S/O housekeeping help

[Scarlett]

@lauraw4321 I did not want to t/j so I thought I would start a new one.

I just asked a friend of mine who cleans houses if she is available this week.  I am just doing this one time for now, but if I like her work (she cleaned for my mom and mom was thrilled with her work) I am thinking of making it a regular thing once every other week.

For those of you who have cleaning help what do you have them do?  And if you don't mind sharing how do they charge you?

[Spryte]

7 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

@lauraw4321 I did not want to t/j so I thought I would start a new one.

I just asked a friend of mine who cleans houses if she is available this week.  I am just doing this one time for now, but if I like her work (she cleaned for my mom and mom was thrilled with her work) I am thinking of making it a regular thing once every other week.

For those of you who have cleaning help what do you have them do?  And if you don't mind sharing how do they charge you?

Nice. 

We’ve had many cleaners over the years, but the current are our favorites.  They’ve been with us for three years or so.  I can’t imagine changing unless we move.  It’s a mom/daughter company with a few employees.  Love them.

We tidy up before they arrive, because I want them able to really clean.  If we don’t tidy - which has happened a few times, they do it for us, but it’s not my preference.  By tidy, I just mean put things where they belong.

They change the linens and start the laundry, clean bathrooms, dust, mop, clean kitchen.  They do inside the microwave, and rock the stove top.  All the normal cleaning things. They take the cushions off couches and vaccuum underneath, and move furniture.  Once in a while they do a few different things - like the insides of window sills, if they need it, or inside the fridge. They do inside closets, and will do a small tidy if needed in closets, too.

My general attitude in the past has been  that a cleaner will never do it as well as I would, but just having it all done at once is a huge help and frees me up to do something else later.  But! These cleaners always do as well or better than I would, so … #spoiled.

We pay the same amount each week.  The first cleaning was more.  

[SKL]

The majority of what we pay our maids to do is what I'd call surface cleaning.   Floors, dusting, bathrooms, and the kitchen surfaces that don't get done daily.  We may assign additional odd jobs based on the individuals' talents.  Like we would ask X to do things like tighten the screws in wobbly furniture or install/assemble certain things, but I hesitate to ask Y to even screw in a light bulb.  😛

Pay is roughly $20/hour/person.  (Theoretically they clean for 4 hours for a set fee, but sometimes it's less or more than 4 hours.)

Edited June 21, 2021 by SKL

[saraha]

Well, I’m on the other side, coming in to help a sister with her hoarder brother. When it’s just me, I clean the bathrooms, clean the kitchen, cook a meal, dust the front room (which has been de-hoarded) sweep and mop kitchen, run vacuum where I can (I move regular stuff like floor fans, but not hoard piles) and any other project the sister has me do. I don’t do his laundry or anything in his bedroom right now except vacuum where I can. They pay me for 6 hours a week.

if sister is there, we will tackle whatever project she has together 

ETA: I don’t do all of those things every week. For example I only dust every other or if Sis has a project, whenever I can next. The guest bathroom I only do every other week because he has no guests and he uses his master bathroom which gets cleaned weekly

Edited June 21, 2021 by saraha

[Harriet Vane]

Don't tell your friend, "If this goes well maybe it will be a regular thing." If it doesn't go well, then it impacts your friendship. Instead, keep it to a case by case basis until you've done this a few times. Something like, "Golly, it was such a help last time and I'm just so swamped. Can you help me again?" Once you've seen how this feels over several times you can go over to a set schedule.

I tend to hate working with a cleaning service and I love working with individuals who show up ready to work. Cleaning services tend to send a team with a strictly defined set of tasks. I find that details tend to be neglected because they are in such a hurry. My best cleaning relationships have been with folks who just work as individuals for a small handful of clients. My current cleaning kid is someone I've known since she was a teenager. She is strong and athletic and it's no big deal for her to keep moving. She's wonderfully thorough and not afraid to tackle anything. I pamper her to death because I appreciate her so much. I keep her favorite drinks stocked in the fridge and I often throw in a meal. Lots of times she'll come after class or working her internship, so I tell her to just plan on grabbing dinner at my house. Or if she's going to work all day on a Saturday she's welcome to lunch here. When she was carless I was happy to pick her up and drop her off. 

