The best way to get someone good is from a personal recommendation. Start asking friends, neighbors, coworkers etc.

I have two women who come every other week. The two of them can clean my home in an hour and a half. This is because I do not have clutter. Most surfaces are clear, with some having a few things displayed. I have taken it upon my self to make sure all bath mats are up in all 3 bathrooms and all trash and wastebaskets are empty.

I have a small home. Since there are just two of us now, two of the bathrooms stay pretty pristine.

Sometimes three people will come and I assume it is because she added another house to clean on that day.

They bring their own vacuum and feather duster, but I provide clean rags and all the cleaning supplies.

When I first called "R" to request her service, she came first to a meet and greet. She explained what she does and then asked me what price. I knew how much a service cost to clean a similar home across the street, and I knew what my friend paid and her house was huge, so I suggested a price I thought was fair and she agreed.

All said I am very happy not to do this chore myself. I have always hated house cleaning, just the added stress of knowing that it has to be done was annoying to me.

Out of curiosity Igmd... How long does it take you to do a twice a month cleaning like what you are expecting out of a housekeeper?

If it takes you say, 5-6 hours to do all the cleaning you want done, then it's not likely even 2 gals will get it done in 1 1/2 hours. If it usually takes you 3-4 hours, then it's not so unreasonable to think 2 gals can get it done in 1 1/2, maybe 2 hours.

And you might want to check into using a reputable local service for your cleaning needs.

I have a wonderful mother and daughter cleaning team. I only get cleaning people from personal references, from friends and family and neighbors. I have found one of the best sources is the next door forums. That's where I got these ladies. Check out the your nextdoor.com it's a great resource for so many things. There's a section for recommendations where we can post the best of multiple categories. Like cleaning, doctors, ac and heat, plumbing etc

My 2 ladies do a great job, I think in this house, which is smaller, they spend 2. 5 to 3 hours. They bring their own supplies. They use my vacuum at my request. They have a mop head specific to my house which gets washed and dried. I prefer this so I know pet hair and dirt from another house is not being spread around in my house.

I started that practice when a former cleaning lady had wet mopped my white tile and it was covered with curly black dog hair from the previous house. Plus it controls the allergins.

I don't allow dusters. They just spread the dust and it settles back and causes me to sneeze.

For those who asked/responded... This is a ranch home 7 rooms (including bath room and combo laundry bath). I asked around for refs, but all the recommendations were well booked. So I answered an add posted regularly in the newspaper. It is called "Queen Of Kleen L C" claiming professional cleaners. If you google it, you will find the name listed in different parts of the country, so I figured it was probably a franchise type of business. But I can't find what I believe would be a 'home office'. A lot of connections through Facebook, but I don't do Facebook.

On my initial call the woman who said that she was the 'owner' of the business gave me a quote of $70. for 5 rooms as I was not including a bedroom and the computer room. I was given an appointment for my first cleaning 10 days away. I called her in 6 days and asked to include the other 2 rooms and warned her that there were quite a few knickknacks. She said no problem and raised the price to $9o. Fair enough I told her and that if she needed more time than originally scheduled, we could reschedule. Again she said no problem. She in fact was the one who came to clean along with her helper.

I did not check their work before paying...didn't think I needed to. After all they were "professional cleaners" right? When they arrived, I took them through each room, explaining what I wanted was a good dusting of all furniture and fixtures, vacuuming of carpeting and moping of bare floors.

They brought all their own equipment/supplies. I saw nothing other than an upright vacuum, no attachments for it, and 2 buckets with various things in them that I couldn't see...but nothing long handled, no feather duster. I was appalled at how much duster spray she used. 3 good shots of it on the top of a 40" long by 8" deep bookcase . The 3 items on it weren't moved. They are round, so wiping around them easy, but all that spray was barley wiped into the surface. The 2 lower shelvs weren't touched. I didn't expect her to move the books, but she should have dusted in front of the books where the dust could been seen and have been easily cleaned up. The same all through the house. No attention to detail.

