Suicide may be painless, but in the world of black comedies, it’s the cleaning up afterwards that really hurts. After her hesitant Sylvia Plath biopic, director Christine Jeffs has latched on to a solid if unexceptional script by first-time writer Megan Holley, focusing on two sisters who set up a business to disinfect crime scenes in a New Mexico backwater.

Played by Enchanted’s Amy Adams, Rose Lorkowski is an ex-cheerleader and now single mother whose dismal domestic situation is not helped by looking out for her feckless sister Norah (Young Victoria’s Emily Blunt). Throw in Steve Zahn as Rose’s married lover Mac, and Alan Arkin playing the same kind of grouchy grandpa as in Little Miss Sunshine, and Sunshine Cleaning has performers perfectly qualified for a misfit comedy.

Where Jeffs and Holley mess up, however, is in the details; the bile and blood-soaked aftermath the sisters frequently have to clean up is simply too icky to generate laughs, while a subplot involving Norah’s lesbian attraction to the daughter of a suicide victim is poorly developed. Admirers of SherryBaby, Waitress and other small-town tragicomedies will want to take the time to salvage some well-tuned performances here; Adams shines in a blue-collar setting, playing off Blunt’s amusingly sullen posturing, and Arkin is reliable as ever.

(15) 91min. General release from Fri 26 Jun.

A few weeks back, our Director, Judith Morgan, was interviewed by fellow coach Barbara Bradbury for her podcast.  Barbara is a relationship coach; relationships with your colleagues, your family, your friends, your spouse - you name it, and she advocates clean communication as a way of improving relationships. 

Barbara asked Judith about how we use good communications within The Cleaning Biz, and then recorded an interesting chat for about 10-15 minutes all around the topic.  If you are a human being, there's something to learn here.   If you are a business person, it's vital.   If you are a client or a cleaner or an existing or potential licensee of The Cleaning Biz, it's essential listening.

The recording is entitled Honest Conversations and you can listen to it here:

Are you ready to retire from your first career, but you are definitely not old?   Is your pension in need of a top-up? Do you still have loads of "go" in you?   Are you worried you won't be able to sit still and do nothing?   Not into gardening, yoga, bowls and snoozing? Not ready for your pipe and slippers?   Not prepared to be relegated to the armchair?

Good!   Then we have a little business opportunity for you.

The Cleaning Biz is always looking for lively people with time on their hands who want to top up their income.   And we think this could be an ideal opportunity for the right sort of retired person.   After all, 60 isn't even old these days, is it?   And remember, if this isnt right for you but you introduce us to someone who goes on to work with us, we pay you a fee of £500 for that introduction.

What is The Cleaning Biz?

We provide domestic cleaners to households who want to outsource the chore of cleaning their own home and keeping on top of the ironing.   We find that this is popular throughout the UK, and especially in towns and cities where busy people work long hours.

What's in it for you?

My partner and I have been running this business since 2001 and last year we started to teach others how to do it.   It's a turnkey business opportunity.   What does that mean for you?   It means you can come to a training day in London and a month later you are working in your own part-time business at home. We roll you into our training programme and match you up with a mentor, both of which are designed to ensure your success.

Who is this ideal for?

Anyone who has plenty of free time but doesnt want to be tied to a full-time job, perhaps someone looking after their own home and family with time on their hands, perhaps a self-employed person looking to increase their income, perhaps a new retiree who still has plenty of life in them, much too much time on their hands, and a disappointing pension, or the newly redundant.  We have podholders who are successfully funding their ideal lives in the country and even overseas with this.

Anyone who understands that a franchise opportunity is a ready-made business and that you can learn from that too and apply that learning to your other business activities.

Anyone who is prepared to put in a bit of effort, especially in the first six months, knowing that the rewards will come within one to three years.   And that's all.   It's really a very simple formula.

Who is this probably not ideal for?

Someone with a full-time job.  A rampant entrepreneur who really wants to create their own business.   Someone who is focally challenged and doing far too many things already, none of which are generating enough income.   Someone who is not prepared to learn from those who have done it themselves, over and over again now, 22 times.   Someone who is not prepared to put the work in initially and learn to face their fears, learn new stuff, do as they are told/gently guided (!) and just get on with it.   Rocket scientists and tyre kickers.

How soon can you start?

We can usually train you within a month or so.

What guarantees your success, apart from our training programme?

