Home Cleaning Services

[limewave]

I got a promotion at work! Yay! But I don't get to work from home anymore and I'll have longer hours. Boo. (But I still have flex-time so I can go to all the kids field trips and sneak out for the occasional ride).

Being ambitiously working parents with young kids, we've decided to take what little raise I'm getting to use on a cleaning service. I want to spend my time at home with the kids and not doing chores. And a clean home just feels so good.

I have a couple of questions:
1) do you tip?
2) how often does one generally have their home cleaned?
3) Do cleaning services pick-up or just clean (dust, mop, vacuum)?

Anyone else have or have had a cleaning service? What was your experience like? Pros/Cons?

Thanks!

p.s. A little raise in exchange for giving up working at home may not seem like the greatest move, but, I've gone from being at the top of my pay-grade to the bottom of a new pay scale where my earning potential has now tripled. And I'll have much more creative freedom and control (control! Mwha-hahahaha!).

[tulip]

I've never had a cleaning service, myself. But my parents do. My observation is that they spend half a day cleaning the day before the cleaning lady comes. Doesn't make alot of sense to me.

If the cleaning service doesn't work out, you might want to take a look at FlyLady. I've gotten very quick at keeping things clean and orderly without getting obsessive about it. Of course, I don't have kids but I do have a shedding dog.

Congratulations on your promotion.

[gnat23]

I have a couple of questions:
1) do you tip?
2) how often does one generally have their home cleaned?
3) Do cleaning services pick-up or just clean (dust, mop, vacuum)?

Anyone else have or have had a cleaning service? What was your experience like? Pros/Cons?

Congrats on the promotion! We are fairly tidy as a couple but we love our housecleaner. She comes over once every two weeks for vacuuming, mopping, wiping down counters, bathrooms, dusting, that sort of thing. Besides the time saved for us, there's always a slight difference between couples on what they consider "clean," whether by how thorough or how much time it takes. There are also those chores that, logically or not, we hate. This takes care of those issues, so there's one less thing to negotiate.

We do our own tidying beforehand to give her a fair shot at it, even if that means piling a bunch of stuff on top of the bed. If nothing else, it's sometimes a sobering reminder that maybe it's time to get rid of things if they don't have a good "home".

That said, this woman is almost TOO amazing. I've noticed that the top lip of my dresser drawers have been wiped down. She'll take all the frames down, dust them, and put them back. Or my favorite data point: we're avid homebrewers, and at one point I had brought out a bunch of empty beer bottles from the garage with the intent of sanitizing them in the dishwasher for the fill; except we didn't get around to it that evening. When I got home the next evening, I was astonished to discover that Laura had dusted each bottle until they were sparkling... (oops, sorry!)

We tip because we personally feel she charges way too little for the caliber of work she does.

-- gnat! (plus, that sensation of arriving home and everything glitters and smells lemony? bliss!)

[lph]

We've had a cleaning service for several years, but not for the past half year. We'd rather do it ourselves, teach ds how to clean a house and spend the money on something else.

We had them come in every other week. It would get pretty grimy in the meantime, but we'd often sweep the worst floors in the meantime. Once a week would have been too often for us.

We didn't tip, don't know what's customary in the States.

We discussed in advance what we wanted them to clean: floors, counters, bathroom more detailed. No pick-up, we had to clear everything away in advance. Took a lot of time, at the same time the best part is having to do it at a certain time. Now that we do it ourselves we're forever putting off or someone is complaining that it's inconvenient or they'd rather do something else...

[limewave]

The funny thing is, I find cleaning to be therapeutic but I just can't get to everything. The kids are good at picking up after themselves. And they both help out with chores: emptying garbages, loading and unloading dishwasher, making their beds everyday, wiping down sinks, etc. My daughter has started helping with the dusting and washing windows.

We like to "play" on the weekend! I don't want to spend all of our time cleaning. I like to clean for a bit on Saturday mornings, but after that I want to be done.

[pll]

The Latin version: I live by myself and I have a person who comes every week and cleans my place, does (part of) my laundry every two weeks. As gnat mentions, I *love* the scent of a clean place when I arrive home. Because this person comes every week, my apartment is never really messy. It is messy by my standards, but it takes me less than 20 minutes to put away documents, magazines and clothing. I do not tip, but give some sort of 'bonus' at Christmas time. She organizes my closet or the kitchen sometimes. A tidy, clean place is a relaxing place to me.

Another friend of mine (Italian... so true Latin background!) has the same person coming into her place twice per week. There are 4 people in her house.

