First solo house clean and I almost set the kitchen on fire lol

Started my cleaning gig last week and took on my first full house by myself in the Chicago area my whole career. I was scrubbing the oven with some off-brand degreaser and forgot I left the burner on low from testing the client's coffee maker. Next thing I know smoke's billowing and the rag catches a little flame, had to smother it with a towel before it got bad. NGL I was shaking but the client laughed it off and tipped me extra. Anyone else had a rookie mistake like that on a deep clean? Feels like every video I watch has pros acting like it's easy. Saw a post on r/CleaningTips about kitchen disasters that made me feel better.

Haha, try mopping a floor with hot coffee instead of water. Woke up the whole house at 6am.

pro tip: always double check appliances before you start spraying chemicals everywhere. saved my ass more than once.

ugh same here my first month. spilled bleach on carpet trying to clean a pet stain. had to reclean the whole room.

i feel you man. newbies always rushing.

we all been there. my first fire was a vacuum overheating on a hairy floor. FML.

lol the tips on melissa maker's instagram helped me avoid that exact thing. check her out.

first job i broke a clients favorite vase dusting high shelves. paid for it outta pocket.

guy in cleaning business owners fb group shared a story about electrocuting himself with a wet cord. we aint alone.

pissed me off when i first started, clients leaving hazards everywhere.

we all screw up. just dont quit after one.

watched a video on how to start a cleaning business and they skipped all the funny fails. real life is different.

my first deep clean i mixed vinegar and bleach by accident. gassed the whole bathroom.

thats chemical warfare lol. open windows next time.

clients in house cleaning business group complain about us newbies but they forget their own stories.

had a good laugh after mine. builds character.

i turned my first disaster into a funny story for referrals. worked out.

homeowners leaving stoves on is the worst. collective rage at lazy people.

yep. they set us up to fail then blame us.

insurance nightmare waiting to happen.

same boat. first window clean i smeared bird crap everywhere.

bird crap is evil. use windex and newspaper.

newbies unite. we survive.

frustrated but funny now. pass the wine.

melissa maker has a tiktok on safe kitchen cleaning. watch that.

helpful: always unplug before scrubbing.

my fail was flooding a basement with a hose attachment. 2 hours to dry.

basement floods suck. dehumidifier stat.

we hate these stories but they bond us.

client blamed me for their mess. collective eye roll.

yep. always their fault.

pissed off clients make it worse.

dont clean with clients home if possible.

good advice. less drama.

r/cleaningtips has tons of these rants. check em.

i sympathize. first gig i ruined a silk shirt with steam.

steam cleaners are tricky. start low.

warning: test products in hidden spots always.

asking: what degreaser did you use? might try it.

frustrated with my own first clean. took forever.

warning: never leave rags near open flames period.

we feel your pain dude. it gets better.