So…this housekeeping thing. How does it work? Whether you’ve employed a housekeeper all your life or are considering hiring one for the first time, it can never hurt to brush up on the basics or to learn how to make your relationship with your housekeeper more satisfactory and productive.
Every housekeeper is different. There isn’t a school for us or a certification we can acquire. I would never assert that our way is the only way or even the best way – but it’s a pretty good way and we’re always looking for opportunities to improve! This blog will address some frequently asked questions about how we work at Healthy Housekeeping.
How should I respond when my housekeeper does something I don’t like or overlooks a task?
Tell us! Communication is the key to building a good relationship with your housekeeper. If we’ve missed a spot or if we’re doing something in a way you don’t like, we need you to let us know. We promise that we will not take it personally or be offended. What’s really awful to us is losing a client over something that could have been prevented! Every house is different and we’re bound to miss something on occasion. We also probably don’t know you personally, or how your household operates, and we may do things in a way that bothers or inconveniences you.
Sometimes, being only human, we’ll even do things that are downright stupid.
You may feel like you’re being nit-picky or over-critical by telling us where we’ve done things in a way you don’t like, but trust me, you’re not. We don’t care how small it is. In the long run, it’s much more satisfying to leave a house knowing that we’ve done a good job and that everyone is happy. And if you’re not comfortable talking to us about these things in person, feel free to leave a note or send an email!
My house is kind of messy. Will you still be able to clean it?
Most likely, yes! I’ve been in the housekeeping business for a long time, and I have never once walked out of a house because it was too messy. We will simply do our best to clean around and under any messes that we can – within a reasonable amount of time and effort. The average two to three bedroom house will take between two and four hours to clean, and first cleanings usually end up being on the longer side. We are prepared for first cleanings to take a little longer and we do not charge extra for this.
If you really feel that your house is too messy or too dirty to be cleaned in the normal amount of time, we do offer extended cleanings on an hourly basis. The hourly rate for these cleanings will be determined once we have seen the house and know what we’ll be working with. The circumstances in which this would be actually necessary, however, are pretty rare. We like to know when we’ve got a challenging clean ahead of us so that we can budget enough time to do it well, but don’t be surprised if we walk in and tell you that the regular rate will apply and that it’s not nearly so bad as you thought it was.
I have pets. Does that change anything?
We do not charge extra to clean houses with pets. We are fully prepared to deal with pet hair, food bowls, etc. We can also clean out litter boxes (this also includes emptying them entirely and rinsing them out with a hose, provided you have a hose that we can use) at a small extra cost. As far as pet messes in places where they don’t belong are concerned, as long as it doesn’t happen too often, we can go a bit out of our way in order to clean up any accidents that are bound to occur.
We usually don’t mind working in a house with pets inside, as long as they are not aggressive or particularly excitable. We think pets are great, but we’re generally going to try to be as boring and unresponsive as possible around your animals to minimize distractions.
If you will not be present for our cleaning, we ask that you let us know whether we can put dogs outside or kennel them while we are there in case they become bothersome. We will be happy to let them out or in when we leave. We also ask that, with large dogs, you be there to introduce us, or to simply keep them outside. We will not proceed with a cleaning if there is any indication of aggression from unsupervised animals.
Do I have to be at home when you’re cleaning my house?
No, you do not. It’s entirely up to you. It’s nice to have someone home to let us in and show us around the first time we come, but it’s not necessary. As long as we can find the supplies that we ask you to provide, we generally get along just fine on our own. If you feel comfortable doing so, you are most welcome to leave us a key. We’ll lock up on the way out. If you choose to do this, though, be sure to let us know specifically where the key has been left, whether there’s an alarm code we need to know, any pets we should worry about, and where to leave the key when we leave.
We also don’t mind working around you if you are home during our cleanings. In this case, we’ll generally clean the house one room at a time to stay out of the way as much as possible. Please be sure to let us know if napping children or important phone calls will make any noisy tasks like vacuuming disruptive so that we can be sure to do these things at the most convenient possible time.
