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S/O House Cleaning & a few questions
When you have someone come to clean your home; are you there while they work?
I have 'hired' my sister in the past to clean my house, and she'll come while I'm at work, it's my sister, the only thing I have to worry about is her finding mine & H's naughty stash. LOL
And what all do they do?
I am SO not a deep cleaning sort of person. And I would like someone to clean and organize my house. (background- It's not really MY home, I didn't get to get the joy of going house shopping w/H, he had it before we met, if this were MY home, I'd take better care of it, does that make sesne?)
One more question, I have yet another interview on Monday, I have a suit jacket, but not really a suit suit, is it acceptable to wear a differnt colored pants? like if I wear a pair of khaki's w/ the black jacket? WDYT?
Re: S/O House Cleaning & a few questions
I hired someone (using care.com) once earlier this year to clean our house. It was terrific!
The woman & her partner came to visit us a few days before, and DH & I walked through the house with them. We discussed things that shouldn't be moved, areas that really needed attention, etc. Then the day they came to clean, DH was there to let them in and then left. I felt a little weird about that at first, but she had good references from area businesses and families, so that made me feel better.
They cleaned walls, doors, baseboards, blinds, shelves, floors, bathrooms, appliances, etc. I repeat: it was wonderful!
We paid $70 for 4 hours. I do hope it's something we can maybe even do a couple of times per year... SO worth it, IMO.
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As far as the interview clothes, I think it really depends on the type of job, interview scenario, etc... If the jacket and pants are pulled together in color & style by blouse/scarf/shoes/jewelry/other items, then I'm sure that would work.
Probably going to be a long post ... and more information than you were looking for.
I've evolved with house cleaners. My upbringing and the culture in which I was raised in (here in southern rural Iowa) seems to be at complete odds with the concept of having 'hired help'. When I moved to NYC - the culture and attitude about such things is completely different - DH had a cleaning service with his apartment in the city and I came to appreciate the help. When we married moved a home in the suburbs of nyc - it was a matter of practicality (cleaning 5k sf is a lot of work).
I used to think ... oh they will go through my dresser, through my private things, though my jewelry, etc. This was one main reason that I refused to hire independent cleaners - sticking with corporate cleaning services (The Maids, Molly Maids, etc). Though this is a myth - that some how independent services are less trustworthy.
What I tend to find with corporate cleaning companies (I've been through pretty much all of them - though granted local offices may have different standards) is that you don't always get the true deep care, cleaning that you think you are. It is generally just the appearance of a deep clean.
While still in NJ I finally took the plunge and hired an independent (eco-friendly/organic) cleaning service - where the owner was part of the cleaning staff. HEAVEN! Not only was I finally getting the DEEP clean that I expected but of course I felt better about the products being used in my home - no worry that when my son licked the floor lol that he was ingesting cleaning chemicals.
When we moved back to Iowa - I interviewed all the usual suspects and then found a local independent eco-friendly cleaning service. They truly do a deep clean (I mean - you want to talk about deep cleaning, she literally unscrews the shower drain cover and cleans it out every once in awhile - you don't get that with a corporate cleaning company).
What do they do?
That really all depends on the service company. As I said, I tend to find that corporate types tend to put on a good show and talk a good game but I think the cleaning is not as deep as one would expect it to be. over time I found grime building up because of their surface (no elbow grease used). My experience has been independent companies may perform a deeper clean and be more detailed - their business success depends on your happiness. Molly Maids et al could care less. My cleaning standards are very high and I see everything so maybe I am too tough of a client.
You talked about organizing - I guess this really varies on what you want organized. They straighten up but they are not going to go through your underwear drawers - fold and organize by color. They won't open your underwear drawer or side table drawers unless you ask them to. They won't go through your junk drawers in the kitchen unless you ask them to. In general, if it is closed - they are not going to open it. If it looks personal - they are not going to open it. They have a reputation to defend.
I only seek those who are licensed and bonded - staff with background checks. If something goes missing or gets broken - I want to know that the company has the financial ability to cover it. I've never had issue with missing things (over 5 cleaning companies) and only had something break once (a set of wine glasses - they replaced them).
I've both been at home while they clean and not been at home. I usually give the code to the garage and make sure that I leave the interior door between the garage and home unlocked. I generally don't give out keys.
When at home - I tend to stay out of their way (I generally only hire cleaning services that have multiple cleaners come so that it gets done quickly).
JJ'sGirl! THANKS! that is totally what I was looking for!
Susie! thanks for your response too, who did you use?