does anyone have a cleaning crew?

[hunterjumper999]

I wanted to say cleaning lady but felt that was sexist lol.


I am toying with the idea of hiring someone a few times a year- monthly if it's reasonable enough.

My question is do i bother finding someone who will clean up after 6 dogs and a cat ? I would vacuum first but I still think thats alot of mess. I basically want them before we have house guests so that I give the illusion of having it together.

Do i just hire one of those move in /out crews a few times a year?


I really just want the bathrooms and rooms we don't frequent scoured- plus the tile floor in our living/kitchen area deep cleaned ( grout cleaning) . the rest is a basic go over and vacuum and mop. Quotes seem to range from the so cheap I am scared to call back ( 35.00) to the somewhat excessive ( 375.00).

better yet, someone come over and teach me how to clean! no matter how i do it its never good enough for my parents when they visit!

 

[joedie]

I did until I cut back working to 2 days/week. Now I don't really have an excuse. Charge was $10/hr and she came once a week but she really cleaned! Cabinets, base moulding and usually took about 3 hrs.

 

[bargain]

Honey, I used to clean for days before my mother arrived and as she walked in the house with her windex, lysol and other cleaning goods in a bucket, I said to self, why bother??? And she would say sweet things like oh I see you haven't had time to clean, well I'll help you!!!!!

So best yet get a crew for the heavy stuff, move the sofa, vacuum sofa drapes, clean bathrooms, etc........Or another trick when we had a house for sale, i would clean the "extra rooms and" keep the door shut so no clutter was dumped there.

Remember they're there to see you, not the house.....I would say an intense job would be around $225 to $250.....IF the house is roughly 1700 square feet.....Yes, I can do that for you, If you come and clean our house....Smile!

Look for the thread on cleaning I had eons ago, and I promise that once you read it you won't feel nearly so bad!

 

[Sjisty]

I have a woman who comes once a week for 3 hours. It's wonderful to have a clean house. I'm not the best housekeeper, and she is well worth her $36 per week!

 

[bargain]

Sjisty great price! very good. I have a friend with a cleaning service, but she refuses to give me a quote...for real.......

Okay found the thread............here's for smiles:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=249076&p=1

I am not responsible for some of gagworthy photos!

 

[hunterjumper999]

yeah, i understand and I'll look up your thread - It's more that we just argue and argue prior to visits because all I want to do is clean and DF can't take it anymore after a day or so. I really can't clean all that well. I end up making a huge mess cleaning a room or two and never finish everything all at once. I can only keep 2-3 areas clean at once.


It would REALLY help to find someone who could get the stuff that I usually neglect ( baseboards, windows, dusting) during my usual sweep mop daily routine.


anyone want to come pour a concrete slab so some of these dogs can get out of the house a few hours a day?!

and my dad, yeah he usually doesnt say anything about the house- BUT- his new thing is the dogs are destroying the house. . . which they are to some degree but it would be nice if it were not obvious when he comes.

my mother on the other hand- i dont think she means harm but all she does is complain . last time i finally put my foot down and sent her packing. its one thing to want to help- another to disrespect both DF ( uncalled for) and myself( well, its my mother so more allowable) in OUR home, call us slobs and rand rave cry and scream till we clean for DAYS with only a few hours of sleep inbetween. I mean, my house is cluttered and lived in but not NASTY . I think the rant that time was that the dogs go outside and can step in poop and then bring the poop inside, on the couch wherever. . . give me a break. i did not inform her that I do not wash my eggs

mom comes at xmas. i have time to prepare.

 

[babylady4]

I am so with you on this! Even with 4 kiddos, if MOM is not home to direct traffic the cleaning would never get finished! Right now I am down to one day a week when I am not working and have the whole day to clean but somehow I have a million other things to do during that time...........

Very frustrating.....

 

[chics in the sun]

I was just thinking that I am going to hire a housekeeper again. I have to increase my hours by 5/ week, so I may just pay for a cleaning person again. I'm not a bad housekeeper, exactly, but I'm not a good one by any means, and the increased work comes with a good enough raise I just might do it. I know what you mean by the neglected stuff, like windows and baseboards and whatnot. I barely find time for the regular cleaning!
Six dogs is A LOT to keep up after. How often do you sweep/ mop? Your mom sounds a bit dramatic, but I gotta admit I would be concerned about dog poop on the couch. Was there really dog poop on the couch, or was she just afraid there WOULD BE dog poop on the couch? Do you clean up the yard? I'm just brainstorming here to help you keep things cleaner so it doesn't end up overwhelming you and upseting your parents, which it kind of sound like it is right now.
This is why I don't have dogs.......

 

[hunterjumper999]

ha, no the dogs do not poop indoors at all- unless we have a puppy at the time- and I micromanage them enough where every one of the 3 puppies we've had in this house has had < 5 accidents indoors period. My mom is just nuts and thinks this way-

poop happens outside ( chicken, dog squirrel whatever) dogs walk in yard, woods ect. poop sticks to feet. dogs come inside and on the couch at some point- poop transfers.

minute tiny particles of poop, i'd be distressed over a giant smear of it ANYWHERE in the house!


seriously.


I do no less than a daily sweep of the 'common' ( thus dog accessed) rooms... Kitchen, livingroom, dining room ( only because the cat box is in there and i always spill during the daily scoop) halllway.

I mop no less than 3x a week usually. But usually only the kitchen/living room tile . . .I do the wood floors once a week. we have no carpet. When i mop it is with a strong chemical cleaner, while I would like to go all natural i dont because of the animal level inside.

I clean the yard majorly weekly. The dogs only go in the front yard ( which, for all purposes should be the back yard because we only USE the back yard and back porch and never even open the front door). They usually only go there once at night when i leash walk them, if they are free they go in the woods ( YAY!) . I spot pick up daily if im hand walking more.

I live for my dogs- my parents dont get that the things i giveup to keep them i am ok with. my mom lives alone. . . no animals. she takes her shoes off in the garage and keeps slippers in the mudroom. the shoes ( or paws) in the house freaks her out i guess.

 

[gritsar]

In my previous life, when I was working 80 hour weeks in our business, taking care of a disabled husband and trying to keep a spotless house, my ex insisted that I have a maid.
That lasted about three weeks. I was wearing myself out the day before the maid's weekly visit, cleaning house so that no one i.e., the maid, would see my dirty house.

After that little experiment I just started taking Mondays off from the business to give myself a whole day to devote to the house.