What is normal when it comes to having a cleaning lady?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal is that you will find cleaning ladies who will do a good job the first couple of times and then they start to flake out on you.

I think everyone has a different take on what works and what does not work for them. My relationship with my cleaning lady did not follow a "norm" but I did everything to retain her because I found a gem after having gone through many cleaning ladies through the years. Was she the perfect worker? No. But she fitted well with what I wanted. I have had this lady for 17 years and I have been all shades of WOHM/WAHM/SAHM/PTWM in the meantime. She is no longer working for us since the pandemic but I have given her money, supplies and encouraged her to get other clients. She is working full time but she has called me and told me that whenever I want her back she will make time for me. Let's see.

She came twice a week. I got total of 6 manhours for $150 a week. 3000sqft home. 4 beds, 3.5 baths. No pets. Non-smokers. Family of 4. We are first owners. I obviously did not need her to clean my home so often - so we negotiated that she would do chores for me for $25 an hour. This meant that she was folding clothes, organizing, decluttering, chopping veggies, prepping for parties, putting up holiday decorations, recycling, cleaning pantry/fridge/freezer, taking care of my indoor plants, cleaning basement and garage, helping with yard work, vacuuming my cars, grocery shopping, picking and dropping my dry cleaning, warming and serving food and drinks during parties etc. I realized that this was the kind of help I needed to maintain my home, instead of just getting my house cleaned.

All of this was happening when I was home and I was supervising and at times training her. In 17 years she knew my house inside and out. And over the years a fondness and appreciation grew - I was giving her meals, doing her shopping using my warehouse membership, giving her generous gifts, being flexible with her days, tutoring her kid, loaning her money, connecting her with county services, going with her to court to get her child support, gifting her her child's back to school supplies and clothing every year, paying for her winter gear, paying for everyone in her family to get flu shots, letting her stay in my basement when she was between apartments, and giving her all the old clothes, shoes, household goods, tools, furniture that I would have donated otherwise. I was her easy, happy gig. She was my man friday. It was a win-win for us. She was efficient, creative, honest and had a ready smile and positive demeanor. She was also a fast learner and knew how I wanted things done. Obviously, she was also doing a lot of things to make life easier for me and pitching in when I needed more help. She could work and do projects for me during summer break because her kid could come to my house, hang around with my kids, eat meals, do homework etc...and she could save on childcare cost. As she was a working single mom, I made sure that I made life easier for her. Plus, I was paying her very well.

I miss her a lot but there was no way she could work for me because she is an essential worker at a local hospital. I am able to keep my house clean without her because everyone is pitching in, I am not entertaining at all and things have become simplified. My house was also pretty organized to begin with thanks to her.

Having a cleaning person at your home is a business transaction. Somehow, it is very rare to find a person who can do the work consistently, honestly and with a good attitude.You will go through a lot of people and if you are lucky you will find a good one. If you find a good worker, you must treat them with respect, pay them well and try and retain them for as long as you can.

This person clearly knows her stuff.
I would add that doing the work honestly, consistently and with a good attitude is a quality that makes one successful, therefore such people don’t clean houses forever. Well maybe they do for some celebrities.

Agree with you both.

Even our nanny was pointing out cob webs the day after a bimonthly cleaning visit.

And we also NeVER agree to provide the cleaning supplies. They’ll dump it everywhere and blow through so much a month it’s ludicrous. And no scrubbing. They need to bring their own- even if water & vinegar.

I insist in providing the cleaning supplies. I have specific products that I use. I don't want her to use duster and vacuum that she uses in other clients homes and brings it to our home. We are a no pet, no smoking, no shoes household. I don't want other people and their pets hair, dander, bodily fluids, mold, bacteria, shoe scum etc to come to our house in any form. I take care of my stuff. I clean my vacuum and wash the filters.

I have zero concerns about how much cleaning products she uses. I am not rationing that. I provide the microfiber cloths, the bounty etc. I have zero need to cut corners on that. If I need to lower the expense, I would rather reduce the frequency of the visits or clean myself. Besides I buy in bulk from costco, I am paying warehouse prices and buying warehouse sizes. She is welcome to take some for her household too and I won't care.

I think, if you cannot afford the supplies, you can certainly not afford the maid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal is that you will find cleaning ladies who will do a good job the first couple of times and then they start to flake out on you.

