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ph4ever wrote:are you inexpensive??? I may need you.

YOU may say I'm inexpensive. MOST people say I'm CHEAP!
And if I had a nickel for everytime someone said they needed me, I'd have a nickel.

Wino you know wrote:

ph4ever wrote:are you inexpensive??? I may need you.

YOU may say I'm inexpensive. MOST people say I'm CHEAP!
And if I had a nickel for everytime someone said they needed me, I'd have a nickel.

here sweetie - you're so special you get a special nickel

ph4ever wrote:

12vmanRick wrote:I have Nicole why do I need a cleaning service? (don't tell her I said that)

how much is it worth to you for me to keep quiet???

Enough to pay for your own cleaning lady?

buffettbride wrote:

ph4ever wrote:

12vmanRick wrote:I have Nicole why do I need a cleaning service? (don't tell her I said that)

how much is it worth to you for me to keep quiet???

Enough to pay for your own cleaning lady?

hopefully

ph4ever wrote:here sweetie - you're so special you get a special nickel

DAMN! A BUFFALO nickel. THANKS, CONNIE!
I do collect those things.
(They were only minted from 1913-1938). (No, I WASN'T around then).

We had one when our keet was younger and we had a smaller house. Now there's just the 2 of us and we have a biiiig house that doesn't get messy. And (ducking), I like to clean!!

I've had different cleaning ladies through the years as both of us worked and wanted to spend our off time with our son.

My one piece of advice: Don't set your expectations too high. I have never had anyone clean better than I would clean it myself. That said, it is a big help to get it cleaned even moderately and then you can clean it better just every once in awhile.

Cleaning people for me have done the following:
Cleaned bathrooms thoroughly: toilets, sinks, showers, tubs, floors
Unloaded and re-loaded dishwasher, bleach sink, cleaned counters, stovetop, inside microwave, mopped floor
Dust and vacuum all living areas.
Changed the sheets -- meaning taken linens off, washed them, and put them back on. Sometimes even wash and rehang every towel and washcloth.

Since I have a big house including my mother's four-room apartment, I have a friend who now does houses cleaning one half of the house each week, then the other half. She teased me about "cleaning before the cleaning lady comes" the first time and said don't ever do that again! She'll even set aside the mail/bills/paper clutter in one spot so I don't have to even clear that away, unless I want to.

It's a big help and gives you more peace of mind. I hate to clean, and my friend loves to, so I don't mind paying her!

Good luck, Mallory.

I had one once - because of my allergies .... got tired of feeling ill of a weekend after cleaning.

It was a friend of my mothers - only problem was - had to make sure I left no mail out or anything , that might be "interesting" to be passed on to my mother

I have been contemplating getting one where I live now - as I really dont like cleaning - but I have a "key" issue - in that the key to the front security door to our apartment block - I cannot get reprinted. I got a special request granted for an extra key when I moved in , but that got lost

mings wrote:

buffettbride wrote:

spainjane wrote:Why isn't this a poll??

I have one, we both work too much. It definitely cuts down on the stress that someone else comes in once a week and cleans the house. She used to come every two weeks, but after about a year I started REALLY missing her on her off weeks. It's $65 a visit here...2 girls come in for about 2 hours.
But yes...I have to make sure the whole house is cleaned up and everything is put away when she's coming

I should prolly make it one, huh?

We'd probably start with every two weeks and if we could afford it, do it 1x per week.

And what do you mean by "cleaned up". Stuff off the floors/counters, etc? What exactly do they clean for you?

Heck, I'd be happy if I could just have someone do all our laundry once a week.

So life in the big city is definitely different, but can't you just bring the laundry to a laundromat and they'll wash it for you? They charge by the pound here. Probably a long shot, but it keeps someone out of your house.

Doing laundry is fun. It's about 2 hours out of your life every couple weeks in my case, and it's reading time while waiting for the time to shift the 4-5 loads from washers to dryers.

RinglingRingling wrote: Doing laundry is fun. It's about 2 hours out of your life every couple weeks in my case, and it's reading time while waiting for the time to shift the 4-5 loads from washers to dryers.

That might be the case for a single guy, but Definitely not the case for a family especially one with younger keets!

It used to take at least ten to fifteen loads a week, and that was with an oversized washer and dryer

z-man wrote:

RinglingRingling wrote: Doing laundry is fun. It's about 2 hours out of your life every couple weeks in my case, and it's reading time while waiting for the time to shift the 4-5 loads from washers to dryers.

