I tidied up clutter before she came. I've mostly been able to keep that from piling up again; she's only been here once. But, that, for me is one of the main reasons to have her come. So that I'll keep clutter picked up. It's also nice to have her clean the kitchen and bathrooms. The rest of the house doesn't get terribly dirty.

~ Faith

I could use someone to do the kitchen and bath. Those really kill me. I can still push the sweeper, pick up clutter, and dust, but scrubbing is too much. And the kitchen is always always a mess.

Whoever said - I forgot already - someone should start a school to train housekeepers has a million dollar idea.

I worked in housekeeping at a home for MR/DD and we got on the job training. They had a big book, so we knew what to do by day, week, month, per shift.

I supposed most cleaning agencies have something like that, but if you hire somebody, you might want to write up your own - something on paper is better than the spoken word.


Also you can look at your owners manuals to find how to clean appliances, flooring, cabinets, furniture, etc. Might sound like a lot of work to write all that up for your cleaning people, but it'll save you time and frustration later, maybe.

Things we had in the book that I still do-

Spray everything in the bathroom that needs to be sprayed, and then start wiping. That gives th cleaner time to work and kill germs (which takes ten mins for every cleaner).

Using a bucket of cleaner, drop in several rags. Bring an empty bucket and drop the dirty rags in instead of rinsing one rag over and over. You can't clean with dirty water.

Carry all supplies room to room in a bucket and store them that way.

Most trash cans, I put three bags in - not the kitchen because they just get nasty anyway.

New stuff I do - I went through the Swiffer phase, and stiill use the duster. Now I do a lot of stuff with Miro fiber - I got 4 of em, and love em.


Use one wet, one dry for windows and glass.

Steam mop. Love it. I'd love a steamer that can do other surfaces.

its a scounci steamer. yes, it will do drapes. It has nozzles to do a fine pin point spray, or a wide handle to do things like mirrors or drapes.

http://www.amazon.com/Scunci-SS1000-...4868834&sr=8-1

PLEASE dont pay that price for it! if you shop, you can find it MUCH cheaper.

I have a "to do" list for my girls. Just things I want to make sure they get to before they leave.

Wash the floors in kitchen/bath (including behind the toilet, and doors!

Wipe down the grill on the bottom of the fridge. it sucks in all the dust and cat hair.

Please wipe ALL door handles with a disinfectant.

Open door leading to basement, and vacuum that section of rug that runs past that doorway.

Wipe the animal door that leads to the basement.

dont forget the INside of the microwave!

and silly things like...If you see the shower curtain or other items are in need of laundry, PLEASE tell me! If you see we are running short on supplies tell me BEFORE we run out. If you really like a special product, and want to use it, ask!

My girls do the heavy stuff. The scrubbing of the floors. The scrubbing of the tubs, showers, and toilets. Bending over to scrub the tub kills my back! They drag out my heavy duty rainbow water vacuum that kills my back to drag around.

I can get to the decluttering stuff, because I am no longer worried about the hard stuff. They find all the stray paperwork, and papers, and ads, and make a pile on the table after its cleaned. That way I can sit at the table and go thru it all.

It helps that everything has a home. Like...the clothes basket lives on top of the washing machine. it doesnt belong in the LR. Towels belong in the linen closet, and clean clothes need to be put away, while dirty ones need to find a hamper. Hunting magazines belong in the DHs bathroom, and other ones belong in mine. Once everything gets tagged a home, its easier to just put it away, instead of playing that guessing game in your head. I play the "where does this belong" game once a week. It really does help.

They do make them. Shark has one that has decent ratings. I have my eye on the Haan Multi-Purpose one but it is around $150 to $200. Since it is fairly new, I am waiting to hear more reviews about it before getting one.

http://www.haanusa.com/products/inde...atalogItemID=9

I had a shark on that I really liked but DBF borrowed it and that was the end of that. He put tap water in it and since we have such hard water here it ruined it. The only think I didn't like about my Shark is it had a strap to carry it around which was a pain when doing floors and windows. They now have one on wheels which seems much more practical.

You can do so much with these and I think they would work well with those in a wheelchair.

Kicker - Definitely write up a contract of what is to be done, what to use, etc. and have your cleaning person sign it. It saves on "cleaning person" sitting. LOL Also, Brain had some good suggestions and you could even do a check list. Before you even pay them, make sure they did the job to your satisfaction.

I have a shark steam mop. Found it on sale at BBB at $119 I used the 20% off coupon for a steal. its been an awesome mop! Since I have animals I try not to use harsh stuff to wash floors here. The animals get it on the pads of their feet, and then when they clean themselves, ingest it. The steam mop just rips right thru whatever gets spilled. From jelly to black heel marks. gone! it has a large water tank, so it last a looooong time. 30 foot cord, so I can go a long way. heats in 30 seconds! so fast on the go ready.

I used to use a microfiber cloth on my hands and knees back in the day, but no more! I get on my hands and knees and you need a crane to get me up again. I look back and am amazed at how much I was able to get done.

I wonder what I should have, other than my trusty old swiffer mop, for my new laminate woodlike floors? They have dry and wet pads for swiffers.

It is tough to find just the right match with getting a decent cleaning crew.

The more people, the faster the job goes. One person can do it and maybe do a better job.

Do any services leave a business card on your front door? That is how I found my crew. They are not licensed or bonded. But better than anything.

Have you thought of looking at Craig's list? (I don't know, it is the want ads these days right?)

Craig's list is where I found mine.

~ Faith

My sis and SIL used swiffer on theirs, and said it's okay, but can get streaky.

I was gonna loan them my shark steam mop to see if that did okay for them - I used it on my wood (one old floor, finish is pretty battered) and that was great, but who knows what it would look like if the floor looked okay to begin with.



You probably can do swiffer, maybe need to wipe dry as you go and a little extra on the edges and corners. I have to hit the edges with the steam mop too - nothing ever gets there though. I use the miro fiber for that. (when I do it, lol)