor until it is dry and please inform us of this right away. Our office hours are Monday to Friday 9am – 4:30pm
Any footprints in the seal may leave a print on the floor, and then we will have to re-strip the floor to remove the footprints. Please note that if this is the case, an additional charge will be made for the extra time needed.
Once the deep clean and seal is completed the floor will require a thorough and strict maintenance regime. The floors will not stay clean unless you treat them in the right way. Just like taking your car to be washed and waxed, it is inevitable, over time, it will get dirty again. We can provide you with Maintenance guidelines and this should always be followed. Art of Clean cannot be held responsible if your floors re-soil due to incorrect maintenance.
DRIVEWAY AND PATIO CLEANING
Preparation and requirements:
Cleaning patios next to windows might cause splashing and might leave a few splash marks/water marks on the windows, so we advise you have your windows cleaned AFTER we cleaned the area.
We do not specialise in major repairs to patios, and would this be required we advise you to speak to a builder.
We would require access to an outside tap and extremely good water flow. (Using indoor taps can be risky as they might come undone and leak.) We have found that the use of a neighbour outside tap can solve this challenge sometimes.
Drainage – This is very important – If the area we will clean gets flooded when it rains, it is a clear indication that runoff water has nowhere to go – we would then again strongly advise you contact the builders to correct the possible drainage issue.
Waste removal – Leaves and plant waste can be disposed of in your garden or inside your green bin. We do not offer a waste disposal service.
Pot plants need to be removed from the cleaning area before we arrive.
Depending on the surface and the sealer used, the grass directly to the side of the drive or patio might be affected by the sealer and, in some cases, can die back for a few weeks.
Uneven surfaces and dips might cause water pooling that will cause areas where dirt/soil collects and weeds can return quicker.
We cannot 100% guarantee that spot and stain removal: lichen, algae, oil stains, paint, and pot plant stains.
Some maintenance will be required after the clean. We cannot guarantee that weeds, algae, lichen, moss will not grow back.
If we use weed killer, please note that it might run out onto flowers beds and grass. We will do our utmost to avoid contact, but we cannot guarantee this.
Pointing: (resin-based sand or cement mix). Cleaning will likely dislodge more grouting that will need re-pointing. We will aim to wash out all loose grout. Cracks and chips might be visible after the clean as it is currently hidden under the dirt build-up. Our cleaning system does not cause cracks.
Please be advised that you might notice a colour difference between the re-pointed and old areas. Some chips might be visible after the clean as the water dislodge weak areas in the stone/ brick.
Sun fade on slabs can still be visible after the seal.
WOOD FLOOR RESTORATION
Coloured oils and stains: If a stain or coloured oil is applied, we advise you to consider painting your skirting boards after our renovation, as it is likely to leave some residual marks on skirting and architraves. Colour stains and oils will likely highlight fine scratch marks and imperfections on the floor. It is not always possible to remove 100% of the marks. Inspecting floors should be assessed from standing height.
Dirty, damaged, painted, stained, and worn floors can hide some imperfections. It will be more noticeable after the floor has been sanded. We will not be responsible for any underlying problems on the floor.
Latex underlays and carpet adhesive can occasionally leave stains or patterns on the wood that cannot be fully removed. Colour variations can also occur due to sun fading around rugs or furniture or on stairs that are covered or partly covered. Partly painted floors can display a variation in colour, where painted areas can be lighter or darker than the rest of the floor. This can show up as a light or dark edge around the room if the edge of the room was painted. If oil is applied to the floor, this colour difference may likely blend in overtime, as the wood darkens.
Nail driving: we may be able to secure loose boards, but please be aware, (if you have not prior to our work commencing, advised us of any pipes under the floor), and we secure any loose wood board by driving a nail, and consequently we cause damage to a pipe, we will not be held responsible for the damage, or any consequential loss you may suffer.
Before sanding commences, all nails will be driven in below the surface of the floor. If this causes damage to pipework, we cannot be held responsible. We strongly advise you get advice from a plumber before we start the work. In some cases, we will refrain from securing boards to eliminate the risk.
If different types of timber have been used on the same floor, you will notice a difference after the sanding and finishing has been done (different woods produce different colours and finishes).
Please note that if woodworm has damaged the wood, you might see more damage after sanding as you will notice the exposed tunnels created by woodworm activity.
Dry rot: timber will crumble when the floor is sanded so might be more visible after sanding. Art of Clean cannot be held responsible for not observing dry rot prior to sanding.
We do our utmost to ensure your floor is visually flat. However, severe unevenness due to bad fitting, age or moisture issues cannot always be 100% rectified.
Sometimes boards or blocks appear secure to the floor however, once sanding commences, they may come loose. Any repairs of this nature will incur an additional charge.
Please be aware that floors with “V” groves will have the groves removed during the sanding process.
There must be a good thickness of wood to achieve a good result. If there is not the desired level of thickness, we cannot be held responsible for sanding “through” the boards. (Solid or engineered)
Our best efforts will be made when filler is used to fill gaps between boards – The final sanding process can shake some out and sometimes – not often – some filler will fall out due to movement of the boards even if the movement might not be apparent – this can happen weeks’ months or years after we completed the work. We aim to fill all gaps though it is advised to expect 98% of filling to be successful as in some cases the filler simply does not stick in smaller gaps, and in some rare cases not all holes and cracks gets filled. We deem 98% filling a success though in most cases no holes or cracks are noticeable.
Colour of your wood floor
Over time wood floors can change colour. Once we sand the floor the colours will look different to what the floor looked like before we sanded it. This is totally out of our control. If you require a test patch to be carried out prior to the sanding of the whole floor you can request a test-patch. A fee is chargeable for this service.
