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13 Things Your Housecleaner Won’t Tell You

Former maid service owners and housekeeping agencies come clean about what it's like to tidy up your home.

By Michelle Crouch from Reader's Digest | February 2012
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1. My best clients are people who work for their money, like teachers, bartenders, and cops.

Rich people think they're doing you a favor by allowing you to scrub their toilets. Working people understand you are doing them a service by making their lives easier.


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2. I wish you wouldn't insist on bleach and other harsh cleaners.

For almost every situation, there's an eco-friendly option that's just as effective.

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3. After I leave, check the base of the toilet and the top of the fridge.

If they're clean, you know I'm thorough.

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4. Many cleaning companies do not run any sort of background check or even check references.

I answered an ad, I was on time and presentable, and I was willing to take the job. That is all most companies care about.

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5. Even though I smile and act interested, don't use me as your therapist, gossip buddy, or friend.

Frankly, most of us have a lot less than you, and we can't fathom why you're complaining. Plus, you slow me down.

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6. Want to save money on high-priced maid services?

Instead of booking a regular appointment, ask to be on our on-call list to fill last-minute slots at a discount. Or see if you can be a "training home" for new cleaners.

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7. If you use a service instead of an individual, ask for the same people every time.

Your cleanings will be more consistent, with fewer strangers in your home.

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8. When using a new maid service, leave a few dollars hanging out of a pants pocket or lying on the counter.

If we take a dollar or two, you'll know we're probably going to take other things.

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9. Make sure we're bonded and have liability insurance.

Otherwise, you're on the hook if we break something or get hurt on the job.

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10. Pick your clothes up off the floor, get your dishes out of the sink, and clean up your kids' toys.

Your house will end up a lot cleaner.

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11. If you leave your personal life out for us to see, we most definitely will talk about you.

We may even send pictures to our friends and relatives.

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12. Recommend us to your friends.

We may give you $25 to $50 off a cleaning for each referral — if you ask.

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13. If you don't have a lot of cash, ask me to come for just one hour.

I can do just the bathrooms and the kitchen or only the areas guests will see.

Sources: Torrey Shannon, former maid service owner in Westcliffe, Colorado; Lynette Haugen, owner of True Blue Maids of Pasadena; Tangela Ekhoff, a housecleaner in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Theresa Peterson, owner of Quality Cleaning "Maid to Order" in Fremont, California; Dee Strickland, owner of A Zing Zap Cleaning Service in Minneola, Florida.

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Your Comments

  • Johns4fun

    You should do an article on 13 things owners won’t tell their housekeepers!

  • Johns4fun

    You should do an article on 13 things owners won’t tell their housekeepers!

  • Johns4fun

    You should do an article on 13 things owners won’t tell their housekeepers!

  • Johns4fun

    You should do an article on 13 things owners won’t tell their housekeepers!

  • Johns4fun

    You should do an article on 13 things owners won’t tell their housekeepers!

  • Johns4fun

    You should do an article on 13 things owners won’t tell their housekeepers!

    • loretta

      Asking for an hour of time I do not agree with.
      Without there being a bottom line of minimum time it hardly makes it worth it 
      for the person to travel there and back for whatever thier hourly wage is..
      Due to the real estate market crash in upstate NY, my home staging business was not thriving this year and I now have 4 houses I clean a week.
      If I were to come for one hour, that would not pay for the gas and time to get there and back.
      And I know in my case I would see other things that needed to be done and not be able to just
      leave them.
      All of that for 20 to 25 dollars only makes sense for the client.

      • Linda Richardson

        It may depend on the situation…when I was a young working single mom in a town home, there was a great lady who was already cleaning several townhomes right next door.  She would come and spend about 2 hours at my place once a week.  It worked out well for both of us.

  • S1974

    >> “My best clients are people who work for their money, like teachers…”
    LOL!  Tell that to the millions of high school graduates that cannot write their own name or find their state on a map of the US because their “hard working” teachers were more interested in finding ways to pad their benefits package than doing their job.  BTW, aren’t we supposed to believe that teachers are grossly underpaid for the terrible job they do?  What are they doing with housecleaners anyway?
    Oh, and we all know that rich people just stumbled upon their money and didn’t work for it.  This article sounds like it was written by someone who learned how the world works by watching TV sitcoms.