I don’t have everything that you ask me to supply for your cleaning. Can you still come?
Absolutely. We do ask that you provide your own trash bags, rags or sponges, paper towels (or several lint-free rags), a broom, toilet brush, a mop and bucket, and a vacuum cleaner. If you don’t have any of these things, though, just let us know ahead of time and we will bring our own, free of charge. We ask you to provide these tools so that we can keep our own prices down and to prevent the spread of allergens, pet hair, and unpleasant odors.
I have rooms in my house that don’t need cleaning. Will this change the price?
That depends. We use the number of bedrooms in a house to determine our rate because it’s the simplest and clearest indication of the size of a home. In the long run, however, bedrooms are usually the easiest part of a cleaning. The real work is in the bathrooms and general square footage. If there is one bedroom that doesn’t need cleaning because it’s unused or used for storage, our prices will usually stay the same.
If there is more than one room that doesn’t need cleaning, we’ll just have to see. Pricing adjustments for unused spaces will have to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
My house has a square footage of more than 2700 square feet. How does pricing work in that case?
We are happy to clean larger homes. Estimates for larger homes can usually be determined over the phone. Pricing will be determined based on square footage.
I have some extra cleaning jobs that I’d like you to do, but they aren’t on your services list. Can you help?
Probably. We’re flexible. Maybe you don’t need that bedroom cleaned, but you’re behind on doing dishes. We can usually make an exchange. For larger tasks that don’t fit into a regular cleaning, like wiping out the insides of cabinets, organizing, scrubbing floors by hand, etc., we can give you an estimate and schedule time for them.
What happens if I need to cancel a scheduled cleaning or if I forget and am not ready for you?
We do not charge a cancellation fee at Healthy Housekeeping because there are times when we have to make schedule adjustments, too, and we understand. We do ask for at least 24 hours notice if it’s possible to give. Our schedules are often pretty tight and a cancellation that we don’t have time to fill can make a substantial financial impact, but we know as well as you do that sometimes unavoidable things just come up. Repeated last-minute cancellations may result in a termination of service.
If you forget that we’re scheduled to come and you aren’t ready for us, we do prefer that you let us come and do the best we can anyway. We’d usually rather do a little extra work around some clutter than to drive out and just go back home.
How often do housekeepers usually clean for regular clients?
Most of our clients have us come every other week. Some have us come every week, and some even more often than that. Others have us come once a month or only have us come by when they feel that they need us. We can usually accommodate any schedule with a little bit of notice.
I’m going out of town for a while. What should we do about that?
We will be happy to come and clean for you if you’re out of town as long as we can get in to your house. If you don’t feel like you’ll need us to come while you’re gone, please give us as much notice as possible if your vacation will disrupt our regular schedule.
I’d like to hire you for a move-out or make-ready cleaning. What do you need from me?
For move-outs and make-readies, we ask only that you provide an empty house. We understand that sometimes the moving process can throw up unforeseen obstacles and take longer than we expect, and we will work around you if that’s the case, but an empty house is preferable.
Our cash-only stipulation for move-out cleanings is a security measure to help us ensure that payment is made.
What would it take for you to refuse to clean a house?
We’re pretty used to working in a lot of different circumstances. There are very few reasons why we would refuse service, but we do reserve the right to do so. In my own years of cleaning houses, there have only been three times I’ve refused to clean a house. One was a pervasive pet sanitation issue. The second was an inappropriate advance from a client – an offense for which we have NO tolerance and which will be reported to the police. And the third was because of an aggressive animal… which, surprisingly, was a cat. Weird, right?
Do you accept tips?
Sure! We never expect anything more than the rates we charge, but gratuity is always appreciated.
Tags: Austin, basics, Denton, eco-friendly, green cleaning, housekeeping, maid service