An analysis of the success strategies of our existing branches tells us that the following has brought swift rewards - you dont need to operate ALL of these, just choose a few of your favourites:

• Correctly identifying that where you live is a great area in which to operate a branch of our business (we give you pointers on how to do this)
• Partnering with a great local distributor who reliably carries out your deliveries of marketing materials for you or being prepared to do/supervise that bit yourself
• Plenty of free time to answer sales calls when they come in
• Loving it
• Being a proficient practitioner of the Law of Attraction
• Believing in it, knowing it would work and proving yourself right
• Turning up to and committing to the training and mentoring
• Focus
• Hard work (it's always worked before as a success strategy for some, so they have simply applied it here too, although it really isn't necessary but we don't knock it)

So, its exactly like any other business, except that this is one where we know all the wrinkles having done it ourselves and now we work alongside inside many others who have done the same, so we can handhold you through it.   And that's SO much easier and simpler for you than starting something from scratch.

Join our community of podholders!

We would love to have you in our family of fledgling business owners, a bunch of whom are now emerging as very proficient businessmen and women, thanks to this opportunity.  Let us show you how to run a Great Little Business of your own, from home.

What should you do next to get on board?

Go to the Join Us page on our website and listen to the hour-long recording of Q & A we did with potential licensees last October, four of whom came on board.   Download the FAQ and read it - its a concise transcription of the teleclass.   And then talk to us but please dont skip the listening and the reading parts first - that means we can get straight to talking turkey since you will already be up to scratch and full of questions of your own.

Read what James, our former Bristol pod owner, has to say about his experience of working with us over the last couple of years

"A very big thank you for helping me to not only find a buyer for the business but also for all your support while we have been developing it. It has been both challenging and liberating and I am delighted that Janet is taking over.

You have been nothing but positive, helpful and above all a great friend when times have been tough – for this I cannot thank you enough. Having been the first pod to be franchised, run remotely, successfully grown and finally sold, if you ever wanted me to come and talk to new pod holders at your meetings I would of course be delighted to do so.

When handing over it surprised me as to how much I have learnt while running the business and it will set me up well for my next venture.  Once again a huge thank you for our time in TCB."

What does this opportunity cost?

£6,000 which includes your £2,000 licence fee and £4,000 training package and various other goodies like your first 30,000 marketing postcards free.   Each additional licence you choose to buy costs only £2,000 since you already know how to run the business.   Several of our podholders own multiple licences as a way of fast-tracking the results they want.

And as you can see, after only a couple of years, you can even sell on this opportunity to someone else (provided you have made a success of it) for many multiples of your initial investment as James has done.   As we like to say - sell your business for a lump of cash when the time is right.   It's one of the best ways to create wealth.   And quick too!

So, what's stopping you from taking on your own pod?

Come on down and talk to us about this opportunity.  We are straight talkers; if we don't think The Cleaning Biz is right for you or if we don't think you are right for it, we will simply say so.  We want it to work for both parties.  We won't waste your time or money.   Or ours.

Here's to your success in our franchise opportunity.  Come and discover how we can work together - you are in time to make it to our Summer Party on 22nd June in a lovely riverside pub in the country too, if you are really quick on the draw!

There's a button on our website marked Join Us!   And this page tells you all about the chance to run a branch of our business with us and how we can help you run your own small business from home, helping local households in your neighbourhood find a great cleaner and enjoy their own home looking spick and span every week.

Would you like to be part of our nationwide expansion?   We are always interested in talking to customer service enthusiasts who would like to own and run their own business and be part of our family.   We teach you how to create a great income from this, and have fun doing it while helping people and providing a valuable service.

If you have some time available and would like to top up your current earnings (or pension) and would like to hear more about it, please read our web page, listen to our recording, download our FAQ and make an appointment to talk to us.

White vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, lemons, and olive oil, are all you need to keep your wood floors sleek, stainless steel germ-free and shiny, and bathroom tiles squeaky clean. And the added bonus is there’s not a harmful chemical in sight.

White vinegar: A natural disinfectant, stain remover and reduces mineral and lime deposits. It’s a diluted ascetic acid and a substitute for more aggressive ammonia-based cleaners. You can use white wine vinegar, but white distilled vinegar is cheaper. Don’t use malt vinegar!

Sodium Bicarbonate: When mixed with water it forms a slightly alkaline liquid, which cuts through grease and dirt on almost any surface. Used neat it’s slightly abrasive and can be used to scrub problem stains. Often vinegar and soda are mixed together for maximum cleaning strength.

Lemons: The citric acid in lemon juice makes it perfect for bleaching, disinfecting, deodorising and removing grease.

Olive Oil: Great alternative furniture polish. Don’t worry about using the extra-virgin type, the most basic will do.

