Salina Landstad says, “Our philosophy is: we do it, we love it and let us take care of it.”
This dynamic woman founded InsideOut Cleaning Services and is a certified Residential and Commercial Cleaning Technician. Salina and her team have been dedicated to our North Shore community for many years, helping us keep our personal and professional spaces clean, safe and welcoming. “Cleaning for me is quite therapeutic,” says Salina. “I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to get rid of a stubborn stain, test new products and tools, and figure out what works and what doesn’t. There’s always a lot to learn, which has been the fun part for me.”
For years, Salina thought about starting her own business but taking care of family and raising children got in the way. “One day I just realized that I better start now, or I’ll never do it. I enrolled in a professional cleaning course which taught me the basics. From there, I started my business and tailored our services to align with my core values of integrity, reliability, consistency and having fun.”
The InsideOut team is constantly striving to learn new techniques – especially amidst the pandemic. In order to provide exceptional service, Salina and her team have enrolled in various training programs focused on how to deep clean and effectively disinfect surfaces according to industry standards and best practices.
When asked what her inspirations are, Salina replies, “Family aside, my biggest inspiration is my staff and clients. My staff are such warm, fun, hardworking individuals who truly share my work philosophy. They come from various walks of life and they all have different experiences and stories. They work hard to ensure they exceed the standards we’ve set for ourselves.”
“With my clients, I’ve gotten to know them well and I enjoy the stories they share with me about their families, their lives – and of course, their pets!” she enthuses. “I also get to know their homes and have learned which areas need more attention. Each home is unique so we tailor the cleaning program to fit each household.
What does Salina enjoy most about her job? There are so many things. “I love engaging with my staff to figure out how we can improve and be more efficient. I love that I’ve created this business that employs great people. I love that we provide a service to families which allows them to focus on spending time with their loved ones and do things they enjoy, rather than worry about cleaning their homes.”
Salina wanted to share a cleaning tip with our readers. “In the early days when I was cleaning my own home, I would spray down a surface and then immediately wipe it off. It never occurred to me that when you spray a surface, you need to let it actually sit for a certain amount of time. This allows the product to essentially do the work for you and allows sufficient time to kill germs and bacteria. These five to ten minutes is called ‘dwell time’.”
Similarly, if you’re using the same cleaning cloth to clean both your counter and then your table, you may just be moving germs and bacteria from one surface to another. Salina says, “If you fold your cleaning cloth and use one side to clean your counter and then the other side to clean your table, you’ll be using a clean cloth each time and will avoid spreading bacteria.”
On a personal note, the North Shore is a community that Salina has immersed herself in for the past 20 years – she and her family actively support and work with several local businesses and charities. In her free time, you’ll find Salina “huffing and puffing” along our many hiking trails, or soaking up the sun at the beach.
Both of Salina’s daughters are also heavily involved in the community and actively involved in sports on the North Shore. “My older daughter played field hockey with the Adanacs and my younger daughter is in her final year of ice hockey with the North Shore Female Ice Hockey Association. Both of my daughters are very competitive and our life has really revolved around their sports,” she says.
Recently, the family has also welcomed its newest member. “Remy, our Golden Retriever puppy has been with us since October and I’m completely in love and smitten with her. She’ll be joining me on the trails in no time!” says Salina happily.
To book a cleaning consultation with InsideOut, visit www.insideoutvancouver.ca.