In the past, with my DH and I working together, I would say it took about 3 hours to clean the whole house on a twice monthly schedule. Touch ups were done in between general cleanings, of course. These days I can no longer do much at all other than some dusting where I can reach while using a walker. Of course in that 3 or so hours we would putter around with clearing up some unnecessary clutter etc. When the Queens of Kleen stepped in for the first time, the whole house was neat as a pin...no clutter, garbage cans were empty etc. Waiting for them to work.

I did not check their work before paying...didn't think I needed to. After all they were "professional cleaners" right?

Wrong. Always check work from folks you don't yet know well. If you see from the beginning that work is not to your specs, let them know then.

Good house cleaners are hard to find.

I am still able to do my own housekeeping because my house is nearly new and it is only me living here. But right after the build was completed, I needed some extra help deep cleaning left over Sheetrock dust etc. I had Amish builders and I used a couple of his daughters. Man, even if they were only 14 and 16, they knew how to clean! They scrubbed my hardwood and tiles on their hands and knees until it shone. Their mother had taught them well!

Me too Terilyn, I have never had a housecleaner and doubt I ever will, just not my thing.

I've been meaning to hire one for 4 years! Our house needs a very deep cleaning. I'd rather work and pay for it than do it myself.

As much as i TRY to support self employed people or small businesses, for a cleaning service i would recommend a large chain like Merry Maids. There is better training and more recourse of you are not happy with their work. It takes me 3-4 hours every week to clean my house the way i want it. The only "touch ups" in between are when i clean the kitchen after a meal. I hate cleaning, but i would be really uncomfortable for me to have someone else doing it. I dont even like SO helping me.

I don’t mind deep cleaning as much as I mind strangers in my house touching my “stuff”. Not judging, it’s just not for me. LOL.

I've used Merry Maids on and off for 10 years. DH insists on a company that has bonded and insured employees. Merry Maids is owned by Service Master. The manager calls after each cleaning to check to make sure that I'm satisfied - if not, they'll send someone back. And they are willing to honor my requests. For instance I have told them I want a new bag in their vacuum cleaner, the mop head should be clean, they need to dust or wipe in the direction of the grain etc.

My current cleaner is the best I've ever had and I am very particular - no polish on any furniture, no spray dusting product, no Windex, no chemicals on my new hardwood floors, and I supply my own products for my Quartzite and marble counters, Bona for the wood floors, Kohler brand cleaner for the 3 Kohler sinks, and Method for the glass.

Chi, for us, it's not about deep cleaning. It's just about house cleaning, period. It's something neither of us like to do and for many years, we didn't want to spend our limited spare time doing it. We have more time now but still don't like doing it.

We used a variety of people and then one family for about 20 years until the quality/reliability started to plummet along with an unwarranted and excessive price increase. We found another through a friend a few years ago and we're very happy with them.

Anyone who will work hard cleaning our house and "stuff" is welcome to touch anything they want. Not only welcomed, but thanked and paid well.

I have cleaning lady come in for 3 hours and pay her $90.00. She does a fantastic job everytime and I supply her Norwex products to use to clean as I don't allow bleach, furniture polish, windex etc in my home.

Finding good help is very hard. Yes, I'm still frustrated with my cleaning woman. I know what to tell her TO DO, but have to try to imagine what she might come up with and then tell her what NOT to do! And she still refused to move anything on the round table right next to the chair where I sit a good deal of the day. She always moves the pile of magazines on the front of the table, but never moves the framed pictures aside or then scoots over the lamp - all are dusty on the table top. It's not going to change. I've made my peace with this as I have no other option.

Elmer, I should clarify that my house needs a deep cleaning and then we will start a bi-weekly schedule! I admit we haven't maintained the house like we should. For instance, the kitchen area needs a hands-and-knees scrubbing due to years of usage. A regular mop won't get it all - I've tried.

chi, that was why I said "For us". Some tasks and maintenance items are all to easy to put off or ignore, but after doing so it can be a lot of work to catch up, of course.

