May 12, 2022iRobot
But for general housekeeping, you’ll often have a choice of what areas of your home they clean and for how long they’re at your property.
When you first call a service provider, they’ll do an initial assessment of your home, taking into consideration the services you’re requesting and the rooms that need to be cleaned, to work up a quote.
You’ll determine the frequency of cleaning, and sometimes even the order in which they clean (hey, when you have a process, you have a process).
What does a maid service do/ clean?
If you’re just hiring a general cleaning service, you can expect them to do some of the following:
- Vacuuming
- Dusting
- Sweeping/ mopping (unless you have a Roomba® robot vacuum or Braava® robot mop to handle that for you)
- Making beds/ changing bed linen
- Scrubbing toilets and showers (or just general bathroom cleaning)
- Sanitizing surfaces
- Washing windows
- General tidying
- Dishes
- Cleaning fans and blinds
Some may even offer lawn care, cooking, and even transportation for the elderly (though in that case they’re more like general task-doers and helpers than housekeepers and are very rare to find).
What you should do before your maid service comes
Feeling slightly pink in the cheeks at your mess before someone comes over is a completely normal sensation. You might feel the urge to run around your home and perform a quick cleaning job of your own, not wanting to load extra work onto your housekeeper.
There are legitimate reasons to clean up before your housekeeper arrives.
For one, if you have clothes or toys laying around and your housekeeper isn’t familiar with where they go, they might not be put away or end up in the wrong spot. If anything, your housekeeper just won’t know what to do with them.
Perhaps you just have your own system, and way of doing certain things. Your housekeeper might just be there to do a deeper clean or clean things you don’t get to so often (like those darn fans and the tops of mirrors).
Or, maybe you’re going away for some time, and you want to come home to a clean home, but the housekeeper wasn’t hired to clean everything.
While there are a wild number of reasons you might clean before (and even after) your house cleaner, there are some slightly standard things:
- General tidying of your clothes, and papers (mail and schoolwork are always laying somewhere)
- Dishes (unless this is part of your services)
- Moving heavy pieces of furniture if you’re expecting them to clean under or around them
- Put away any fragile items, if you’re worried about damage
- Secure pets and pet items
Remember that your housekeeper isn’t there to do everything. If you’re not hiring them to clean the dishes, but they will clean the kitchen, put the dishes away so they’ll be able to scrub out the sink.
Anything that’s in the way, such as items on the floor, makes it harder to get cleaning tasks done fast and efficiently. If they’re trying to vacuum, but they have to remove a bunch of clothes first, it may add to your fees. At the very least it’ll take them longer to complete the task.
Can you clean with your housekeeper?
This question comes down to “should I stay
or leave when my housekeeper is working”, more than whether or not you should clean before or with them.
As answered above, you should do general tidying first. As for cleaning with your housekeeper…
Don’t feel obligated. In fact, you might just be in their way. Others may feel as though you’re watching them (no one likes a head over their shoulder while they work).
Most housekeepers have a system that allows them to clean thoroughly, but with speed and efficiency.
Sometimes this is hindered if you’re moving objects around, placing wet dishes on a surface they just cleaned, doing laundry while they’re trying to sweep your floors…
You’ll get the most out of your housekeepers if you’re not even in your home while they’re around. You may use the time to run errands, take kids to the park, or the dog(s) on a hike. If none of these are options, try to remove yourself from their work areas as much as you can.
This might mean enjoying the weather from your backyard for a while, or doing other activities in a part of the house the house cleaner isn’t expected to work in.
Areas your housekeeper won’t clean (laundry?)
Unless you’ve hired a service (or individual housekeeper) that specifically states they’ll clean those areas or do those tasks, don’t expect them to.
You’ll always outline expectations before service starts, and if you hope they’ll perform certain services once in a while, make sure to ask during your vetting process.
That said, there are certain areas and tasks that most housekeepers won’t clean, such as:
- Dishes
- Laundry
- Trash (as in, taking it outside or to the curb)
- Refrigerator
- Garage
- Windowsills
- Mouldings
- Blinds and curtains
- Pet areas (such as litter boxes)
- Changing bed linen
Is there house cleaning tipping etiquette for specific/special circ*mstances?
There is no set standard on tipping for special occasions, such as a holiday (like Christmas), a party, or when your kids’ friends have been over.
But there is still a tipping etiquette for these situations.
If you’ve had the same housekeeper time and time again, you might feel compelled to give an extra cash bonus around the holidays– or one of those non-cash gifts we mentioned earlier.
But for instances like a party, deep cleaning, or particularly big messes, an additional 5-10% would be gracious.
Do you have to tip every time your cleaning lady (or gentleman) cleans?
Short answer: no.
The long answer: it depends on a few factors. If you’re working with a cleaning company, and see different cleaners for each clean, you might consider tipping for each and every clean to make sure they always get that extra dose of appreciation.
You may also feel compelled to tip each time your housekeeper comes, even if it’s the same person (and even if they’re with a company).
Though if you know for sure they’re going to send the same person, you might choose to tip them once a month, or only around the holidays.
Where the short answer applies with fewer questions is to individual housekeepers, since most people don’t tip them (beyond holiday gestures).
