I've had three in my years and no one does better than my Mother! Yes my mom enjoys it. I just don't like her seeing my place in disarray.

Same boat OP. I now clean the house myself.

We were very specific with our cleaning person when we hired her. Can you leave her a note reminding her to do certain things?

We had to leave a note once because she was cleaning the babys room but not emptying the diaper pail. Soon as we asked she does it every time now. I just think she didnt think about it.

Where do you live OP? Our cleaner is in Germantown but we live in N Silver Spring.

Anonymous wrote:PP, does your cleaning lady speak English? I find that even when I do try to communicate what I'd like done, there is often a language barrier.

I'm not pp, but the OP.
The best cleaner I've ever had spoke very little English. She understood enough for us to communicate, but she had a great work ethic and did a great job.
All of the recent (disappointing) cleaners have been American.

PP, does your cleaning lady speak English? I find that even when I do try to communicate what I'd like done, there is often a language barrier.

I made a list for my cleaning lady for what I expected done on a regular basis - vacuuming, steam cleaning hardwood floors, dusting furniture, shelves, and fans, base boards, mopping kitchen floors, etc. She followed that from day one. Occasionally I ask her to take on something for deep cleaning, but that is in addition to the basics and I give her warning so she can plan her schedule accordingly.

After several services didn't work out, I realized I needed to be very specific for what I expected. It's worked and our cleaning lady does an excellent job. I also give feedback if something's not done as I'd like it.

I'm going through the same thing, OP. I was excited to finally find a housecleaner recommended on the neighborhood listserv, but then when she cleaned my place she didn't dust. I don't mean didn't dust well, but didn't dust. Like a PP said, I hadn't specifically asked her to dust, so I did. She said some people don't like her to touch their stuff. I said, no, go right ahead, touch my stuff! So she dusted off my bureau and that was it, none of the other furniture. Like you, PP, I'm not very demanding but I'd like someone to vacuum and dust. Sigh.

I would love to help. We do more than just clean.

Examples of this:
Leave packages prepared for shipping and we will drop off at post office.

Baseboards aren't considered a deep clean but an every visit occurrence.

Email us a grocery list the night before and we will put up AND put away groceries.




info@dcmamaconcierge.com
202-538-2449

It depends. I am 6ft and a complain that i see dust. My husband jokes that our short cleaning lady only dusts as high as she can reach. She does an OK job, so I try to dust on my own. But, I'm not looking for new cleaning lady. My husband trust her, which is huge.

Anonymous wrote:We recently fired our housecleaning service because they were terrible. I have been asking friends for recommendations and I have yet to find someone who would recommend their housecleaner. Sigh.

So what's the deal? Are people just putting with an expensive and crappy service?

We recently fired our housecleaning service because they were terrible. I have been asking friends for recommendations and I have yet to find someone who would recommend their housecleaner. Sigh.

Are you laying out your expectations clearly from the get-go? Don't assume that everyone has the same standards that you do - even if the standards you have in mind are basic.

In the past, Having a (good) housekeeper has saved me so much time and energy, and has been worth every penny. Since moving to a new area and having to find a new cleaner, it has only caused stress. I've tried out 4 different women in the past 6 months, all charge $20-30 an hour for a crappy job (surfaces left dusty after dusting, not vacuuming thoroughly or leaving areas untouched when wiping down the counters. I'm not a picky person, I'm talking about very basic things.)

I have found that doing it myself is a lot less stressful, the house is cleaned properly and I don't get worked up about throwing away money on a crappy service. Even so, I would really love to get those few hours back. Is finding a good housecleaner supposed to be this difficult? Has anyone found that it just wasn't worth outsourcing it because it created more stress than helping?