I do try to clean up my messes before the housekeeper comes, but I don't pick up clutter. She cleans around it or moves it. I just can't make myself neurotic tidying for the housekeeper as if she were company. Of course, I first had to hire someone after I had an injury that limited my mobility, then when I was working too many crazy hours to take care of the house, so necessity made it easier to let go of that.

And no, the frames are never straight on the walls, but the ones on the shelf that I put just so are all lined up straight. Things are never quite right, and I've given up on putting a lot of things my way. My housekeeper is too good to fuss about too much.

I guess you have to work hard for the privilege of having the service. Just watched one of the 4 maids dust the pictures, and I asked "Could you just make sure they are straight?" Another who speaks English asked what I said, and she conveyed the message. They will forget next week. Sigh.

I would love to have someone clean the house, but I know I would clean before they came so they wouldn't think I was dirty. Also, I wouldn't know what to do with myself while they are here. I don't want to be forced to leave for a few hours and I would feel silly reading or watching TV while they're cleaning around me.

I think if you are very particular, house cleaning services will be disappointing, unless you're lucky enough to find a really good cleaner. I've found that the hourly wage isn't high enough to expect perfection as they have to get a certain amount done in a certain amount of time. Also the turnover rate is high.

I'm considering getting a cleaning service but I am not particular about it. I don't think I would even notice if something wasn't straight, lol.

Joaniepoanie, I sit right here at my computer until they get to me. Then I go outside and chat with a neighbor or go down under the boat deck and work on my potting stuff. It's kinda rainy today and she's almost at me. I'll just stroll around the room. YEP it is an inconvenience for about 15 minutes, but worth it to me.

I have a friend who has a very experiences housekeeper come over for several hours every few weeks, primarily to clean the floors because this is difficult for her as she is older. The housekeeper has the lock code and cleans while she is at work.

She does pick up a little, but doesn't obsess about it.

I have a bi-weekly cleaning service, and I always pick up the clutter. If I didn't, it would just accumulate into bigger piles. After they leave I take 5 minutes to straighten the pictures and bookshelves. I appreciate them and I just don't let this bother me.

It's good to pick up so housekeepers don't have to jockey around things that should be put away. They can do a better job. I always pick up and put away anything which needs to be back in its place. No dirty dishes in the sink either. Then when they leave, everything looks extra-good! It's not cleaner's jobs to pick up after people.

As for the pictures, it's not that hard to straighten them after dusting. Ask again if it continues.

I have a wonderful lady that comes every other Wednesday. I do pick up some to make it easier for her. My husband can not understand this at all and it drives him batty. I don't have any dishes in the kitchen that are dirty. The only dishes out are clean on the drain board. She does change the bed and put all the dirty towels she uses and the sheets in the laundry room for me. My previous maid did the laundry while she was here but the current one doesn't like to mess with my front loaders. I absolutely cannot do any of the deep cleaning anymore with my limited mobility. She does a wonderful job of wet mopping all the tile in this house. I don't know how I could get along with out her help. I am so lucky to have her. I just made a beautiful glass garden totem for her garden. She has a lovely yard and garden. I am not bothered by things being slightly out of place, we can handle that.

No different from any other service provider, you pay them to do what they do and realize that it's you who loses if you make it harder for them. You don't set up your croquet set or leave small toys scattered on the lawn when the guy's coming to mow.

I really don't understand the questions, mixed with comments that sound almost snobbish. Are you expecting or fishing for replies containing gushes of envy? Household cleaning help is nice to have but not all that expensive.

Snidely, I don't hear that tone at all. More of it sounds kind of embarrassed, as women from a certain time will be, not to be doing all their own housework, and trying not to look snobbish or like they're trying to put on airs for having help.

If your husband likes a clean house and clutter freaks you out then it seems to me that you'd both be happier if you could control the clutter on a regular basis rather than shuffling it around before the cleaning crew arrives. If you have room to put it away before they come then why not try to put it away after you've used it.

Even when my house is clean (furniture dusted, carpets vacuumed, counters wiped and floors mopped etc.) it doesn't feel clean to me if there's clutter about. As for crooked pictures - I've found that if hung properly they seldom become crooked. One trick to help keep your frames straight is to use 2 picture hangers rather than one.

