I have four kids. Four young kids. My house is very rarely completely clean top to bottom all at the same time.I bet the number of times it has occurred I could count on one hand.
And chances are my children were not actually in my home for part of that cleaning process.
But, I like a clean home, or clean-ish. I like being able to step two feet in any direction and not step on or over something. It’s the simple things in life, you know?
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While we work hard to maintain a clean kitchen, and pick up the main living area at least once a day, the rest of the house, the black hole that is the upstairs, does not see the same attention.
Grossly, we only properly clean and sanitize our bathrooms like once every other month…. probably.
I hate cleaning bathtubs, and mirrors, and toilets, and mopping those floors. It just doesn’t get done regularly. Thankfully, we’ve been better about washing the towels more often than once a month.
And bedrooms, well, I don’t step foot in my bedroom much during the day, so I totally don’t spend time in there cleaning. If I’m spending time in my bedroom during the day it is to take a nap. Or use our restroom. Or put away the laundry (hopefully).
Then there is the playroom. We currently have all four children sleeping in one bedroom, making that bedroom, a literal bedroom, as there is quite literally nothing else in there.
The playroom we let slide in the cleaning department often because mom and dad don’t venture in there too often. Besides, toys and dress up clothes strewn about means that the room was serving its purpose as a playroom.
Eventually the playroom mess spreads into the hallway, which mom and dad do mind. Quite a bit.
So, how on earth could we manage to get all of our home clean, including bathrooms, kitchen, floors, bedrooms, playroom, and living room, at the same time, with our children not gone on an extended stay somewhere else?
By hiring a maid service. Okay, I think there has been ONE time where I managed to get the entire house cleaned, completely, without a maid service, but it took quite a bit of work, child labor, napping children, and breaking up larger tasks over a few days’ time span.
And you bet I was darn proud of myself and our family for accomplishing such a feat!
You know that classic question of “If you could hire out one task for your home, what would it be?” with possible answers of cook, chauffeur, childcare/nanny, maid, or shopper? My answer is always cook, but many people answer maid.
Apparently people really don’t like to clean.
I actually do enjoy cleaning. And I know it is something I can do myself.
I used to work in janitorial services. I spent a summer working for Service Master (who my sister still works for) and then I worked on BYU campus cleaning up campus dorms for over a year.
Cooking on the other hand… different story completely.
So, it begs the question, why would someone hire a house cleaner who doesn’t hate cleaning? (Especially when you are super frugal?)
Technically, we didn’t hire one. For purposes of this post, we were gifted a complimentary house cleaning from Maids Around Town in order to give an honest review and offer an awesome giveaway to my readers.
But, I’ve been thinking about why so many people would love to hire a maid:
15 Reasons to Hire a Maid:
- You really, really hate cleaning, and so does everyone else in your home. If you don’t hire someone to do it for you, the health inspector may have to be called instead.
- You like things really cleaned. Maids use effective cleaning methods and supplies to deep clean your home.
- One of your Love Languages is Acts of Service and you value a little self-love. You believe you should “treat yo self.“
- You just don’t have the time. So while you don’t mind cleaning, you just can’t ever seem to get it done, at least not all the way.
- You have extra money, so why not pay someone else to do your dirty work?
- You want to free up some time in your schedule, and better prioritize big picture goals, or spend more quality time with family and friends. Outsourcing cleaning just makes sense.
- It actually motivates you to clean up more often. With the deadline of maid service on the way, you realize you have to pick up a certain amount of stuff so the floors are at least visible. And with regular cleanings, it’s easier to maintain a higher level of cleanliness.
- You are moving out and want your rental deposit back.
- You are renting out your home to someone else, or trying to sell your current home.
- You are leaving on a vacation and don’t have time to clean before you go, but want to come home to a clean house.
- You are hosting company (think relatives/holiday gathering) and you want to make sure everything is clean and ready for them.
- You just had a bunch of company with you for a while and now that they are gone, you really don’t want to clean up.
- Less money spent on cleaning supplies. If you don’t have to clean your shower, sink, oven, or mirrors, you can stop stocking up on those cleaning supplies. You’d rather pay for the service than the tools.
- You always (or often) want to come home to a clean home. With regular cleanings, you can count on this being a reality more often (at least when you have kids too).
- A professional cleaning service just does a better job! They have more experience, the right tools, and motivation to do it right.
Maids Around Town Review
Maids Around Town, who offer cleaning services to areas around Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, did a great job cleaning our apartment.
I didn’t really know what to expect, but we picked up all the toys and random items that usually cover our floors up, per the preparation guide’s instructions.
We hung out while the maids (we had two come – one had some car issues on the way down, but they called right away to let me know, and she arrived pretty quickly after the initial start time) cleaned away.All of their maids undergo background checks, and they’re bonded and insured so clients are protected in case of damage or theft.
One of the maids accidentally threw away my husband’s plastic collar stays that were on top of our dresser, unfortunately, the day before my husband left for a conference out of town. They went ahead and ordered some for us, and they were delivered right to our home, at no cost, a few days later.
Their general rule of thumb is it usually takes 30 minutes a bedroom and one hour per bathroom. But, we also added in an oven and fridge cleaning which added around an hour and a half.
I was really impressed with the maid who cleaned our kitchen. My sink was gleaming. My oven, stove and microwave sparkling, free of grease and stains. She even got a bowl out and put our fresh produce in it, folded our hand towels, and better arranged the items on our counter tops.She also wiped down all the dining chair legs (which always get these white splash marks from something spilling on the floor), our toaster, and wiped out the inside of our trash cans. Really.
Our home has never looked so good. So, of course I immediately took pictures to document that it really happened.They also had the Eco-friendly upgrade and they did a fantastic job of cleaning my kitchen and bathroom.
If you have some reason to hire a maid, you are in luck, well, at least if you live in Texas.
Maids Around Town is giving away, for FREE, TWO 4-hour cleaning session with a free eco-friendly upgrade, which base price is usually $145!
Plus, ALL entries will be given a consolation prize of $20 off an ec0-friendly cleaning! If you share the post, you’ll receive extra points towards winning the grand prize (and your friends may thank you for sharing!).
The giveaway ends Monday, December 7, 2015. Enter in the box below. Good luck!
Do you like cleaning your home? Or how do you get your entire house clean while raising young kids?
Chelsea @ Life With My Littles says
One day, I would loooove to hire a maid service! Cleaning bathrooms (specifically bathtubs) is my least favorite chore, tied with ironing. I seriously avoid those things like the plague!
Leigh Anne Miller Borders says
Cleaning around the house–UGH!!! I try to do a thourough clenaign each weekend and pray that one day it makes it to the following weekend!
Kendra says
Love this! I actually have for the past two years hired someone one to come once a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas just because I get busy with my business as well as have lots of people over. It makes my life so much less stressful!
Katelyn Fagan says
Yes! That’s a great time to have someone come and clean for you!