I’m not a great housekeeper when working part time, so I knew things were going to go downhill very quickly when I suddenly found myself working full time. I knew I needed the help of Charla Hughes. Charla owns and operates A Touch of Class Cleaning, Inc. with her business partner and life-long friend Marci Duby. I have to say, having them come into my home every other week and make it sparkle and shine saved my sanity.
Q: Charla, what’s the most common misconception about using a cleaning service?
A: The most common misconception I have found is people feel that you need to be RICH to afford a house cleaning service. This is just not true. The main purpose of getting help with your home is just that… getting the ‘help’ you ‘need’. You may only need your bathrooms and all floors cleaned to ease the stress load of your household chore list, or maybe just the floors vacuumed and mopped. A house cleaning company should be able to create a service that fits your exact needs, no more and no less. The cost of a personally tailored house cleaning service can be very reasonable and made to fit your budget. We hire an auto shop to take care of our cars, why not a house cleaning service to take care of our homes?
Q: Name three things we can do to make cleaning less of a chore?
A1: One of the most challenging obstacles I find is locating the many types of cleaning chemicals and supplies needed. For the bathroom alone, the grocery store sells us products for our toilet, our shower, our sinks and the counters, another one for the mirror and yet another one for the floor! This is insanity and costly! Instead, purchase a large caddy, and then find these simple products: glass cleaner, multi-purpose disinfectant, de-greaser and a floor cleaning product that will clean all types of floors (they are out there). On one side of the caddy you should have 4 squirt bottles that easily fit and contain these products (be sure to label). On the other side place cleaning tools such as a small and large cleaning brush, a pumice stone, a feather duster, maybe some abrasive cleaner such as Ajax, dusting spray and an SOS pad in a baggie. The point is to have ONE caddy that easily and comfortably fits ALL your cleaning supplies for you entire home. Simple, fast and economic!
A2: “Top to bottom, back to front, left to right.” When you enter a room, the most thorough and effective way to clean is to start from your left and work top to bottom, working your way around the room. Along the way, clean back to front, shaking out all debris onto the floor as they are always the last to do. You will be amazed at the amount of time you save by cleaning methodically in this fashion.
A3: Set a time limit. For a routine cleaning, you don’t need to spend all day. Bathrooms on a once every TWO weeks basis should only take 35 minutes and typical kitchens 45 minutes to an hour depending on size and amount of stuff on the counters. Living rooms and family rooms take approximately 15 minutes and bedrooms between 30 and 45 minutes. Keep in mind that this is house CLEANING time limits. Picking up and putting away is not part of the equation.
Q: Now that spring has arrived, is there something specific we should tackle inside our homes?
A: Spring is the BEST time to clean our windows inside and out. Let that light shine in!! It’s also my favorite time to clean out bulging closets. Spring cleaning means little projects that are taken on one at a time. These are extra projects and should NOT to be included in routine cleaning otherwise our weekly cleaning can become very daunting when we try to take it all on at once.
Extra tip: Finally…. when your home is cleaned, light some candles, turn on relaxing music and sit down with your favorite beverage. You deserve to sit and soak in the essence of a job well done! There is nothing like a clean home
to clear your mind and help sort your thoughts. It helps you to turn your thoughts and your attention to the most important ones in your life… your family! And don’t forget to take a mental picture of your home clean and all put together. Soon your loved ones will walk in the door and their ‘Love Prints’ (aka their stuff), will be back. But be thankful for those ‘Love Prints.’ A happy, healthy home is never without them. Happy cleaning!
My housekeeping finesse level:
Novice Advanced beginner Competent Proficient Expert
What’s your housekeeping finesse level?
Novice Advanced beginner Competent Proficient Expert