I think everyone has a different take on what works and what does not work for them. My relationship with my cleaning lady did not follow a "norm" but I did everything to retain her because I found a gem after having gone through many cleaning ladies through the years. Was she the perfect worker? No. But she fitted well with what I wanted. I have had this lady for 17 years and I have been all shades of WOHM/WAHM/SAHM/PTWM in the meantime. She is no longer working for us since the pandemic but I have given her money, supplies and encouraged her to get other clients. She is working full time but she has called me and told me that whenever I want her back she will make time for me. Let's see.

She came twice a week. I got total of 6 manhours for $150 a week. 3000sqft home. 4 beds, 3.5 baths. No pets. Non-smokers. Family of 4. We are first owners. I obviously did not need her to clean my home so often - so we negotiated that she would do chores for me for $25 an hour. This meant that she was folding clothes, organizing, decluttering, chopping veggies, prepping for parties, putting up holiday decorations, recycling, cleaning pantry/fridge/freezer, taking care of my indoor plants, cleaning basement and garage, helping with yard work, vacuuming my cars, grocery shopping, picking and dropping my dry cleaning, warming and serving food and drinks during parties etc. I realized that this was the kind of help I needed to maintain my home, instead of just getting my house cleaned.

All of this was happening when I was home and I was supervising and at times training her. In 17 years she knew my house inside and out. And over the years a fondness and appreciation grew - I was giving her meals, doing her shopping using my warehouse membership, giving her generous gifts, being flexible with her days, tutoring her kid, loaning her money, connecting her with county services, going with her to court to get her child support, gifting her her child's back to school supplies and clothing every year, paying for her winter gear, paying for everyone in her family to get flu shots, letting her stay in my basement when she was between apartments, and giving her all the old clothes, shoes, household goods, tools, furniture that I would have donated otherwise. I was her easy, happy gig. She was my man friday. It was a win-win for us. She was efficient, creative, honest and had a ready smile and positive demeanor. She was also a fast learner and knew how I wanted things done. Obviously, she was also doing a lot of things to make life easier for me and pitching in when I needed more help. She could work and do projects for me during summer break because her kid could come to my house, hang around with my kids, eat meals, do homework etc...and she could save on childcare cost. As she was a working single mom, I made sure that I made life easier for her. Plus, I was paying her very well.

I miss her a lot but there was no way she could work for me because she is an essential worker at a local hospital. I am able to keep my house clean without her because everyone is pitching in, I am not entertaining at all and things have become simplified. My house was also pretty organized to begin with thanks to her.

Having a cleaning person at your home is a business transaction. Somehow, it is very rare to find a person who can do the work consistently, honestly and with a good attitude.You will go through a lot of people and if you are lucky you will find a good one. If you find a good worker, you must treat them with respect, pay them well and try and retain them for as long as you can.

This person clearly knows her stuff.
I would add that doing the work honestly, consistently and with a good attitude is a quality that makes one successful, therefore such people don’t clean houses forever. Well maybe they do for some celebrities.

Agree with you both.

Even our nanny was pointing out cob webs the day after a bimonthly cleaning visit.

And we also NeVER agree to provide the cleaning supplies. They’ll dump it everywhere and blow through so much a month it’s ludicrous. And no scrubbing. They need to bring their own- even if water & vinegar.

I insist in providing the cleaning supplies. I have specific products that I use. I don't want her to use duster and vacuum that she uses in other clients homes and brings it to our home. We are a no pet, no smoking, no shoes household. I don't want other people and their pets hair, dander, bodily fluids, mold, bacteria, shoe scum etc to come to our house in any form. I take care of my stuff. I clean my vacuum and wash the filters.

I have zero concerns about how much cleaning products she uses. I am not rationing that. I provide the microfiber cloths, the bounty etc. I have zero need to cut corners on that. If I need to lower the expense, I would rather reduce the frequency of the visits or clean myself. Besides I buy in bulk from costco, I am paying warehouse prices and buying warehouse sizes. She is welcome to take some for her household too and I won't care.

I think, if you cannot afford the supplies, you can certainly not afford the maid.

We are a pet household (happily) but boy those critters can stink. We change our air filter more than the usual, and we have many vacuum cleaners and robo cleaners. However, when I vacuum and it just smells, I have to dismantle the whole vacuum in our utility sink and wash all the parts really well. There are youtubes about doing this. You know that places are not doing this between houses and trust me, you do not want our pet vacuums in your house!