One of the "perks" here is a house cleaner once a week for 45 minutes. Not very long, but I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment. I lucked out with an excellent worker. She is not allowed to dust, but sweeps and mops kitchen and both bathrooms, cleans counter and stove tops, cleans showers, counters, toilets. Vacuums bedrooms and living room. Empties trash. She is systematic and accomplishes a lot in the time.

Once, when she was away, they hired a "professional" who came nearly two hours early, was here less than 20 minutes, some of which was spent telling me that she had her own cleaning service. She did so little that the next week I told the management not to bother sending her. I'd hate to be paying her "service."

I have sometimes hired others for bigger jobs, but the place looks pretty nice when my weekly cleaner has finished.

Good luck. When both my husband and I were working full time we tried 2 private cleaning ladies and a cleaning company. The worst was the private cleaning ladies. Heaven forbid they would have to pick up something to dust under it. One thought a vacuum was a really a battering ram. The cleaning company did the best job.

The last time that I hired a 2 person crew (found through the previous incarnation of Home Advisor) one ruined the finish on the range hood by spraying it with oven cleaner, while the other one (I later realized) rummaged through my belongings and stole my mother's wedding band when she was supposedly wiping the woodwork in the bedroom. Never again!

Thanks to all for your input. It hasn't been long ago that DH said that he would never hire outside help for cleaning, but back issues caused him to reluctantly change his stand on that. The ones we hired did say they were insured and bonded, but we did lock up anything that we felt could lead to big trouble if it fell into the wrong hands.

I am going to try to contact Merry Maids. Haven't seen any mention of it around here, but will try. I am also a member of the local online 'next door'. Will try checking there for a local recommendation. We are new at this sort of thing, don't know what we should expect. But...will try again, don't have any choice if we want the relatively clean home we are used to.

When you hire a company like Merry Maids, you should get a list of all services covered. I am not sure if you will get the same people each time or if they just send whatever team is available. I would find this out.

I would prefer a private company rather than a chain as I hear the workers get very little for the work they do.

But, you have to go with what is available. As already mentioned, I would go through your house after they leave and inspect the work. If it is not satisfactory then you need to explain what they missed to the supervisor.

Do you talk to any close by neighbors? Sometimes they like theirs so much they want to help them get more work in the area. I know that my housekeeper groups her clients and therefore really isn't flexible on what day she comes. She once mentioned my name was listed under a different town which probably means these are the ones she does together.

Once you get used to having this service, it would be very hard going back.

My rental property manager loves this particular cleaning company. I have now forbidden her to ever use them again. :0) Instead of cleaning/vacuuming the kitchen shelves, they threw out the lifetime clear plastic shelf liners....that I'd paid $100 for and spent several hours cutting to size. They also threw out the pretty shower curtains, curtain rings and extra heavy liners. Geez! Only $220 to get treated like that! (edited)

I had had good service from the Molly Maid franchise in my area to come in a couple times a year: Two women, 4 hours, $185. I tipped each woman.

This year I ordered a deep clean to be completed after we'd had drywall work done and before we returned from Maui. I set no time limit; just get it clean before I arrive home with my sinus and asthma issues! The house was stripped down for the painters -- no knick-knacks, no pictures on the walls. Their work merited a D- for just a general, weekly job.

I complained. There was a delay due to Easter week, but the following Monday a supervisor came, agreed that little had been done, and returned with a helper the next day to thoroughly clean the house. All charges were waived. I will use the service again.

I don't want 'new friends'. I don't want to hear a cleaner's woes or her life stories. I just want my house cleaned, and the cleaner must want the job since she signed up for the work. It's not hard labor!

I never thought I needed regular cleaning help when I was younger, but things change. I still don't need frequent help for a newer, one-floor 2900 sq ft home.

Chi -- if you don't know to wipe chair rungs and legs...call now to HIRE a deep clean from a franchise. De-clutter and lock up valuables. Watch what they do, then don't procrastinate about *keeping up*. It's not difficult to keep up. It only becomes overwhelming if you don't.

$220 for shower curtain, rings and a liner???

Chisue, I think housecleaning although not hard labor, is hard. One (of many) reasons why I wanted a house cleaner was because after I was done scrubbing the bathrooms, my hands actually hurt.

