What's Happening in BLISS Clean & Care

Empowering Local Business - Small Home Repair

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 03:02:00 GMT

Social Enterprise Series - Empowering our Environment

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 01:17:00 GMT

Empowering Local Business - Graphic Design

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 04:28:00 GMT

Social Enterprise Series - Empowering Women

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 01:08:00 GMT

Story of Joy - Sunisa

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 07:47:00 GMT

Stories of Joy share the inspiring journeys of women whose lives have been transformed through the Bliss Mae Baan Network. From financial independence to newfound confidence, these stories highlight the real impact of meaningful work and support. Every clean home represents a step toward empowerment, creating brighter futures for women and their families.

Social Enterprise Series - Empowering Local Business

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 04:49:00 GMT

Social Enterprise Series - Empowering Employees

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 04:47:00 GMT

Bliss Story of Joy - Nee

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 04:44:00 GMT

A Little Vacuum Cleaner Tip

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 08:17:00 GMT

Cleaning Tips

Vacuuming is a necessary part of the everyday cleaning of your home. Knowing how to use your vacuum cleaner correctly will make the job of vacuuming simpler and more satisfying.

A standard size canister vacuum cleaner comes with at least one large head attachment and several other small attachments for cleaning specific areas in your home. The large head is for general cleaning of all the floors in your home and the small attachments serve as tools for accessing tight spaces, fabric-covered furniture, light fixtures and many other areas where dust accumulates over time.

One common mistake many of us make is not adjusting the roller brush for cleaning different types of flooring. The switch on the top of your vacuum cleaner head controls the roller brush inside the head. The roller brush can be extended or retracted depending on the type of surface you are cleaning. It may not seem that important, but it will make a difference in the cleanliness of your carpets and rugs and protect your hard surface flooring from scratches. Not using the correct setting can also damage your machine by causing it to overheat.

When cleaning hardwood, concrete or tile floors you should use the switch on your vacuum head to extend the roller brush. The brush will help to grab up dust and tiny particles. It will also prevent the hard plastic or metal frame of the vacuum head from causing scratches on your floor.

If the roller brush is not extended when cleaning hard floor surfaces, the head will suction tightly with the floor and put a harmful strain on the motor of the vacuum cleaner. After just 10-15 minutes the strain on the motor will cause the vacuum to overheat and your machine will automatically shut off. Over time, your vacuum cleaner will stop working.

When you are cleaning carpeted areas or rugs in your home, the roller brush should be retracted. This allows the vacuum to have direct suction with the fibers in your carpet and rugs to provide the best removal of dust and small particles of dirt. Though the suction is direct, it is not a sealed suction like on hard floor surfaces and does not cause undo strain on the motor.

Next time you get out your vacuum cleaner, be sure to check the position of the roller brush inside the head so that you get the most benefit from your hard work while avoiding any unnecessary damage to your floors or your vacuum cleaner.

Reflections on being an Employer

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 07:41:00 GMT

Five years ago I started the Bliss Clean + Care Co. Ltd. (BCC) with just four staff. Myself, an office administrator, and two housekeepers. Today BCC employ’s almost 40 staff who provide customer service, personnel support, and daily operations for nearly 150 customers each month. We do what we do every day in order to be the best cleaning service provider and the best employer of women in Chiang Mai.

We are constantly innovating our cleaning training and techniques to serve our customers well and we put the same innovative thinking toward staying connected to the hearts of our employees.

The commitment to being the best employer for women means we have to be intentional in establishing core values for our company that support our dedication to our customers and to our staff.

When I stepped into the role of an “Employer” at BCC, I was a bit intimidated by what I needed to learn in order to lead well. I have experienced many successes and failures in my journey, but I have learned that confident and compassionate Employers will be very successful in achieving their work goals and will experience great joy and satisfaction in seeing the difference that is made in the lives of their Employees. Here are a few principles that I have learned along my journey. Be Encouraged. Be Educated. Be Exemplary.

