Three Little Insider Tips About Hiring a Housekeeper (Guilt-Free)

Are you overwhelmed trying to keep up with housework? If you and your spouse work full-time, you would probably rather spend quality time with your kids in the evenings and on the weekends than clean. Here are three little insider tips you should know about hiring a housekeeper (without the guilt).

Most moms don’t have outside help when it comes to cleaning their home. Most of us have paid childcare arrangements or may outsource home repairs or lawn service, but that’s about it.

My life (with a six-year-old and a 13-year-old) is pretty manageable living in a relatively small home. If we decide to have another child, move to a larger house, or my balancing a full-time job and growing my own business (including this blog) get TOO overwhelming, that might change.

I’d rather spend time with my family or work on a project that’s earning me some money. So, if I can hire out something (that I don’t want to do anyway) for less than I can earn, I will consider it.

There is always something that gets overlooked (getting dinner on the table, meeting deadlines, checking homework, or …cleaning!).

This can cause you to accept reality and consider hiring help. One working mom said:

Sometimes that’s meant child care and no cleaning service, sometimes it’s meant a cleaning service and no child care, and sometimes, when things have been really hectic, I’ve had both. (On the other hand, there have also been stretches of time in there where our budget has allowed for neither!)

For the record, I do not have (nor have I every had) a cleaning service. I would hire one in a heartbeat if I could figure out how to fit it in my budget. Maybe I’ll do that and write about it one day. 🙂

This is a guest post by Beverly with Tidy Maids and IS NOT sponsored.

They offered to provide a post covering most of the questions working moms would have (from how to decide if you need a cleaning service, what questions to ask when picking a service, and how having someone clean your house gives you more free time to focus on yourself and your family).

Do You Need a Housekeeper (aka Cleaning Lady)?

You have had a busy week at work. The weekend finds your house cluttered with toys, clothes, and papers everywhere around the living room. The sink is full of dishes and you cannot even think of where to begin to clear the huge loads of dirty laundry waiting to be washed.

The weekend, which was meant to be your time to rest and catch up with your family, turns into cleaning time. Eventually, you will not only be tired but also missing out on creating memories from the time you spend with loved ones.

Related: How to Spend Your Weekend

What if you had an opportunity to get house cleaning taken care of at a manageable fee?

Three Ways a Cleaning Service Makes Your Life Better

Today, the number of housekeeping service providers is on the rise. This creates competition in the market which actually benefits working families. It makes it easier and cheaper to find a suitable service. Maid services Dubai are no longer for just the wealthy since they are affordable enough for many consumers.

You can actually enjoy a clean home at a rate as low as $25 per hour and get to free up some time to spend relaxing with your family.

If you find you are struggling to keep your house in shape, this may be a great option for you. In fact, they come in handy when you want to perform a deep cleaning of your house or tackle dirt in areas you have neglected for a long time. All you need is to find one who can do the chores effectively at a price within your budget. Besides, you may have a lot on your plate and outsourcing housecleaning will give you more time to tackle other responsibilities.

1. Less stress – Cleaning is one of those necessary evils that has to be done. There are varying levels of “clean” and what’s acceptable to one family is not acceptable to another. So, if you have a housekeeping service, that’s one less thing to worry about, try to fit into your schedule, or spend time doing.

2. You can’t do it all – If you feel like you can never get it all done, you may need to take a look at everything you’re trying to take on. In the meantime, having someone else clean your home might give you the breathing room you desperately need.

3. Focus on family – In our house, it takes a few hours to do laundry on the weekend. Washing dishes every day takes about 15 minutes. That’s really not that much. It’s the deep cleaning, once a week, and once a month tasks that take up the most time (i.e. vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, cleaning glass, dusting, cleaning out the microwave, polishing furniture and/or hardwood floors, cleaning bathrooms, etc.).

Having the time to go to the movies, get outside, or have a date night might be just what your family needs to reconnect.

How to Find the Right House Cleaning Service

There are various questions you may need to ask a provider before hiring their services.

1. Do your research. As much as you want someone to tackle the job as soon as possible, you do not want to let in an untraceable stranger into your home. Though your state may perform a background check on professionals or businesses in the cleaning field, you need to do your part, too.

Get to know their names, business office location, their work, and contacts of their current and previous clients. Previous clients can give useful information about their experience with the service provider. Any reviews may give some insight into what your experience with the provider may be like.

2. Ask for an estimate. It is also important to get a general overview of their charges in relation to the work at hand. If the provider quotes an hourly rate, find out what exactly they can accomplish in an hour. This way, you get a clear estimate of the total cost of the project.

You may take them on a tour around your house for them to assess the work or describe the amount of cleaning they are likely to do as clearly as you can. There are other companies who quote a fixed price for their services. Just make sure you are agreeable with their prices.

Also, understand their scope of work. Are there tasks their job specialization does not allow them to tackle? These will vary from a provider to provider. However, there are specific industry standards. For instance, a maid service may not help you with duct cleaning, pest extermination, or restoration cleaning after fire or floods.

These tasks call for professionals specially trained in this area. Others will not handle pet messes and biohazards such as mold, blood, and urine.

3. Be a good client. Find out if there is anything you can do to make the cleaning easier. Do you need to provide the supplies? Should you be clearing some clutter or simple messes here and there to lighten the project?

This does help! Collect your clothes, papers, and other valuables and keep them in the right places. Allow the cleaner(s) to concentrate on areas that need serious attention and you will be able to have them do more within a short time. This costs you less, too.

Thanks to Beverly Jenkins of Tidy Maids for providing this post. It seemed like a topic that would be very helpful to working families trying to get everything done while keeping a balanced budget.

About Tidy Maids

Beverly is proud of her staff at The Tidy Maids house cleaning service in Raleigh, NC. She has 24 years of experience in house cleaning, customer service, and business operations. She knows all the tips and tricks and do-it-yourself hacks when it comes to cleaning and her clients’ homes are the best proof of that.

Get more information on their Website or find them on Facebook.