Cleaning services

April 4, 2004 11:05 PM

Has anyone ever tried a hired maid/home cleaning service before?

I live in an apartment of 3 male college students... you can guess how clean we are. I took a look at the MaidPro and Merry Maids websites... anyone ever tried using something like this before?

posted by swank6 to home & garden (22 comments total)

I haven't used either of those services but I'm a big fan of professional cleaners. A few years ago I was sharing a house in London with three extremely messy IT slobs. Our kitchen was so disgusting that after a few months we decided to get a maid in once a week. We didn't go through a professional agency; it was just a local old lady who'd slipped a flyer through our mail slot. Her name was Dana and she was a goddess. She'd do the dishes, vacuum the floor, water the plants, and do all the little straightening up things that we couldn't be arsed to do. I think we paid her fifteen pounds an hour and it was well worth it.

(Reminds me of the cardinal rule for playing "The Sims" - get the maid service as soon as you can afford it, otherwise your characters have to spend all their time cleaning up after themselves or the house gets so disgusting that they become depressed and lose their jobs. Valuable life lesson, I think.)

Anyway, I say go for it. We were a little reluctant ourselves because it seemed like a maid was something only hoity-toity rich people had, but in reality she appreciated the extra work and we definitely appreciated not having to do it.
posted by web-goddess at 11:20 PM on April 4, 2004 [1 favorite has favorites]

As a rule, the chain services aren't particularly good. Most of them have procedures for the maid employees to follow that limit the amount of actual cleaning they can do. Generally, they give the appearance of cleanliness, without doing much in the way of actual cleaning. You're best off hiring someone privately. That may cost a little bit more, but you'll get a lot more for your money. Don't expect chain outfits to do critical tasks like washing dishes.
posted by majick at 11:24 PM on April 4, 2004

majick is right. The book Other People's Dirt, by Louise Rafkin, is well worth a read. In one chapter, Rafkin works at a chain cleaning service, and they pretty much tell her to smear Pledge-type furniture polish on everything, which doesn't actually make anything less dirty.
posted by Vidiot at 11:39 PM on April 4, 2004

do you have a craigslist for your area? try posting there for recommendations for a maid.

Until recently, I lived in a house with 4 guys, and a maid was absolutley essential. We initially went with a maid company, but one of my roommates talked to our regular maid once and discovered that she was making a very small percentage of what we paid the company each month, so we decided to hire her directly instead. We got a cheaper rate and she got paid more, so we were both happy.

So, yeah, look for a individual who has a good reputation, and get to know them so you can develop a relationship with them. Better cleaning may result.
posted by Hackworth at 11:41 PM on April 4, 2004

What majick said. Every maid service I've ever used has ended up stealing from me. Sad, but true. Find an individual with references you can check. Be prepared to pay more than you would expect.

Good help is SO hard to find.......
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:43 PM on April 4, 2004

If you think it's beyond your budget, you may find that even if you have a large house only twice monthly is plenty. That's what we get from the woman who does our house, and it helps a LOT to know that the bathrooms/floors/dusting was done at least as recently as within the last 13 days. It's funny but we have found that her bimonthly visits force us to straighten up the house the night before she comes, so she can get to the floors, counters, etc. So a big part of the job is done by us, willingly -- the part we really don't want a stranger doing anyway ("where's that paperwork I left on the table, hon?")
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 12:25 AM on April 5, 2004

I'm just chiming in to agree with those who suggest care when hiring a major chain service like Merry Maids. Not only do they not clean very well or pay their employees very well, but they are also horrible for benefits and general treatment of their employees. Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich is another worthwhile read for a look into the seedy underbelly of major chain maid services.

It's easiest to find some one through world of mouth, because then you know whether or not he or she is good and trustworthy. I ended up calling around from the phone book and asking a lot of very annoying questions that as often as not got me hung up on (ie Do your employees get heath benefits?) until I found a service owned by the woman who would do the cleaning, whose neighbor also worked with her and had a stake in the business.

And I love her and her neighbor with an unreasonable ferocity. Sometimes, when I've had a particularly busy or tough week, and I come home on that every-other-Friday to the smell of chemical lemons and see the vacuum cleaner marks in the rug, I just want to cry with relief.

I'm quite serious, too.
posted by jennyb at 6:02 AM on April 5, 2004

I agree - ask around and find someone on your own. I'd rather get rid of cable than our twice-a-month maid; There's nothing better than opening the door do a fresh, clean home that you didn't have to mess with yourself. Also, a really good maid will put things away or organize things you never would have gotten around to - the linen closet or your "under bed storage" for example.
Not fighting about who's turn it is to mop has probably helped save my two-lazy-slobs romance.
posted by pomegranate at 6:11 AM on April 5, 2004

I had a housekeeper for about six months when I lived in LA. We hired her directly after receiving a good recommendation from a friend.

She came in for a consultation, took one look around the place, and promptly doubled her usual fee. I paid happily. Often, when I found that she had gone the extra mile (she did our laundry one day, unasked, and I about cried) I would leave a tip as well.

