By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.

ToddBaker/Flickr

Last week I wrote about my decision to hire a professional cleaning person. Many of you commented on that post and I appreciate all the feedback as I went into the adventure ready and willing to learn. I said I would share my revelations. Here they are:

• I felt safe having this person in my home because I had several recommendations from people I trust who have used her for several years. That was important. Getting personal recommendations is essential.
• I spent a couple of hours prior to the cleaner arriving picking up everything that I could and putting it away. My kitchen counters (which I usually can’t even see) were almost empty by the time the pro showed up. This was super smart and I highly recommend it, but I should pre-clean the night before instead of getting up at 6:00 a.m.
• I continued to straighten up and put things away the entire day. I was exhausted by the time the cleaner left. I don’t know if I want to do this exactly the same again. I was just too tired and it defeated the purpose a bit. I’m going to limit pre-cleaning.
• Because my kitchen was decluttered and cleaned, I finally could see that the grout on my tiled kitchen counters was not going to come clean with normal cleaning. I was so inspired that I went to Home Depot and bought a product that allowed me to repaint my grout.  My counters look magnificent. Tandem cleaning is good.
• I wasn’t sure what to do about giving her a break. She worked straight through the entire time she was at my house. I asked her several times if she needed/wanted to take a break, but she kept saying no. In the long run, I don’t think this is a good idea. A break is necessary.
• I also felt awkward at the end about whether I was supposed to give her a tip above what she had quoted me. I’d like some feedback from readers on this one.
• Although the cleaning lady worked very hard, I wasn’t overly impressed with her. She used a swifter, not a scrub brush. She took her a long time, pacing herself and not putting out tons of effort. After she left there were dirt stains on the bathroom floor, dirt behind the door, and stains around the toilet. She washed floors by bending over, but that trashes your back and makes it difficult to deep clean. I hired someone to do the hard cleaning I can’t/won’t do. Therefore, I think I need to look for someone with a higher energy level and deep cleaning tools.
• My house is much cleaner now, but I am going to try out other cleaners before I settle on “my” cleaning person. Several of the commenters on the earlier post mentioned they bring in a crew instead of just one person. I’d like to try that.
• For the 24 hours after the cleaning, I noticed that the kitchen and bathrooms stayed super clean. No one left even a crumb on the counter. A messy room leads to more mess and a clean room leads to more cleanliness. One can be hopeful.

For those who feel paying someone to clean is not in your budget, check if a cleaner is open to an exchange. If there something you can do that they need? For instance, I taught someone to cook who helped me clean my house. Look in the barter section of Craigslist for a possible match. You can also check if any of your friends like to clean (there ARE people out there) as part of an exchange.

Bottom line: hiring a professional cleaning person WAS worth it. I loved having someone come and clean my house! I want to do it again and again.