Hi All! I think I may have mentioned this before on this Forum. But if not here goes. How to keep stained hands clean? Do your best not to get them stained from the beginning. How? Rubber Latex Gloves. BJ's sells them by the box at a nominal cost and to cut down on that cost, you can use them over and over again even when they get holes. When the holes get to big or the cuff might rip when pulling them on because of stress it's time to discard. What I do before taking them off is spray them with a garden hose or wash off the dirt just the same as washing your hands in a bucket of rain water. Then I quick dry them with a dry cloth or rag. But the most important thing is having a large container like a 34 or 39 oz coffee can with a plastic lid. Put a fair amount of inexpensive talcum powder or corn starch in the can. Then before I take off the gloves, I rub the powder on the outside. Then I slip the gloves off and put them in the can. Then I put on the lid and shake vigorously to get the powder on the damp or wet inside of the gloves making them dry. Some of the powder will reach into the inside also. You can easily put several pairs in the can as there all the same size and there's no left or right. So if a hole gets in the stronger left or right hand side of the wearer you can put that glove with the hole on the opposite hand. When I take the gloves out of the can obviously the outside has the most powder. I turn the gloves outside inward and then blow a little air into the cuff and then squeeze to pop the fingers out. Now the powdered side is inside and this helps to generally make the gloves slid on quite easily. Hope this info helps someone. Jim

I think the best way to start with a cleaning lady is sit down and discuss what you want her to do and what products you want her to use. Will she bring her own or use yours? Also, does she have insurance? Will she be able to come the same time every week? Some cleaning people will want to bring their kids, or if they are short on time they will want to bring someone to help them. Outline everything you want her to accomplish and if there is enough time for her to do it. I think I have the best cleaning young lady in the US! She was co-worker of my daugters at the local Vet Clinic. My daughter used to say she drove everyone crazy because she was always cleaning. I asked her if she wanted a job and she has now been cleaning for me for three years. I occasionally tip her or give her money for gas. I always recognize her birthday and give her a bonus for Christmas.

I would tip the owner as you see fit and let her dole out to her workers herself. If she is like most small business owners, she will give 100% of the gift to her employees. If she decides not to share it, well, that's literally her business, isn't it? I would word the card, "To Marsha and Staff" or something like that...

Sorry sshrivastava, I have been checking back for responses on another post in this forum, but not this one. Thanks for your tips. I have just received my box of Bi-O-Kleen over the weekend and have done maybe 4 loads of laundry so far. My problem now is that the detergent doesn't completely rinse out of the dispenser and the Asko manual doesn't recommend that you use any detergent that doesn't completely rinse out. So I posted a question and someone responded about residual moisture in the drawer and drying it out before putting in the powder. I still have some clumpy powder, but it seems to be getting less. I have increased the temperature for my washes and now wash my daughter's clothes on the normal cycle at 120 degrees and mine and my husbands clothes at 140. The towels and sheets usually get a 160 or 175 degree washing. There aren't a lot of stains on the adult clothes (colors anyway) to notice a huge difference, so I'm really waiting to see how the whites come out after a couple of washes with the Bi-O-Kleen premium! Thanks for all of your tips!