Well, I did it! I bit the bullet and finally hired a house cleaner for the first time in my life (all 49 yrs). I can hear the comments already. For me, this was a HUGE thing. I don't know why, but it was big emotional day. It has something to do with giving up control;l over the house, which has been my domain/responsibility/task for the last 26 years. I swear I had a knot in my stomach the whole time.
The cleaner's name is Tin Tin and she is Singaporean, which means she speaks little English and fluent in Singlish ( Google it). Communication was tough. But you say, "what do you need to communicate? They come. They clean". turns out, I don't have the usual cleaning products they use. I have no used a toilet brush in years (no, I do clean but with a gloved hand and scrubby to get all the grime). This is not acceptable to Tin Tin. So I will be shopping before she returns. Also, I apparently need some floor soap and some scrubbies ( green teflon pads) I feel like a moron. But it's part of my personal growth.
The thing that kills me, is she was here for 4 hrs working her heart out, and it cost me S$50, which is $45 in our world. I hope she gets more than half of that.
And sadly, she didn't even get to finish the whole house ( it's that big) in that time. But she is coming back in two weeks. Part of my guilt is I can't rationalize cleaning every week. Maybe in the future. Baby steps.....
Good going girl. I can actually understand your anxiety over this. It has been your gig for years, and your home is your workplace. It's a weird thing asking someone to come into the privacy of your home and clean it's innermost parts that only you normally see and touch. Hope Tin Tin works out well for you and you begin to let go. Imagine the freedom!
ReplyDeleteMark & I need to hire someone too, and we keep putting it off. Mainly, cuz there are still a few piles of boxes with stuff in from the move that I don't know were to put. But we wanna have Thanksgiving at our house so it must be done soon!
Take care, love ya,
Big Sis