Everyday Disasters

Category: Hiring A Maid

  • Training the Maid

    The new maid has finally arrived. Your first task is to convince her that you don’t want her to clean the house.

  • In Defense of Clutter

    I often read about ways to organize my life and eliminate clutter. It sounds very seductive – relieve stress, find your keys instantly, purify your mind. I wonder though about the other values you embrace on your way to a clutter-free life.

  • It’s Important Not to Let Your Kids Torture the Maid

    Dee’s Story Dee is a respectable matron with a responsible position in municipal government, but she wasn’t always. In fact, Dee seems to have been a bit of a terror. In the ancient times of party lines and B&W TV, Dee attended Kindergarten. Since she came from a well-to-do and progressive family her father would…

  • Preparing For The Maid’s Arrival

    My mother always cleaned before the maid came. I swore I’d never do that. Sociologists 100 years from now will probably blame the Internet phenomenon of publishing one’s most private details on children watching the insanity of their mother cleaning the house before the maid arrived. It didn’t help that mothers wanting their children to…

  • Cleaning Supplies for the New Maid

    Cleaning items should be on hand and organized before the maid arrives. The maid will need:

  • The Maid and Her Mop

    The mop of choice for many maids is a string mop. It allows them to wet all surfaces and pick up any pieces they may have missed when sweeping. It doesn’t really clean your floors. If she doesn’t express a preference, try getting her to use a sponge mop. If she says she prefers a…

  • Cleaning Fluids

    Most maids are set in the way they use their equipment and even the cleaning supply brands they use. Unless you own a cleaning solution manufacturing plant, go with their choice. It’s not important. I like vinegar in water for floors, glass and cabinet cleaning (2 T/gal). I have fond delusions that it may cut…

  • Salary for the New Maid

    Don’t worry if your salary conversation comes down to

  • The Interview For A New Maid

    At some point the potential maid comes to see your house, gives you a price and sets up a schedule. You need to make the following point extremely clear: You do not want her to clean your whole house in one visit. You are just hiring her to clean two or three rooms at a…

  • Nannies are Not Maids

    You thought the caste system in India was rigid? In the 4 months between my daughter’s attendance at full-time kindergarten and the birth of my son I came up with the idiotic plan of allowing my fabulous Nanny to take the place of the maid. In my defense . .