Home'scool Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 My husband said that he would like to get me a cleaning lady for my birthday. I do think it is time we get one. Our house is pretty large (5000 square feet) and now that I have one child in college and one as a senior in high school, and I now work full time, we just don't have the man-power to get it all done. Please walk me through these issues though. I have never had a cleaning lady before and I don't want to be that one client of hers that she hates! We have done a TON of work on the house but of course there are still areas that need to be done. This is what I am paranoid about: 1) My bedroom is quite dowdy looking. It needs new paint job and right now I don't have any real bedding on the bed. Just a sheet and a down comforter. I feel like I should at least buy a nice bedspread so it doesn't look so unfinished? Or is that just foolish and the cleaning lady won't care that I don't have bedding. 2) The master bath needs an update. I started stripping the wallpaper but it is only halfway done. I am not sure when I will finish the project. Again, is it wrong to ask her to clean a room that looks unfinished? I guess what I am paranoid about is someone actually seeing parts of my house that are dowdy or unfinished or just plain blech. I feel like she will judge! Talk me through how to have a stranger in your house and closets and bedroom and still feel okay with it! Oh, and what questions or information should I be asking and giving when calling around to find a cleaning lady? Thanks for any help!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 No the cleaning lady will not care about your house being unfinished or that you don't have a new comforter. :) What she will care about is having clear instructions on what you want done for what amount. If she is experienced though she will be telling you what she will do for a set amount. Either way, being clear about expectations and pay is the most important thing. Will she come once a week? What do you want done each time? What do you want done every other time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 A cleaning service isn't going to care about whether a room looks unfinished. Some will not want to pick up clutter; others don't kind. You should be looking for references from people who like and trust their cleaning services. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Clear expectations are important. Do you want her to clean the floors by hand or is mopping OK? (with mopping, you don't get the baseboards clean nor the corners.) I have a cleaning lady come every two weeks (all I can afford) because I have back problems that make certain kinds of cleaning (mostly floors and tubs) very painful. I have her do her regular cleaning throughout the house, but have her work more deeply in a different area every time she comes (deeper cleaning of the kitchen may involve the fridge and oven and washing cabinets in additoin to regular cleaning.) A deeper cleaning may mean handwashing floors and baseboards if you are allowing mopping. You may want to discuss cleaning products if you have allergies or other problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Is it better to get a larger cleaning corporation like Merry Maids or a local one that may have fewer employees but are tied to the community? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Is it better to get a larger cleaning corporation like Merry Maids or a local one that may have fewer employees but are tied to the community? It probably varies. The very best thing to do is to ask your friends who have housekeepers who they like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 No the cleaning lady will not care about your house being unfinished or that you don't have a new comforter. :) What she will care about is having clear instructions on what you want done for what amount. If she is experienced though she will be telling you what she will do for a set amount. Either way, being clear about expectations and pay is the most important thing. Will she come once a week? What do you want done each time? What do you want done every other time? This. I had one and she spoke limited English. She came highly recommended and did a great job, but communication was an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 I really appreciate you bringing this up. I have the exact same issues. Personally I feel silly for having them but I just can't shake them. I'm homeschooling 3 and my husband and I have a busy home business. I really need the help, want the help, can afford the help but just can't make myself do it for my insecurities over an imperfect house. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 I really appreciate you bringing this up. I have the exact same issues. Personally I feel silly for having them but I just can't shake them. I'm homeschooling 3 and my husband and I have a busy home business. I really need the help, want the help, can afford the help but just can't make myself do it for my insecurities over an imperfect house. :) Thank you for letting me know I am not alone in my insecurities! I guess it is like feeling like you are too old and wrinkly to get a massage. Or too saggy to shop for the right bra at Victoria's Secret. I just have to believe that the people who are selling these goods and services want our business and don't care that we aren't perfect!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 I have cleaned many houses. There have been a few that were so disgustingly filthy I didn't want to keep cleaning it....but that wasn't a messy house or unfinished projects...it was a family with 4 kids and the parents clearly never went upstairs....Clothes piled high on the floor, food left under the bed, what appeared to be hand fuls of change slung all over the carpet, teen girls with very unsanitary bathroom habits (yes in regard to Aunt Flo!) Just decide what you want done every week/two weeks and go from there. Some people want their sheets changed, bathrooms cleaned, floors swept/vacuumed and moped and everything dusted. 