Things your housecleaner secretly wants you to know
Don’t have unrealistic expectations
Don’t ask me to clean your five-bedroom house and then say you need it done in two hours. Make sure you give me enough time to clean everything properly.
Make sure you have all the cleaning products I will need
Sometimes I show up and my clients have nothing for me to use. You know best what kind of cleaners you want used in your home; some people want only organic cleaners, some are picky about brands and others have allergies.
Don’t forget that I need equipment
One of my bosses kept forgetting to get me a mop so I had to wash her floors on my hands and knees with a cloth. For weeks she did this. It’s really inconsiderate.
Be reasonable
Please do not ask me to sew on buttons, clean the wheels of your bike, scrub out your mailbox or pull out the refrigerator in order to clean behind it.
It’s helpful if you soak dirty pans
This way I can clean them more easily when I get there.
Don’t make your house un-cleanable
If your house is a disorganised mess, it makes it harder for me to clean. Please pick up toys, piles of paper and clutter from surfaces so that I can actually get to them. There’s a difference between organising and cleaning.
It makes me crazy when
…I’ve just cleaned a floor and my employer walks all over it in dirty shoes.
Give me some warning
I need reasonable notice if you are going to move or stop hiring me. Too many clients don’t think to tell me until the week they’re moving. A month’s notice would be nice. You give your landlord a month’s notice. Please do me the same courtesy.
I do poke around sometimes
I really love to look at the books people have and the food they keep in their refrigerators. Sometimes I can’t help reading something for 10 minutes. But I always make up the time by staying 10 minutes late or working faster.
Tiny kindnesses mean a lot
One time a client left me a gift from a trip abroad, which delighted me. Those small appreciations keep me honest.
It’s a huge relief when clients allow me to take my child with me to work
Sometimes I just can’t find a babysitter but I still need the money.
Give me some guidelines
Please write a list of the things you would like me to do. Along with verbal instructions, this will ensure I don’t forget anything.
Be nice to me
I do a better job when I am happy and feel appreciated.