Entire house in 2-3 hours? It takes our cleaning lady all day (8hrs) to clean the house but she does a thorough job. We don’t pick up much...kids put away their toys in the bins every night and I have habit of putting things in their place in the kitchen. She empties the dishwasher and moves things around if there is clutter on the counter. With two little kids and full time work, I am more than happy to not worry about cleaning bathrooms and toilets on the weekend. Our cleaning lady used to come on weekend but I never felt like we needed to be there. Now she comes on a weekday before we leave for work and by the time we get back, the house is clean. It is a splurge worth every penny.
We used to do the whole pick up before the cleaners', gardeners' visit thing until we realized that they are quite accustomed to working around the clutter. Also stopped the weekend visits and switched to a weekday schedule. We have an electronic door lock and everyone has their own entry code which I change occasionally. I try to pick up every night but when I can't they pick up what they can or move stuff out of the way if it interferes with their work. Same with my gardeners. They pile up my kids' toys, scooters etc in one corner of the yard. They don't bother with my kitchen garden, soil, tools anything that is left lying around. They work around the mess. Recently hired a dog-sitter plus part-time house keeper. She picks up the visible clutter, empties the dishwasher, does the laundry, changes the sheets once a week aside from feeding and letting the doggy out once a day. Coming back home on a Friday evening to a clean house, no laundry and a pristine yard is like taking a happy pill. The expenses do add up but I am thankful for every bit of help I can afford at home. It keeps me sane. One suggestion for folks looking for help is to post on your neighborhood forums on Nextdoor. You get references from your neighbors which are far more reliable and trustworthy than searching on Yelp etc. You might even find neighbors willing to help out. My dog-sitter is a young girl who was recommended by her own mom. She lives in my neighborhood which makes it easier for me to trust my home to her. Just last night I asked for references for dog trainers and I had a bunch of responses in no time.
Further adding to my post , I have had the same house cleaner for years now . We have moved houses over the years but I refused to hire anyone else because of the relationship I have with her. We do basic cleaning on weekdays like wiping cooktops and countertops , putting toys away and sometimes basic cleaning floors if kids have a made a mess with play dough or paint but we don’t go out of the way to prep things up when she comes . If there is clutter around , she takes care of it . She is quite trustworthy and we are generally out when she is home . I also call her for help when I am expecting huge crowd at home . She helps with chopping veggies , dishes , cleaning . She is happy to make some extra income.
Yes! We've had the same house keeper for about two and a half years. Personally, I don't think we'll hire anyone else. She's very trustworthy and does a great job. We were away for the past 2 and a half months and during that time, she was willing to go to our house for a quick clean and make sure everything was alright while we were away. She's also willing to help with functions as you mentioned too.
I live in Germany and I have a maid who comes in weekly and does the home cleaning. We are a small family, hubby, me and teenage daughter, both of us working full time and we maintain the house in decent level through the week, so Friday evenings, the cleaner does the deep cleaning and it's so nice to have a clean and good smelling home for the weekend. Thank god we can afford the help.
I used to have a cleaning lady once or twice a month. She used to come alone and was friendly, did not expect tips each time. After we moved to West Orange NJ, it is become very expensive, they charge you by the hour, they come as group of more then half a dozen. they are like machines, done all in an hour and gone. Expect tips each time. You can't say anything to them else they will not turn up next time.
Rethinking leaving house keys with the cleaning lady ... Worst maid ever drank my booze, wrecked my home and passed out on the floor. The original Facebook post and followup comments are here. .