    • just another guy

       Oh good grief, take your agenda on down the road.  A teacher taught YOU, you got yours, and now everybody else gets to listen to your ranting. 

      Yes teachers are underpaid.  And overworked.  And if they chose to spend their money on a housecleaner, then what’s it to you?  That’s capitalism, clown.  I’m sure if someone told YOU how to spend your precious money, you’d be up in arms and ranting again…

      Now I’ve just fed the troll, sorry all.

      • Lee O’Pold

        “just another guy” , I think you misinterpreted S1974 comment. It’s obviously a brilliant piece of satire skewering the practice of injecting irrelevant and  inane opinions into article comments.

        There’s no way that someone would post something as idiotic as “…millions of high school graduates that can’t write their own name…” unless they intended satire. It’s obviously a fictional statistic that’s designed to poke fun at people who conjure  grossly inflated numbers.

        Also, since all of the quotes came from actual business owners involved in the cleaning business, no one would question the writer’s grasp of reality or try to bring in such unrelated topics as teacher pay and performance unless they were trying to satirically portray a knee-jerk, stick-my-politics-into-any-discussion-so-I-can-rant-and-feel-better-about-myself kind of person.

        S1974: You so perfectly portray the writing of a self-righteous, idealogically-bound simpleton that we must declare you the Swift of this comment thread.

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DJ2FJP7AKXASJ6T2JZFN36QA6U ThomasJ

           ever review papers written by remedial freshmen English students at large universities (in my case, Ohio State)???  Maybe they can write their own name (such as Billy-Bob) but they have to print it, and can’t string together two legible sentences.  Then there was the Washington, DC high-school class valedictorian (who started at George Washington Univ while I was there) who got an 800 on his SAT – that’s a 400 on verbal and a 400 on the math part.  Yes, he was illiterate – but he was a good ni&&er who just “got along” and got passed for not creating trouble.

          • Lee O’Pold

            Unfortunately, you haven’t quite reached the satiric heights of S1974. To  be fair, it’s hard to match the heights reached by that masterful comment . However, your method of intentionally ignoring the point of S1974′s wit (in essence, it would be idiotic to bring a discussion about teacher pay into an article about housekeepers) is itself such a biting commentary on the ability of some to so completely miss the point, that I applaud your efforts. Cheers to you good sir!

            PS. I must also mention  your ingenuity in using “&&” in such a way as to fool the automated filters. Truly, your education was not wasted.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DJ2FJP7AKXASJ6T2JZFN36QA6U ThomasJ

         Teachers underpaid?  My a$$.  Like many “professions”, there are those who go the extra mile for no extra pay… but they work about half the hours that I did as an engineer and corporate purchasing manager… and that was just what was stated when I was hired.  That didn’t include the business trips, the late nights, the early mornings, etc.  But I didn’t complain about that or become saintly (ala Timmy Tebow).  All those “in-service” days… many teachers just don’t show up.  My daughter (back in the 80s) went through FEBRUARY before she had a full week (all five days) in school.  So if you work half hours, don’t complain you have to work summers like the ordinary people.  By the way, I went through public schools in Scotia, NY, and think I got a great education from some dedicated teachers (but that was another day, another time, another work ethic).  We won’t talk about the deadbeat, underqualified teachers I saw later in some well-known State universities.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DJ2FJP7AKXASJ6T2JZFN36QA6U ThomasJ

         and PS – many teachers I know admit to going into teaching because they couldn’t/wouldn’t hack the education required for a more lucrative profession – and mostly because they only had to work half the hours and got the whole summer off.  And then there’s the union reps among them – who would take my head off for uttering such blasphemy.

    • Angela1

      I teach at a charter school and there is no teacher’s union, and therefore no employment protection. We work hard everyday, and many evenings, to secure our jobs for the next school year. How dare you make the general accusation that teachers are busy doing other things and do a terrible job. I have never complained about the money I get paid and I don’t have a housecleaner. Luckily, due in part to my efforts, my students can write their names, a cogent and defensible argument not based on emotion, and they don’t begin their sentences with text letters.

