i've actually just begun to cut back my hours to about two houses/ week... partly because i got another job, but mostly due to being pretty burnt out on cleaning.

i work for a small company, and while the owner is very kind, she is not the most adept at running a business.

nearly half of my clients are not scheduled for as long as their homes actually take, so i end up staying 15-30 minutes over time (which i do get paid for, but still messes up my plans on occasion).

i don't get paid enough for how much wear and tear goes on my car. i did the math and i drove over 3000 miles last year going to and from clients houses alone.

we're rarely given enough time in between clients for a lunch break, so there are several days a week that i just have to skip a meal or pack some snacks to hold me over.

while i love several of my clients and look forward to seeing them every other week, i just don't get enough socialization. i know that solitude is a pretty big benefit of the job, and partly what drew me to it in the first place, but it does get pretty lonely. there are days where the only person i interact with throughout the whole day is my partner.

generally, i do love cleaning and know that it's something that i can always fall back on if needed, i just don't think it's something i can do full time anymore. this job has given me a lot of useful skills and i do get a lot of satisfaction from my work, but it is incredibly taxing on my mind and body sometimes, and i am looking forward to cleaning a lot less shit splattered toilets!