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Post by stressedbythemess on Jun 24, 2008 15:15:02 GMT -5
Okay, so, I have never called, nor used a cleaning service. I have friends who have, but all of them have rather organized houses and were basically just having someone mop up etc, and maintain a nice level 0-0.5 for them.
I am not in that situation. Things are depending on the area, between a 1 and a 2 in almost all areas of the house. I've made some progress on my own lately, frankly a lot, but I have a job that the hours on are probably about to get MUCH longer for an indefinate period (the disadvantage of being salaried, overtime is just expected out of you), and I am contemplating getting some help to salvage what few free hours I will have.
For those of you who have used a cleaning service I have some questions if you dont mind sharing
Roughly how much did you pay the first time they came?
Subsequent times?
What did you do about the disorganization of things you wanted to keep? Was that handled before they came or did they ignore it or did they help you with it?
In your experience have they been judgemental about the state of things?
If you have pets, were they okay with the animal being indoors (assuming they are not expected to deal with it at all!)?
I'm feeling fairly nervous about even calling someone up or letting them over to do this, and I also need to guage a rough estimate of cost because the roommates will not chip in (they've been asked). That said, because they wont help their rooms are not to be included which leaves
1. Kitchen
2. Pantry/Laundry
3. Dining
4. Living
5. Hallway
6. Bathroom and closet
7. My bedroom and closet
8. Porch and closet
Oh, and did the cleaning service you use only clean the house or help with things like laundry or ironing?
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Post by messymimi on Jun 24, 2008 17:53:57 GMT -5
Dear stressedbythemess, The cleaning service that I had come in a couple of times, paid by a gift from my dad, was about $100 for just the basics of sweeping, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, but not organizing anything. They cleaned around the piles of paper, changed the sheets if I had clean ones available, and did not deal with pet mess. They offered to do the kind of decluttering/organizing/cleaning I think you are talking about for $75/hour per team member involved, which was way more than I had or have. These are prices from about 3 years ago in south Louisiana; I would imagine it varies by region of the country and how much you want done. It might be cheaper to hire a couple of trustworthy neighborhood teens to clean with you, or advertise for someone on Craigslist. From what I remember reading about your roommates (and if my old brain hasn't mixed you with someone else  ), it might be cheaper for you to move than pay for all this cleaning/reorganizing, just to have them mess it up again. Maybe impossible for you to move right now, but compare the costs and see. You could move out only your things, and throw out what you don't want, and start over clean. messymimi |
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Post by glowworm on Jun 24, 2008 18:17:17 GMT -5
I have a woman who comes every 2 weeks to clean my house. She's not part of a company, but from what I've heard her prices are comparable in my area of the country (southeastern USA).Roughly how much did you pay the first time they came? $100 for 1400 square feet of houseSubsequent times? $80 every two weeks and she's here for about 4 hoursWhat did you do about the disorganization of things you wanted to keep? Was that handled before they came or did they ignore it or did they help you with it? I had a relative come over and help me purge, and then organize what was left before the cleaning service began. So the house was uncluttered before she came.
Unsolicited advice: Some folks tell me they have a rule with their service that if the door is shut, do not clean that room. If you could get all of the things you want to keep into one room and work on it from there, that might work better than having them ignore piles of things. In your experience have they been judgemental about the state of things? Nope. She smiled and told me it's not bad. I do know she charged me more to do a much smaller house, than she charged the people who referred me, because their house was really clean to begin with. If you have pets, were they okay with the animal being indoors (assuming they are not expected to deal with it at all!)? I thought the pets were going to be a big problem, as I have a dog who does not take well to strangers. I made sure to be at the house for the first several times she came, to make sure that the dog was OK with her. Now when she comes in, she has to greet the dog with kisses and belly rubs before she starts work.  I also have pets with sensitive respiratory systems, who cannot be around strong cleaners. If the weather is nice, I put them outside for the day. If it's not, I put them in a back bedroom and shut the door. She knows that the closed door policy that I mentioned before does not apply in my house (please, please, clean all of it!) so she just goes in, dusts, vacuums, and shuts the door behind her when she's done. I'm feeling fairly nervous about even calling someone up or letting them over to do this, and I also need to guage a rough estimate of cost because the roommates will not chip in (they've been asked). That said, because they wont help their rooms are not to be included which leaves 1. Kitchen 2. Pantry/Laundry 3. Dining 4. Living 5. Hallway 6. Bathroom and closet 7. My bedroom and closet 8. Porch and closet Oh, and did the cleaning service you use only clean the house or help with things like laundry or ironing? My maid will do laundry / ironing but she charges extra for these services. For example, the people who referred her to me, they have her come to their house every single week. She alternates, cleaning one week and laundry/ironing the next week. The husband has her wash and iron his clothes. The wife prefers to do her own laundry, and puts out things that she would like to have ironed. They set up everything she needs in the living room, and they even put the remote control on the ironing board so she knows that she is welcome to watch TV while she works.
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Post by CrimsonKat on Jun 24, 2008 20:16:43 GMT -5
I've never used a service, only a close friend who needed extra money. But, I just want to throw this out there... regarding pets and cleaning chemicals, please make sure that they are not in danger of breathing them, being exposed to them, eating them, etc. They could get really sick and / or die. This is especially true of major cleanings where lots of bad chems are used for big bad messes or for longer periods at a time. It's not that great for humans either. And... good for you for getting help when you need it. We far too often are afraid to ask for help or accept help. It sounds like you are taking steps to take care of yourself and that is awesome. |
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Post by glowworm on Jun 24, 2008 20:27:08 GMT -5
CrimsonCat's warning about chemicals reminds me, my maid does not bring her own cleaning supplies. I have to provide them. For me, it sounded like a bad thing at first until I realized I have complete control over what cleaning supplies she uses in my home. For example, I threw out the oven cleaner because I hate the fumes. She understands I'd rather have her use something safer and deal with a not-perfectly-clean oven. It's still WAY cleaner than when I was responsible for cleaning it.  |
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Post by moggyfan on Jun 24, 2008 20:56:08 GMT -5
I hired a woman from craigslist and paid her $30/hour. I probably could've gotten away with $25, though.
The first two times she came, she helped me A LOT with sorting and organizing (but I was working with her--I wouldn't have left her to do that on her own). After that, she spent about three hours cleaning when she came (about once every 3 - 4 weeks). She probably would've done laundry if asked, but by that time I was handling that okay myself.
I don't have her anymore--she moved, and also I've been managing pretty well on my own now, though I'm thinking about hiring somebody to do kitchen and bathroom floors, which are getting a little grungy 'cause I hate to do them.
Good for you for doing this for yourself. It was a HUGE help to me when I first started to clean up The Mess.
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Post by stressedbythemess on Jun 24, 2008 21:07:40 GMT -5
Messymimi- I would like to move, but I'm locked into a lease untill end of May 2009. My plan is to rent an apartment starting may 1st 2009 somewhere else, and move over during that month for a totally fresh start. I am considering that my roommates may "help" undo it, i'm not set on getting a cleaning service yet, but I did want the info.
Thanks everybody for letting me know!
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