[Anonymous]

We use a company that is a fairly big operation in our area. They come once a month. It is usually one person and takes 5 1/2 hours. We are usually gone by the time she arrives. I just make sure floors and surfaces are picked up. We can pay extra to have new sheets put on bed, or have oven or fridge cleaned. I tip based on how well they do. One thing you should be ready for is that the first cleaning takes a lot longer, more people, and costs more. They have to get it to their standards in order to maintain it once a month. If we don’t cancel our monthly cleaning, we might have to pay for the major cleaning again. If that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal is that you will find cleaning ladies who will do a good job the first couple of times and then they start to flake out on you.

I think everyone has a different take on what works and what does not work for them. My relationship with my cleaning lady did not follow a "norm" but I did everything to retain her because I found a gem after having gone through many cleaning ladies through the years. Was she the perfect worker? No. But she fitted well with what I wanted. I have had this lady for 17 years and I have been all shades of WOHM/WAHM/SAHM/PTWM in the meantime. She is no longer working for us since the pandemic but I have given her money, supplies and encouraged her to get other clients. She is working full time but she has called me and told me that whenever I want her back she will make time for me. Let's see.

She came twice a week. I got total of 6 manhours for $150 a week. 3000sqft home. 4 beds, 3.5 baths. No pets. Non-smokers. Family of 4. We are first owners. I obviously did not need her to clean my home so often - so we negotiated that she would do chores for me for $25 an hour. This meant that she was folding clothes, organizing, decluttering, chopping veggies, prepping for parties, putting up holiday decorations, recycling, cleaning pantry/fridge/freezer, taking care of my indoor plants, cleaning basement and garage, helping with yard work, vacuuming my cars, grocery shopping, picking and dropping my dry cleaning, warming and serving food and drinks during parties etc. I realized that this was the kind of help I needed to maintain my home, instead of just getting my house cleaned.

All of this was happening when I was home and I was supervising and at times training her. In 17 years she knew my house inside and out. And over the years a fondness and appreciation grew - I was giving her meals, doing her shopping using my warehouse membership, giving her generous gifts, being flexible with her days, tutoring her kid, loaning her money, connecting her with county services, going with her to court to get her child support, gifting her her child's back to school supplies and clothing every year, paying for her winter gear, paying for everyone in her family to get flu shots, letting her stay in my basement when she was between apartments, and giving her all the old clothes, shoes, household goods, tools, furniture that I would have donated otherwise. I was her easy, happy gig. She was my man friday. It was a win-win for us. She was efficient, creative, honest and had a ready smile and positive demeanor. She was also a fast learner and knew how I wanted things done. Obviously, she was also doing a lot of things to make life easier for me and pitching in when I needed more help. She could work and do projects for me during summer break because her kid could come to my house, hang around with my kids, eat meals, do homework etc...and she could save on childcare cost. As she was a working single mom, I made sure that I made life easier for her. Plus, I was paying her very well.

I miss her a lot but there was no way she could work for me because she is an essential worker at a local hospital. I am able to keep my house clean without her because everyone is pitching in, I am not entertaining at all and things have become simplified. My house was also pretty organized to begin with thanks to her.

Having a cleaning person at your home is a business transaction. Somehow, it is very rare to find a person who can do the work consistently, honestly and with a good attitude.You will go through a lot of people and if you are lucky you will find a good one. If you find a good worker, you must treat them with respect, pay them well and try and retain them for as long as you can.

This person clearly knows her stuff.
I would add that doing the work honestly, consistently and with a good attitude is a quality that makes one successful, therefore such people don’t clean houses forever. Well maybe they do for some celebrities.

Agree with you both.

Even our nanny was pointing out cob webs the day after a bimonthly cleaning visit.

And we also NeVER agree to provide the cleaning supplies. They’ll dump it everywhere and blow through so much a month it’s ludicrous. And no scrubbing. They need to bring their own- even if water & vinegar.

I insist in providing the cleaning supplies. I have specific products that I use. I don't want her to use duster and vacuum that she uses in other clients homes and brings it to our home. We are a no pet, no smoking, no shoes household. I don't want other people and their pets hair, dander, bodily fluids, mold, bacteria, shoe scum etc to come to our house in any form. I take care of my stuff. I clean my vacuum and wash the filters.

I have zero concerns about how much cleaning products she uses. I am not rationing that. I provide the microfiber cloths, the bounty etc. I have zero need to cut corners on that. If I need to lower the expense, I would rather reduce the frequency of the visits or clean myself. Besides I buy in bulk from costco, I am paying warehouse prices and buying warehouse sizes. She is welcome to take some for her household too and I won't care.

I think, if you cannot afford the supplies, you can certainly not afford the maid.

