Do you clean and tidy your house before the cleaner’s visit? Do you feel embarrassed and think that the cleaner will judge you? It is entirely natural. I know some ladies who groom their hands before going to the salon – they are afraid their manicurist will think that they have “let themselves go”. There will be others who think that cleaning before a cleaner’s visit is absolutely ridiculous.
Well – let me tell you this. In my 20 years of being a housekeeper, there have been times when my heart sunk when walking into a home to clean. I felt I was in a no-win situation to get things clean in the time allocated. At no time do I judge the client – they could be busy, sick, or away. At the end of the day, we are there to provide a service.
HOWEVER!!!!!
As you know, I believe everyone can have a home that it five stars – be it a terraced semi or a grand detached, a boat, or a caravan.
What I would advise you so that you get the best value out of your cleaner (and this is purely a concern for your wallet!) – assess how messy you think you are on a scale from 1 -5! Do this before deciding how many hours you are going to have your cleaner in for.
This is what I mean by messy, for example:
- Toys and shoes are strewn across the floor
- Unwashed dishes piled up in the sink and across the worktops, tables, and places around the house
- Rubbish piled up by the bins but NOT in the bins
- Clothes hanging off banisters/doors, over chairs, or on the floor
At the end of the day and we all have different habits. BUT the more mess your cleaner has to tidy away the longer it will take them to get to the actual “cleaning bit” that you are paying for.
If you say “yes” to 2 or more you may need some help to:
1. De clutter i.e. remove anything that is:
Not necessary because it’s not useful and does not make your life easier
Does not bring you happiness and love (a sentimental piece that reminds you of happy memory, has sentimental value, or gives you inspiration or strength).
2. Organise things into logical groups so you know where things are – in organised containers or displayed if they bring you love.
Tidying and de-cluttering, as a rule of thumb, go like this. A 2-bed house should take 2 hours, 3 bed 3 hours and 4-bed 4 hours, and a 5-bed 5 hours………….
But at what point does excess clutter and the tidying eat into the cleaning time? Ask yourself these questions:
- Can’t you frequently find what you need?
- Do you feel stressed rather than calm when you enter your home? This can be a subconscious and subtle feeling.
- Does the idea of the weekend petrify you because you know the house needs tidying but you cannot face it?
- When you do start to tidy do you frequently give up because the process seems endless and you do not even know where to start?
- Do you occasionally smell something funny and discover a long-forgotten plate under the sofa (extreme, I know – but it happens even to the best of us!)
- Do you often get a feeling you have mislaid something (clothes, a book, etc) but you are certain you did not throw it away?
If you have answered yes to at least 2 of the above it is highly likely your cleaner will be unable to clean to the correct levels as she needs to tidy before cleaning. This eats into the important hardcore cleaning that you are employing your housekeeper to do.
Get help to get your home into an order that inspires you and makes you feel positive….far better to pay your cleaner to get your ‘house in order’ before paying someone to clean….you will get far more value for money this way!
Contact us for any support and advice!