When my helper comes, she knows to deep clean the bathrooms and kitchen every time. I give her a list of other tasks that vary somewhat based on how much time she's got and what's particularly urgent. Generally speaking I like her to deal with floors and surfaces and dusting. Sometimes I ask her to spiffy up the front porch or fold a load of laundry. She does seasonal tasks too, like waxing my headboard (it's oiled wood and has to be waxed yearly). I trust she works hard and I don't stress if the whole list doesn't get completed. I work one or two rooms ahead of her tidying up and doing laundry. That way the house is sparkling and the laundry done all at once. When I want a more thorough deep clean for guests or for spring/fall cleaning, I tell her ahead of time and we schedule either a longer day or two sessions closer together. When she is under pressure from classes or exams I am happy to accommodate her seasons as well. It's really a beautiful working relationship.

[Scarlett]

2 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

Don't tell your friend, "If this goes well maybe it will be a regular thing." If it doesn't go well, then it impacts your friendship. Instead, keep it to a case by case basis until you've done this a few times. Something like, "Golly, it was such a help last time and I'm just so swamped. Can you help me again?" Once you've seen how this feels over several times you can go over to a set schedule.

I tend to hate working with a cleaning service and I love working with individuals who show up ready to work. Cleaning services tend to send a team with a strictly defined set of tasks. I find that details tend to be neglected because they are in such a hurry. My best cleaning relationships have been with folks who just work as individuals for a small handful of clients. My current cleaning kid is someone I've known since she was a teenager. She is strong and athletic and it's no big deal for her to keep moving. She's wonderfully thorough and not afraid to tackle anything. I pamper her to death because I appreciate her so much. I keep her favorite drinks stocked in the fridge and I often throw in a meal. Lots of times she'll come after class or working her internship, so I tell her to just plan on grabbing dinner at my house. Or if she's going to work all day on a Saturday she's welcome to lunch here. When she was carless I was happy to pick her up and drop her off. 

When my helper comes, she knows to deep clean the bathrooms and kitchen every time. I give her a list of other tasks that vary somewhat based on how much time she's got and what's particularly urgent. Generally speaking I like her to deal with floors and surfaces and dusting. Sometimes I ask her to spiffy up the front porch or fold a load of laundry. She does seasonal tasks too, like waxing my headboard (it's oiled wood and has to be waxed yearly). I trust she works hard and I don't stress if the whole list doesn't get completed. I work one or two rooms ahead of her tidying up and doing laundry. That way the house is sparkling and the laundry done all at once. When I want a more thorough deep clean for guests or for spring/fall cleaning, I tell her ahead of time and we schedule either a longer day or two sessions closer together. When she is under pressure from classes or exams I am happy to accommodate her seasons as well. It's really a beautiful working relationship.

That is a great relationship!  You will be so sad when she graduates college and gets a job!  Maybe she has a younger sibling.  🙂

Good point about not mentioning I might make this a regular thing.  

I too have no desire to hire a service....

 

[Clarita]

I have had 2 cleaning services. We are a messy family - we have a lot of good qualities being organized and housecleaning is not one of them.

1) Payment - usually the cleaning service will set up the price higher for the "first time" or when they haven't been at your house for a while. Once a month counts as being regular.  

2) I define the places I want them to clean. For us I mainly want them to clean the kitchen, bathrooms and communal living space. Mostly because there is too much junk in our rooms that there isn't really floor space for them to clean.

3) If you have clutter laying about the cleaning people (unless you pay them for organization services, or it's super clear where things go). They will generally find a box or area to consolidate all your clutter in and clean the rest.

The first cleaning service that I had was about 10 girls who would descend onto my house and clean it. I really loved the level of clean they went to - scrubbed baseboards the works. However they would only clean "surfaces" so all my dirty dishes would be in a pile with all my other clutter. Also the main lady would be present at the cleaning and she was FANTASTIC, the other girls she hired some left a lot to be desired. 1) There were different helper girls each time, and 2) the helpers were not necessarily respectful of my stuff - weren't careful, didn't heed instructions given to them.

The current service that I have is a much smaller operation. It's always the same 2 ladies. They know my kids and my pets. They know where a lot of my stuff goes so sometimes they do put my clutter away. They make my place presentable. They don't scrub the baseboards every time so to speak. It seems like they pick one or two "scrub the baseboard" things to work on each time, then spend the rest of the time doing a good job cleaning. They will wash my dirty dishes, put laundry in the hamper in addition to the surfaces.

