My concept of an ideal maid stems from a TV character of the 60's affectionately known as Hazel. Somewhere in that young, impressionable mind of mine Hazel represented everything a maid should be or so I thought. Hazel cooked, she cleaned, and she practically raised Harold, the youngster of the family. Hazel had a smile in her voice, a wink in her eye and was more than willing to offer her services along with a little advice usually with a cup of coffee.
Whether you are too young to recall or not willing to confess you know who Hazel is that's okay. She lives on as one of my childhood memories ranking high in my list of TV favorites. Another contributing factor for having such a high esteem for Hazel could also be due to the fact that I had a sweet, loveable aunt named Hazel. My aunt, may she rest in peace, was known in our family for all the little extras she did for her family right down to the ironing of sheets, towels and underwear.
Yes, indeed, the name Hazel represented housekeeping at its finest. I actually had the Hazel expectation come to mind one day when I decided to try out the local maid services grown so popular in today's culture. As a Realtor, I am often asked for a referral on a myriad of services including house cleaning. I decided that if I was going to give a referral for a service I should at least have some firsthand experience about that particular service. Since I had never had maid services it was time to give it a try.
After getting suggestions from other agents and surfing the internet I made a decision which service provider I was going to try first. After all they were all about equally priced with the exception of independents. Basically they all said that they rendered pretty much the same type of services. So how did I decide who to try first? I chose the one with the friendliest, most helpful representative, of course.
I was eager and ready to see what would be the results when the day came for my appointment. I didn't allow myself to become disillusioned when they didn't arrive on time or when the first one showed up stressed out because her phone wasn't working and she wasn't able to check in. Her very first words to me were "Did you cancel?" It took me a moment to put it together but she was concerned that her coworker was not there. Neither of them was able to report in until they were both there and that meant they were both late. But hey, I'm smiling. They are going to clean my house. I've already found justification for the expense so I'm good.
I had also come to the realization that it was best not to expect Hazel. The owner when he came for his preliminary meeting mentioned that folks expect more from their services than they actually perform. He gave valid reasons for it as well. I think I had a good idea of what to expect when he determined that my house only needed a "general" cleaning.
Most service providers offer their customers different levels of care. Each level determines what type of cleaning the maids will perform. A general clean offers light dusting with a feather duster on blinds and picture frames, polishing of wood furniture but only if they don't have to move personal items, vacuum floors, mop wet areas, clean bathrooms and make the beds. A deep clean or Spring cleaning includes the general items with hand rub dusting of picture frames, knick-knacks and the blinds - dry clean only, wiping out the oven and wiping down the fronts of cabinet doors or drawers and appliance fronts. Services may vary by provider and how well you come to know the maid because they will come to understand your needs as well. They don't cook, wash dishes or clothes and windows are a totally separate charge.
Frequency of services can be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or even a one time service. Different rates do apply for each frequency level. Before selecting a service provider it would be in your best interest to have a good understanding of the level of cleaning you desire as well as the frequency of their service you anticipate needing.
Overall I was satisfied with my experience since I did not have to do any of the cleaning personally. I could not justify the expense for my household on any regular basis. But if my circumstances were to change I would consider calling them again.
If you want to establish house cleaning services on a regular basis I would recommend meeting with the service provider of your choice and establishing expectations on both sides. Or if you want a one-time move in/out make ready give me a call; I'll be glad to offer you a referral.
I also recommend building a good working relationship with your maid so that it can be a mutually satisfying arrangement for both of you. Maybe then they will let you affectionately call them Hazel.
~ Teral
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