1. Please say thank you, even if it’s just on a sticky note. Or if you really like me, leave something like a $5 gift card to McDonald’s. If I feel like someone appreciates me, I really go the extra mile.
2. Make sure you have all the cleaning products I will need. Sometimes I show up, and my clients have nothing for me to use. You know best what kind of cleaners you want used in your home; some people want only organic cleaners, some are picky about brands, and others have allergies.
3. Don’t forget that I need equipment! One of my bosses kept forgetting to get me a mop so I had to wash her floors on my hands and knees with a cloth. Not only is that inconsiderate, it’s harder for me to get the results you want.
TOP SECRET! I know more than you think. I see the piles of bills marked “past due” and know you’re having money problems. I find drugs and condom wrappers in kids’ bedrooms. And I can tell who’s unfaithful because the cheaters always start hiding dirty laundry.
4. Please do not ask me to sew on buttons . . . clean the wheels of your bike, scrub out your mailbox, or pull out the refrigerator in order to clean behind it.
5. Letting us work “by the job” sometimes means you get less for your money. It can be more cost effective to pay an hourly rate, especially if it’s a maintenance cleaning.
6. It’s helpful if you soak dirty pans so that I can clean them more easily when I get there.
7. I need reasonable notice if you are going to move or stop hiring me. Too many clients don’t think to tell me until the week they’re moving. A month’s notice would be nice. You give your landlord a month’s notice. Please do me the same courtesy.
8. Tiny kindnesses mean a lot. One time a client left me a gift from a trip abroad, which delighted me. Those small appreciations keep me working hard.
9. It’s a huge relief when clients allow me to take my child with me to work. Sometimes I just can’t find a sitter, but I still need the money.
10. Please write a list of the things you would like me to do, in addition to giving me verbal instructions, to ensure I don’t forget anything.
11. Be wary if I give you my price over the phone. Reputable cleaners come to your home and give you a free estimate.
12. If your house is a disorganized mess, it makes it harder for me to clean, and if you pay me by the hour, you’ll pay more. Please pick up toys, piles of papers, and clutter from surfaces so that I can actually get to them.
13. Think our insurance will cover you? Hmm, maybe not. Insurance companies expect us to be trained professionals, so if we use the wrong product on your expensive furnishings, the insurance company might deny the claim.
SOURCES: Tangela Ekhoff, a housecleaner in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Lynette Haugen, owner of True Blue Maids of Pasadena, California; Theresa Peterson, owner of Quality Cleaning “Maid to Order” in Fremont, California; Torrey Shannon, former maid service owner in Westcliffe, Colorado; and house cleaners in Louisiana, New York, Vermont, Washington, and London.