[Crankin]

Ah, I haven't cleaned my house since about 1987.
That sounds bad!
We've had all kinds of cleaning services, individuals, services, a group of 3-4 who are part of a small individually owned company. We are also pathetically neat and clean. There's no clutter in my house. But, when my kids were little I made them pick up their toys the night before the cleaners came. When they became teens, we had the "closed door" rule, meaning mom won't bug you about your mess, if you close the door, but your room needs to be ready for them to clean on Thursday. That meant, they had to organize/pick up themselves the night before. It forced them to learn a semblance of organization (not a strong suit in my family) and also, learn to throw stuff out!
You can decide what you want the cleaning people to do. Right now, I just went back to using someone I had used for years, but then they decided not to come to my town before I moved to Concord. Back then, it was a couple who had just come here from Brazil. Well now, he is a contractor and she owns the cleaning business and employs 3-4 others. She comes with them every week to help and make sure they do it right. I've found the larger, commercial companies whip through your house, never put stuff back the right way, and skimp on the extra little touches.
No tips, but we do give a nice holiday gift.

[Melalvai]

I don't have much of an answer but I'll put my 2 cents in anyway.
I've thought about a cleaning service...I also read "Nickel & Dimed". If I were to pay for help with cleaning, I'd try to find a person not a company. Preferably a friend of a friend, at least a word of mouth recommendation. Second, I'd be clear about what I want and don't want. I don't want "spotless". I want "good enough".

As part of that we'd discuss payment, and that's what I'd pay, tipping wouldn't be necessary.

That's my little fantasy world anyway. Maybe it doesn't work like that in real life!

[shootingstar]

I don't have children so I've never had any cleaning service except for the time when I had to show my home for sale. Most definitely use a cleaning service for that time, if you know you aren't the best cleaner. (and I'm not).

[PamNY]

We had cleaning done every two weeks. I picked up clutter beforehand -- but that was my preference. The cleaner's time is used more efficiently making dirt go away, and if she puts stuff away, I won't know where it is.

Our cleaner did "special projects" such as cleaning and reorganizing the fridge, and bathroom storage areas - but she was very good and we were friendly. I wouldn't want just anyone doing that.

I did tip, and provided subway fare and a holiday bonus equivalent to the cost of one cleaning. I also offered beverages.

I don't know if tipping is customary everywhere -- in NYC you tip lots of people.

[limewave]

My home is being cleaned right now. Wow! They are super thorough. It smells all lemony and nice.

[tangentgirl]

Yay, limewave!

Lots of good advice here. I have to say, having someone come in every other week is probably the single best thing the bf and I have done for our relationship since we moved in together. Eliminates cleaning-related arguments - which would have been a lot, cause I am just not that tidy. Worth every penny.

We call our cleaning ladies the Nice Ladies, cause anyone who would clean my house for me is the nicest person I know.

[Grits]

When I worked full time and had young kids, I had a house cleaner come every two weeks. Best money spent ever. Didn't tip, but did give a holiday bonus.

[NbyNW]

Congrats on the promotion!

We had a cleaning service a few years ago, when DH was on the road all the time and I was recovering from my broken back. It was so nice to be able to come home to a clean home. What cleaning we did do was more of the de-cluttering/organizing type, and we left the deep-cleaning to the cleaning service.

To answer your questions:
1) we tipped during the holidays
2) every other week
3) they would do some minor picking up. They were not supposed to do dishes but if we had a couple things in the sink they would do them anyway. It was supposed to cost extra to have them do dishes, fold laundry, etc.

What they are expected to do should be clearly spelled out in your contract/service agreement.

One tip, if you have anything fragile around I would put it away. I had a delicate glass figurine that I had brought back from Murano, that got a few limbs amputated by the vacuum cleaner.

[ACG]

I cleaned my home, worked full time and raised 2 children since 1980. Now with my second family, my career is very demanding and I go to school at night, and bike. So we have a woman who comes twice a month.

An individual gives you more flexibility on what they do. I found her through a friend who had hired her to clean her home while she recouperated.

She will do most anything I ask, mop, clean windows, clean the oven, reorganize. I have things I want to clean myself, so she doesn't do those things.

I do not tip her.
I do give her a little bit extra for Christmas.

When she got injured and couldn't clean we cleaned the home ourself while she recouperated.

It is nice to come home to clean floors, counters and bathrooms. It is a luxury I've enjoyed the last 5 years. We are lucky enough to afford this luxury.