Does anyone have a recommendation for a maid service? I want a one time thing for my newly divorced uncle. Hes a neat freak already, but hates vacumming/mopping/bathrooms/dusting so I just want something basic. Plus he's kinda crazy about who he lets in his house, so I cant just hire some random person off of craigslist.

12/14/2007 7:58:08 PM

pawprints was offering her services a while back.

12/14/2007 8:00:18 PM

so your willing to hire some other random person?!

12/14/2007 8:00:50 PM

No. He would probably only let someone with mad references, insurance, and like ten years experience in his house. Preferably a uniform with a logo.

12/14/2007 10:13:15 PM

I'm sure you've heard of Molly Maids. A lot of people in the Triangle Area uses their services and I believe that they offer a one time cleaning. I have a client who uses them on a weekly basis and it always looks fantastic after they leave.

12/14/2007 10:27:46 PM

we had molly mades come every 3 weeks when I lived in annapolis... it was awesome... didn't ever have to clean bathrooms... and we're not talking about the 5seconds run the brush around the toilet, we're talking full tub scrub, sink clean and stuff that takes 30mins to an hour per bathroom to do...

for $50/visit split 4 ways it was definitely awesome

I should mention it's rather awkward if you happen to be home when they come... I would occasionally still be around when they would come in the morning and I would pretty much get out of the house as fast as possible...

[Edited on December 15, 2007 at 12:13 PM. Reason : don't be around when they come]

12/15/2007 12:12:44 PM

I agree it's very awkard to be home when they are there. It makes you feel super lazy!

We use a maid that services my condo once a week. She charges $75, and provides all of the supplies and cleaners. In addition to cleaning, she does laundry (sort, wash, dry, fold), changes the sheets, and takes out the trash. If the dishes in the dishwasher are dirty, or if there are dirty dishes in the sink, she will wash them, run the dishwasher through a cycle, and empty it.

I don't know anything about Molly Maids, but a lot of the cleaning services that my friends require that the first clean be a "deep clean" where they charge $texas and do a thorough cleaning of your entire house (scrubbing baseboards, etc), so that subsequent visits will simply be maintaining.

There is a lot of trust involved with having a "stranger" in your house while you aren't there. You always want to make sure that you are on good terms with them, let them know that you appreciate their services, and especially don't be pretentious towards them (ie you're higher on the social hierarchy). We have a really good relationship with our maid; she's been with my family for years, and dread to think about the day she finally decides to retire and we have to find a new maid.

12/15/2007 12:27:03 PM

hmm, thanks for the suggestions. I think we might go with Molly Maids or Carolina Maids, both are about the same price.

12/15/2007 5:50:01 PM

mom did molly maids once and hated it. She hired them to do specific things like wash windows, clean the baseboards, ect. which they said was OK. But when they got there the people didn't speak english and didn't do the stuff on her list and still charged her $200

12/16/2007 7:54:50 PM

merry maids was ok

12/16/2007 8:36:58 PM

Quote :

"It makes you feel super lazy!"

that's Jesus giving you the hint to get off your tuckus and take care of your house

12/16/2007 9:41:36 PM

The Maids does a fantastic one-time clean, but it's texa$. They usually have some sort of new customer discount going on, check the website.

We've used most of the chains here at one time or another and like Merry Maids best for ongoing service. The crew we have is punctual, polite and reasonably thorough. I always end up going behind and doing detail work, but I'd rather spend an hour doing that than blow the whole day.

12/17/2007 10:40:44 AM

we have a lady that runs her own company come once a month (or ever 4 weeks) and does a really good job. I mean it's not like we don't clean in between but she does the more deep clean stuff and windows and such. I would be happy to get her name for you if you want. I have no idea what the price is but it's very reasonable. I know it'd be cheaper to have her come every 2 weeks but we really don't need it that much.

12/17/2007 11:09:26 AM

So my buddy suggested that I let his daughter come over to my house to do some cleaning for some extra money. She's only 15 and doesn't do this on a regular basis but wants extra money and seemed eager to do it for whatever reason. Whats the going rate for something like this? I thought maybe she could come every two weeks and spend an hour or so. I dont wanna underpay of course but I dont wanna pay the same rate that I could get a professional to come in either. $20 an hour maybe???? This is just for regular stuff like floors and bathrooms.

1/10/2008 4:15:17 AM

^ Depends if you're a creepy pedo or not. If you are, let her do it for free and stare at her the whole time. If you're not, she's 15 and will be happy to get 20/hr for cleaning.

1/10/2008 8:13:56 AM

bttt

2/24/2008 1:19:39 PM

yeah, i'd like to know more about maids.... it'd be nice to have one come every week or 2 to do some serious vacuuming, and bathroom cleaning and neatening up...

2/24/2008 1:26:00 PM

20/hr is probably more than the people working for the big cleaning companies are making. Find out how much the teenagers are making to babysit (college students are running 10+/hour), and add a few bucks to that. If she does a great job and you want to do something extra, give her an occasional gift card for the movies or something.

