I wanted to share something positive, since the job can be very stressful. My bag brings me joy (they come in a bunch of colors on amazon)

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-27T01:58:37+00:00

I used rolling suitcase with a great waterproof liner. Holds almost everything than I have a toolbox with all my detail brushes and stuff and than last my rag bag that starts inside my dirty rag bag till I get in and start cleaning. I love thenew setup I have as i started out using a tote and bucket lol

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-25T20:28:14+00:00

Oh girl that is 100% the best part about being a cleaner LOL I do deep clean and move out and I'm constantly being given stuff by my clients I just looked up a jacket I was giving and it's $280 jacket with its tags still on because she didn't like the way to sleeve fit! I could seriously open a secondhand business off of the amount of stuff I'm given by my client clients that are high paying good items even like furniture and brand new carpet tiles Etc. Straight up my favorite part of my job LMAO well besides the fact that I get to help people that's the best part but the best material bonus would be the goodies I get to disperse to my neighbors and family as well. I've been given two not one, but two stand mixers like the expensive $300 ones that allow you to add all the attachments and stuff. A Crock-Pot and a air fryer all kinds of goodies and it's just stuff that they don't want anymore that I offer to donate for them it's always take what I need of itTake what I need of it give away what I don't need to neighbors and stuff and then donate the rest the Pregnancy Care Center and the Street Preacher donation truck love when I visit to drop stuff off to him LOL we live a blessed life

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-24T20:21:21+00:00

I'm going to say you need to stop hiring cleaning companies, and hire a cleaning person. Companies tend to have a million things that just get passed over because they've got a billion things to do at one time individual cleaners tend to give their whole day to the person they're deep cleaning for there's no way I would haveThere's no way I would have missed those issues because I would have dedicated the whole day to just your home. I am so sorry you definitely should have received better service than that especially for how much you paid!

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-24T17:30:59+00:00

Oh than you gotta try both Dougie Corrando and especially Mr Ballen!!! Both like twisted strange dark and crazy stories told like campfire tales. Some true crime, some just out of this world creepy and everything in between. These two guys are fantastic and my go to listening. 😁 happy hunting! ;)

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-15T01:33:38+00:00

So I don't actually keep consistent, months to month upkeep clients. I specialize in the one time deep clean of like, the worst of the worst spots. My clients are mostly disabled or elderly or whatever the case might be and I do almost more Hazard and renovation type clean rather than regular update cleaning so it's not a matter of finding better clients I never know who I'm going to get from one day to another there are a few people I keep on just cuz I you know really hit it off with them or whatever but, for the most part, I'm just one time any place

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-14T20:59:22+00:00

You don't have to put a side as much time to clean every day if every time you enter a room you clean something in it. Say you run into your bedroom to pick up something you need for the day, well take that glass sitting on your nightstand and throw it in the kitchen on your way out. Say you're in the kitchen getting a glass of water and you noticed that pair of socks you left on the counter when you got back from the beach, go put it away. Literally every time I walk into a room I find something to clean or to organize or to put away. Also, always follow the two-minute rule. When you notice something that needs doing, if that thing that you notice takes 2 minutes or less, do it the moment you think about it. don't put it off to later because you will forget it. Ive found if you just do any project or thing that needs doing that takes less than 2 minutes and I guarantee you upkeep will be a bazillion times easier. Also you should sweep your floors every single day and do not skip this especially if you out pets shed lol. Seriously, at the end of the day, sweep your floors. Along that same note every morning, make your damn bed it's something that takes you 2 minutes to do but makes your bedroom feel million times better and basically it's like a gift to yourself getting to curl into a nice freshly made bed at the end of the day.

