Housekeeping!
The problem is that when I really started to think about what I would have someone clean I realized that I needed to make a list.
This is where you come in. What would you have a housekeeper clean in your house? What do you think would be worth your money?
Here's my list so far:
*Clean the bathroom's (toilet and shower/tub)
*Wash walls & doors
*Wash windows
*Scrub floors especially corners
*Dust
*Clean off shelves/ books shelves/ tops of things
*Sweep non-commonly swept places
*Clean behind appliances (and infrequently moved things)
*Deep clean tables and chairs.
I'm sure I'm missing something. Do tell me!
Comments
When I was a kid my mom cleaned houses and one of the big things I remember her saying was that the first cleaning is always the longest, because it's the deepest, then things aren't so bad after that. They wouldn't need to clean my walls every week. They wouldn't need to dust my fans every week, or scrub the grout. So it's not as costly as one would think.
Besides, if we live in St. George I can always just hire a college kid. :)
I've decided that if I want to keep up with my house then I can afford it. Most of these things don't get done on a weekly (monthly, yearly) basis and it's one thing if I'm only living in the house for a year or two, but if we settle down and live somewhere for the next 15 or 20 years then I'm going to need some help to keep it looking like it did the day we moved in. Enter housekeeper.
But what a great idea, having someone come in before Thanksgiving! Genius.
Whatever you do, don't hire family, friends or anyone you have to go to church with. You will inevitably have to tell them they've not done something properly. Hire a professional. It'll save you money and peace of mind if you need to sack them. My sister ended up learning the hard way. She hired someone from another ward to come in and clean, but when the lady did a rubbish job (or didn't do the job) my sister felt BAD about saying anything and ended up spending a fortune before she got up the nerve to terminate the situation. We all think, I'll be able to give them a piece of my mind...but then they tell you their dog just died or their old mother is in care and they don't know how they're going to pay for it...and you'll feel bad! Strangers are best!
Go through an agency that will have
insurance so if anything gets broken (as inevitably something will) they'll replace it. Hire some college kid and if she breaks your washer machine or sets your house on fire after forgetting the iron while answering her phone, she'll disappear and you'll be paying big time!