A few months ago, I was talking to this older couple I know, and they were having a hard time with their cleaning lady. She did a decent job, but she was on her phone so much. They had asked her repeatedly to not use her phone so frequently, and she would be a little better, and then revert back to her phone-using addiction. I told them that I could come to clean their house, and they could pay me less. I could use the money since our oldest daughter is getting married soon.
I began cleaning for them in September, on Friday afternoons. My Fridays tend to be slower days, with not a lot going on in the afternoons. It has been fun to get out of my house and earn a little money. The couple is very sweet, always happy to see me, and so are their two dogs. The dogs are funny because one is very gentle, mild-mannered, and almost never barks (and old). The other dog is younger, barks a lot more, and snores when she sleeps. They are cute.
I usually chat with the man when I get there for a few minutes while I clean. I use all of their cleaning supplies, but I bring my own rubber gloves. They use a lot of Norwex products, and we do too, so I am already familiar with them. I usually clean the kitchen, then the bathrooms, then dust (some weeks), sweep, and spot mop the wood floors, and then I vacuum the carpets in the bedroom and living room. I also clean the glass & mirrors and wipe the doorknobs and light switches. Some weeks I will wash the wood floors, dust high shelves, clean cobwebs, clean the bathroom floors, vacuum the furniture, etc.,
Sometimes the couple even takes a nap while I am there. One week I left and they were both sleeping. They are hard of hearing, so they just turn their hearing aids off and they can even sleep through the vacuum!
They are happy to have me clean for them. I know that I always do the job well since they taught me how to clean when I was a child. If you haven't guessed by now, the older couple is my own parents! I enjoy seeing them and chatting with them each week when I am there and seeing their dogs too.
They always tell me that I work so fast. I can get the whole house clean in 2 or 2 1/2 hours. The first 3 weeks that I came, my mom gave me books. I do not have as much time to read as she does, but I took the books. I've only read one of them so far! Maybe I can read more in January after our daughter's wedding and Christmas.
The only two weeks that I have missed are when we went to state with the marching band, and the other time was the day after Thanksgiving. I just make up for it when I clean the next week. A lot of times when I clean I think that their house is so much cleaner than mine, but it is also a newer house. It is a privilege to help my own parents. They are a joy to me, and so sweet. I know this job won't last forever, so I treasure the days I see them now. God has blessed me with wonderful parents!
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