My house is not cluttered because I hate clutter, but my desk is always a mess. I usually straighten up my desk so my cleaners (every 2 weeks) can dust/polish around the pile of papers and items on it. I also hide my current dish scrubber because I suspect they might use it for cleaning the sink, and I use it on dishes and pots. That's all the preparation before they come.

I picked up things before my cleaning lady came..once a month. It was good to have someone come over when I had my knee replacement but now I've decided to clean it myself..it's not that large and I need some exercise.....I've cleaned houses in the past and was surprised some people left clothes on the floor, sinks of dirty dishes, and worse. I would be embarrassed to have anyone see my house that messy...which it never was...

There seems to be a lot of confusion these days between a housekeeper an a house cleaner. Light duty cleaning and organizing is something a housekeeper does. Heavy deep top to bottom cleaning or anything within the range of that is a job for a house cleaner.

HOUSEKEEPER

Light cleaning (not deep cleaning), dusting, sweeping, mopping HOUSEKEEPER

• Washing and drying dishes

• Washing, folding and ironing clothes

• Changing bed linens and making beds

• Separating and removing garbage and recycling

• Restocking personal care products, toilet paper, etc.

• Picking up toys and/or clutter and other general organizing

• Running errands for the family

• Preparing meals

• Replacing light bulbs

• Scooping litter boxes

• Other light duties as requested

HOUSE CLEANER

A house cleaner is an individual or a team of cleaners who arrives on a scheduled day and time with all the proper cleaning supplies, products and equipment.

They are usually in the home for a specific amount of time and take their supplies with them when they leave for their next cleaning appointment. Cleaners may be independently employed or employed by a house cleaning company.

Typical duties of a house cleaner may include:

• Deep cleaning most surfaces (countertops, sinks, tubs, toilets, floors, appliances, etc.)

• Scrubbing and sanitizing kitchens from top to bottom, including the exterior of cabinets and drawers, exterior of appliances like stoves and refrigerators, countertops, sinks and drains, backsplashes, light switch plate covers, knobs and handles

• Cleaning tables and chairs

• Scrubbing and sanitizing bathrooms from top to bottom, including toilets, tubs, showers, sinks and drain openings and polishing chrome

• Dusting trim work, baseboards, doors, picture frames, light fixtures, etc.

• Vacuuming upholstery and carpet

• Vacuuming and mopping hard floors

• Interior window cleaning

I am not sure commercial establishments 'Molly Maid' make this distinction. The list of what is done in a visit contain items from both lists (vacuuming and mopping are almost always included in descriptions and ads) , but a 'deep clean' is available from most of these places for extra money.

"Snidely, I don't hear that tone at all. More of it sounds kind of embarrassed, as women from a certain time will be, not to be doing all their own housework"

If one or the other is working outside the home, they may agree that some of the work associated with the home be done by the one not working outside the home. If they are both retired, it is not HER housework, it is THEIR housework. If they split homeowner's chores (housework, yard work,etc) in a way that satisfies them, fine, but if one or the other is unable to do the agreed chore it is not his or her chore inherently. Hiring it out is fine whether house or yard, but there should be no embarrassment.

I'm having some tree trimming done next month, for instance, and I'm not embarrassed whatsoever that I can't get up there and do it myself.

After major surgery, I had a housecleaner come once. Yes, I removed everything lying out. I specifically told her, don't touch anything on this set of glass shelves by the window. .( Nothing valuable, just breakables there.) I made sure the floors and horizontal surfaces were free of clutter, so she could reach them. She brough her own cleaning supplies, sprays, and vacuum. After a very thorough three hours, she left. But first she apoligized because she had left a glob of dried food on the refrigerator kickplate. (It had been there for weeks,haha). A good experience, well worth the money to me.

My DH and I are the "Housekeepers" here, and we do many of the chores listed for "House Cleaners" too. Every so often I will hire a Molly Maid crew to wash floors and baseboards, wipe down case goods and vacuum upholstered furniture, dust higher reaches, etc. I'm about to do that now, once I find a new place to send our wool Orientals to be washed.

We are two 'only children' who just don't like clutter in the house, so that's not a pre-cleaners chore. I do put away any precious items.

