Name: Alicja Fraszka

Age: 37

Originally from: Szczytno in Poland

Currently lives: Central Trondheim

Work: Cleaner

Family: My brother and his family also live in Trondheim and I have many friends here that I enjoy spending time with.

Hobbies and interests: I’m passionate about interior design. I am happy to give customers styling tips in addition to housekeeping advice. In my free time, I love hiking in the mountains and walking by the sea. I also enjoy spending time in Trondheim as it is such a beautiful city.

When I first came to Trondheim two years ago to visit my brother I was more or less working as a housekeeper for him. Then the thought came to me that I might move here on a more permanent basis. I heard about Vaskehjelp through a post that was published in a Facebook group for cleaners. I contacted them immediately and was working for them within one week. Then it was decided, I was staying in Trondheim.

I often visit the Vaskehjelp office and have received excellent service and advice from the Founder, Tonje Vanebo, when it comes to setting up my own company. Everyone who works with Vaskehjelp owns their own cleaning company which makes the logistics and flexibility easier.

In my experience the customers are always friendly and the job is flexible. A standard house normally takes three to four hours to clean and I can choose how many houses I do each week. I also like that I have repeat customers and that I often receive positive feedback from my clients with thank you messages or good praise through the apps chat feature.

I like being booked to clean a home for a special occasion as the customer often appreciates it that little bit more. When I clean, it often frees up time for my customers so that they can prepare in other ways. I was booked for a pre-Christmas clean once and as I took a break and looked around me I was touched at how beautiful all the Christmas lights and decorations are in Norway.

Most people are quite tidy but often families with young children don’t have time to prioritise this. I recommend having a clear agreement with the customer on expectations in advance of each cleaning job. This can also be done through the apps chat function in advance of the booking.

A lot of people don ́t have much free time these days and I assume they would rather spend time with their families or shopping and drinking coffee with friends, just like myself.

I am proud to receive great ratings in the app for the work I do and I think it is a fair way to justify which cleaners are doing the best work. I also like the possibility to be discovered by new customers.

No, I have chosen not to work as a cleaner daily because until recently I also worked in a restaurant. I am now planning to work as much as possible with Vaskehjelp. To date, I have secured some fixed cleaning assignments. People tend to book home cleaning while they are at work. This way I can be efficient and focused on the job and have therefore developed some good routines.

It is rare that I come across any challenges but that is because I have learned to clarify the details of each assignment before I arrive at the house. Often, I have a large area to cover in a given time frame so this way I can give extra attention to the areas that the customer thinks are important.

Name: Sebhat

Originally from: Addis Abeba in Ethiopia

Currently Lives: Trondheim

Work: Cleaner and Photographer

Hobbies and interests: As a professional photographer, I spend much of my spare time taking photos. I am a creative person so I enjoy writing blog posts and articles as well as travelling, reading, listening to music and visiting friends.

The Vaskehjelp app was recommended to me by a friend who lives in Klæbu, where Tonje Vanebo, the Founder, first started the concept. I was instantly curious and quickly got some assistance to set up my own cleaning company. I believe that this service will grow quickly and more people will know about the great service that Vaskehjelp offers.

Yes, definitely. The app is simple to use. I showed it to some friends and three of them quickly registered and are also working as cleaners.

I find that most people tidy up their home before I arrive as well as preparing the cleaning products and equipment that I will need on the day. I think most customers realise that this makes cleaning go more efficiently.

Yes, I think it’s great. I have received great feedback so I know my customers are satisfied. The app allows customers to send thank you messages, which I often receive. I was even given a Christmas presents from one customer.

That really depends on the size of the home, how many hours the customer books the assignment for or how thorough a clean they want done. It varies greatly but often an assignment is around two to four hours.

In the summer, there are often less bookings as this is when most people in Norway are on holiday. We often have many bookings in the lead up to Christmas, and generally there are many bookings on a Friday. People like to start the weekend with a clean home.

It’s a new and modern way to find and create your own workplace. I can decide on where I work, what my fees are and how much my customers can book assignments with me through the app. It is a very flexible solution for both parties. I believe that many people are looking for a unique service such as this one.

Today, over half a million Norwegians choose to pay for home cleaning and that number is on the increase. Paying for a firm to clean your home in Norway was relatively unprecedented until recent years. This trend has now changed due to an increase in household income and education levels. Today, 32% of households with an income of over one million Norwegian kroner hire a cleaning company.

The need for professional cleaners varies depending on the stage of life. Young adults have the least demand for cleaners and tend to tackle the job themselves. The highest demand comes from older men, and parents with children living at home. It is well known that life with toddlers is busy and hectic, with some parents reducing their working hours to enjoy a balance of work and leisure time. Hiring cleaning services can help to alleviate the pressure and free up some time. The elderly often have different reasons to bring in a cleaner to their home, especially if health prevents them from tackling everyday chores by themselves.

