Testimonial: Hiring A Cleaner is One of The Best Things I Ever Did!
I’m the first to admit that cleaning and ‘keeping house’ is not my greatest skill-set. I’m an experienced journalist/editor and I worked on national newspapers for many years. I know what I’m good at and I know what I’m not so great at! While I love a clean and orderly house, doing housework does NOT spark joy within me, thank you very much Marie Kondo!
As a busy, working single-parent to two tweenaged girls (have you seen the mess they make in the bathroom?!), time - along with motivation for cleaning - is in rather short supply. Having spent a while trying to juggle it all (because that’s what us ‘superwomen’ are meant to do, right?!), I threw in the towel and decided to look for a cleaner. I felt that I was spending too much time and effort with the housework and not actually getting very far. It felt like a loss of energy and resources. Better to free up some time by hiring a cleaner and utilise this time for generating income, right? Right!
Initially, finding a decent cleaner was HARD! I put a call out to local friends asking if they could assist and point me in the direction of a cleaner… I got just one referral and gave her a whirl. After her first visit, I was disappointed and dismayed. I felt I could have done a better job myself (and that’s really saying something!). I felt annoyed at having had to pay for a service I was less than happy with. I politely asked her not to return and having to deal with that was a little awkward and not very pleasant. So, back to square one.
A business associate then suggested I try Time For You. I got the phone number off the website and gave them a call. Having discussed my requirements, and fixed a time and date, Kate became my new cleaner. On her first visit, we ran through my expectations and she explained clearly (and kindly) what would be possible to achieve in the timescale. This was perfect because we both started our working agreement in total harmony - there were no nasty surprises. And I’ve not been disappointed or dismayed once.
Once a fortnight, I prep the house for Kate’s visit, in as much as I clear the decks and tidy life clutter away - but I’m not the type to clean before the cleaner! I believe that the tidier the house, the better Kate can clean. And clean she does! I love how my house looks, and smells, once she’s been. I can often be found standing in the kitchen, just sighing with pleasure, looking at all the sparkly clean things!
For us, as a family, Kate has made such a huge difference. Not having to spend all Saturday morning cleaning (badly!) means that we can do other fun stuff and, when time is precious and in short supply, this is golden.
Thank-you to Time For You and for Kate. You’ve saved my sanity (and worktops!).