I once had a maid 'polish' a silver coffee service with a Brillo pad. An individual worker couldn't be expected to pay to fix that, but her manager did pay for re-silvering. This is only one reason I wouldn't hire an individual cleaner. I also do not want to deal with Social Security payments or immigration! (A neighbor referred her cleaner to me, and the woman out and out stated that she and her DH have been in the US for thirty years as illegal aliens!)

There is a Dutch saying that a family should not live in a house too big for the family to keep clean. Yes, it's an OLD saying!

I have a service come in once a month to do things that I can't. They are not there to do light cleaning or tidying and I don't waste their time. I greatly appreciate the work that they do for me.

I have a team of three come once a month, and it really helps. I've always cleaned my own house, but as I have gotten older, the house seems to have gotten bigger! If nothing else, they are a godsend for scrubbing floors and cleaning both kitchens, plus 4 of the bathrooms (I clean the guest suite myself, as it is seldom used). They do a good job, and my in-between cleaning is minimal. Stan teases me about "cleaning before the cleaners come", but I like everything tidy, as it makes it easier for them to do a good job--there is very little "clutter", as we pick up things as we go. I started having the house cleaned last fall because I was having major surgery; then it was hard to give them up. (The pictures are often crooked, but that's easy to fix.)

We're Diy'ers, DH and do it all ourselves and work well as a team doing it. It's just the of us, the dog along with a couple of cats and our house is under 2000 sf so a manageable size. The idea of having some one come in and clean sounds nice and I have no problem hiring help for things we can't do, but to hire for something we're perfectly capable of doing isn't for us.

May I ask what people pay for cleaners for a day? Here, it is almost $600 w/tips for two women -- single visit, not regular or contracted for X times a year. Our house is 2900 sq ft w/3.5 baths. Floors are hardwood or tile throughout. Area rugs. Not packed w/furniture or knick-knacks. No 'Housekeeper' chores, no windows -- just cleaning.

$600? That seems really high. How long does it take them? How thorough are they? One time or deep cleanings are always more but that seems excessive unless they are scrubbing down every surface, like ceiling fans and window blinds and baseboards. Those often aren't covered in regular house cleanings.

We're pricing out bi-weekly cleanings and it's looking to be about $100 each visit, but our home is smaller at 2,100 sq ft. I live in Southern California and there are a lot of cleaning services so the competition keeps the prices down.

chisue, it might depend on where you live. You didn't specify that detail. I do know that you pay much more for one single cleaning. It's a lot less if you are on a contract for weekly or every other week. Our service is not a national chain..just a woman who hires ladies to work for her. She trains them, and they do a good job of cleaning. They rarely put things back, but it's OK. It's the same 4 girls every time unless one is sick. They are here about 1.5 hours each time.

There is MUCH more to clean on a one time deal, but when they come regularly it's simply upkeep for them. Mine rotate cleaning the ceiling fans and windows.

My house is similar to yours in size, but our floor coverings vary. Kitchen and entry are tile. Pub is wood look laminate. Carpet in living room, bedrooms and stairs. I pay $95.00 every other week (no tips) for 4 girls. They bring their own supplies. The tips they take (with joy) are excess fruit from our fig and citrus orchards and magazines I have read.

They can do a much better job of cleaning if the clutter is put away before they get there.

My long-time house cleaner would just stack the clutter in a prominent spot in the room as she found it ... slowly she trained us to be neater.

Cost ??? We paid our house cleaner $20 an hour and she was there for 3 hours every other week. (she had her own LLC, so no social security issues)

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NOTE: She did NOT manage to deep-clean the entire house the first three hours! She thoroughly cleaned the MBR, MBR's bath, and the kitchen and gave the rest a quick once-over. The second visit, the previously cleaned rooms got maintenance and a bit more got deep cleaning.

It took about 6 visits before everything was up to her standards and we were into maintenance mode.

She also took on one occasional task a visit, such as washing all the woodwork, or windows ... whatever had not been done in a while.

Prior to the service, we did have a few one time Molly Maid cleanings. We host a Super Bowl party annually for our Fantasy Football group, so the Maids got hired. For our big house it was only $300 cost for a one time deal.