Today, we are concerned with having quality time with our partners and families. In addition, roles have changed in the home. Men are more involved in their role as fathers and with spending more quality time with their children than previous generations have traditionally done. Norwegian men benefit from more paternity leave than ever before (10 to 14 weeks from July 2018) and they also have a much bigger role in caring for children today. We live in a much more equal society. Cleaning is no longer considered the responsibility of the woman and hiring cleaning services frees up more time for the whole family.

Ordering cleaning services frees up time during the busy working week but it can also be even more valuable during the holiday season to book Christmas cleaning services. By freeing up your day, you can spend time on all the things you love rather than household chores. In doing this, you can relax and spend time getting festive by using your available time baking Christmas cookies or wrapping gifts for friends and loved ones. As you know, the holidays can be an extra busy period. Vaskehjelp doesn’t just offer home cleaning services around Christmastime but also for other holidays and special occasions. There are many cleaners happy to help out no matter what the occasion is.

Through Vaskehjelp, you can benefit from affordable house keeping with insurance included, so you don’t have to worry about whether your home, objects or keys are safe. All orders booked through the app are insured by If insurance company. Vaskehjelp offers a completely unique solution with maximum flexibility for both cleaners and customers. The Vaskehjelp app also has a visible star rating so you can see each cleaner’s total star rating and who recommendations. This combined with insurance should provide you with peace of mind when inviting a cleaner into your home.

Once you have used the app a few times, you can start to rate your favourite cleaners through star ratings and reviews. This way the most dutiful and punctual cleaners will be given more assignments. For the customer, this feature means that you can select cleaners based on good feedback before you select the right person for the job. If you would like to find out more about our services, download the Vaskehjelp app from the Apple Store or Google Play for a list of all our cleaners and services. Vaskehjelp is currently available in Trondheim but the services are now being rolled out across the five largest Norwegian cities.

Dust and dirt not only causes and aggravates allergies, it also reduces indoor air quality. A clean home simply means better health. If you suffer from allergies, it’s advisable to consider cleaning with a microfibre mop and cloth. The benefit of using these cloths instead of a standard cotton one is that they are positively charged, meaning that they attract dust which is negatively charged. Microfibre cloths are a great choice for the environment and last for years if used correctly. They are good for multi-purpose use and are also effective with using only water for cleaning. This means that you can reduce the chemical waste that may be washed down the drains during rinsing.

There are a wide range of cleaning products on the market so it pays to be aware of what chemicals each product contains when making a decision. Among these are chlorine, perfume, ammonia, solvents, preservatives and dyes. Several cleaning products can also cause allergic reactions, may be harmful when they come into contact with skin or damage surfaces, such as ammonia and chlorine based products. In Norway, look out for products with the ‘Nordic Swan’ ecolabel. This is recognised as a sustainable ecolabel used across the Nordics so you can be reassured you are choosing an option that environmentally-friendly. You can also choose products that are approved by the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association (Norges Astma- og allergiforbund). Allergies can be developed over time so it’s advised to keep a dust-free home to keep them at bay.

In Norwegian homes there is still a long tradition of using “grønnsåpe” (a classic green soap made of fat and calcium hydroxide) when cleaning and many believe there is no other product worth considering. However, the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association recommend using dry cleaning methods wherever possible. This is because there are several additives in cleaning products that can be a strain on health and the indoor climate. Studies have shown that there is a clear correlation between increased disease rate and the use of cleaning agents in spray form at cleaning businesses so by returning to traditional methods this can be prevented.

Often simple cleaning solutions can be found in everyday staples in your kitchen, such as salt and baking soda. There are several ways you can clean and shine items around your home in a natural way. Silver can easily be polished using a combination of salt and lukewarm water while using a cloth with baking soda and water means you can simply wipe the oven clean without scrubbing. If you are cleaning handles and taps in the bathroom and kitchen, vinegar can be a great alternative to other cleaning products to make chrome fixtures shine. For most surfaces in your home a mix of salt and vinegar can be used but be careful with some surfaces, such as waxed surfaces, marble and linoleum.

A combination of salt and soda water is ideal for cleaning the inside of a refrigerator. If you are unlucky and spill red wine on the couch or a piece of clothing, pouring carbonated water on the spot can remove the stain. Pour on the fluid letting it bubble and continue until the discoloration disappears. If the red wine stain is on a removable sofa cover or clothing that can withstand cleaning, placing the fabric in a mixture of two large spoons of baking soda and lukewarm water will help to remove the stain.

When it comes to the kitchen, there are a few good environmentally-friendly products to consider. The Norwegian products “Sonett” and “Klar” are good natural alternatives that are as effective on dishes, if not more effective, than commonly known washing up liquids. Klar dishwashing liquid is made of 100% recyclable plastic, it carries the Nordic Swan ecolabel. It is also dermatologically tested on sensitive skin and doesn’t contain any unnecessary added chemicals. This is a great sustainable choice to ensure safe cleaning in your household. Sonett is also a product that is free of chlorine, perfume and colourant and all its ingredients are completely biodegradable.

Home cleaning will become a more positive experience if you make a conscious decision to clean with an environmental approach in mind.