A housekeeper is somebody who keeps your house looking beautiful, prim, and tidy, according to a brief. Their job might be to do something as simple as vacuuming your carpets or as complicated as maintaining your painted ceiling (if you’re lucky enough to have one).
Many, though, find the task of hiring a housekeeper a challenge. While they have a general sense of the type of person that they want, they don’t always make the right choice. If you’re not a seasoned interviewer, it can be difficult.
If you’re feeling a bit stuck, don’t worry. In this post, we’re going to take a look at all of the things that you should look for when choosing a housekeeper. Some of the points we will cover are obvious, while others are more subtle. Here’s what to look for when hiring a housekeeper.
Look For A Housekeeper Who Is Keen To Learn About Your Requirements
When it comes to cleaning services, everyone is a little different. Some people want help with mopping their floors while others need help with the laundry. Good housekeepers know this, which is why they make a point of listening carefully to your requirements, jotting down a list, or creating a schedule.
When interviewing a potential candidate housekeeper, ask them about their process. Try to find out whether accommodating your needs is a priority. If it is not, you may want to look elsewhere.
Find Out If They Use Natural Cleaning Products
If you were given a choice between two cleaners – one who uses natural cleaning products, and one that doesn’t – who would you choose? Probably the one who goes down the natural cleaning route.
Most people believe that government agencies have thoroughly vetted all of the chemicals in household cleaning products and determined that they are safe. Unfortunately, this is not true. A lot of the chemicals in popular cleaners, varnishes, and soaps have not been tested thoroughly and could lead to allergies and reactions.
Natural cleaning products, by contrast, are almost entirely safe and won’t lead to the buildup of dangerous residues in your home. Some housekeepers offer entirely natural cleaning solutions, so if this important to you, choose them.
Find Out If They Understand Their Trade
Being a housekeeper isn’t as simple as it might first appear. It turns out that there are a variety of core skills that housekeepers need before they become proficient in their work. While there are cleaning courses and certifications, there are no legal requirements for operatives in the industry. Whether the housekeeper you choose has the skills you require depends very much on them as an individual.
Where possible, try to find out whether they have the skills you need to perform some of the more difficult tasks that they might encounter as they make their way around your home.
- Can they, for instance, clean the oven?
- Have they worked as a nanny before?
- Are they able to cook a variety of meals according to your requirements?
- Can they read bedtime stores?
- Are they able to get rid of the mold in your bathroom?
Look For People With A Long Career And High Professional Goals
Housekeeping is something that a lot of people in the industry float into because they don’t achieve their goals elsewhere. This fact can be both a good and a bad thing.
On the plus side, it can mean that they are motivated to succeed and apply professional standards in everything that they do, offering people excellent service. On the downside, however, it might mean that they are not committed to their work, and the service you get suffers as a result.
Take a look at their housekeeping history and professional goals. Ask them what they want to achieve in the future and what gives them job satisfaction. Get them to talk about their previous experiences with other clients and describe what they liked and what they didn’t.
Great housekeepers will talk about their success in supporting the families that they served and their joy at enhancing their lives. Possible red flags include housekeepers who blame the family for failures that are theirs.
Look For Modest Salary Expectations
While there are some star housekeepers out there, there’s no need to pay an excessive premium. Some housekeepers attempt to charge over the odds for the work that they do – a red flag not just for your wallet but for their priorities too. You want somebody who has a genuine desire to support your family, not drain your financial resources. Choose carefully and watch out for excessively high prices.