Should you hire a maid?

Eric and I had a big year of hosting this past year. From September to December, we had Lily's Pirate Birthday Party, Thanksgiving, Eric's Birthday celebration and Christmas. Not to mention family in town and bible studies every couple of weeks. It was busy and I felt like every weekend we were cleaning up the last event and preparing for the next. Okay...that's a bit of an exaggeration..but it was a lot..

I am kind of a numbers person and I like to figure out how much time I am spending on something and ask myself, is it taking away from something else I could be doing? Like time with Lily, time I could spend prepping for one of my classes or even time I could be writing a blog for you.

Light cleaning is no big deal and doesn't take more than two hours during the week or on a Saturday but if I am going to vacuum the stairs or deep clean all of the rooms, it is going to be an all day process. It also makes me very tired, I don't know about you but that's not exactly how I want to spend my weekends/days off.

Let's be real, cleaning is back breaking work, the people who do it for a living are much bigger people then I am. I am impressed.

I went back and forth with this a lot...I can clean my own house. I don't need someone to do it for me. I actually enjoy some aspects of cleaning like vacuuming and dishes...well I enjoy what it looks like after

It took a lot of back forth but at a certain point, I came to the conclusion that it's okay to ask for help or hire someone to help you. I chose to give it to myself and Eric as a Christmas present but you can put aside some money from something else, skip the extravagant coffee, do your own manicure/pedicure or bring your lunch instead of going out. You can also shop around and get different quotes to find the best rates.

Okay, now that you've made the decision to hire someone, where do you start?

1. Do they bring their own supplies?
   • Most maid services bring EVERYTHING with them, this even includes a vacuum and a mop.
2. Do they use products with ingredients you approve of?
   • This is so important if you have children and/or pets. Lily for some strange reason licks anything and everything....yep you read that right, she licks things. We can't stop it, trust me, we've tried. I clean with products that won't harm her if she ingests small amounts. I chose a service that uses eco and organic products to clean with.
3. Do they have good reviews/recommendations?
   • You are letting someone into your house - do I need to say more? They are learning your layout, they are see what things you have lying around, they will know if you have a security system or a safe. You are also probably home alone or you leave a key for them when they come, you are very vulnerable.
4. Are they bonded and insured?
   • This goes hand in hand with number 3. If the worst happens, do you have a way to take action? If you hire a random person who you met on the cleaning aisle at Target that you know nothing about, you don't have many options if they take advantage of your trusting nature..
5. How often do you want them to come?
   • You can start out by having them come once and see how it goes. Was it worth the expense? Did they clean everything you wanted done? Were they pleasant? Did you feel safe? If you've answered yes to these then you can talk to the company of what types of deals they offer. Some companies give big discounts the more often they come. Don't be afraid to ask questions and ask for deals.

So how was my experience?

One word.

AMAZING!

I asked around for some recommendations for who they use for their houses but I was having trouble getting the information so I decided to visit my "go to" when I am looking for a new service... YELP! I put in my zip code and went with the top choice in my area. That happened to be Superb Maids. They did a phenomenal job, they were very polite, I felt comfortable with them in my home and my house has never looked prettier! I have decided to have them come quarterly...so every 3 months to come do a deep clean. I can keep up with junk, toys and dishes in between. I would say if you are on the fence about hiring a maid, give it a shot. Life is short and you may find you love it

Have you hired a maid? How was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!

-Crystal & the Bean