We have a weekly house cleaner approx 5-6 hours and pay $100. House is 3600 sq. feet, but we tell her to avoid certain rooms (formal living, dining and guest) unless we specifically ask. She's great. We declutter weekly before her visit. It's good discipline for us and makes her job easier. It is soooo nice to come home from work to a sparkling clean house after she has been here!

Two people, an hour and a half, 2100sq ft., $100, once a month. More than anything they are kind and trustworthy people, and I appreciate their hard work very much.

They are there to only clean and not pick up after you as they are only there for certain time and that means things won't get all done then, so pick up and make sure they can vaccum, dust, wash floors and do those things.

Maybe keep a bin and put clutter in it if it keeps piling up and that way at least its all in one spot that can be picked up and moved out of the way.

Cleaning bathrooms too, clutter out of the way to wipe down counters,etc.

My parents had cleaners, they went through both cleaning company but found doing that you get different ones all the time and they weren't good that way. But then they got a private cleaner and she was great but couldn't dust due to clutter and didn't have time to remove it so stayed that way and didn't get dusted. It cost to have extras and more time needed to do all of that.

Make sure too if you leave the house while its being cleaned, make sure all valuables, etc. that they can't get at all is safe and locked up, don't leave purse, wallet or cheques, just be careful these days.

And show them exactly what you want done so they know, my mother just left them but never showed them how to work their beam as you had to hold the flap when you pulled out the hose and let the air go out and then shut it and they kept breaking it all the time and upset my dad something else.

kathy

when my moher was in her mobile home she had a "cleaner" come in about every 3 weeks. she'd have her do the things she couldn't. as she was alone. it ended up being vac, cleaning out the cabinets, anything that needed a stepstool, ect. but the more she came the better friends they became and ended up some cleaning and more chatting, going to luch ect...when she moved it was really hard and mother's next lady actually cleaned, ect...my mom wasn't a "keeper" so wasn't worried about clutter... I was just delighted she had someone checking on her as we lived so far away....once with the first lady I was able to call her to check on my mother when she got a horrible case of the flu...it was wonderful as she had keys, and was able to get her to the dr's...

with any stranger in your home, i'd probably have anything very personal put away (like bills, checks, ect, in the usual spots top of desk) enjoy! dh would never think of doing that!!!

We have not needed scheduled cleanings so far -- DH and I can still keep up with kitchen and baths, vacuuming, dusting. We wet mop the floors a few rooms at a time -- mostly kitchen, breakfast room, back hall and bathrooms.

We have a window cleaner annually for the high archtops and small-pane windows on the north side of the house. Alternate years -- or 'as needed', he also does inside and 'between the glass' -- four sides of glass to clean. DH and I can do the low exteriors on east, west and south as needed.

I clean one end of the house at a time. It's newer, easy-maintenance. The central vac and the air cleaners on the furnaces are a big help. Two adult non-smokers don't create a lot of dirt.

Cleaning services must be more costly on the north shore of Chicago than they (evidently) are in the southwest. (Suzi -- Really? You are paying $16/hour per maid? How much does a maid get out of that? Guess it's better than working at McD's.) We pay a couple $100 per cleanout (includes "Housekeeping" chores) at our Maui condo -- 1000 sq ft including lanai, full kitchen, two baths.

I don't expect "Housekeeping" chores from Molly Maids. I expect them to do the same actual "House *Cleaning*" I do, plus: Wipe baseboards, door casings and window sills; wipe all case goods (tops, sides, fronts, backs); wipe chair legs: take upholstered pieces apart and vacuum all surfaces; scrub shower walls and other bathroom tile; wipe kitchen cabinet fronts. I wish they would clean ceiling fixtures, but they aren't permitted to 'climb', so DH or the window cleaner do those.

Two hard-working women were here for seven/eight hours when I spent the $600 (including $20 tips to each woman). They didn't break or ruin anything. They used my Bon-Ami and not abrasives, as I asked. They didn't leave dirty corners. They just *cleaned* what I wanted cleaned. I knew they were bonded and insured, and that the agency was responsible for their Soc. Sec. withholding/legal status.

One other thing will probably keep me doing my own cleaning as long as I can. Neither DH nor I like having someone underfoot, and I'm not comfortable leaving the house while a worker is in it.