You’re weird. Hope you don’t lose your day job with all your misplaced anal energy and My Way or the Highway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They all do worse of a job with time. It’s normal to hover if you want quality. Or at least inspect and let them know what needs to be redone. They are like teens - constant control or the quality slips very fast. It’s not you office workers

Agree.
You have to provide feedback within a day and a warning if they miss stuff again. Otherwise micro manage the rotational stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never heard of anyone cooking meals for their cleaner.

I do. My cleaner eats what I am eating. I make lunch for myself, and she eats with me. When I fix my tea and coffee, I also make it for her. All my friends who have cleaners also do the same.

Lol whatever you say PP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK. If you're seriously asking this question, it's not the norm to cook any meals for the cleaner. Mine comes in at 11am, they clean till 2pm. I pick up all the toys, dirty clothes, paper from the floor that my kids left so they can vacuum. I'm guessing others might not. I load all my dishes so they only need to clean the sink. They don't get annoyed or ask for extra if I forgot and there were a few dishes left behind. They never asked me to do either the picking up or the dishes, I just do it as a common sense/reasonable thing to do. I stay out if their way- if they are cleaning the upstairs, I don't use the upstairs bathroom or the rooms. Once you start fully trusting them, you could even be out of the house entirely.

+1 on all of this, even the same time slot. I never even thought of providing food when it's just 3 hours?

I try to straighten up and pick things up because I want them to spend the time really cleaning and not just putting things away. Plus I don't want things put away where I might not expect them.

I'm often around because I WFH but have definitely be out for work or other stuff. I say hi and make conversation at the beginning and then stay out of the way.

[Anonymous]

Cleaning ladies should ALL do the basic stuff:

• Vacuum ➕ dust the living/family rooms and the bedrooms.
• Scour the bathroom(s) - toilets/sinks/vanities/showers/bathtubs.
Also they should wipe down fixtures & sweep/mop the floors too.
• Mop + sweep the kitchen floors, scour kitchen sink w/a strong cleanser like Comet.
Also clean the top of the stovetop and wipe the outside of the refrigerator/microwave/oven doors.
• Empty out wastebaskets 🗑️ >> replace w/clean trash liners.

Other things cleaners may do (not all) are:
• Windex glass doors
• Wash dishes in sink
• Clean/Wipe down highchair
• Put clean linens on beds
• Organize children’s toy bins
• Fold clean, dried laundry……
Maybe even iron clothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never heard of anyone cooking meals for their cleaner.

I do. My cleaner eats what I am eating. I make lunch for myself, and she eats with me. When I fix my tea and coffee, I also make it for her. All my friends who have cleaners also do the same.

Lol whatever you say
PP

Cleaning houses, especially for other people is really physically grueling manual labor.
And the pay is very low.

A nice perk is a boss who provides lunch so the cleaner is fortified to clean an entire house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal is that you will find cleaning ladies who will do a good job the first couple of times and then they start to flake out on you.

I think everyone has a different take on what works and what does not work for them. My relationship with my cleaning lady did not follow a "norm" but I did everything to retain her because I found a gem after having gone through many cleaning ladies through the years. Was she the perfect worker? No. But she fitted well with what I wanted. I have had this lady for 17 years and I have been all shades of WOHM/WAHM/SAHM/PTWM in the meantime. She is no longer working for us since the pandemic but I have given her money, supplies and encouraged her to get other clients. She is working full time but she has called me and told me that whenever I want her back she will make time for me. Let's see.

She came twice a week. I got total of 6 manhours for $150 a week. 3000sqft home. 4 beds, 3.5 baths. No pets. Non-smokers. Family of 4. We are first owners. I obviously did not need her to clean my home so often - so we negotiated that she would do chores for me for $25 an hour. This meant that she was folding clothes, organizing, decluttering, chopping veggies, prepping for parties, putting up holiday decorations, recycling, cleaning pantry/fridge/freezer, taking care of my indoor plants, cleaning basement and garage, helping with yard work, vacuuming my cars, grocery shopping, picking and dropping my dry cleaning, warming and serving food and drinks during parties etc. I realized that this was the kind of help I needed to maintain my home, instead of just getting my house cleaned.