All in all, she visited twice monthly, and with tips and extras included I don't think it ever cost over $125/month. Worth every single penny. I finally stopped having her come when both my boyfriend and I were working from home and needing to tighten up on extras. I gave her a good reference and recommended her to several friends.
posted by annathea at 7:30 AM on April 5, 2004

Another vote for the "word of mouth" approach, and avoiding an agency. I have a woman come once a month, which is plenty for me (1BR apartment). I'm not inherently messy, so she mainly deals with the nitty gritty (bathroom, mopping, dusting everywhere). I've got cats, so the buildup from them is my major problem.

One thing that bears mentioning (particularly after I read an exerpt from Nickeled & Dimed in Harper's)- don't ask your cleaning person to do stuff for you above and beyond what's been agreed. They're not servants- they're doing a job for you.
posted by mkultra at 8:02 AM on April 5, 2004

Yes - I love this one in the Charlotte, NC area! Excellent results...
posted by Macboy at 8:14 AM on April 5, 2004

As my mama said, "I'd rather go without food than without a cleaning lady." (My mom is from the south).

We've found that twice a month is really plenty, and that finding an independent worker is cheaper, better, and easier on your conscience. Ask around for recommendations.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 8:27 AM on April 5, 2004

independent workers have always been better in my experience, but whether that's even worth it depends a lot upon what you need or want and can negotiate with the person.

maids, short of live-in staff, don't generally take care of clutter or disorganization. they mop, dust, do dishes, vaccum; they don't sort your mail, throw away old magazines you've let collect (they pile them up neatly on the coffee table), or figure out where to store your hockey equipment. because some maids do steal, so many of them are hypervigilant to avoid an accusation. they won't throw anything away that isn't already in the trash or a crumpled up fast-food bag under the couch. so don't expect your maid to solve your disorganization or inability to pick up after yourselves. she's just going to make your piles of mess tidy and vacuum around them.

if you ask her to do laundry, change the cat box, or clean out the refrigerator, pay her extra--not a tip, but a higher rate. find out ahead of time which supplies she brings with her and which she expects you to have at the house. be very clear about where the rubbish goes on the curb--or whatever. if there are delicate electronics she shouldn't move, even to dust, let her know. if something breaks (like the garbage disposal, which she's likely to use while she's working), for god's sake, leave her a note.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:45 AM on April 5, 2004

I have used merry maids many times and they do an excellent job. Maybe they don't wash dishes, but my experience is that they do whatever they are asked, and VERY quickly. Highly recommended.

You will, however, pay less if you can find someone good that does not work through an agency.
posted by free pie at 10:01 AM on April 5, 2004

As above. I had an assortment of cleaning services when I was a bachelor. They were of varying degrees of professionalism and I couldn't leave the house.

Now my wife and I have a cleaning lady who comes biweekly and cleans at a set rate. She does a good job; more importantly, she's trustworthy, so we can let her come and go without being home, not worrying about valuables or our dog.

All self-employed cleaning folks come through referrals. Ask around your neighborhood or, if need be, check the supermarket bulletin boards and ask for references. The cost is roughly the same (if not less) and your overall experience will be more rewarding.
posted by werty at 11:37 AM on April 5, 2004

I live in Toronto and have used the, ahem, Cleaning Cowgirl three times and she's excellent. My place was a disaster each time (like, seriously disaster). I think it cost me about $60 each time though one time she took it in trade (CDs). What she excels at is organizing things.
posted by dobbs at 11:42 AM on April 5, 2004

I first started using cleaners when I had two roommates in college. It was worth every penny.

I've always found cleaning people through word-of-mouth. Ask around amongst your friends and neighbors. In my neighborhood, the local hardware store (Cole Hardware is awesome) has a listing of reliable repair and service people- you might try looking for something similar in your neighborhood (your profile says you're in school in Boston.) Hiring an individual means that you can instruct them once how you like things, and the same person is cleaning the same space. With corporate cleaners, you might have different people coming through. It depends how particular you are.
posted by ambrosia at 11:45 AM on April 5, 2004

Yes, used Dana's (Seattle) from housecleaning.com. We now have a regular person whom we pay directly, but the service was fine af somewhat impersonal. They had you make a list of what you wanted done and supply your own cleaning supplies, then charged by the hour. It was a great thing, and I'm only not using them anymore because I like having the same person come regularly, and the service would only do that if you signed up for weekly service.
posted by GaelFC at 11:46 AM on April 5, 2004

Thanks for all the suggestions. I actually grew up with a live-in maid. The problem with hiring someone privately is that we don't really have all the supplies (or any for that matter) required for a thorough cleaning... which is why I inquired about the chains, since it seems they bring everything with them. We also aren't looking for regular service - can't afford it.. we're just looking to get a bigtime pre-summer cleaning.

Anyway, if anyone has a suggestion for the Boston area (Allston specifically), I'd love to know.
posted by swank6 at 12:07 PM on April 5, 2004

Everbody ought to have a maid.
posted by Dasein at 12:35 PM on April 5, 2004

swank6, our individual cleaning lady has her own supplies--some do, some don't. You'll have to call around. I know some of the independent cleaners I contacted did both regular cleaning and special occasion cleaning. Good luck!
posted by jennyb at 12:51 PM on April 5, 2004

i've got one that gives my nice littel abode - that extra clean touch once a month. she is worth every penny (about $60/month which i split with a friend who rents from me).
posted by specialk420 at 1:06 PM on April 5, 2004