I appreciate that there are people who want to do this work and are serious about it. I do not leave a key as I I have a dog that I have to remove from the house when they come. I let them in and leave the cash on the kitchen counter. I say hello and leave. My only small issue is that although I know they will come every other Monday afternoon, the time can change. She might also text and say, "Okay if I come at 12:30?" and not come until 1:00 or 1;30. But I work along with her because I like the work she does.

I agree to not get too personal and to keep the relationship businesslike. The only time I might know something about her life is if she has to change a day because of a special event that she needs to attend.

Nicole, I can't imagine house cleaners taking it upon themselves to actually throw things out! I give my dog the tuna can to lick out and he leaves it under the dining table. If I forget about it, they will pick it up and leave it on the counter. They do not assume anything is garbage.

Lukki, I used to find it strange too. But, what stuff are they touching? Wiping the surfaces off? Dusting knick-knacks? Touching the wastebaskets? I wouldn't have anyone do my laundry.

DH didn't want them in his office, so that room they don't touch.

Lol, thanks, Chisue. I do know how to clean, though admittedly I don't regularly clean the chair rungs. We don't live in filth. And of course keeping up with the cleaning helps. I don't find it difficult to keep up but I do find it unpleasant and I'd rather not clean myself.

I agree with eld that cleaning is hard. It's very physical, and considering how many people here hire cleaners because they can't do it themselves is telling to how strenuous it can be.

I've never had the luxury of a house cleaner. Dh is convinced they all steal. We have known people who have had their things so stolen so no go here.

I find some houses easier to clean than others. This house is a pain to clean. It's a Texas McMansion with 18-20 feet rooms and lots of tile and grout. They caulked in ways I had never seen done before . It attracts and holds dust. With a house full of people and pets, nothing ever stays clean.

I have no problem with people "touching my stuff" if they're going to clean it! Haha. Not poking fun at those that do have a problem with it, just indicating that I hate house cleaning and people can touch anything they want as long as it's clean after.

Jasdip....$220 was for the house cleaning. lol which really wasn't cleaning....they threw things out, vacuumed and left. A 3 person crew.

eld6161....I've never had that happen before either. At first I thought they'd stolen anything not nailed down...but it was ALL in the garbage can on the curb.

That's very strange. Did they say why?

I'm not saying house cleaning isn't tiring. It's not *easy*, but it's a far cry from hard labor. Being a cleaner/janitor has been the first step on the ladder for many people, especially immigrants. At least the franchises train new hires and are responsible for taxes -- and you have a manager to go to if there is a problem. My 'fix' took longer than I liked, but I was impressed with how it was eventually handled -- with some PUSH from my end.

Chi -- I would be astounded if you lived in a tip! However, but you said things had gotten too far out of hand for you to want to spend the hours getting back to where you could just 'keep up'. Call for help now and stop letting this niggle at you. What's the worst *realistic* scenario?

When I said that things change, I was speaking to those who have never thought they needed a cleaner. It doesn't mean that you will never need one. *I* have changed from being able-bodied to where my hands will hurt just doing dishes. I can't do so many things I was accustomed to doing. DH helps a lot, but...I see more visits from Molly Maid in our future. (I remember being amazed when a maid asked if I wanted her to change my bed linens. That was two years ago. Today I need DH's help to do just that!)

"Dh is convinced they all steal"

This sounds like a stretch, to have an excuse to use. We've never experienced a theft at all, large or small, in >35 years of using house cleaners

But there's an easy fix. Most "valuables" are small. You can round them up and keep them locked in your car while the cleaners are working. Now, are there any other issues to consider?

Chisue, the biggest obstacle for why I haven't done it yet is my husband. He insists someone needs to be here at all times and he also wants the house spotlessly clean before they get here! It's like he's embarrassed for the cleaning crew to see a dirty house, lol.

I'm sure he will relax once he sees the benefits and gets to know them.

I have only had one theft and it was a person I knew personally. I found out later that she had gotten into drugs. I was surprised and unaware. I was letting her clean my house to help her out with her schooling costs. I learned a lesson.

