There’s a subtle distinction between a house cleaner and a
maid. With overlapping job
responsibilities it’s sometimes difficult to know what to expect from the two
designations. A house cleaner is going
to focus on, yes, you got it, cleaning.
The primary goal is to focus entirely on cleaning your home and ridding
it of dirt, dust, grime, and scum. Once
your house is picked up and basic items are removed from surfaces that may
prevent an efficient and effective cleaning, such as: shoes, daily mail,
newspapers, clothes off dresser tops, etc, then a house cleaner can go in and
focus on those spaces. A house cleaner
is fully aware of what products to use on various surfaces: wood, quartz,
granite, laminate, etc. They are masters
of getting difficult areas of the home clean that someone without their
knowledge would struggle with. Picture
yourself cleaning your shower glass doors and how difficult it is to make them
look new, reflective, and fully transparent.
A cleaner has certain cleaning methods and products to really bring your
home back to life and showcase just how good your house can look.
A maid may have a lot of cleaning experience and knowledge
when it comes to cleaning different areas of a home. They should be comfortable in performing a
lot of the same cleaning tasks that a house cleaner can but perhaps not as
knowledgeable when it comes to subtle details.
On top of some cleaning duties, a maid will also focus on tidying,
organizing, and making a home more presentable.
In the kitchen a maid may make sure the loaf of bread is securely sealed
to prevent going stale. They will look
at the throw blankets and pillow in the living room and arrange them in a way
that is aesthetically pleasing. A maid
will also be skilled an making a bad, stretching the sheets tightly over the
mattress and displaying the pillows to make it more welcoming.
When a customer books with Marching Maids I make sure to
have a thorough conversation regarding the customer’s home and confirm that
they understand what they’re getting.
Referencing the above information, Marching Maids focus is house
cleaning. We ask customers to not,
“clean before the cleaners arrive,” but rather pick up any clutter and loose
items that may interfere with an effective and efficient house cleaning. At the end of my conversation with every
perspective customer I do ask them if there’s anything they would like us to
pay special attention to. The most
common response that I hear is for a focus to be on the floors, bathrooms, and
kitchen. But if there are any other
areas of the house that a customer would like help with such as making a bed,
folding bath towels, or arranging pillows on the sofa, we can assist there
too. Our general rule of thumb is we
will help with small tasks that take a minute or less that make a lasting
impression on you when you book a routine cleaning. These small tasks are completed on top of
the general house cleaning that you receive.
Now if a customer has more “maid” related requests, I often recommend booking
an hourly rate. This will allow you to decide on the amount of time you would
like cleaning for and we will go down your priority list to ensure it’s all
take care of.