2/24/2008 1:58:44 PM

When I was 17, I cleaned for some relatives. The wife had MS, and while the hubby mastered the art of cooking, housekeeping was something he never bothered to learn.

They gave me $25 each time, and I was usually there for 2hrs, but I spent about half an hour talking with the wife.

Hope that helps a little

2/24/2008 3:32:22 PM

Pawprint isn't still availible right? and does anyone else have recommendations on folks they've used?

2/24/2008 4:45:26 PM

craig's list

[Edited on February 24, 2008 at 6:20 PM. Reason : oops]

2/24/2008 6:19:44 PM

bttt

4/22/2009 12:45:26 PM

bobbydigital posted once how he paid like 150 a month for someone to clean up and it was worth it...so i wouldnt pay over like 150/month for maid service

4/22/2009 12:47:38 PM

We pay $150 per visit, which is every other week. We paid $100 at the old house, and although she didnt ask for more, the new house was 50% bigger, so I just added that much to the check.

4/22/2009 1:24:08 PM

So does anyone have any local maid recommendations?

4/22/2009 2:39:31 PM

Quote :

"20/hr is probably more than the people working for the big cleaning companies are making."

Those people are lucky if they're making $8 an hour.

I've heard too many bad things about maid companies. Don't most of them pretty much push bacteria around with a wet rag as opposed to actual cleaning/disinfecting?

I'd like a maid, but I think I'd rather it be someone I know and at least trust somewhat.

4/22/2009 2:57:27 PM

yeah, i used a maid service the first time and was not pleased with the results. They didn't even do as good of a job as I would have, and I'm not a very meticulous cleaner.

4/22/2009 3:15:01 PM

One of my friends had a maid who decided to clean all the spots on the carpet...

...with bleach.

4/22/2009 3:26:30 PM

i know they typically vacuum, dust, etc, but what about picking up the mess off the floors/tables so that they can vacuum or dust? do i still have to do that? that's the part i hate, i don't mind running the vacuum so much.

4/22/2009 3:27:57 PM

Ours does, though I try to de-clutter as much as possible and get all the dishes done the night before she comes.

4/22/2009 3:32:44 PM

We use Merry Maids when we need a deep cleaning.

We only do it about once every two months. They charge us $85/HR for a crew of 3 to come clean our 1400sf house, and they can do everything we need done in that hour.

Before they come the first time, the boss has to come do an "evaluation" to determine how long he thinks it will take, and to give him the list of what you want done and such.

If you sign a contract, the rate is better though.

4/22/2009 5:28:01 PM

my folks use molly maid. one of the issues w/ them is that you'll most likely have a different crew each time, and some crews are better than others. for the most part they do a good job, but i do wonder if they're really disinfecting anything

4/22/2009 6:16:14 PM

A teenager is going to do a shitty job. Until she proves that she is good, I would pay less than $20/hr. Same with a real maid service, actually.

4/22/2009 8:38:09 PM

FYI, if anyone in here is looking for the occasional cleaning, I can give you some TWW names for references

4/22/2009 10:10:28 PM

we got a name from a friend. just a guy that owns his own company. well we first interviewed/met with SEVERAL individuals--none of which were like a merry/molly maids type of deal. all just self employed or whatever. picked the one that worked best for us.

he comes every 3 weeks, does the usual vacuum, dusting, cleaning, mopping, scrubbing showers, etc.

we pay him $70 each time.

it is worth it (for us, right now...probably not something we will keep forever. and by we i mean my dad, brother and i).

4/23/2009 11:36:46 AM

just be mindful of ANY cash and medications.....we had a maid come in once and literally clean out the medicine cabinet of prescription drugs....we called the company and told us to "list" everything that was stolen, buy it, and send the receipts and they would determine reimbursement....idiots

4/23/2009 8:32:12 PM

We use The Cleaning Authority - I think it's $90 per month? Split 4 ways. They do an ok job, I guess.


It's nice not having to clean the toilets.

4/23/2009 9:14:18 PM

This book had an interesting section on maid services.

4/23/2009 9:21:22 PM

^agree

4/23/2009 9:53:33 PM

and also, side note- on the Tyra show (you know this is going to be good) there was a special about women who work as "naughty maids." there was one dude who has started such a business- and one of the maids was his wife! it wasn't like prostitutes though, it was supposedly just women in hot maid uniforms.

4/23/2009 9:56:26 PM

http://rosascleaningnc.com/ - they do an awesome job but I think they only do work in Durham and Chapel Hill

4/23/2009 10:53:09 PM

Quote :

"This book had an interesting section on maid services."

Where do you think I got the part about them being lucky to make $8 an hour and pushing bacteria around with a wet rag?

p.s., get the audio version for extra smugness.

[Edited on April 24, 2009 at 12:47 AM. Reason : l]

4/24/2009 12:47:01 AM