5000 sf house would take a while to do that. I've cleaned a few houses where they only had me clean the lower level most times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 None of the things you listed as worries are things you should be concerned with. How to not be THAT client: --Try not to cancel if possible. Most cleaners really depend on the money. In the 9 years we've had our cleaners, only once have we been sick enough to not want them to come in. (We all had the flu.) I paid them anyway because it was short notice for them to fill the slot. --Decide if you want them to deal with your stuff or just clean. I don't like other people dealing with my clutter, books, etc so we pick up everything and put it away before they come. I like having the deadline every other week to get organized. They do the actual cleaning. --Decide up front what you want to do about cleaning ovens, the inside of the fridge, and whether you want them to handle laundry. --Find out if you will be expected to provide the cleaning supplies or they will. Make sure they know about any special requests like a particular cleaner, only vinegar and water, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Thank you for all the replies! I bit the bullet and made 3 calls to have people come out and give me an estimate. I figure I will feel better once I have more information. I am really looking for someone to do just the cleaning. Not so much anything with clutter or making the beds, laundry, etc., so I am hoping that it is just a straight forward job that we can both be comfortable with. Now I just have to keep reminding myself not to feel guilty about this. If I do end up hiring someone it is because I deserve it! I have always worked or homeschooled full time and have always cooked and cleaned myself. In about 2 years we will be downsizing our house and both girls will be at college so I probably will be able to handle the house myself, but for now --- I deserve this! Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 My husband said that he would like to get me a cleaning lady for my birthday. I do think it is time we get one. Our house is pretty large (5000 square feet) and now that I have one child in college and one as a senior in high school, and I now work full time, we just don't have the man-power to get it all done. Please walk me through these issues though. I have never had a cleaning lady before and I don't want to be that one client of hers that she hates! I guess what I am paranoid about is someone actually seeing parts of my house that are dowdy or unfinished or just plain blech. I feel like she will judge! Talk me through how to have a stranger in your house and closets and bedroom and still feel okay with it! I really appreciate you bringing this up. I have the exact same issues. Personally I feel silly for having them but I just can't shake them. I'm homeschooling 3 and my husband and I have a busy home business. I really need the help, want the help, can afford the help but just can't make myself do it for my insecurities over an imperfect house. :) AMDG This is me all over! I want a housekeeper and now that my kiddo is older and ever so much more independent, I'm able to take more and more clients. I would so very, very, very, much more prefer to work as an interpreter than clean my house and I'm willing to just trade off a client per week for a good clean house. But . . . I just can't take that step. She'll see my stuff, know my secrets . . . argh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Take the plunge. No one will care about your bedroom paint or the state of your bedding. They will probably be happy to have another job. :) Having a cleaner means you can get to all those unfinished projects, too. We have weekly cleaners. We've had them for years. Before we moved to our current state, we had an individual, and she was great. Here, we've tried several but none have either a.) maintained their standards, b.) showed up consistently on time, or c.) stayed in business long enough to establish a long term relationship. We use a service now. I prefer it because they take care of things like taxes, insurance, etc. We are on our second service. The first - a national chain - was great until they switched lead cleaners at our house, then the standards went steadily down. I talked to them repeatedly. We've been with our current service for about a year. Love them. It's a local business, excellent service. So it can really go either way, depending on where you are. Interview several and try to get a feel for what they do, and how they communicate. If they have a list of what they'll do, all the better. Be clear about what you want done, and how much you'll pay. Don't cancel unless you have to do so. If you do, maybe offering to switch days would be helpful. Every week we get "maid ready" the night before they come. For us, this means putting things away, getting linens out for them (they change the beds as long as the linens are ready), and generally making sure things are ready so that they don't have to clean around things. I don't ask them to put things away, though if the kids room is a mess, they'll sort of put things away as they go. Other than that, if there's a pile of mail or something, they just clean around it. Oh! No one has mentioned tipping. I generally tip the cleaners if they are consistently doing a great job, and they are working for a service. I like thinking they can leave and go grab lunch. During the holidays, we generally tip a full week's clean, if they are an individual. If it's a service, then I just give the cleaners a bigger holiday tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 She'll see my stuff, know my secrets . . . argh! This is the source of my anxiety! But I have to assume that this is what she does day in and day out so my "stuff" will hopefully be no more crazy than anything else she sees! Now, off to try to again get rid of that gross stain on my carpet that the dog made from puking up his food --- aarrrgggghhh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Oh! No one has mentioned tipping. I generally tip the cleaners if they are consistently doing a great job, and they are working for a service. I like thinking they can leave and go grab lunch. During the holidays, we generally tip a full week's clean, if they are an individual. If it's a service, then I just give the cleaners a bigger holiday tip. How much of a weekly tip do you leave? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Now I just have to keep reminding myself not to feel guilty about this. If I do end up hiring someone it is because I deserve it! I have always worked or homeschooled full time and have always cooked and cleaned myself. In about 2 years we will be downsizing our house and both girls will be at college so I probably will be able to handle the house myself, but for now --- I deserve this! Ugh. This is so me! I want to call. I need to call. I just feel so guilty! I feel like they'll be looking at me thinking "YOU should be doing this! What's wrong with you?!". Ugh! :) Maybe you pulling the proverbial trigger will inspire me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 How much of a weekly tip do you leave? It varies week to week. Partly depending on how much cash I have on hand. :) Generally between 10 - 20% depending on how well they've been cleaning. They split it up between themselves. I don't think you have to leave a tip. I'm just a tipper, for good service. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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