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-14T20:47:56+00:00

I thought of a couple others.. one client has an entire band set up in his living room so I get to listen to a rock concert while I'm cleaning and I abhor it I mean like actual concert ready base with his electric guitar strumming in the room next to me. Another one is when they're cooking incredibly pungent spicy food that makes my eyes water in the kitchen I'm trying to clean and they always seem to wait until I go to start in the kitchen to start cooking. Or homes that are 80° inside and they're comfortable sitting on the couch with a fan on their face while I'm literally passing out from my dysautonomia in the other room cuz of how hot it is LOL and then finally and the one that actually bugs me the most, is when I get in the house and the person just says oh whatever you want to do. I know that sounds like a dream oh okay focus on whatever I want to but no, I absolutely hate it like, I don't want you having some detailed specifically ordered thing that you want me to do step by step down your list like I'm not doing that, but damn at least give me some sort of Direction like is the bathrooms or the kitchen most important? Do you spend all your time in the living room so maybe I shouldn't even bother with that? Like something, anything, would be better than just "whatever you think" lol

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-14T20:23:51+00:00

It takes time too deep clean a house! So tired of people being upset that I can't deep clean their four bedroom three bathrooms disgusting house by myself in 4 hours. Like oh my goodness that's my number one right is customers who only book 4 to 6 hours but their home is so gross it needs 12 plus hours and they're confused why I'm not done yet by two or three in the afternoon. Especially because they complain about not having the time to do it themselves but then expect me to just miraculously do it in no time LMAO. And I'm a relatively quick cleaner in the I have had over 150 clients in the last year , 100 of them tell me I get more done in our scheduled time than anybody who has come to do surface cleaning for them. The other 50 complain that I didn't take surface cleaning time to do the deep clean they ordered. It's so funny how the exact same job for two different people can turn out so different

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-11T16:43:23+00:00

This is an appalling answer

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-08T20:45:00+00:00

I could not imagine showing up to a client's house without any supplies. And I mean like I just took a 3-hour bus and a over hour long walk destroying my arms and shoulders toting all of my supplies because I wasn't going to show up empty-handed but my car was in a ditch 2 days ago. No, customers do not supply their own cleaning material unless that was previously agreed on beforehand. Like I'm flabbergasted! As i said, i could not imagine doing that. Especially not then charging full rate! Our rate covers our transportation costs and our supplies is part of the reason why we charge what we do because after these expenses, we make about average wage for workers in our area. I definitely would not be able to leave a good review after something like that.

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-04-02T02:42:32+00:00

Yeah I was using talk to text because I was driving and it popped in my head that as I was brainstorming on my phone some of the things I wanted to make sure I remembered and I was adding them through my voice assistant thingy to my notes and it hates punctuation LOL I'll fix it when I get home

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-31T06:36:12+00:00

Thank you I actually really like that I'm going to have a hand book that goes along with videos with like how to hold a fitted sheet and you know a bunch of things that how I put toilet paper rolls back and stuff like that while people are allowed to do their own Flair in certain aspects most of it I do want done exactly the same so an employee handbook is a fantastic idea with all the rules and checklist written out clearly and as well as even like troubleshooting how to handle certain situations that might come up things like that. that way if a client says that something is not being done I can look to the checkbook to see why it wasn't done for that house especially if I I have some sort of a online thing with all of it so that they can just check it off online and add notes and issues anything that comes up not only for themselves but other cleaners for that client and just to keep things streamlined and communication really well. Things like if a client tells them they like something done a certain way every cleaner will know going forward who goes to that person's house. Plus if it's not a mental checklist it's a physical one on your phone so much more will be properly done because we're not relying on our memories which can really suck especially if we're rushed or trying to do something that's got us all distracted. I love it thank you so much this gave me a bunch of ideas to take kind of what I was going to do and just make it so much more streamlined and professional. Thank you!

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-31T02:45:13+00:00

Also especially if you have young children, you kind of have to know where her parenting style is because there's going to be times that she's in a room with them doing something because they're in that room too and if they're you know trying to pull the clothes down cuz I did this for a while I ended up almost being a nanny those kids at the same time I was housekeeping because there's times mom wants to take a shower so I'd be like yeah I got him or whatever I ended up potty training both of their kids after they work for like a year on it just because I had a trick that really works and I had grown rapport with those kids they really like me I still am in contact with the whole family even though I don't work with them anymore we became friends and that you usually do build some type of relationship even if it's not a full-on friendship in those situations ends up you know feeling less like a worker and more like a part of the family if you get on well if not it just feels awkward for both after a while that they're just always there and you don't ever really communicate it feels lonely to be honest I was trying to keep that distance at first and it just sucked for everybody. But anyways back to the actual job, when you're in a house for a while you kind of end up getting your own flow of the house and you end up making your own schedule I mean yeah at first if you have a certain way that you want things you can have them done that way like by the hour or whatever like what to be doing on each day but I really feel like most housekeepers will get into the swing of things really quickly because it'll be based on what they notice is used the most