I have never had a problem with theft since then. The ladies I have now love us so much they would never think of doing anything that would hurt us. They bring me flowers and gifts. They are taking us out for lunch this week for my birthday and anniversary.

You can always inspect what they leave the house with if you are so inclined I guess.

Chi, in the beginning, I stayed home. But, I soon realized that since I couldn't exactly follow them around, I would have to trust that they were honest.

Also Chi, yes to not having a total mess the first time they come. I agree with your DH, but spotless is not necessary. The first time my cleaners came, they charged more and it was for a deep cleaning to get the house up to what their standards.

DH is now onboard with them coming every other week.

I sure don't see 3 hours of cleaning as being "Slap-dash"! These are supposedly "professionals" and they should be a lot more efficient at doing the job than the average homeowner, if they're worthwhile.

The best way is still through referrals from people you know and trust. And you should interview them and check references just like hiring anyone else. Finding good cleaners is difficult. I was so happy to get my riding mower going again and be able to mow my own yard again. I had excellent people doing the mowing and I had total slugs. I didn't ask for much and often I didn't get much. I tried to keep the ones that were good but the best mowers were actually kids and they'd move on to school, another job or another location. Then it's back to square one. Same with snow shovelers/plowers, that it's difficult to find good ones. I always pay well and treat them well. Sometimes it pays off, but not always.

I have to hire things done these days a lot more than I used to. Physically not able to do the car maintenance anymore.

The one company I would NEVER use again is Merry Maids. I tried using their services about 15 years ago. They start with a deep cleaning, which is not unusual and I was certainly willing to pay the extra amount to get off to a good start.

After the initial deep cleaning, their next visit was satisfactory. They went downhill from there. At the time, I was working full-time and supplied them with a house key. They were supposed to have a certain number of people at each visit for a certain number of hours (three people for two hours, or something like that).

I did try cutting them some slack because I had a dog that shed a lot but otherwise, I was the only person in the household and I always made sure everything was picked up and tidy so they could concentrate on the cleaning itself. The quality of cleaning, though, was sub-par for the most part and varied visit to visit.

I finally discovered that some days only two or sometimes one person would show up for my cleaning. I also discovered that they were not staying for the entire amount of time they were supposed to spend at my house. At that point I discontinued their service.

I have recently been using The Maids. They also started with a deep cleaning and have been doing routine monthly cleanings for almost a year. I am very impressed with their service. I have the same team every time and the team leader is very thorough in checking the work of others on the team. My sister has been using The Maids for about 10 years and she also has one team (a different group than mine) that is assigned to her house. She is also very satisfied with their work.

Perhaps there is a difference in how the franchises are managed and that Merry Maids in my area just happens to suck.

As a cost reference, we pay $115 per cleanout at our Maui condo for an interior of 849 sq ft -- all tile flooring that has to be washed -- with 1BR, 2Baths, Kitchen, plus a 200 sq ft lanai with furniture and another 200 sq ft courtyard that needs to be swept. The work includes washing two walls of sliders and their screens. Kitchen and kitchen equipment and baths have to be spotless. It has to be done between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Need to lose weight? Try vacation rental condo cleaning.

I think cleaning IS hard labor if it's done right! I always hated doing it (and eventually hired a cleaner), but now it is physically impossible to do so.

Yes, I have had things stolen, My husband was doing math tutoring for a girl and asked her parents if they knew of any good cleaning help (we'd just moved and needed someone badly). They gave us the name of their cleaner and raved about her. She worked for me for about 3 months, and finally, before a party when I got out all the sterling flatware to polish it, I realized that she had stolen one entire place setting, probably one piece at a time. I would notice a piece was missing but though perhaps a plate had been taken out of the kitchen/dining room (against the rules in my family) and had the missing fork/spoon on it. My husband asked the people if they had had this problem, and they admitted that they're just fired her for stealing, too!

