Home Organization Tips

I’m tired. It’s the end of a long workday and there are dirty dishes piled high in the sink and toys littering the floor. There are stale Cheerios on the floor as well, left there by a well-intentioned baby who is still learning how to feed herself and there is enough dirty clothing in the hamper to clothe a small nation. I sigh, roll up my sleeves to load the dishwasher, and once again contemplate hiring a cleaning service, a cleaning lady or a housekeeper to fulfill these dreaded chores.

I would classify my house as having a ‘lived-in’ look, rather than a hideously messy one. Nevertheless, there is no question that like most women, I’d love for my house to look a bit better. Hence, my desire for cleaning help.

My dilemma is three-fold:
1- Cleaning services, housekeepers and cleaning ladies are expensive
2- The kids will likely just mess up the house within a few hours of the cleaning
3- I’m somewhat picky about the level of cleanliness in my house

As you can probably tell by the fact that I have a home organization blog, I am definitely not the messiest person out there, and I have a lot of ideas about how to keep on top of things. However, with three small children who are too young to do any significant chores, a big burden is left on me and my husband to clean up. All the time.

My next door neighbor recently hired a cleaning lady and I went to check out her work, thinking maybe I’d hire her as well. For starters, I noticed that she missed one bathroom. She just didn’t clean it. I also noticed that only 2 hours after she had left, my neighbor’s children had succeeded in leaving their shoes, toys and clothing all over the house. Now, the house definitely smelled lemon-fresh. However, I found it a bit disheartening that after paying so much money, the house looked disheveled a mere 2 hours later. These findings, of course, only diminished my desire to spend my hard-earned money on cleaning help.

Because I’m a bit fastidious about the level of cleanliness in my house, I’m a bit hesitant to put this burden on another person or even a team of people. I once tried out a cleaning lady who left a squirt of shampoo stuck on the shower wall. Needless to say, I didn’t hire her for the long term. Likewise, I’d never be satisfied with a cleaning lady who missed an entire bathroom. As much as I hate cleaning, I often feel that I’m more invested in the cleanliness of my own home, and that therefore I can do a better job than someone who doesn’t have to live in the house for the next week.

When I was a child, my mother hired a cleaning service whose workers stole jewelry from the home. I realize, of course, that this may not be the norm. But I also realize that there is potential for such damage to occur. Which puts another strike against hiring a cleaning service.

As of now, I have not yet hired a cleaning service or cleaning lady. I clean, my husband cleans, and we’re slowly teaching the girls how to pick up after themselves. It’s hard, I’ll be the first to admit that. But with the money that I save on cleaning help, I can afford to get a massage that will soothe the aches and pains away (finding the time for such a massage is an entirely separate issue). I can have the house as clean as I want it and a few extra dollars in my pocket for a rainy day. I may change my mind about this issue sometime in the future. But for now, I am sufficiently comfortable with my decision. If you have a different opinion (or happen to agree with me), I’d love to hear about it- who knows how many other women are vacillating on this issue right now?

Posted on October 28th, 2007 by Sari
Filed under: Household Management