Be Encouraged–

Be Educated–

Be Exemplary–

Cleaning Service vs. Hiring My Own Housekeeper

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 05:33:00 GMT

Bliss can help you find the best cleaning service option for your needs

I say it all the time, “I never imagined that my idea of teaching women to clean would birth a non-profit organization and a for-profit cleaning company.” Though the idea was very simplistic, it was the way I knew I could support the women who worked as Housekeepers in Chiang Mai. It was the way to love my neighbor as myself.

Since the opening of the Bliss Mae Baan Network (BMBN) non-profit project in 2014, almost 600 women have attended our housekeeping training course and about 550 of those women have received employment. In 2017, I knew that the number of women seeking employment as a Housekeeper was quickly exceeding the pace that the BMBN network was creating jobs. It was a decision of faith, with expectation, to open The Bliss Clean + Care Co . in order to create a greater number of housekeeping jobs so that any woman seeking a job would have that opportunity.

Our experience assisting women from nine different ethnicities to gain employment as a Housekeeper has given us a wealth of information about their employment needs and expectations that can provide great benefit to employers looking to hire Bliss-trained housekeepers. This means we can help you find the best cleaning service options to meet your needs.

Many people ask me about the pro’s and con’s of hiring a Housekeeper on their own rather than using a cleaning company service. The answer to this question is really based on your cleaning needs and on the amount of time and resources you have to invest in being a cross-cultural employer. Both options have the best results when you have clear communication.

If your greatest need is for a hassle-free, detailed and professional cleaning of your living space–meaning, you are a little picky about how cleaning is done–I would recommend you choose a cleaning company. Hiring a cleaning company for your service will provide clear communication about your cleaning needs through their Customer Service Representatives.

If your cleaning needs are very general–meaning you are not particular about the cleaning method and you are willing to put in the time and effort to communicate clearly with your employee, then you might enjoy the more personal option of hiring your own Housekeeper.

When hiring your own Housekeeper it is important to include someone in the interview process who can clearly communicate in the language of the potential Housekeeper. If you are not able to speak the language (there are several languages used by Housekeepers in Chiang Mai) then I strongly recommend you find a service or a friend who can assist you in the interview process and in the early weeks of her employment. The need for clear communication will be an ongoing part of being a cross-cultural employer and is the most important consideration in this decision. I have seen the impact miscommunication can have on both the employer and employee. It is the single greatest reason the employment doesn’t work out and both sides feel disappointed and frustrated with the relationship.

Bliss is here to make a difference by providing training for the Housekeepers and communication assistance to the Employer so that more and more employment opportunities become stories of joy!

A Privilege

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 07:39:00 GMT

It is a privilege to own and operate the Bliss Clean + Care Co. in Chiang Mai. I am grateful for the opportunity to live here—to offer a chance, a lift up, to support women learning something new. The Bliss company is here for these women with skill training courses and job opportunities. Every day I work in the office to ensure Bliss is staying committed to our mission and growing in our ability to meet the needs of our community.

Once in a while, I sneak away from the city and head up into the mountains that many of our Bliss staff call “home”. The roads don’t feel as safe to me as I would like—although my staff assure me that I have nothing to worry about. In the village, I am met by fresh air and generous smiles from everyone. Welcomed more warmly than I deserve, my new friends scurry around making sure I see the beauty of their land, their food, their hearts. Every time I get to make trek, it is a gift.

I reminds me of the reason I started Bliss almost 10 years ago. The personal engagement with the people teaches me new things that challenge me to grow in my understanding of how Bliss meets the real needs of the people--not just the needs I assume they have.

This working in a business with mission and purpose isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime experience—but an ongoing sojourn of learning and gratitude.

People are the most valuable creation on our planet. It is a privilege to know this truth and to be part of ‘ making a difference’ in the lives of those that cross my path.

DIY Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 03:49:00 GMT

Source: moralfibres.co.uk

Does anything smell more like “clean” than the light scent of natural herbs and spices? Store-bought cleaning products often leave an overpowering scent that isn’t natural and leave behind toxic residues that are unsafe for children, pets, and our environment.

