All it takes is one phone call from a long-lost friend to throw you into panic mode: Company`s coming and the place is a mess. Even you can`t stand it. We`re talking about coming to terms with six months` worth of rearranged dust balls, freezers that look like igloos, stacks of newspapers yellowed with good intentions and wooden floors that lost their luster last January.
Instead of doing that surface cleaning for the hundredth time, consider hiring cleaning help. There is a maid for every need, whether it`s a twice-a- year blitzkrieg or twice-a-week routine. Domestic help agencies listed in the Yellow Pages have lots of people who will get your house in order. But before you commit, it helps to know what`s available.
The hiring of household help is on the rise. And no wonder. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 55 percent of American women are in the labor force, up from 36 percent a generation ago. And who`s minding the dust balls?
A Good Housekeeping Institute`s survey of women`s attitudes toward household cleaning found that 43 percent of women employed outside the home hire household help. GHI`s consumer research department found that respondents are more concerned with how the house looks than if it is truly clean.
The latest trend is to hire help just to do the jobs you hate the most. According to the GHI survey, those chores are cleaning the oven, washing clothes, removing spots, cleaning the bathroom tile, cleaning toilets and washing windows, tubs and sinks.
Dean Psitsis of Dial-a-Maid Ltd. in Glenview said, ”Ten years ago they wanted a cleaning woman once a week or every two weeks. Now customers want someone once or twice a week. Instead of an indiscriminate form of cleaning, they want specifics–cabinets cleaned and their contents rearranged, freezers defrosted and bad food tossed out.”
Even the woman who stays home doesn`t want to sacrifice her time unless she has to. ”She`d rather go to aerobics or take a class than wash the floor,” said Psitsis, who listed 75 percent of his clients as families and 25 percent as single profession men and women.
The best way to hire cleaning help is to use an individual or agency highly recommended by friends and neighbors. If you strike out there, look in the Yellow Pages under ”house cleaning” and ”maid and butler services,”
where you`ll find lists of agencies. The cleaning people work as independent contractors, and the agency supplies the job.
There`s a wide choice, so while your fingers do the walking, let your brain do the thinking. Here`s a guide to help you get the most out of a cleaning service:
What`s cleanable? All agencies do general housecleaning in homes and apartments. The majority are receptive to special projects that can include post-party clean-up; basement and attic cleaning; packing household goods for moving; laundry and ironing; cleaning cupboards and refrigerators; changing the litter box; polishing silver and crystal; package pick-up; taking the kids to school.
But beware: Special services often cost more. For example, at one agency buffing wood floors with a high-gloss wax costs an extra $12 an hour; steaming carpets adds 20 cents per square foot; cleaning and sealing tile floors adds $12 an hour. Every chore can be negotiated. ”We`ve even cleaned up after murders,” says Terry Krider, manager of Mighty Maids. Often heavy work
–washing exterior windows, ceilings or walls–is subcontracted.
What`s it cost? In the city, fees average $10 to $13 per hour, with a two-hour minimum. Folks in the suburbs might pay a dollar or two more. So find out where the maid service is located. Chances are the one closest to you may be less expensive.
Who`s liable? Agencies are licensed by the state and workers are bonded and insured by the agency. Bonding insures against theft. Insurance covers breakage. But only some cleaning agencies contribute to worker`s compensation programs, so check with your own insurance agent to make sure your homeowner`s policy covers domestic help. Injuries on the job can be expensive.
Who`s scrubbing? Usually newcomers to America. Says J. Jordy, president of Minit Maid Domestics, ”Our people are often professionals in their native country–medical assistants, hairdressers, physical therapists, teachers. Due to their lack of professional certification in this country and limited language facility, they opt for domestic work. References (at least three) are checked.” Jordy says that in hiring maids for work in households he favors people who have had domestic cleaning references rather than commercial cleaning work. ”Household experience is more varied than hotel or office work. A domestic worker has broader skills and experience.”
Mary Lynn Thompson, president of the Dust Connection, never has any trouble finding good help. ”I haven`t advertised in two years. We get people through word of mouth–usually an employee`s sister, cousin or friend. They stake their reputation and the job on the recommendation.”
Psitsis says few Americans want jobs as domestics: ”We find that Polish, German, Spanish and South Americans tend to take more pride in housework. In their countries, it is regarded as an art.”
Who supplies what? Policies vary. Most agencies honor the way you want something done. If vinegar and hot water is your solution to sparkling windows, chances are they`ll do it your way. The Dust Connection supplies rags, sponges, vacuum cleaners, mops and brooms. But its workers will use the homeowner`s supplies. Dial-a-Maid workers bring their own vacuum cleaners, cleaning solutions and buckets, but the homeowner supplies the rags and mops. Psitsis says his company discontinued bringing in mops and rags for reasons of sanitation.
Who`s in charge? Some agencies offer on-the-job supervised training or 8- hour seminars on cleaning techniques and new products. Dial-A-Maid teaches workers in their own languages, complete with videos. Minit Maid trains on the job, sending a supervisor with a new maid. They team-clean until the supervisor is satisfied with the worker. Customers receive a foreign phrase dictionary with key terms relating to housecleaning in Polish, Spanish and Rumanian.
What hours? Most agencies schedule workers six days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Evenings and Sundays can be negotiated, but the customer will pay more, usually an extra $2 to $3 an hour. ”Saturday used to be a slow day,” said Jordy, ”but with more women working outside the home, they prefer to be home when the maid comes on Saturday.” Krider says that all-nighter service is not uncommon. ”It`s not an unusual request, especially in homes or apartments where there has been major renovation or construction.” Most agencies will try to supply the same worker to a client every time. ”Consistency is the key to good cleaning,” said Thompson. Dial-A-Maid attempts to standardize maids or ”home engineers” with alternate workers. Instead of one maid being familiar with your home, two or three will be able to fill in on a rotating basis.
How many, how often? Most common is hiring one maid for four hours once a week.
