KalamaQuilts

Be up front about your expectations. If she/he has 2 hours what do you expect them to finish? Do you want the oven and fridge done on a rotation basis? Do they even know how to clean. Hand them a furniture spray cleaner and a rag and ask them to do the coffee table. I saw one who sprayed her rag rather than the table, which put polish on the rug, which in turn traps dust and dirt until you have a dirty spot

I've also had things stolen by a family member...
and I misplace things all the time, today I've turned the kitchen upside down looking for my pink pyrex bowl. If I had a cleaner would I reach the conclusion they stole it or broke it and hid the evidence? Or have I broken or misplaced it and don't remember?

mjhaess

Hire a person that is bonded...

CanoePam

I have had housekeepers for years. I finally stopped hiring single cleaners and hire a small local service. I got tired of handling the paperwork and taxes (you do plan on paying taxes to an individual, don't you?), and most of the individuals eventually found something else they liked better. A small service is deterministic - they do the same thing every time. I had to get used to it, and now I like it. As for trusting someone in my home, I don't leave valuables out much anyway. I have a small safe that keeps the jewelry, cash, and controlled drugs (I have some painkiller I use infrequently that might be attractive to someone). The silver and guns stay in a gun safe, fully locked and bolt to the wall (as is the little safe). This kind of basic protection is good for the girl who feeds my cat when we're gone and the plumber who I call. Housekeepers are the same. It doesn't mean I don't trust, but it makes my house less attractive to burglars too.

If if you have trust issues, you might have a better time with a single cleaner. Your friends like the one they recommend, so that's a good start. Some basic protection of valuables is just a good idea though, no matter whether you hire someone or not.

bbeyes

Do any of your friends have cleaning lady? I got mine from friend who had her for many years with no problems.

ckcowl

As for ( what do you pay a cleaning person)
Some have set rates, some are open to negotiations, when interviewing that needs to be discussed. First ( maybe ask friends who have them what they pay)
Decide what you are comfortable with, can afford. As with everything different areas have different rates ( some places people pay $2000 a month rent, some places $300 is a norm)
So, location matters. We started paying ours $20 an hour - now we pay her $60 every 2 weeks, it doesn't matter if it takes her
1 1/2 hours or 4 hours, she gets the $60. ( most of the time it takes her about 2 1/2 hours - but I don't feel bad if once in a while I ask her to do something extra, not a normal task & she doesn't mind doing the extra once in a while. It is important to have good open conversation with your help. Call a couple ( services) & ask what they charge to also get an idea but remember, they will be higher than private hiring, you are paying for the administration too- if they charge you $35 an hour the person they send may only be getting $18 an hour. I know one agency who charges $30 an hour and pays their help $8.25 ....

ManiacQuilter2

I adore my cleaning lady so it so happened that I think my address book with my USPS stamps must have fallen into the desk trash can and she must have just dump it into the trash without looking. I relocated the trash can now so that nothing will fall into it again. I thought I had stored some watercolor paintings safely under the table but she hit one of them with the vacuum and it shattered the glass. I went to Hobby Lobby and got the glass replaced. STILL waiting for a friend to help me hand those pictures. Things will happen and I don't blame her at all. She does such a terrific job in doing the basic cleaning.

gramma nancy

I got a referral from the real estate company that manages our rental properties. She has a small company and always comes with a crew of 2 or 3. When I interviewed her, I told her what I did not want done (no changing the beds, etc.) Once, the floor in the room where the cat box is was not as clean as I would have liked. I left it the way they had left it and gently showed it to her the next time and stressed the need to thoroughly clean that floor. It has always been spotless since.

As to cost, I pay $75 per visit (every two weeks) for a thorough cleaning of the bathrooms, kitchen and all the floors. They dust every surface (including baseboards -- every time!) and straighten table tops messes. We live in a semi-rural area. A friend in D.C. said she could only pray to be able to pay twice that and get reliable help. That area is very expensive. A one-time cleaning in the D.C. suburbs can cost $300 and up. No idea what a regular semiweekly cleaning would cost. Costs vary widely depending on what area you are in.

Barbshobbies

I never thought of them steeling from me. I was a cleaning lady myself for a few years, then got job for a florist and later worked in a large store, and then a cheese factory. Loved working out, now I`m old and have a problem wondering if a cleaning lady would think I was a poor house keeper!

YC Quilter

Tesspug, I love your Freudian slip: "she had to QUILT for health reasons"

madamekelly

Barbshobbies - When my health forced me to hire some help, I worried about the same thing. Silly on both of us. If we could keep our homes the way we always have, we wouldn't need help. Everyone I have interviewed, (I have replaced a couple over the years, but only one was fired, laziness not theft) have always made some comment to the effect that "your house will be easy to keep up'. We don't hire help because we are lazy, we hire help because we need to. If we hired help because we were lazy, we would have less money for fabric, and I don't know about you, but I want all the fabric I can get....!
Remember when you start looking, that you are looking for capability, sincerity, warmth, and the right feeling in your gut, not a new friend.
Even though I am still friends with all the former helpers I have had, the one I had to fire was the first, and I hired her because she young and I wanted to help her. Stupid move that I had to fix, and I hate confrontation. Telling a young, single mother, that she no longer had a job, was purely awful! The point being, hire for the right reasons.

The one I had to fire is still a dear friend, so I must have said it right....