Cleaning it up with Leslie Reichert

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  Are you ready to shake the house clean?

I enjoy knowing the history and origin of all things related to cleaning. And while the actual origin of spring cleaning is still under debate, I am rather partial to the term "khooneh tekouni," which literally means "shaking the house." To me "shaking the house" has always sounded more fun than just plain old spring cleaning.

I know you may be thinking that fun and cleaning don’t belong in the same sentence, but despite that fact, I am quite certain you will take part in at least one spring cleaning activity.  And if you are like the rest of us busy working mothers out there, it may simply be to enlist the assistance of a cleaning professional.  (Even with my passion for all things clean, I too, lean on professional cleaners to assist with my big spring cleaning efforts.)

Some key traits to look for in the professional you choose to work with:

1. Trustworthiness- the ability to trust your home and safety to the people cleaning for you is very important. You should research the person and ask for multiple referrals. Make sure to actually call and ask all those questions you want answered. Remember, your definition of clean is probably different than theirs.
2. Consistency- Having your home cleaned the same way EVERY time is key to being happy with a cleaning service. Ask how many people will be cleaning your house at one time. Also find out if the same person/people be there every week. Ask to be notified if there are changes in the personnel coming to your home.
3. Dependability- knowing that you can plan on a service every time they are scheduled is also very important. Tell them you have high expectations and they should not ask you to reschedule unless it is an emergency. Should they cancel or skip- tell them that you don’t expect this to become a regular occurrence.
4. Thoroughness- One way to make sure you are going to be happy with a service is to agree on your expectations.  A lot will depend on the condition of your home when the cleaning service arrives. If you tend to have a cluttered home, you should not expect a service to pick up for you and do an incredible cleaning. You need to decide which is more important to you and agree to keep the home at that level when they come.
5. Communication- Just like any other relationship, communicating is the real key to finding and keeping a good cleaning service.  Keep the lines of communication open and be very honest with how you feel about their work. You’ll find they really appreciate knowing what you think of their work.

Interested in becoming a Get Your Genius Resident Genius?
Click here to contact us and please include your bio, a link to your website and a few sentences why you feel working mothers can’t live without your expertise.