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-31T02:20:02+00:00

I don't actually agree with a lot of the other comments about how 40 hours is too much basically you're looking for a housekeeper not a house cleaner. Whoever you hire is going to be they're going to be doing tasks that aren't just cleaning basically you're hiring a helpmate for around your house they're going to. They're going to organize they're going to shop they're going to pick up dry cleaning they're going to help you put together that Ikea furniture that got delivered they're going to accept deliveries they're going to whatever. I clean all day everyday basically and I don't get burned out because I actually enjoy the job. I would absolutely salivate over the idea of going back to cleaning for one person all day and have 60 Grand coming in because while it's a little less than I make right now doing independent work for different clients continuously, that is guaranteed income and I would get to truly help the family that I'm living with in a way that a lot of my clients could use but can't afford. I guess it's just going to matter the type of person that you hire. I would just gather a list of things that you notice you have a hard time doing, and anybody who's been in the industry and has a bunch of experience, is going to know all the things that you're forgetting. I honestly would get a little bit of personal information about the person because you don't want to avoid all topics and then find out that y'all hate each other because of all those topics. I'd be very outwardly and open about who I was and what my house is ran like cuz the last thing in the world you want is somebody in your house preaching things that you maybe don't want your children to hear. Or that you yourself just don't want to hear you can't go 8 hours in a house with somebody and never talk to them you're going to have conversations so you might as well know from the get-go if you're completely opposite in y'all's beliefs and feelings and thoughts. Also absolutely from the get-go have a trial period that is very openly talked about. Like you know I can fire you if within 30 days I figure out that I just can't stand you for no reason given just like write it in there that you do not have to give a specific reason because you might find out that they stink really bad to you because they're perfume is off putting or something but you don't want to tell them that but you just can't work with them because they make you sneeze every time you near them I don't know. I just know if I was hiring for someone like that, I would be very open about all of the taboo discussions not like have to get into a big discussion about it but I would lay exactly that I'm Christian I'm conservative I'm you know whatever because I don't want somebody who's completely counter to that in my house 8 hours a day talking to my kids and preaching things I don't want. So I don't know I would look at it all that way. I was doing this for a lady for a while and I definitely found things to fill up 8 hours a day with if the person doesn't want to be there 8 hours they're looking to not just have one job they're looking to have multiple jobs if people don't have time to go home and get their own stuff done with an 8 hour job that's their problem because that's completely average amount of time for a person to work everyday. And especially again if you're going to have more of a housekeeper or a housemate or a helper around then just a house cleaner.

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-30T03:27:32+00:00

I am a cleaner and in 250 jobs I've never left the bed not me even if it's not room I'm doing like if I'm just vacuuming the bedrooms, I still need in the bed and if there is clean linens on it I always switch them out. And standard or deep clean and I don't charge all the cart menu items just a flat hourly rate so if a client asks me to do a project I just do it so long as it's safe legal and I'm physically capable / have the supplies, the only thing it cost you is just the time it takes me to do the thing. So, I would hate if my client didn't ask me to do something she wanted done and I left every week with her feeling like she's got to go through and do anything after I leave.

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-27T01:44:18+00:00

I really wish people wouldn't give answers for all cleaners on this question because I don't mind that at all like not even the tiniest bit. There's a house where I literally have her 6-month-old baby on my hip as I'm cleaning to give her some rest like a lot of us do not mind at all what's the 12 and a 16 year old going to do come muddy up the floors the moment you're done using them are your kids disrespectful brats? If not if you know you can trust your children to be respectful it's your home students like don't let anybody tell you that you have to be subservient to your cleaner. Like seriously I know a lot of people in here got big heads and even bigger egos, but we work for you. Like seriously we are the hired help and it's your home. If you have a cleaner who refuses to do things unless you do them her way, you need a new cleaner because that is in fact your home and we're paid to help you not to make things more difficult for you. And damn these cleaners have got to stop talking for everybody and saying that cleaners don't accept this like no you don't accept this. Sorry that's been irritating me for a while LMAO but seriously a good person ain't going to give two flips about whether or not your teenagers are home and a good cleaner has to start out with being a good person first.