That might be the case for a single guy, but Definitely not the case for a family especially one with younger keets!

It used to take at least ten to fifteen loads a week, and that was with an oversized washer and dryer

Shrink-wrap the kids, it cuts down on the dirty clothes thing.

R2... you either have a lot of clothes...or...well I dont want to think about the or! I do 4-5 loads a week.... just for the 2 of us! And that doesnt include towels and sheets!

About 4 times a year, I have Merry Maids come in and do a once over top to bottom and basically do all of the stuff I just don't have time to do (and hate) like clean the inside of all the cabinets, tops of shelves, clean the chandeliers, etc.

I have issues with people being in my home without me here, so I just shcedule them to come in on a day I'm going to be home. Makes me feel better, I can answer any questions they have, and saves me a ton of work.

I used to have a cleaning lady before I retired. Don't just take a friend's referral. Both my friend and I were surprised to read that our cleaning lady had been arrested for her third shoplifting offense. (She never took anything that I knew of here)

I loved having a cleaner. I just had them do the kitchen, bath and living room. We had some breakage with the last one and the weirdest thing that happened was when one of them broke a connection under the sink and didn't mention it. She just turned the water connection off. When we turned it back on, water flowed out into our cabinet.....

Good luck. Check police records as well as references. The references will be handpicked folks that will only have good stuff to say...

I never used a service, but would consider it since they are usually bonded.....

It is a bit of an invasion of privacy so you will have to put away things you don't want a cleaning person to see... While we were in Key West, a friend of ours told the story that the first time the cleaning lady came to her house, while she was vacuuming she found a battery operated "appliance" that had rolled under the bed... she placed it on the alarm clock on the bedside table

I think you'll find that a person you get on a referral (non-corporate) will be less expensive than a 'company'. I've had several different people over the last ten years and...

1. In the beginning, make time to be home when they're there cleaning. They may say/tell you one thing, but to actually watch them do it is another thing. I had one person who would sweep the master bath floor with a broom and then take the broom out into the bedroom and 'swish' it back and forth across the CARPET to clean the broom! I think this is the same person who would whipthe shower curtains shut and cause the holes to rip out. For awhile, I was blaming the kids until they ratted on the cleaning lady!!

2. Remember, they are coming into your house and you are paying them. It took me awhile to come to grips with this...either they do it the way you like it done or you find someone else!! Which brings me to another point...it's better to have a cleaning person you can have a business relationship with - then there's no need to worry about broken friendships or hard feelings!

I've had them once per week and once every other week - some have done laundry and bedding, some haven't. At this point, for us, once every other week works well. One person, 3.5 hours, $42. (I think I'm getting a deal... ) She does the usual kitchen, dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, etc. and every other time uses the edging tool around the baseboard, opens the windows and wipes the sills, washes the inside windows, etc. She also washes the tile by hand...no icky mops sloshing around. I also provide all the cleaning supplies...good idea especially if someone in the family has some allergies or sensitivities to certain cleaning products.

Oh...one more thing...I would suggest you invest in a good vacuum and have her use your vacuum. I heard something one time about fleas being transferred from one house to another through a vacuum cleaner, but I can't remember all the details.

Good luck!

ToplessRideFL wrote:R2... you either have a lot of clothes...or...well I dont want to think about the or! I do 4-5 loads a week.... just for the 2 of us! And that doesnt include towels and sheets!

I do have a lot of clothes. that collection of Hawaiian shirts in the closet means I don't have to worry about that particular load more than twice a month, and I'll still have some left that haven't been worn.. and you can never have enough unmentionables.

I have not had a cleaning person, but when I was a Nanny, they did. I didn't have to "clean up" before they arrived. They cleaned EVERYTHING! Toys, bills, books, dishes, etc. were all put away by the time they were done. Laundry, however, was my job. I always thought if I was going to have to "clean up" before they came in, what is the point, I'm already cleaning! These ladies did it all!! (Cleaning wise )

Wino you know wrote:I don't mind doing my own laundry. You put the clothes in the washer, pour in the detergent, and hit the "on" button. So simple even I can do it.

Yes, doing laundry is pretty simple. However, I get so irritated when I am sitting in the recliner with my feet up, the TV on, the newspaper in my lap, and a drink on the coaster next to me, and that stupid buzzer on the dryer goes off! I usually yell at it to shut up!