Qs about hiring a housekeeper

[d0nnivain]

I put this here because I think it would help my well being. Please move it if it's in the wrong place.

 

 

Anyway, I know DH & I could benefit from a housekeeper. I suck at cleaning; DH has little time & our house is messy. Things, including my mental health, are better when we're in a less cluttered environment.

 

 

My Q is more about the invasive nature of somebody cleaning your house. I have worked with organizers but I was home at the time. Is it weird because having somebody know those secrets seems . . . intimate? Does this person just clean or do they do laundry too? Does it depend on what you pay for? Do you let them wash "unmentionables?"

 

 

Also what do you do with valuables? DH & I talked about getting a safe, especially for my jewelry. I imagine I'd feel better about somebody in the house if I knew the valuables were locked up.

 

 

When hiring somebody what Qs did you ask? Did you hire somebody to do a background check?

[carhill]

Presuming an individual, not a corporation, you'd be 1099'ing them anyway so W9 them and run a credit check. Their TIN will help in authenticating them as legal and having a modicum of responsibility, or not.

 

IMO, if you don't trust them to be in the house as it is now, don't hire them.

 

I did a bit of what you propose, though the person wasn't primarily a housekeeper, rather a caregiver, but had similar access and freedom and she did some housekeeping tasks as part of her job. Had her for four years, three days a week and never a problem. She was referred by a family member who had hired her for a similar type job, bringing up the value of personal referral from trusted friends or family members or business colleagues.

 

As far as valuables, if you normally secure them, secure them. If not, not. During my stint as employer, the house didn't change at all, jewelry was where jewelry was, including that worn by my mom everyday, guns were where they were for 50 years, legal documents where they were, on and on. Nothing changed, nothing was touched, life went on. Your situation may be different.

 

If you're not sufficiently concerned to not hire someone but are concerned in general, a couple of keyhole cameras should suffice to prove out or allay those concerns. I never did that but friends have with their domestic help. No reports of problems that I've heard.

[truthtripper]

It would be best and give you more peace of mind, to hire someone from an agency. It will be more expensive though. I have a chronic medical condition and receive domestic services at a reduced cost from my local council. I've had no problems so far.

[angel.eyes]

I go through an agency, but requested someone specific based on feedback from friends I trusted. If they're coming through an agency, they are typically bonded and insured. The agency is also responsible for taking care of income tax withholding and reporting. The agency has to do a background check before they can be bonded and insured under the agency's insurance policy, I believe.

 

Bear in mind a housekeeper/maid will clean. If you have clutter, that's on you to sort and organize. They have no idea what papers or things are important, and which belong in the trash. They'll put that stuff in neat piles somewhere, but it's up to you to go through it unless you want growing piles everywhere.

 

In terms of other activities besides cleaning, that's up to you to discuss and reach agreement with the person and the agency. Many of my friends have their housekeepers buy groceries, watch the kids, cook, etc. As a single, childless person who eats out every day, I don't need any of that that. Cleaning for me includes doing my laundry. Laundry is pretty standard. I specifically instruct them not to touch the kitchen aside from cleaning the kitchen floors.

 

In terms of stuff developing legs? Hasn't happened yet, and I've used maid service since I was in grad school. Even if it happened, that's why you have home insurance. Mine covers everything...not that I've needed it so far.

[angel.eyes]

Anyway, I know DH & I could benefit from a housekeeper. I suck at cleaning; DH has little time & our house is messy. Things, including my mental health, are better when we're in a less cluttered environment.

 

By the way if the main issue is clutter and messiness, hire an organizer. He or she will help you deal with that and work with you to set up a system to prevent its recurrence.

 

If those are your primary concerns rather than dust bunnies, and you hire a maid, the dirt will be gone. But you'll still live in a messy, cluttered (but clean) home.

 

Be clear on what it is you want out of getting someone to help you.