All of this was happening when I was home and I was supervising and at times training her. In 17 years she knew my house inside and out. And over the years a fondness and appreciation grew - I was giving her meals, doing her shopping using my warehouse membership, giving her generous gifts, being flexible with her days, tutoring her kid, loaning her money, connecting her with county services, going with her to court to get her child support, gifting her her child's back to school supplies and clothing every year, paying for her winter gear, paying for everyone in her family to get flu shots, letting her stay in my basement when she was between apartments, and giving her all the old clothes, shoes, household goods, tools, furniture that I would have donated otherwise. I was her easy, happy gig. She was my man friday. It was a win-win for us. She was efficient, creative, honest and had a ready smile and positive demeanor. She was also a fast learner and knew how I wanted things done. Obviously, she was also doing a lot of things to make life easier for me and pitching in when I needed more help. She could work and do projects for me during summer break because her kid could come to my house, hang around with my kids, eat meals, do homework etc...and she could save on childcare cost. As she was a working single mom, I made sure that I made life easier for her. Plus, I was paying her very well.

I miss her a lot but there was no way she could work for me because she is an essential worker at a local hospital. I am able to keep my house clean without her because everyone is pitching in, I am not entertaining at all and things have become simplified. My house was also pretty organized to begin with thanks to her.

Having a cleaning person at your home is a business transaction. Somehow, it is very rare to find a person who can do the work consistently, honestly and with a good attitude.You will go through a lot of people and if you are lucky you will find a good one. If you find a good worker, you must treat them with respect, pay them well and try and retain them for as long as you can.

This person clearly knows her stuff.
I would add that doing the work honestly, consistently and with a good attitude is a quality that makes one successful, therefore such people don’t clean houses forever. Well maybe they do for some celebrities.

Agree with you both.

Even our nanny was pointing out cob webs the day after a bimonthly cleaning visit.

And we also NeVER agree to provide the cleaning supplies. They’ll dump it everywhere and blow through so much a month it’s ludicrous. And no scrubbing. They need to bring their own- even if water & vinegar.

I insist in providing the cleaning supplies. I have specific products that I use. I don't want her to use duster and vacuum that she uses in other clients homes and brings it to our home. We are a no pet, no smoking, no shoes household. I don't want other people and their pets hair, dander, bodily fluids, mold, bacteria, shoe scum etc to come to our house in any form. I take care of my stuff. I clean my vacuum and wash the filters.

I have zero concerns about how much cleaning products she uses. I am not rationing that. I provide the microfiber cloths, the bounty etc. I have zero need to cut corners on that. If I need to lower the expense, I would rather reduce the frequency of the visits or clean myself. Besides I buy in bulk from costco, I am paying warehouse prices and buying warehouse sizes. She is welcome to take some for her household too and I won't care.

I think, if you cannot afford the supplies, you can certainly not afford the maid.

You’re weird. Hope you don’t lose your day job with all your misplaced anal energy and My Way or the Highway.

This person has the right idea…..I used to prefer housecleaners who provided their own cleaning supplies & chemicals since it was more convenient for me not to have to worry about keeping everything in stock.
Yet now it grosses me out to think of sharing cloths, rags, sponges, etc. with other families so now I provide ALL supplies for my cleaner.
Right down to the vacuum cleaner and broom//mop.

[Anonymous]

Prior to the cleaning lady’s arrival, make certain that everything is picked up and that the floors are as clear of things as possible.
Also it is a great idea to have the dishes washed (or loaded in the dishwasher already) so the kitchen can be made easier to clean.

If you have kids and/or animals - have them in another room.

And if your cleaner is excellent (reliable, responsible, prompt ➕ thorough!) add a tip to her total co$t!

[Anonymous]

Well most cleaners charge more for their initial visit - they do this because they like to start things off on a clean slate (pun intended.)
They usually will do a deep-clean of your home, then the following cleanings are considered maintenance cleans.

Most people who use cleaners typically have them on a bi-weekly basis. People with kids/household pets tend to do weekly as their homes tend to get dirtier quicker.

Also, if your cleaner shows up on time, doesn’t cancel often and is very detailed with her cleaning technique, then I would pay her a tip after every visit.
Feeling appreciated can raise her morale and positively affect her work ethic.

[Anonymous]

It’s best to be in the house to give clear instructions on what you need them to do, and to make sure everything is done before they live.
I had to enforce a no IPhones rule after seeing a lady taking pictures and chatting for 15 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Treat people well and pay well.

[Anonymous]

Cleaning crews tend to request a deep clean for your first visit.
This clean is more expensive and the cleaner/s are there for a longer time.

Afterward you then schedule either a weekly or biweekly schedule for them to come in.

And you usually pay them by the job vs. hourly.
And they usually get paid right before they leave.