If you are feeling swamped with household chores in addition to work and family commitments, you may need to hire some help to keep your house clean. A dirty and messy home adds stress to you and everyone who lives there and can actually be a threat to your health. And you don’t want to be spending weekends and evenings cleaning your house when you could be relaxing or spending time with family and friends.
But first consider if it’s a housekeeper you need or a personal organizer. If you are dealing with clutter, then you may need to spend several days getting rid of unwanted and no-longer-needed items that are piled on furniture or countertops and filling closet shelves to overflowing. Then get a storage system in place to conquer those items which tend to pile up – a file system for papers, baskets for toys, outerwear, school supplies, etc. and set up a schedule for routine cleaning duties. If you have a family, even the youngest child can be given some chores.
But if your problem really is a severe shortage of time for routine housecleaning, then getting professional help may be the answer. There are many companies listed in your Yellow Pages or on computer websites, but you need to be careful who you select. Some bigger firms don’t pay their employees well, causing frequent worker turnover, or screen them to ensure they are trustworthy. You may prefer to go with an individual who is business for herself and get a good working relationship with her.
Ask friends and family for referrals to someone they know and then sit down and talk to that person to determine if you are going to pay by the hour or a flat fee. Set out your expectations on paper and be sure to have a good interview with several candidates before selecting one, learning as much as you can about her including hobbies and family details. If she’s a newcomer to the country, be sure she has permission to work, a valid driver’s license, and is up to date with all vaccinations. Ask for work and character references. Then suggest a trial period of two to four weeks. More information and tips on hiring a housekeeper can be found at www.howtoclean.com/hiring_a_housekeeper.htm.
Expect to pay from $60 to $75 for a minimum three hours of work. You may prefer to have someone come in three mornings a week, or just spend one whole day doing everything. You will be expected to provide the cleaning supplies.
You should ask your housekeeper to concentrate on those chores which are most time-consuming. Dusting windowsills, venetian blinds, lamp shades, baseboards, furniture and picture frames are good examples. She can change the bedding weekly and do the laundry. A thorough vacuuming and floor washing is necessary at least every week. Bathrooms need to be cleaned and sanitized as do kitchen sinks and countertops.
You may want to consider having her come in for a few extra hours every spring for a more thorough cleaning. Typical chores would be vacuuming under furniture cushions, rug cleaning, and taking everything out of your kitchen cupboards and discarding old spices and other products before washing down the shelves and replacing everything neatly. You might also want her to help you pull out the stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer once a year to clean under and around them.
Treat your housekeeper with respect and care and she will give you many years of faithful service. And you will have more time for yourself, for those people you love, or for pursuing your own activities. Consider this as a gift to yourself and start planning for freedom from household chores today!