    • Melbeeinoc

      Get a grip! You are obviously not a teacher and teachers are trying immensely to teach all the immigrants hat come in illegally. Mind you… their parents at home cant even read or speak English. How can they help their kids at home with homework? Teachers do their very best to keep our country strong for future generations. If you blame anyone blame the government for letting all of the immigrants in who can not speak English, let alone read or write it. Teachers are left to pick us the slack and educate children who can not speak English. You need to know all the facts before you speak.

      • Anonymous

        Teachers are not picking up the slack. They’ve always dealt with students whose families did not speak English. Depending on the era, they spoke only Italian, or only Yiddish, or only Polish, or only Greek, or only Swedish at home, or even regional dialects from within foreign countries. Teachers deserve good pay and good working conditions for all they do, but let’s not blame immigrants. 

    • guest

      I own a dog walking service and I completely agree that my best clients are people who work for their money.  I hate to say it but “rich” people almost never tip and make ridiculous demands. Teachers, janitors, construction workers who work longer hours for less money always make sure I know how much they appreciate my service. 

  • Gil3579

    #7, Often an agency can’t send the same person each time because employees find clients of their own and end up quiting the agency to make more money.

  • Gil3579

    #8 If you leave $ on the counter we will take it thinking it’s a tip. Put houskeepers to the test by leaving money sticking out of a purse, or in a clear (or nor clear) jar on a counter,or a dress purse in a closet. Theives won’t always take what’s obvious, they want to be gone before you notice.

  • Gil3579

    #10 True! Housekeepers are not there to organize your house. They’re there to clean it. Can’t disinfect a surface if the surface is burried under clutter.

  • Gil3579

    #11 Not always true. I have kept many secrets for my clients. ( drug use, sex toys, infidelities) Some have compensated me for my loyalties some didn’t need to. However if a client treats me like a dog all bets are off.

  • Djsstuffa

    Do NOT ask if a cleaner can come for only an hour it’s not worth their time unless you pay very well! When I did cleaning (10 years ago) I made $20 an hour and it would not have been worth my commute time, gas and paying for a sitter. That is why I had a 3 hr. min.

  • Tqnohe

    Number four bit me in the butt. I had a MacBook stolen right out of my house. It took me two full weeks for me to convince my wife that I hadn’t lost it or that my son’s friends hadn’t stolen it. (I am still not sure, three years later, that she believe the housecleaners stole it.) 

  • Raindrop2012

    I would definetly NOT hire any of these so-called housecleaners that are “talking” in your story.
    Mu cleaning lady has been with me for 6 years now, she is the seetest person, cleans fantastically and fast!  And she is a friend and someone who know a lot about me, and my family, and I always ask about her family and her interest, and give her little gifts when we go on vacation to exotic places.  Cleaning people are just like your stylist, manicurist or hairdresser, you need to trust them with your personal business.

  • Anonymous

    #2. Every cleaner I’ve ever had demanded harsh cleansers. They also all had chronic coughs and sneezes because of “allergies.” (Strangely enough, they seemed to be into vitamins and health food stores, too.)
    #5. Almost every cleaner I’ve had told me their opinions and troubles.
    #10. And if you don’t pick up that stuff, who knows where the cleaner will think it belongs?

  • Michelle

    I stopped reading at the suggestion that a few dollars be left out. It’s in my service agreement with the customer states in no uncertain terms that if I see money, valuables, credit cards, etc out in the open.. we’ll leave that room unattended.  Anyone who would “test” us is a suspicious person. Suspicious people are generally projecting. So that tells me they may falsely accuse me of stealing. So I refuse to even enter the room.

  • Dechinta

    I was a housekeeper for a very nice couple, but they would send me to their daughter’s house to clean at times and she wanted her windows cleaned with ammonia and newspaper.  She had no latex gloves and my hands were raw for days.  Her husband hit on me; they left their baby with me that was less than a week old with me telling them I know nothing about babies and had never even changed a diaper in my life.  So many stories I could tell you…but the couple I worked for were awesome…it’s their kids that made me quit, especially the creepy son-in-law.

  • Dechinta

    Amen and amen!  I used to clean houses on the side to earn money for my medical bills.  Your sitting in your recliner, making me stand there on my feet listening to something that you did 50 years ago is not getting your house clean.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QUZ64OIVE2JCMCR2J3E2OMB56Q Mack

    You’re not going to attract professional people because it’s not a professional job. If you consider it a professional job, why not consider professional wages.