[d0nnivain]

We have done extensive renovations over the last 2 years. Before embarking on that we hired a professional organizer who de-cluttered our house. As I look around now there are some dishes, baking pans & a few groceries out because I'm a "dropper" I don't always put things away. There are papers scattered about. It would be helpful for someone to put them in piles. I could become disciplined enough to deal with piles, especially if somebody else could wrap & throw out newspapers & magazines. I know part of the answer is I need to find a place for a shredder so I can deal with the mail the day it comes in the house.

 

 

I would really like somebody who cleaned the bathrooms, swept the floors & vacuumed the carpets & maybe threw a load of laundry in once in a while.

 

 

To start I'm thinking about getting somebody once per month then seeing how that goes / handling the expense.

[angel.eyes]

First, you always pay significantly more for the first cleaning than for subsequent cleanings, which are maintenance. It's generally cheaper to have someone come in every week. If it's once a month, the assumption is they'll be starting from scratch each time, rather than maintaining a clean house.

 

I'm curious. Did the organizer you hired work with you to develop a viable system for you, so that seemed almost automatic and natural? It's the difference between feeding a hungry person fish and teaching that individual how to fish and feed himself. It sounds as if part of the problem would disappear if you had better habits.

 

Clutter typically comes from delaying what you have to do anyway. Rather than dealing with something once, you're dealing with it two or more times. Then your overwhelmed by the amorphous piles and not quite sure how to get rid of the piles in an orderly fashion, so it becomes a time-consuming ordeal that you avoid and put off until you can't take it anymore and are fed up. It's a vicious circle. Add to that, the time wasted searching for things you need in the clutter.

 

I realize you're asking about maid service, but I would also suggest working on the underlying reasons for the clutter in the first place. For starters, you can Google Gretchen Rubin. She has a number of best selling books and, in addition to her blog and podcasts, tons of helpful videos available on You Tube. She's a big proponent of outer order contributes to inner calm, but conveys her advice in a way that's entertaining, well-researched, and easy to implement. I suspect you'll find her helpful.

[Tayla]

Ask to have them bonded. Your home insurer will thank

You.

 

I worked private home cleaning. Thru safe referrals. Trust me, we were as "concerned" about our job safety and security as you the home client.

 

No we didn't do laundry. That got sent out thru a service. There was no way we were going to be accountable for a shirt that got blended in with the darks.

 

The service contract covered what specifically was to be done. Who covered the supplies and how much time was allotted to the task.

 

With technology, many of these homes had house security cams... So we smiled since we were on candid camera!

 

any room that had highly sensitive documentation had to be secured. It was on them to have a locked area...

 

I personally prefer the word of mouth referrals.. That's how ppl entrusted.

[No_Go]

I got a cleaning lady by friends' referral. She usually cleans the whole space in 4 h or so (I have moved places and always get back to her).

 

She'd do laundry for extra money but I prefer to do it myself. Like any professional, she doesn't care what you ask her to clean as long as you pay appropriately for the service.

 

So just once or twice a month with her makes my life so much more manageable - the rest of the cleaning in between is cosmetic.

 

If you have expensive jewelry yes, lock it. I don't but still don't dare living her alone in the house... I stay at home while she's cleaning. Even with referral it won't hurt running a background check.

 

 

I put this here because I think it would help my well being. Please move it if it's in the wrong place.

 

 

Anyway, I know DH & I could benefit from a housekeeper. I suck at cleaning; DH has little time & our house is messy. Things, including my mental health, are better when we're in a less cluttered environment.

 

 

My Q is more about the invasive nature of somebody cleaning your house. I have worked with organizers but I was home at the time. Is it weird because having somebody know those secrets seems . . . intimate? Does this person just clean or do they do laundry too? Does it depend on what you pay for? Do you let them wash "unmentionables?"

 

 

Also what do you do with valuables? DH & I talked about getting a safe, especially for my jewelry. I imagine I'd feel better about somebody in the house if I knew the valuables were locked up.

 

 

When hiring somebody what Qs did you ask? Did you hire somebody to do a background check?