As the year comes to a close, we take a look at some of the most popular stories on www.cleaner.com. If you missed any of these, now is your chance to catch up.
10. 5 Reasons to Emphasize Work Safety Every Day
Your health, family, reputation, coworkers and company are all dependent on proper safety practices. This article from August provided some commonsense advice about never taking safety on the job lightly.
9. Contractor Shares His Wisdom in Homeowner Guidebook
Want to further endear yourself to customers and secure their loyalty? Take a page out of Jason Birdsong's book. Literally. With encouragement from a business coach, the Oklahoma-based contractor wrote a book to help homeowners hire service companies and avoid scams and mistakes.
8. Why Customers Dump You and How to Keep Them Engaged
Don’t assume long-term loyalty from your customers. Follow the tips in this January article to keep them calling back.
7. Navigating Tariffs: A Survival Guide for Contractors
A main subject in 2025 was tariffs and their effect on the world economy. This article from August examined the issue, specifically how contractors in industries like drain cleaning could best handle the uncertainty.
6. How to Fight Back Against Equipment Theft
It usually happens when you least expect it. You arrive on a job site in the morning, crew ready, schedule tight only to find the excavator you rented is gone. For contractors, stolen equipment is more than an inconvenience. It’s a major hit to budgets, timelines and reputation. This October article offered some advice on how to protect yourself.
5. How to Manage Fuel Volatility in Your Fleet
From telematics and other tech to simple preventive maintenance, there are several things your company can do to help with fuel costs, as this article from August laid out.
4. Survey Finds Many Home Service Pros Using AI Tools to Streamline Admin Work
This June article looked at a survey conducted by Housecall Pro, a leading software platform for home service professionals. The survey showed how business owners across all trades are embracing AI to boost productivity and reclaim time while still keeping skilled, hands-on work human focused.
3. Tips for Proper Care of Excavator Buckets
Unexpected excavator bucket issues can significantly disrupt your workflow and hinder the success of a project. This article looked at four excavator bucket issues that plague contractors and offered solutions and tips to get optimum performance and efficiency.
2. The Hidden Price of Losing Skilled Workers
A skilled technician calls in their resignation tomorrow. What happens next? Jobs pile up, schedules get disrupted, your remaining crew members scramble to cover, and your customers notice. Suddenly, what seemed like a “normal” resignation turns into a financial and operational headache. This article provided some smart employee retention tips.
1. How to Win at Recruiting in the Trades
Related to employee retention, this article provided advice on how to win the trades talent war. Written by Westie Magnuson, chief people officer for Cornel’s Plumbing, Heating & Air in Portland, Oregon, a company featured in the magazine in April, it was the most-read article on cleaner.com in 2025.
