How to find a housekeeper

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After being hired:

• Consistently show up when promised.
• Consistently perform the promised service.
• Be meticulous about their work.
• Interact with you in the manner that you prefer. (Some clients like to chat with the housekeeper, while others prefer quiet. A high-quality housekeeper will know how to determine what you like and meet that preference.)
• Send the same cleaner each time.

Making it work

Once you find a housekeeper that you know you just can't live without, you want to make sure the relationship remains mutually rewarding. As the boss, there are a few tips you can use to keep everyone happy and your house sparkling clean.  

• Pay on time (set up a direct-deposit or online billing if that makes it simpler).
• Discuss annual pay increases and offer holiday bonuses.
• Provide two weeks notice (when possible) for any changes to the cleaning schedule, such as when you're taking a vacation or need to change cleaning day due to an upcoming party or special occasion.
• Be respectful -- Don't ask your housekeeper to do something you know you truly wouldn't do yourself.
• If your housekeeper is not a native speaker of English, learn a few words in their language (most importantly "thank you").

It's just not going to work

What are the most common complaints people tend to have about a housekeeper?

• Cleaners not cleaning to the homeowner's standards. This is why it's very important to make your expectations clear to the housecleaner from the beginning.
• Housecleaners who make appointments and then never show up or call to explain their lateness or inability to get there on time.
• Staff that is unprofessional.
• Final prices that are higher than the estimate.

Breaking up is hard to do

Sadly, there are times when even the best relationships end. It can be tricky to navigate how to terminate the relationship with your cleaning person.

As a former independent housekeeper, and a mom who now employs such home help, Pam Norton has been on both sides of this awkward situation. "There are various reasons why someone might want to 'break-up' with their housekeeper," says Norton of Crystal Lake, Illinois. Some of the most common reasons Norton had clients make a change were because they were moving or for financial reasons.

Honesty is truly the best policy, even if the reason you're choosing to stop using your housekeeper is that you're dissatisfied with the level of service. "I was especially grateful for their honesty and any advance notice," says Norton, who know applies those same standards when terminating a relationship with a housekeeper or making a change in service.

If you have to end the service due to financial or personal reasons, many opt to offer a letter of recommendation. "When my husband lost his job, I had to stop using my cleaning person," says Susan Bartlett of Des Moines, Iowa. "I was so sad to let her go, but it helped to know I was sending her off with a letter explaining how much we valued her."

Relax and enjoy

Ultimately, having a housekeeper should help to contribute to your peace of mind. Sure, it may be a splurge, but the women we talked to said it was definitely worth the money -- one even noting that it's one of the few ways you can purchase true stress relief.

"The day the cleaning ladies come is my favorite day of the week," says a SheKnows reader from California. "I just love coming home to a totally clean house. It's heavenly."