Wouldn’t it be a dream to have your own, personal housekeeper?
Life is hectic when you’re working long hours or are managing a busy family. That doesn’t leave much time left in the week to stay on top of keeping your home as clean and organised as you would like it to be.
Imagine how it would feel to hand over all the logistics of managing your household to a trusted housekeeper. Someone who will not only expertly clean your home, but will also take on other household jobs you don’t have time for.
There are a number of options for hiring a housekeeper, depending on your budget, size of your home and family, how much extra space you have and whether you are prepared to have someone living in your home. Let’s take a look…
What are the types of housekeeping services?
1. Cleaner or Maid
Hiring a cleaner or maid will get you a basic (or not so basic cleaning service, depending on your choice of cleaner), which is not to be confused with the role of a housekeeper. Your cleaner will generally clean, dust, vacuum, and tidy on a weekly or fortnightly basis to maintain a good level of cleanliness and order in your home. A good cleaning company will be also offer extra services you can add onto your regular clean as you need them.
2. Live in Housekeeper
A live in housekeeper is probably the most faithful embodiment of the term. They may be full time or part time employee, who works exclusively for you, and as part of their package , are provided accommodation – either within your home or within the grounds, if you are lucky enough to have a granny flat or similar. A housekeeper is a high standard professional who can clean, tidy, and ensure your home and property is cared for on a daily basis. A live in housekeeper may assist with errands, cooking, childcare, and security when the property is vacant. They will generally make and change beds, take care of the laundry, and look after your pets. Depending on the size of your home, your housekeeper may also manage your cleaner / cleaners, rather than handling all the cleaning themselves.
3. Live out Housekeeper
A live out housekeeper is similar to the above and will likely still work exclusively for you – potentially attending your home on a daily basis, but living off-site. This works well for those who have the budget for a live in housekeeper, but not the space.
4. Contract Housekeeper
Some cleaning companies also offer a housekeeping service for a specified number of hours per week. While hour-for-hour, this may be a more expensive option, if you don’t feel you need someone to attend your home for a number of hours every day, it’s a really good solution. A good cleaning company will tailor the service to meet your specific needs, and dedicate a single cleaner to your home, which means they get to understand your needs very well and dovetail neatly and discretely into your family routine – and of course is essential for security.
A contract housekeeper will typically handle all the tasks you would expect of a live-in / live-out housekeeper, with the exception of childcare. What you can expect, is for them to handle your laundry, changing and making beds, ironing, folding and putting away clothes, organising wardrobes, linen cupboards, pantries and kitchen cupboards. They may offer basic meal preparation, and some will also include pet care and dog walking.
If you do decide to appoint a contract housekeeper, it’s a good idea to check they have appropriate accreditations from governing bodies such as ARCSI, ISSA and GBAC.
Appointing your housekeeper
It’s a good idea to first make a list of the tasks you will require of your housekeeper, determine how much time you will need from them, and whether or not you have the space to have them live in.
Once this criteria is established, you can interview candidates, and / or consult with a cleaning company to explore options and agree a way forward.
If you’d like to find out more about the SOAP Housekeeping Service, visit our website, or call us to arrange a no-obligation consultation.
Happy housekeeping!