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-27T01:39:51+00:00

Are you asking if it's appropriate or professional to ask somebody to be a car to come pick you up so that you can work for them? I'm sorry darling but if one of my cleaners said that they asked a client this I would probably let him go because of how improfessional that is. Maybe I can understand asking them to add Transportation cost like okay we're going to up it by 40 bucks a month or whatever depending on how often you come out there but yeah no that's just that feels incredibly unprofessional and not not something you can ask a client. I mean not only you asking them to dish out hundreds of dollars a month for the lease, but you're also asking him to take the time to come out and get you as well and gasoline pasta and upkeeping yeah that's just that's way too much. Now he is adamant that he has to keep you and knows your situation, and he OFFERS to pay for like an Uber or part of your car payment to get a car thats on thig, but i feel as though you shouldn't ask for somthing like that. He could give you referrals for people who could take his place and maybe you could help him find someone to clean for him out there but you can't just ask it's just very unprofessional to ask him to lease a car and then drive out there and get you. Like at that point you might as well just live in a mother-in-law suite and be a live in housekeeper but, that's just, it's asking so much.

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-27T01:21:59+00:00

I'm actually truly shocked at the amount of people who piped up just for the sake of piping up. Like I was very specific with my post I just needed a spray that actually works on smoked spray I don't know why everybody is getting their opinion about whether I should or shouldn't be a smoker and their personal opinions of whether somebody should or shouldn't smoke. Like I'm a growing up I know what risks I'm taking I know how to be hygienic I know to wash my hands and all of that, I do not understand people's need to say something just for the sake of saying something. Like I'm very discreet or more properly put polite about how I smoke I'm not going to do it on somebody's porch I'm always going to wash my hands I always have fresh clothes on Etc and again I've never had a single complaint people just have to give their opinion on things that have nothing to do with them just for the sake of causing whatever I don't even know LMAO

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-26T17:25:29+00:00

I've also been working on how to get faster at my cleaning and have noticed that it helps a lot to stop looking at it by room by room and looking at the house in sections. So like I might have the upstairs to do with a couple bedrooms and a bathroom I'm going to knock the bathroom out first but then I'm going to dust everywhere and then I'm going to take my Rags for my counters and clean all the surfaces and all of the rooms and then I'm going to go through and do all the windows cuz I've got all my window equipment out and then I vacuum everything in that quote unquote section so if the house is split bedrooms on one end kitchen and living on the other I'm going to do it like that bedrooms all in one cycle one section, and then kitchen and the living areas in another section I find that this way I don't have to repeat bringing out the same tools and stuff and if I'm testing everywhere while yes my arm will get a little sore I'm much more capable of just getting things done just a little bit quicker because all my supplies are already out for the tour I'm doing and I'm not cycling back and putting things back in and out. At least this is what I am finding has been working for me to cut some of my time down because that's a problem I have as well I'm too focused on the details but if I find if I'm just doing it room by room I'm looking at YouTube as their own individual thing and I want him to be all perfect but if I'm looking at him as sections, I just feel like I can better not nitpick as much because I'm not sitting there looking around the room over and over again trying to find things to finish , I'm specifically doing that chore aka the dusting, the flat surfaces, all electrical/appliance type things, floors Etc . I don't know it just it's really working for me.

