You're a house cleaner if...

The dream!!  If only...

My sister and I have been house cleaners for several years now, sometimes in ministry and sometimes as a real job.  This year, however, we have been in business more than ever before.  We came into it knowing a lot about hard-core housekeeping, but we've learned a lot, too.  I thought it would be fun to create a list of things we've learned and joked about through our job, though this list is by no means complete and maybe not true for everyone in our line of work.

You know you're a house cleaner if you...

1. Measure a house's size by how many outlets it takes to vacuum the place.  This was a fact I discovered about myself as I tried to describe the size of one of our job sites to someone. Tirzah and I always work as a team, so I do all of the vacuuming at our jobs.  I have been in this occupation for so long that I even describe myself as a vacuum snob.

2. Fall in love with the last group who didn't use the grill.  Is the grill that hard to clean?  No, not really.  But it is just one more thing, that I could do without.

3. Check the fridge first for any mistakenly left goodies.  This is totally us.  The fridge is always one of the first things we check just in case something special was left behind.  And we usually work over lunch time and don't bring food...

4. Think you would be the best house designer ever if you had the chance.

5. Promise to always be good (like clean up well and leave lots of amazing treats) when/if you stay at a vacation rental.  Yep, we certainly made sure to do this last month.  I hope she was thrilled.

6. Have ever been blown away by the amount of garbage left behind.  There have been a few times when I can't imagine producing so much trash.  Like, 3 large bags in a weekend?  Really?

7. Can't stay at a rental house without inspecting everything to see how good the cleaner is.  Last month when we went vacationing in Leavenworth I realized that I was doing this in our rental house.  Poor house cleaners get so much criticism.

8. Turn the music up to high levels while cleaning (and hope the neighbors all think you're just another annoying rental group.)  

9. Would like to personally meet and thank the last group who washed a bunch of the laundry for you. The laundry slows everything down.  Having that done ahead is a huge gift.


10.  Are speechless with awe and joy when you find ice cream left in the freezer.  Best. Gift. EVER.  There are no words to even say "thanks" with.  It's just a childish look of excitement and surprise.