We thought we would share our most recent addition to our cleaning products at Bliss . Most of you already know that white vinegar and baking soda are the most natural, most clean, most inexpensive products for cleaning almost everything in your home. But, vinegar has an unpleasant odor that lingers and doesn’t satisfy the desire for that fresh, clean feeling after the hard work of cleaning is done!

The solution to the desire for an all-natural, non-toxic cleaner without the unpleasant odor of vinegar is-- infused vinegar !

Infusing vinegar is a simple process that only requires a bit of time. You can customize the scent to your liking, save a ton of money on cleaning products, and feel great about yourself for caring for the environment.

Here is a simple recipe from moralfibres.co.uk to get you started. As you get comfortable with the process, you can begin experimenting with your own scent combinations.

What you need:

First fill the glass jar with the orange peels and the spices of your choice. (don’t compact them in the jar so that there is plenty of room for the vinegar) Then fill the jar with the white vinegar, put the lid on securely, and leave in a warm, sunny place for about 2 weeks. (see more scent combination ideas at moralfibres.co.uk )

If making your own batch of infused vinegar doesn’t make it to the top of your “to do” list, Bliss is creating and selling our own naturally-scented batches locally. You can purchase Bliss infused vinegars to simplify your schedule and support a local business at the same time. To order a Bliss infused vinegar all-purpose cleaner, you can contact us through our website or facebook page through the links below.

Website: https://www.blisscleanandcare.com/get-started

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blisscleanandcare

Like many of you, Bliss loves the clean, fresh scent behind our cleaning service and the benefits of all-natural and non-toxic products. We constantly look for pathways of cleaning and caring for the homes of our customers that provide the highest quality of service and the highest care for our environment too.

Creating Stories of Joy

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 23:02:00 GMT

When our founder, Kristi Hambrice, moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand back in 2010, she realized the difficult obstacles that Thai women faced in getting a job, but even more than that – the challenges that resulted from not having access to a good job.

Before getting trained with Bliss, these women typically work 12-15 hour a day shifts and get paid very little. Many women, have had little to no education but long for their children to go to school so they can have a better future. These women often must then face expenses from sending their children to school, gas for their motor bike, groceries, rent and also have the responsibility to send money to care for their families in rural Thai villages. Not only does having a low paying job make their life difficult for paying expenses, but also in their ability to be mothers and spend time caring for their children.

Moved by her desire to create change, Kristi started our organization, Bliss Mae Baan Network with the motivation to create stories of JOY in each life, one woman at a time by providing job training, and creating a community of unified women at Bliss.

On Monday’s, our process begins when women from all over the city show up on their motorbikes at our main office in Chiang Mai. Once they are signed up, they go to our training center and start the learning process! The women are usually very excited but also nervous, so we try to make the classes and training a fun and bonding experience! Training classes are taught by our Bliss Trainers: Nid, Pawn and Rii. They are Thai women who have gone through our training course before, and we loved them so much we hired them! They often are an encouragement to the new women in the training program and are wonderful mentors to the women even outside of the training program.

Once the women go through a week of learning how to clean a home, we host a graduation for them! It is a fun and exciting celebration they can experience with their new friends from the program and invokes a sense of accomplishment (which is what we want them to have)! From there, the women leave with skills they need to find good paying, safe and sustainable jobs for families in Chiang Mai looking for housekeepers.

Creating more Opportunities

Thu, 25 Jun 2015 12:39:00 GMT

Not only is Bliss passionate about training women and helping them find work that they can be proud of, but Bliss also wants to create opportunities for these women that will last a life time.

So many women come through the doors of Bliss and they not only desire to be employed in a good job, but they also desire to better their life holistically. One skill that we hear so many Mae Baans yearning for is the ability to speak English. Learning English for these women means better jobs, a skill gained, better pay and an achievement that very few are able to attain.

Bliss is currently in the middle of our first English class for Mae Baans. All the women currently attending the class have been through Bliss training and are currently employed the in the home Bliss placed them in. They have had SO much fun learning and practicing together!