“What!? Did you just say they’ve got someone helping them to clean? How lazy are they? How can someone do such a thing? Slave drivers!“
This is how the conversation went in middle-class Sweden in the 70s and 80s, where I grew up. To employ a cleaner in a private household was looked upon as a very bad thing to do. One was not just seen as lazy and afraid of a bit of dirt, but also as doing something immoral. Using innocent people to do something as low as cleaning just because you don’t want to do it yourself was looked down upon.
Luckily, this sentiment has changed. It’s much more common to engage a cleaning person to help out with chores in and around the house, even for private households.
I feel so lucky because for many years I have had a cleaning lady who works with us once a week. She also has other cleaning jobs; she has a full schedule, you could say. And she loves what she does.
We have fun together and sometimes my husband, or I jump in when it’s spring- or fall cleaning or something like that. We block a whole Saturday or weekend off, we turn the music on and start to clean the kitchen cupboards or the windows together.
Look around
I appreciate her work so much! Every week I feel so happy that she comes. It’s such a tremendous help! And I think it’s time we tell all the cleaning professionals that.
They don’t want to be looked down upon or ignored. Nor do they want pity. That’s the worst. They want appreciation and respect. Like anyone else.
Imagine what it would look like if we didn't have cleaning professionals working in offices, hospitals, in our homes and cleaning up our streets. Just to mention a few places.
We would have greasy tabletops and keyboards, dust balls flying around making us sneeze while trying to concentrate on that important report. The paper bin would be falling over and there would be shoe marks on the floor, especially in winter or rainy seasons. And yuk! The toilet, stinking like a pissoir! Unfortunately, you couldn’t enjoy the view out the window because it would be covered in grime or fingerprints.
A clean office keeps us able to work productively without distractions. Without cleaners, the whole atmosphere would be unpleasant, which would adversely affect our work, not to mention our attitudes.
And what would happen if hospitals didn’t have cleaners? I don’t even want to think about that one.
And the streets. Have you noticed that all of the litter is taken care of when you come out in the morning? The night before, the pavement was full of plastic, cans, and stompies, but then, like magic, in the morning it’s gone! How’s that? Well, we have some dedicated people working at night to clean up the mess we produce during the day.
We expect it to be clean and orderly, but we seldom shed any thoughts for the people who actually make it happen.
See the people who do this job. Take a look at what they do, notice it. Look them in the eye, tell them “wonderful,“ “nice job.“ Smile and say “thank you.“
Support with the right tools
Besides taking note, showing gratitude and respect, give your cleaners the right tools.
Can you imagine, day in and day out, inhaling harsh chemicals into your nostrils? Or having ten different bottles, each one for different things to clean. Duh, what a nightmare and a pain.
I love to simplify whenever it’s possible. Why make things complicated if they don’t need to be?
The cleaning product that we make, Ecoclean, is super easy to use. It’s one product which you can use for almost everything.
You and your cleaning lady don’t have to worry about it destroying materials or about a smell that gives you a headache. No!
I tell everyone who is a professional cleaner that it is always best to wear gloves. The simple reason being, if you don’t you would have wet hands almost all day long which is not good, and even if a cleaning product is mild, it is still a cleaning product and a degreaser, so it’s logical that having it on your hands for hours, is not the best.
But so many professional cleaners have told me that they don’t want to use gloves because they can’t feel what they do the same way. And, yes I understand what they mean.
If you’re going gloveless, using Ecoclean is a smart choice, and if you have a wound on your skin, Ecoclean doesn't burn it.
Fall cleaning
Just like in spring, fall is an excellent time to do some groundwork or ground cleaning.
Try to do as much as you can in one go. Set off a weekend and plan your work. Here you can check out my tips about how you get your house sparkling.
Maybe you do it on your own or together with your cleaning lady. Like I mentioned before, this deeper cleaning we do together, and we have a blast while doing it. Music, food, chit chat and mutual respect for one another goes a loooong way!
The awesomeness about Ecoclean
To help you and your cleaning lady along the way, I heartily recommend our cleaning product Ecoclean:
Here you can order Ecoclean from our shop or read what other people have to say about it.
Next time you meet someone doing the “dirty“ work, don’t forget to show them your gratitude and respect. Take the time to learn the names of those in your office or workplace who clean. Show your appreciation for those who make your living and working spaces pleasant to be in. It will come back to you someday, everything does.