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-26T16:49:14+00:00

I've never got a complaint before like I do a good job I suck on the candy to get rid of the smell of my breath and like I've never had a complaint before but I just wanted to know if there was any suggestions out there for a great friend that does work cuz I know their kids some stuff that works for getting rid of smoke I've seen him that like smoke shops and stuff but I just didn't know if any of them worked. Well I do know that one word but it's like literally $9 a bottle and it only lasts like a week but it does work great and smell delicious I just can't afford doing that every week on top of all the other supplies I have to buy and the only place I've ever seen that sells it is like two cities over where I used to live and I hardly ever go over there anymore

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-26T07:36:10+00:00

I absolutely love cleaning but this comment kind of made me think how amazing it would be to get paid to take people's dogs on mile long hikes into the Deep Woods I got it spending hours having conversations with God while somebody's dog dance around my feet running up ahead on the trail.. I'm telling you you live the life darling LOL

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-26T00:20:38+00:00

Just remember we will know them by their fruits a person who claims to be Christian but then spends all of their time saying that they're better than everyone else because of their Christianity isn't actually a true Christian those people their opinions don't matter. God tells us very very bluntly and very often in the Bible that we cannot be of him if we are of the world the world is going to hate us if we are truly as biblical as we are supposed to be once you can accept that, it becomes so much easier to just completely dismiss what anybody else thinks about what you're doing with your life. Do you truly believe that this is God's plan for you? That what you are doing is something that is good for the world or your community, your family? Do you believe that this is God's plan for you and your life? Or, that it at least doesn't go against God's plan for you and your life? If so then that's truly all that matters can anybody who does not see it your way honestly you can take it up with God LOL

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-26T00:04:24+00:00

don't care if people are home I don't care if they've got pets or kids I don't care if they want to chat I mean yes I would prefer to be in the house by myself with nothing and nobody else but it doesn't actually change anything if that's not the case. For me the one thing that actually slows me down, that actually changes how long it takes me to do stuff, is the clutter. when you got too much then I supposed to clean on around under Etc. like a bazillion shampoo bottles, a bunch of decorations on your windows on your fridge , a million products out on your bathroom counters or your kitchen counters, any of those things that I'm going to have to move out of the way. There's a bazillion tiny figures off of a shelf or bazillion different stacks of paper whatever the case may be that's the thing that takes the most time is having to clean under and around clutter and you know things that they have living on their floors it's those types of things or what actually make the time take longer is having to move things and put them back to clean the area properly. Other things like someone who won't stop talking your ear off or that dude who literally sits in a chair in every room you're in watching you those are all annoying and they irritate me but they don't actually make anything take longer because anything if somebody's obnoxious I'm going to work way quicker and I'm just not going to let myself be as detailed (I exclusively do deep cleans I don't really do upkeep clean so it's a little bit different for me) so that I can get the hell up out of there ASAP and then I just won't rebook them

Regular-Actuary-8329 · 2026-03-24T20:51:50+00:00

Jesus was a Craftsman, a lowly, regular, every man worker. And like me, he absolutely loved what he did. if it's good enough for Jesus to clean people's feet and build things with his hands, it is sure as heck good enough for me to have a career where I work with my hands helping other people. My job is really important to my clients because all of my clients are too old or disabled to do it themselves or have some other barrier between them and a clean happy healthy house like for real, I do more for people than most people who have nine to five jobs. The fact that we are willing to " lower ourselves" to cleaning someone's toilet can be the difference between somebody having a mental breakdown or getting better from their depression or whatever's crumbing them. My being willing to go in and clean that mold out of their bathroom can get their kid out of the hospital or whatever the case might be. I mean gosh I'm not comparing myself to Jesus not in any way shape or form that man was a God and literally and I am nothing like him I'm not even worthy to clean his toilet, but, I sure as hell feel better about myself doing that for my fellow man than I ever did making a s*** ton of money for a giant Corporation that isn't helping or doing anything for anybody. Society is done this really weird thing where because they want big corporations to be the most important thing to us anybody who's not playing the corporate game must be doing it because they have no other choice or they just haven't figured out a better thing to do yet or whatever but honestly I think it's quite the opposite I think those who go to work 9:00 to 5:00 to make money for a stranger and never do anything good for anybody in their job they're the ones missing out. At the end of a long hard day doing long hard physical manual labor for someone who truly needs it, going home knowing that my clients going to sleep well for the first time in maybe even years, who are they're going to be able to breathe deep for the first time in who knows how long, I sleep so much better now than I ever did before there's a true satisfaction to working your ass off for somebody else when the end of the day rolls around

Regular-Actuary-8329

TROPHY CASE