Some Ideas

Keep toilets clean and fresh - put 8 tablespoons of soda in the bowl. Leave overnight.  Put the lid down!

Dab some essential oil on a light bulb. When on, the heat will diffuse the fragrance creating nice smelling room at little cost.

Clean microwaves and ovens with a cloth soaked and rinsed in equal parts of vinegar and water.

For wood flooring or furniture, mix one part olive oil and one part lemon juice. Rub on furniture or apply with a spray bottle, then polish with a dry cloth.

If you are struggling to get those bedsheets or shirts whiter than white,  instead of relying on a detergent try soaking the fabrics in Lemon Juice for 15 minutes before popping it all into the washing machine as normal.

You will be amazed and dazzling!

The effects of delegating tasks in the workplace are numerous; it increases your productivity and allows you to focus on more essential tasks while boosting the self-esteem of the workforce. It boosts morale and eases stress which leads to a better working environment and builds confidence.

If you wondering if you should delegate some tasks then read on and consider the following factors, this should tell you if delegation is the right choice for you and the company.

Firstly ask yourself if you are spending enough quality time when it comes to strategic planning and overall monitoring.

Next take a look around at your desk, is it overflowing with projects and tasks which you have started but are unfinished?

What is the working environment like; do the people around you feel appreciated and useful? Do you keep them sufficiently motivated and are they enthusiastic in their work?

Finally ask yourself whether you are delegating routine and necessary tasks.

If you are delegating but things don’t seem to be going as planned, then ask yourself  what you are doing wrong and if you have the necessary experience to coach others and if not then ask yourself what you can do about it and take steps towards remedying the situation.

If you have to spend any time away from your pet because you can’t take them with you, then a boarding kennel is often the first choice for many. However there is another choice to consider, a pet sitter. The pet sitter works exactly the same as a baby sitter or child minder except that they look after your pet not your child or baby.

The pet sitter will come to your home and take care of your pet right there in their own surroundings, the biggest advantage to this is that your pet is in surroundings it knows, so isn’t stressed. Here are some tips for choosing a great pet sitter.

Services and fees vary from sitter to sitter, some will offer a complete service such as bathing and walking your dog while the most basic and cheapest will just do the basics such as feeding and letting your pet go to the bathroom. So shop around when getting quotes for sitting and ask what the cost includes.

Always ask about the type of pet they are comfortable with and how long they have been working in pet sitting, also ask about any medical training they have if any and how they would cope in an emergency.

Once you think you have found a sitter then before you are due to go away make sure that they come over and meet your pet. Your pet should be comfortable with them and them with your pet.

Here is some more time saving cooking tips to help you shave some time off the time you spend in the kitchen.

If you take a packed lunch to work or your children take one to school then get the children to help when it comes to wrapping sandwiches and cookies in cling film. If you have some time on your hands one day but know you are going to be stuck for time the next, then prepare double the amount of snacks and store them in the refrigerator.

Organise your cookbooks and recipes where you can easily get to them, this way when you want to cook that something special or need a brush up on a recipe you won’t have to waste time searching for them.

Keep a wipe dry board handy around the kitchen and keep an eye on the items you run out of in your cupboards. When you use the last of something jot it down on the board and this way it will save you time when you come to make out your shopping list.

When it comes to preparing such drinks as ice tea, coffee or soft drinks make them in huge jugs and store them in the fridge. This way you will save time making up just 1 cup and the beverage will be icy cold when you need it.

When going food shopping it is essential that you make a list of the items that you need, if not then you will be going around the store just picking items up that you really don’t need and when you reach the checkout you'll be in for a big surprise. So always check your cupboards and fridge before you go shopping and stick to the items on the list.

Make use of the money savings coupons that come through your letterbox, go through them and save the ones that you can use together and remember to take them with you when you go to do your weekly shop.

Be aware that items in the supermarket are placed strategically, for example those items that are at eye level are frequently the most expensive ones. Cheaper brands are usually placed lower down or higher up on the shelves. Likewise cheaper items are placed are usually placed around the aisles with the dearer items in the middle of the supermarket.

Where you can, buy in bulk as buying more will save you money in the long run. Also pay attention to any buy one get one free offers or buy two get the third free.

Make the most of any special offers for instance take advantage of the sales just after Christmas to buy birthday gifts and next years wrapping paper or Christmas cards.

Look round for the cheapest supermarket to do your weekly shop; it can be surprising how the pennies soon mount up that you can shave off items simply by going to a cheaper supermarket.

Don’t always think that the named brands are the best, very often the supermarket will have their own brands and no one will be able to tell the difference but you can make great savings.