Room and floor conditions
If floors are newly installed, it is very important to follow the correct installation requirements. Art of Clean cannot be held responsible for board movement due to conditions in the room, floor, air, or any other interference out of our control. This include changes to rooms with existing floors where new heating systems are installed. Wooden floorboards (solid or engineered) will expand and contract depending on the environment they are in. Room conditions should meet the following constant parameters: Relative Humidity 35% – 65% Moisture in the wood floor 7% – 11% Room temperature 18 – 24 C. It is not abnormal for a floor to contract and expand as summer, and winter conditions change. This can lead to gaps between boards opening and closing a little. Even if gaps between boards are filled, the gaps may become more apparent in winter months or in times of lower humidity in the atmosphere.
Re-Coating Wood Floors
In some cases, floors can be coated with a fresh layer of lacquer or oil. We aim to leave you with the best finish possible on a re-coated floor, though this process does not remove all imperfections in and on the floor. In some cases, the existing finish has worn away totally and if a fresh coat is applied it can cause the worn area to show up with a different tone of colour. This is beyond our control and the only way to eliminate this risk is to opt to have the floor fully sanded and restored. Note that scratch marks and wear areas might still show up afterwards. If you change your mind to have the floor fully sanded after we have applied the re-coat the fees for carrying out the re-coat will still apply.
PALLMANN MAGIC OIL
Be aware that it will take up to 4 – 6 hours* for the floor to cure enough to allow light foot traffic. Furniture can only move back 12 hours* after foot traffic has commenced. Avoid dragging furniture on a freshly finished floor surface. All rugs are to be placed back on the floor no sooner than 21 days after our work has been completed.
If the gaps are open between the boards, some oil can penetrate in between, and due to movement as the boards expand it can push some oil to the surface within the first few days or weeks of the work been completed. We kindly ask for the oil that pushes up to be wiped up using a disposable towel as soon as it is noticed. This is a normal occurrence. If the oil is not wiped up it can dry leaving a slightly shinier line on the edge of the board. To remove this remedial action will be needed requiring a light sand and touch in with fresh oil. This is a chargeable service.
LACQUER:
We would advise that once the work is completed, it will take up to 8 hours* for the floor to cure enough to allow light foot traffic. Furniture may be moved back after 24 hours* but please avoid dragging it into place. All rugs are to be placed back on the floor no sooner than 14 days after our work has been completed.
If water or electricity is due to be switched off, whilst we are on site, we must be informed. If we switch on any services to proceed, and our work/treatment is halted or interrupted, we cannot be held liable if any consequential damage occurs (like flooding or any electrical issues etc.).
Parking:
As we require an array of tools to carry out the work restoring your floors, we require parking for our van nearby the job site. If we require parking permits, they must be supplied by the owner or occupant while the work is ongoing. Please make us aware of parking restrictions prior to work starting otherwise we reserve the right to pass our parking costs on to you.
CURTAINS, BLINDS AND CUSHION COVER CLEANING
To ensure customer satisfaction, all possible care is taken during the process of curtain and loose fabric coverings; as a professional cleaner, however, we wish to point some of the problems associated with cleaning some fabrics.
CARE LABEL
the absence of a care label may indicate that the retailer/manufacturer has not had the fabric tested to ensure they are cleanable.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine whether the item will clean to an acceptable standard by pre-screening.
SHRINKAGE
fabrics are often produced under tension and heat set. However, during the cleaning process, subsequent relaxation of the fabric may occur, causing shrinkage. During the making of curtains manufacturers therefore allow 5% tolerance for shrinkage which may be recoverable during the finishing process.
EFFECT OF LIGHT/AGE
Exposure to atmospheric conditions, especially sunlight, weakens the fibres. This can appear as faded areas or split materials along the fold lines and edges. Although this may not become apparent before cleaning
WATER MARKS
Curtains become cold and damp at night from window condensation, and then warm and dried during the day. The continuous absorption and drying can produce watermarks, especially on linings and lose covers, they can after cleaning appear to be brown in colour.
METAL RING CURTAINS
If your curtains are made with metal rings to hang them from a rail, we have experienced the material around the ring can come out in the cleaning process. It is something out of our control, although this rarely happens.
THERMAL BLACK-OUT LININGS
Some manufacturers use a thermal lining in the construction of making them, if they have been subject to sunlight, they can delaminate in the cleaning process and peel, this beyond our control. How this can be corrected. The lining/s can be replaced, and you can then enjoy many more years of use from your curtains. We can provide a quote to do this for you.
STITCHING
In some rare cases stitching can relax over time and backing, seams and hems may become lose or un-done. It may also be possible that stiches can break during the cleaning process due to the weight of the curtains inside the cleaning system. Charges may apply to correct this.
CLEANING OF SPECIALIST FABRICS – RAYON, SILK, COTTON VELVET, ETC
Specialist fabrics, as mentioned above, requires very delicate cleaning. In some cases, stains will not be removable. Liquid spills will likely leave permanent, irreversible marks. Dry Cleaning will not deliver the most outstanding cleaning results though we will be able to improve the look of the item/s. In rare cases, we have notices some rayon / cellulosic fibers can brown after cleaning and no process can reverse this. This is something we have very little control over.
Colour change to Rayon or similar cellulosic fibres.
Due to the dyes used in the manufacturing process, some fabrics can change colour after cleaning. In most cases, this is due to PH changes that happen during the cleaning process, and it can be reversed by reversing the PH level. In some cases, this may not be possible. We advise you to connect with the manufacturer of the item for advice, would it happen that the cleaning we provide delivers this unwanted outcome.