I have had workmen steal When we were doing major remodeling, the workmen arrived early one day and I was not quite ready for them, and left my "everyday" jewelry on my dressing table - frantic to get dressed. When they left that day, I could follow the footsteps of the drywall men down the hall and into my bedroom (they had no reason to be there). And yes, my jewelry was gone. One piece had tremendous sentimental value. I immediately called my GC, she spoke to the head of the drywall company. Of course, they all denied they had taken it and when confronted about the footprints, said they were looking for the bathroom (they walked right past it to get to my bedroom and yes, the door WAS open!). Couldn't prove anything, so nothing I could do. BTW, that "bonding" meant nothing if it could not be proven! My homeowner's insurance did pay, but the piece with sentimental value, was irreplaceable.

Since then, I have always kept my jewelry that I was not wearing locked up. No, it is not a lock that one could not jimmy, but it would damage the wood and be a bit obvious. When I leave town, the alarm is on and all jewelry that doesn't go with me is in the large safe (weighs about 700 pounds). I don't lock up all the silver, but if the time comes for me to have health care workers, I will have DD put all the silver in the safe. I do lock up any with major value or big sentimental value to me.

By the time they died, virtually all my mothers good friends had had all their silver and jewelry stolen piece by piece, by their caregivers. It is not unusual. I have friends who have had the same thing happen to their mothers/MIL's.

We're thinking of installing cameras within the house. Not for theft reasons but for general security and to keep an eye on the house and pets when we are out of town. Of course I would tell anyone working in the house about the cameras. I wonder if that would be a sufficient deterrent against theft. Though honestly we don't have anything worth stealing, outside of electronics and I'd notice if they yanked our huge tv off the wall. My silverware is all from Target. :) And my only expensive jewelry is on my hand.

As my dad aged and wanted to stay in his home, we hired a lot of in-home caregivers. I used a combination of aides hired through various professional services, as well as the occasional person I found through word of mouth and so I would pay those folks directly.

I would say roughly half the in-home caregivers had a problem with stealing. :-( So based on that experience over a few years, I wouldn't be surprised if the same problems exist in housekeeping services as well.

Don't tempt anyone. Secure your valuables (and and opiates) before you let any stranger into your house. If they don't see it they can't take it -- then or on a 'return visit'.

Mark, looks like this is a San Diego service only. I am In PA. I am still checking out some services in my area. I am using a local gal who does a good job in 1 1/2 hours, but really how much can one person do in that little time. So I am still looking.

igmd_gaz, can u hire her for longer than an hour and half? if she does a good job, then i would see if she can stay longer or come on different day when she has more time.

lgmd_gaz, Mark was a spammer. Be careful about clicking on links that are suspicious, some can be nasty to your computer or to your personal information.

I hired a cleaner temporarily years ago when I had hand surgery and needed the help. Later on when I wanted to resume I hired them permanently. I pay $90 for 2/3 of a 2200 s.f. House, as they don’t do two small upstairs bedrooms or bath. They clean LR, BR, 1.5 baths, DR, FR, Kitchen, breakfast area, and stairs. Three women come, it takes them about an hour. They move fast, and it helps that I clear away everything off the vanity and counters except toaster and coffeemaker and things that belong there. Papers and things are collected into a neat pile on the table, valuables are put away.

They dust with a swiffer which is OK with me, and move every object to dust under it. Everything that is not nailed down or too heavy is dusted and replaced at a slight angle, so I know they handled it including pillows, throws, items on the coffee table, etc. They supply their own vac and cleaning supplies except for the marble cleaner, trash bags, and paper towels, which I supply.

The owner’s English is pretty good, her husband calls me if there is something to discuss in more detail, the other ladies mostly speak Portuguese. I sometimes have had to tell them how I want things done, like barely damp mop on the hardwoods, only certain product on the marble, careful about scratching the stainless on the stove, etc. They are good about following my instructions and do a good job. I leave the door open if I’m out, and either leave or go upstairs and read or do some computer work to get out of their way while they work.

I trust them especially since the owner is with them. She’s been cleaning for me for at least ten years.

Once, back in the '90s, We had a really, really good house cleaner.

One day two men from our government walked into our home and took her away. They left her child in our living room. The kids grandmother had to come and get him.

This was several decades before the current kerfuffle.