getting a housekeeper

[angie r]

Does anyone out there use a cleaning service for their home?? I am interviewing someone tomorrow. What do I ask? Other than what it costs! lol Anything I should look out for?

[MaryL]

Do they bring all of their own supplies??? Would they prefer to use your vacuum (for instance)...or bring their own? What will they do with items (mail, toys, etc) that they will find sitting out? We had a cleaning service a couple of years ago. It was great. I had them come twice a month (only!)...one week they did a very thorough cleaning ...all the dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, kitchen, etc etc. The second time they came (2 weeks later) I only had them do the bathrooms and all of the floors (linoleum and hard wood). Those are some of my least favorite jobs, and I felt like it was worth paying to have someone else do it. I could keep up with the dusting, vacuuming, etc during the time that they weren't doing it. Now, I just do it all. My house isn't always as neat...but with two young boys I don't expect it to be. I did enjoy having the cleaning service, though! :)

[kat]

Be sure you call current and former clients. When I had a housekeeper, I knew she was a smoker. I made it very plain that she could not smoke in my house. (I hate the smell, it gets in your curtains, upolstry, everywhere.)

I was very fortunate with the housekeeper I had. she did a great job, and was trustworthy. Unfortunately she hurt her back in a car accident earlier this year and had to get out of that line of work. I have not replaced her yet. I really need to though, but only have one more month of school and I don't use one in the summer. That was a problem finding someone who would keep me on even though I didn't need them in the summer. This woman worked for me for 4 years.

Dh said it was the best money i'd ever spent :lol: because it really took a load off me, and he didn't have to help out as much.

Good luck on your search.

[angie r]

I am with you on the smoking rule. I have interviewed one person so far. I really liked her, but it is $75 per visit. Maybe that is the going rate?? I am going to interview a few more before deciding. She does provide all the cleaning supplies and brings her own vacuum.

Thank you for the pointers!

[AnnW]

Angie, you might have better luck just asking around. I like individuals rather than a service, I think they are less expensive.
My maid gets $45 per day and she empties the dishwasher, cleans the kitchen, mops/vacumns all the floors, cleans the bathrooms, changes bedding, folds and puts away laundry, irons, dusts, polishes silver (not every week but as needed), cleans baseboards and woodwork, windows as needed also.

[angie r]

Originally posted by AnnW
Angie, you might have better luck just asking around. I like individuals rather than a service, I think they are less expensive.
My maid gets $45 per day and she empties the dishwasher, cleans the kitchen, mops/vacumns all the floors, cleans the bathrooms, changes bedding, folds and puts away laundry, irons, dusts, polishes silver (not every week but as needed), cleans baseboards and woodwork, windows as needed also.

Wow AnnW that is awesome. How often does she come? How long does she stay? The person I interviewed said they don't touch windows, except on the front door and maybe a rear french door. No bedding, laundry, dishes. I am keeping on with my quest.

[Diane]

Wow Ann... if I could find somebody that did all of those things at that price I'd grab her! LOL :) My aunt was just recently interviewing some women and a lot of them had restrictions as to what they did and didn't do... and unfortunately all the things they didn't want to do were all the things that SHE didn't want to do, and her reason for wanting them in the first place. LOL (did that make sense??) Anyway, with what they wanted to charge her for doing the things that she basically didn't mind doing herself... she ended up hiring nobody. LOL I'd absolutely LOVE to have somebody come a couple of times a month just to do some of those things I don't especially care to do. Good help IS hard to find. Good luck finding somebody angie r. :)

[AnnW]

Rosa is wonderful! :) Down here we have alot of illegals & immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador..they normally have alot of family back home that they are supporting and trying to bring here..so they WANT to work! Rosa was illegal when she first started working for me (almost 10 years ago) but has since taken her citizenship test. She started out at $35 a day. She comes one day a week from 7 am to 11 and then goes and cleans another house in the afternoon. Dusting is not one of her strongest talents (LOL) but she has never missed a day of work..even when she had a baby, she found her own substitute!! LOL I did let her go for about 9 months cause I kept listening to everyone telling me that she couldn't possibly be doing a good job in a half day..I hired someone else who was supposed to work 9 to 3, but she was always late, missed several days, and the worst, would sigh whenever I asked her to do something..it drove me crazy!!!! LOL

[kat]

Ann, you have a gem. You'd better keep her. Mine did pretty much the same thing and stayed 3 hours. Sometimes she'd even do my ironing. Cleaning the baseboards is what I miss most. I can't stand to see them dusty.

Good help is hard to find. Don't settle, you'll never be happy. I'd rather do it myself, than have it half-way done.

[lindaM]

Hi Angie, I own my own cleaning company. I do one house a day and I charge $15.00. I tailor each house to the client. Some want me to just do the bathrooms and family room. Some it's the whole house. I change beds, dishes, fold laundry, windows. What ever they want. I find if I'm flexible in what I do it makes the client alot happier. And if they are having a real busy week and need someone to fold a load of laundry for them then what the heck I do it for them. One of my clients hasn't told her husband I even come in. I go to her house for 1 1/2 hours I clean the bathrooms and family room and vaccum the kitchen and stairs. She goes to the movies with her girlfriend I've been doing her house for more than a year and he isn't any wiser!!!! I do bring all my own stuff, I find it easier that way. But if a client wants me to use a certain kind of polish or cleaner than they supply it for me.

Another thing to ask them is if they are flexible in there days, say one of your kids get sick can they reschedule for another day that week. And visaversa, I've been very lucky with my clients they all know my kids have asthma and you just never know when they will get sick and they let me reschedule to other days.

[AnnW]

Originally posted by lindaM
Hi Angie, I own my own cleaning company. I do one house a day and I charge $15.00.


$15.00 a DAY????????????????? my gosh, girl..charge more!!!!!

[kat]

I agree, charge more! You can't pay for your gas that way. My Dad wanted to hire someone to help my Mom for just an hour a week. (They have a tiny house. Mom's diabetic and losing eyesight) He could not get any one willing to work for just one hour and most said it was the cost of gas to make the trip to their house for an hour of work.

Oh, by the way, don't tell your clients we told you to charge more. :lol:

[lindaM]

Opps sorry I meant $15.00 per hour!!!! not per house. I usually get around $50.00 per house.

[kat]

That's a little more like it. Thought you were giving services away. :lol:

[AnnW]

Thank goodness!!! I was so worried and was willing to come up and renegotiate your contracts!!!! LOL

[Leigh]

This sounds wonderful. I wish that I could get a housekeeper. Ya'll are making me jealous.