The first cleaning service charged me $180 for routine cleaning - I only had them twice before the main lady quit because the business was too much for her life. The second cleaning service charges me $180 for initial clean and $130 on routine cleaning. They both do about 1200 sq ft. of floor space 1 kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms. 

[Scarlett]

14 hours ago, Clarita said:

I have had 2 cleaning services. We are a messy family - we have a lot of good qualities being organized and housecleaning is not one of them.

1) Payment - usually the cleaning service will set up the price higher for the "first time" or when they haven't been at your house for a while. Once a month counts as being regular.  

2) I define the places I want them to clean. For us I mainly want them to clean the kitchen, bathrooms and communal living space. Mostly because there is too much junk in our rooms that there isn't really floor space for them to clean.

3) If you have clutter laying about the cleaning people (unless you pay them for organization services, or it's super clear where things go). They will generally find a box or area to consolidate all your clutter in and clean the rest.

The first cleaning service that I had was about 10 girls who would descend onto my house and clean it. I really loved the level of clean they went to - scrubbed baseboards the works. However they would only clean "surfaces" so all my dirty dishes would be in a pile with all my other clutter. Also the main lady would be present at the cleaning and she was FANTASTIC, the other girls she hired some left a lot to be desired. 1) There were different helper girls each time, and 2) the helpers were not necessarily respectful of my stuff - weren't careful, didn't heed instructions given to them.

The current service that I have is a much smaller operation. It's always the same 2 ladies. They know my kids and my pets. They know where a lot of my stuff goes so sometimes they do put my clutter away. They make my place presentable. They don't scrub the baseboards every time so to speak. It seems like they pick one or two "scrub the baseboard" things to work on each time, then spend the rest of the time doing a good job cleaning. They will wash my dirty dishes, put laundry in the hamper in addition to the surfaces.

The first cleaning service charged me $180 for routine cleaning - I only had them twice before the main lady quit because the business was too much for her life. The second cleaning service charges me $180 for initial clean and $130 on routine cleaning. They both do about 1200 sq ft. of floor space 1 kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms. 

Thank you.  Dh and I spent about 30-45 minutes last night and a bit more this a.m de cluttering so that she can clean easily.  Dh took our big sectional apart so she can move it around to clean under.  He even put foam under all the feet .  LOL  He cracks me up.  I made sure there were no dirty dishes.  I washed all my pet bedding and my throw rugs so they are ready to go back down when she is finished.  The floors and dusting are my biggest issues right now.  

I remembered from having cleaning help years ago that I always did this prior to cleaning day....it was a good 'check' for me to keep myself on track.  

[BlsdMama]

On 6/21/2021 at 1:48 PM, Harriet Vane said:

Don't tell your friend, "If this goes well maybe it will be a regular thing." If it doesn't go well, then it impacts your friendship. Instead, keep it to a case by case basis until you've done this a few times. Something like, "Golly, it was such a help last time and I'm just so swamped. Can you help me again?" Once you've seen how this feels over several times you can go over to a set schedule.

I tend to hate working with a cleaning service and I love working with individuals who show up ready to work. Cleaning services tend to send a team with a strictly defined set of tasks. I find that details tend to be neglected because they are in such a hurry. My best cleaning relationships have been with folks who just work as individuals for a small handful of clients. My current cleaning kid is someone I've known since she was a teenager. She is strong and athletic and it's no big deal for her to keep moving. She's wonderfully thorough and not afraid to tackle anything. I pamper her to death because I appreciate her so much. I keep her favorite drinks stocked in the fridge and I often throw in a meal. Lots of times she'll come after class or working her internship, so I tell her to just plan on grabbing dinner at my house. Or if she's going to work all day on a Saturday she's welcome to lunch here. When she was carless I was happy to pick her up and drop her off. 

