does anyone have a cleaning crew?

[chickensducks&agoose]

I clean on Tuesdays (the day the babysitter comes) and thursdays (by then it's getting bad) and a little bit over the weekend. I LOVE the flylady Crisis Cleaning. I've got it on CD, and other than the whole SHOE business (who wears shoes in the house?!) I am a huge fan. She tells me what to do, in a sweet, loving tone, and tells me how proud she is of me. it makes me almost look forward to the experience. and yes, I know how sad that is.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Your best bet is to hire someone to come bi-weekly for awhile to "get things in shape."

Find an individual who is willing to teach you how to clean (although there is a website I have seen listed on here that is supposed to help--flylady.com?) One by one go through your empty rooms and deep clean them, while doing a light cleaning on the whole house.

Learn the difference between cleaning and tidying, and figure out where your problems are. My guess is tidying, and a lack of planned storage (or maybe I'm just seeing myself in your words: "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.").

At various times I have had housekeepers, and the two best ones were the ones who charged the least. One was a lady & sometimes her daughter at our last house, the other was a pair of ladies many years ago in my first house.

I had one service that "used their own products and equipement." Well, she used water, but no cleansers, not even soap, and it simply did not work. Not to mention that I don't think she bathed or used deodorant!

As for the dogs, get some heavy duty door mats to put on on either side of the door the dogs use to go outside, and perhaps set up a hose and scrub brush cleaning station for times when it is muddy. Keep the yard cleaned up daily while your parents are there. Maybe even train your dogs to use a certain part of the yard, preferably a nice walk through grass to get back to the house.

 

[True Grit]

We have a cleaner come once a week as we both have full time jobs and 3 dogs and fairly big house. She deep cleans each time and it takes 5 hours for which she charges 100 bucks. Well worth it to us as both of us dislike cleaning, ok well I dislike it, DH just doesn't do it. Keeps peace in the family on cleaning chores, that's for sure.

 

[Pelican49]

Quote:

This sounds like exactly what I would have done in my younger years. My house is cluttered and lived in. This new place is under 1000 Sq ft and my daughter and 2 Grands live with me now. Not to mention a cat and 2 big Boxers. Then, of course, there's a brooder in the diningroom with 38 chicks in it. I got over the whole neat house thing. As long as it's clean, I just don't care. If it offends visitors to have animals and birds in the house, they can just stay home. We're comfortable and that's all that matters.

 

[Whispering Winds]

I use to be fanatical about my house, worked full time and still managed to keep it "you could eat off my floors". Then, one day after one of the teenagers did something really stupid, and I was feeling guilt beyond belief about if only I had . . . I decided that no one ate off of the floor anyway, and if someone was coming to see me , then they would have to deal with a house that wasn't sparkling. I really went into a tailspin when two babies came to live with us (we still have DS) and then DH went out on disability. Talk about a ton of stuff to adjust too, literally overnight. . .now our adult DS has moved back home, and I have two more adorable but BUSY GD's every other week-end, and there goes my life again . . .

It's ok I deal with it, but I am never going to get that FR painted and my Thomas Kinkaid collection up. He will be gone and I will have REAL collectables.

My oldest GD can drive now, so I have actually kicked the idea around of having her come over once a month and just dust and vac the corners for me. That helps me tons when I don't see webs. I have them terrible this year, I suck them up and a month later they are back . . .this is unusual. . .wonder if it means a bad winter?

My mom and DH use to come over/home and NEVER saw what I had done all day (with 4 babies and a school age kid) only what I didn't get done. That still rankles within me.

Our house is getting older too, and things are starting to "go" so we are going to have to fix some things regardless of how much cleaning I do.

I feel that if you can afford it, GO for a cleaning lady. Just make sure its a discreet one!!

 

[Judy]

Quote:
If your primary motive is to avoid this, I would bet a lot it will never happen. Neither of my parents would have DREAMED of being so impolite. If I were a real pig, or a hoarder or something, they would have planned out something along the lines of an intervention.

If you want this for yourself and family, not just your parents, by all means, do it. I would ask around and use someone a friend uses, if possible.

Sounds like your parents will find something wrong even if you just spent $500 yesterday on a major cleaning service.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

maybe you can rent an apartment for 2 days, and pretend it's your house. Totally empty... might confuse 'em enough to get them off your back?

 

[NYboy]

My cleaning lady comes 2x a week. $60 a visit, I have no idea how long she is there, I am always at work. She will not do windows or wash walls.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I knew some people who had a great cleaning crew. They came for one saturday a month and did a DEEP clean of a huge 2500+ square foot house and only charged like $100.


I have been toying around with the idea of having someone cheap come once a month for the deep cleaning stuff... by bf's a neat freak! lol

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
If your primary motive is to avoid this, I would bet a lot it will never happen. Neither of my parents would have DREAMED of being so impolite. If I were a real pig, or a hoarder or something, they would have planned out something along the lines of an intervention.

If you want this for yourself and family, not just your parents, by all means, do it. I would ask around and use someone a friend uses, if possible.

Sounds like your parents will find something wrong even if you just spent $500 yesterday on a major cleaning service.

I have to agree. Perhaps your parents would be more comfortable in a hotel nearby, or you could all got visit them at Christmas? My folks were always VERY polite guests. The worst that ever happened was that they noticed a shortage of mixing bowls and got a beautiful set for me!

I think the hardest part is establishing the boundaries- this is OUR house and we live as we do of necessity and desire. WE will accomodate YOU as is possible, but WE cannot guarantee that it will be exactly as YOU want it. It's sometimes difficult to establish yourself as an adult in parent's eyes, and they often think they do what they do as a helpful kindness, not realizing the effect it has on you.

A friend once gave me some valuable advice, which may have to do with the other side of the coin here - she said "STOP apologizing, I wouldn't see any of that stuff if you didn't keep pointing it out by apologizing!"

Another friend: "I am coming to see YOU, not inspect your house!"

Yet another friend: "It will be fine."