Life Elevated | Why I decided to get a cleaning lady

Lifestyle
Clean Home Inspiration
Yesterday, I made the decision to hire a cleaning lady.  As soon as the decision was made, I took immediate action to schedule an appointment before I talked myself out of it.  The idea of hiring someone to come in on a regular basis to clean my house is something I've resisted forever. Growing up, my mom kept a spotless home.  She'd often wake up early in the morning and scrub down the house until exhaustion.  When she was done, the house was immaculate and I absolutely loved the feeling of being a clean environment.  And when I traveled weekly, I became accustomed to the neatness of a well maintained hotel room.

Since I've been on my own, I've maintained a clean environment as best as I could. But the amount of time required to keep the house to the level of cleanliness that I desire is not feasible.  Even if I had that much time on my hands, I don't want to spend it cleaning.  I'm not talking about doing the dishes, sweeping floors and making the bed.  No, I'm referring to the deep down work.  The kinda stuff that my mom would do all weekend.  I really wish that I was one of those people that enjoy getting on my hands and knees and scrubbing until everything shines...but I'm not.  But I'd love to live in a pristine environment. So what's a girl to do?

Outsource.  Yep, I'm handing the job over to the professionals.  I do feel a little a guilty that I didn't turn out like my mom. But I had to get over it.

Now I have a new expense.  My goal is to see how I can turn this new expense into income. Well, not directly.  But I'm hoping that working in a well organized and clean environment will have a direct impact on my focus.  Just recently I received an email from a coaching client of mine who shared how she found herself to be more productive in building her business when she stayed at a hotel.  Why? Because an organized space helps sparks creativity.  When our environment is dirty or cluttered, it takes up our mental energy. Remember the scene in Limitless when Eddy cleaned his entire home, the very next thing he did was sit down and write the book he'd been avoiding for months.

I suspect that I'll respond favorably as well. Whenever I clean my environment, I work at a higher level so I know that living in a professionally cleaned home will somehow influence my income.  One challenge I'm creating for myself is to calculate the cost of regular cleaning for a year and create ideas on how to generate enough income to cover the investment (including gratuity).  My intention is that this decision to hire help will actually increase my income.

We'll see what happens.  Maybe I'll change my mind and cancel after the first couple of cleanings. Maybe having a maid service will transform my life.  I just look forward to living in a spotless environment again.

Do any of you have experience with a maid service?  Please share.

6 comments

  1. The best money I've ever spent was for a bi-monthly cleaning service. I never knew how much time I was spending on cleaning since and for me the value is in the time. My weekends went from doing everything humanly possible on Saturdays (running errands, working out, visiting family and friends, shopping etc) just so that I could dedicate all day Sunday to cleaning, meal prepping for the week, and washing my hair! After the first week of the service not only was I amazed how my faucets sparkled (never happened when I used to clean it lol!) but also how much my levels of anxiety decrease. I spent less time trying to do EVERYTHING to actually enjoying some real free time! Bonus: if the service can add laundry, dry cleaning pick up/drop off, and grocery shopping. A-MAZ-ING!

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  2. Oh yes! I LOVE LOVE LOVE having one. Ever since I moved out on my own it's a NECESSITY! Enjoy

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  3. Love my clean environment, and have been fully aware of the need for an orderly space ever since I was a teenager. Yes, I tried a cleaning service a couple times over my adult life and have learned that I love to clean, and it's an amazing stress reliever for me. While I clean I don't focus on the toilet or the crud I'm scrubbing. I focus on my work/schedule/relationships/etc. and mentally triage, debrief, let go the old, and brainstorm/evaluate where I go from here. As I finish my cleaning, my brain is also clean and I get on with it. No, I'm not OCD...I am orderly and expect an orderly space. I don't view cleaning as lost time. I view it as much-needed me-time. Something gets cleaned daily, so it's not a major time investment or chore at all.

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  4. Gayle,
    I love your perspective on this. I sometimes listen to audio programs while I clean. Or I'll plan my upcoming week. It's very meditative.

    Joi & Ne,
    I can't wait to experience having a spotless environment. I hope my experience is as amazing as yours.

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  5. I actually look forward to the big cleaning jobs (Spring and Fall deep cleaning). I only do those things twice a year, so for me, I enjoy it. I don't have the budget for a cleaning lady at this time, so that's not an option for me. But when I am cleaning, it gives me time to focus on other things, mentally work out problems, and plan.

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  6. I have nothing against rented cleaners as long as they get fair pay, including health plan and retirement savings. If you don't like to clean, and someone else do it as a profession why not.
    However, I love to clean. I'm like the woman commenting above. Putting on good music and cleaning the house. In opposite to your mum, I clean maybe one hour a day and then there is no need to dedicate the whole weekend.

    Good that you are happy with your decision!

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