When my helper comes, she knows to deep clean the bathrooms and kitchen every time. I give her a list of other tasks that vary somewhat based on how much time she's got and what's particularly urgent. Generally speaking I like her to deal with floors and surfaces and dusting. Sometimes I ask her to spiffy up the front porch or fold a load of laundry. She does seasonal tasks too, like waxing my headboard (it's oiled wood and has to be waxed yearly). I trust she works hard and I don't stress if the whole list doesn't get completed. I work one or two rooms ahead of her tidying up and doing laundry. That way the house is sparkling and the laundry done all at once. When I want a more thorough deep clean for guests or for spring/fall cleaning, I tell her ahead of time and we schedule either a longer day or two sessions closer together. When she is under pressure from classes or exams I am happy to accommodate her seasons as well. It's really a beautiful working relationship.

@Harriet Vane

Could you go into details? What might kitchen "deep" look like to you?
I think that this fall we are going to do the same.  I can not be much help now and DH and the kids are awesome, but frankly, he has his hands full with me and parenting, and they are amazing but need to do moderate chores with school.  

But I have always been such a control freak for deep cleaning that I am trying to think what to give up specifically and I keep thinking, "Um, but not *that* task." 

[Scarlett]

Ugh.  It is 11:30 and she isn't there yet.  Said she would be there by 10.  Texted me at 9:30 that she couldn't find her keys.  Then at 10 that she found them. and would be headed out.   She lives 15 min away.  

Monday we arranged for her to come by to let me show her a few things.  She was a bit late for that. Said she was washing supper dishes and suddenly remembered she was suppose to be somewhere.  

Everyone has an off day,  but chronic lateness annoys me.  And how can she get the house cleaned in so short a time!  I mean, I guess she can get it done in 4 hours.....But she was talking about doing a deep clean....top to bottom...ceiling fans, top of frig, my sink, my microwave, floors, baseboards, bathrooms.  Not sure that is possible in 4 hours. 

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, BlsdMama said:

@Harriet Vane

Could you go into details? What might kitchen "deep" look like to you?
I think that this fall we are going to do the same.  I can not be much help now and DH and the kids are awesome, but frankly, he has his hands full with me and parenting, and they are amazing but need to do moderate chores with school.  

But I have always been such a control freak for deep cleaning that I am trying to think what to give up specifically and I keep thinking, "Um, but not *that* task." 

It means to wipe down every square inch. I stir-fry a lot, so the steamy vaporized grease builds up if we don't stay on top of wiping surfaces. The only things it doesn't mean are oven interior, cabinet interiors, fridge interior--those are special tasks I ask her to help with as an extra from time to time. 

So she cleans out the microwave, stovetop, counters, sink area, backsplash. Wipes cabinets and hanging lights. Takes care of any dishes I have left out. Sweep and mop the floor. For a couple weeks she'll do a quicker mopping with a sponge mop, but roughly once every 4-6 weeks I ask her to get on her knees to do it so that the edges and crevices get extra attention. 

Same with bathrooms. Every square inch wiped, and scrub the tub thoroughly. Also swish out toilets.

[Scarlett]

Well, my feelings are mixed.  I think she did a pretty good job.  I was happy with the floors, bathrooms.....she did several smaller things that add up....my kitchen sink, microwave, the pet dishes. Our head board which is black and attracts pet hair......but  her dusting leaves a lot to be desired.  I hated the excess polish she left on .......and she used it on surfaces that aren't wood which is just a greasy mess.  So I spent some time going around wipe all of that down.  And some surfaces I did not feel like she cleaned before using polish on.  If I use her again I will definitely have to tell her that. My friend who gets her home cleaned once a week says she has help use a tiny bit of Murphy oil soap in water and it works well on every kind of surface.  

I was not happy with her lack of punctuality. I also found out she had committed to sit with an elderly friend yesterday and did not show up or call.

[Clarita]

6 hours ago, Scarlett said:

I was not happy with her lack of punctuality. I also found out she had committed to sit with an elderly friend yesterday and did not show up or call.

Oh I'm sorry about this experience. Punctuality and actually showing up was something I had to deal with my first cleaners and as much as I loved their level of clean (had they not quit) I think I would have looked elsewhere if the schedule issues continued. 

6 hours ago, Scarlett said:

I hated the excess polish she left on .......and she used it on surfaces that aren't wood which is just a greasy mess. 

I end up telling people to just clean and not put any of the extras on. It's easy enough for me to put on after they've cleaned and since I have littles and cats I'm kind of picky about the stuff that we use that stays on the furniture. (I forgot to include that in my advice, because I thought that was our family specific.)