My House Cleaner Is Too Slow

 Obviously quite a few people feel this way about their housecleaner 'cos it's turning up in my search results and is a 'complaint' when people are inquiring directly about cleaning services.

Let's look at why a house cleaner might be too slow for your liking.


Are you paying by the hour?

Well there you go. By the hour cleaning offers no incentive to move with a purpose.

Some follow up questions:


Do you last minute add tasks that will 'only take a minute'? Those minutes add up.

Are you home and following them room to room, chit chatting the whole time? Cleaners move slower when there are distractions. 

Do you have appliances or surfaces that require special cleaning products or specific instructions? 

Regardless of how experienced your cleaner is, reading instructions of unfamiliar cleaning products to perform specific cleaning techinques is gonna eat up time.


A house cleaner is there to clean your home. 

That being said-picking up, dealing with overflowing trashcans, laundry, linen changes, doing your stack of week old dishes, unclogging your drain/toilet/tub, letting your dog out---these are not 'typical' duties of a house cleaner. 

If that's what you need, it's what you need BUT you can't expect this not to take up time.

 


The question you really should be asking yourself is:

Am I happy with the house cleaning service I am receiving? 

Am I ok with my cleaning cost fluctuating based on time spent in my home?

I can't answer these for you. I don't offer by the hour cleaning rates.

5 Reasons I Don't Discount My Cleaning Services

 There are people roaming this earth that believe my time and talents are owed to them at a discount…for reasons. 

Wanting a discount on your house cleaning is not a service I provide on any day of the week.


A cleaner I’m friendly with shared this exchange with a potential client after she quoted them her rates for service.

Entitled Person:'Don't you know the state of the economy?'

House Cleaner: 'Can I use that line at the grocer, doctor, mechanic and get my shit for a discount?'

Entitled Person: 'Those things are a necessity-you're a want.'


*lemmie just say right here that my clients consider me a necessity and will roll pennies to make sure they have money to pay for my special brand of cleaning-more than a time or two.*


Adjusting my prices on demand to suit one’s lack of finance has never been in my best interests.

I’ve found it attracts clientele that: 

  1. Do not respect boundaries.

  2. Have unrealistic expectations.

  3. Badmouth other cleaners they have used in the past.

  4. Go completely batshit when I discontinue service.

  5. Badmouth me to all their friends. 


I know we’re in an uncertain economy-but like you, my bills are certain to come due every month. I’m not interested in the back and forth of you trying my patience to get a deal.


A 16 Year Old Rant About Antibacterial Products

 I wrote this in 2006. It still holds true in 2022.

Antibacterial Products

May. 12th, 2006 | 01:14 pm

I'll admit it-I still use antibacterial hand soap. I like the smell. (update 2022-yeah no. We use regular ass soap in this house.)

Buying a product based on it's antibacterial hype is a waste of money.  Studies have shown these products are ineffective at preventing the spread of germs, colds etc. http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/140/5/321  (Effect of Antibacterial Home Cleaning and Handwashing Products on Infectious Disease Symptoms) 2004

Products like Lysol antibacterial kitchen cleaner use Quaternary ammonium chemical sanitizers (or quats). If you've worked in food service, it's the blue water in the 3rd sink. Quats are not instant sanitizers/disinfectants. They need to sit on a surface for 10 minutes. That surface has to be rinsed prior to food touching it.  It's fine for spray and wipe type stuff, but be aware it's probably not killing germs used that way.

Bleach, while tricky to use, is an instant sanitizer. 1 teaspoon of bleach per quart of cool water. Hot water and bleach are not friends. Rinsing is not required unless you are using a commercial bleach cleaner. *note-Clorox disinfecting wipes contain no bleach. Read the container. ;)

Repeat after me-bleach is not a cleaner. It's great for laundry, mold/mildew, disinfecting/sanitizing but it is NOT a cleaning product.

Antibacterial products are relatively new on the scene-as in less than 20 years.  These products are guilt buys. Your home may be clean but is it germ free? pfffffffft. It's a scam. No amount of sprays, wipes, cleaners or magic potions will guarantee you a germ free environment. 

Your hands may be clean but are they sanitized? Reality check-as soon as you touch something they are no longer sanitized. 

Obviously there are circumstances where some of these products are needed.  Use as directed.


Pet Friendly House Cleaner Norfolk Va 757 955 5274

Your ridiculously pet friendly green cleaning lady in Norfolk, Virginia. 
Specializing in disorder, disarray and utter chaos. 
Residential house cleaning, apartment cleaning, condo cleaning in Hampton Roads. 
I bring my can do attitude and my own cleaning products and cleaning supplies. 
Free personalized housecleaning quotes for initial cleaning, weekly cleaning, bi-weekly cleaning and monthly cleaning via email. 
20+ years experience in residential cleaning. 
Fabulous verifiable references.

Selectively considering new cleaning clients for services in March 2022.