On the contrary, I just can’t be bothered. I also work 10-hour days. And, honestly, I’m pretty useless with house chores. I love Dyson vacuum cleaners – as long as I don’t have to push one around too often. I thank God every day for whoever invented disposable plates. And the light dust on the water tank attached to the toilet bowl is welcome to stay for all I care. (How did the damn thing get there anyway?!)But, no. My wife won’t have it. Not in this house, she says. We’re not that kind of people. God, Allan! When did you get this way? Shame on you.
And that’s how our very first experience hiring a maid service began. (Someone cue ominous sound effect.)
In theory, it was a great idea. Until it became more questionable than helpful.
Honey, I hope they’re not bringing that mop into my house–who knows where they’ve just cleaned with that mop. And now they’re bringing it into my house?” That was concern number one—not that we’re too good for any one’s mop, but it didn’t make us feel good about where we were taking off our shoes.
So, we provided our own mop to the maids to use.
The maids did a decent job. A little slow but I chalk that up to incentives—at an hourly rate, it would be to their advantage to work slowly. I wouldn’t blame them, but as a customer, it wasn’t to my advantage, either.
The maids finish and leave. I pat myself on the back and settle in to watch re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond. (I know, right? Why Debra didn’t have a nervous breakdown in that show beats me).
Meanwhile, unknown to me, my wife is sniffing all over the areas just cleaned by the maids. You would think the Center for Disease Control agents just visited and she wants to make sure they didn’t leave anything fishy behind.
Then she finds it.
The inside of the kitchen sink where the stopper goes has been overlooked and not cleaned. Certainly there are bigger problems in this world, but at the same time…we were paying for a service, and we were hoping for everything to be cleaned. Especially the sink—who knows what’s lurking around in there after cooking up a big ol’ turkey.
We go through this cycle several times with different maid services. Always, we’d be a tad disappointed. Something, somewhere overlooked that maybe shouldn’t have been. The top of the refrigerator. The trash can (who cleans the trash can, you’d think). Light switches. Fan blades.
Faucet necks. You name it. She’s like a clean hound! She can smell a clean (and an unclean) surface from a mile off. Which is why she always preferred to do it herself.
But we didn’t want her to have to anymore.
From these frustrations Clean Avenue was born–because we know, first hand, what it’s like to need a job well done.
Funny the ways companies begin, isn’t it? Who would’ve thought our newest venture would be the result of a little refrigerator dust?
But at least now when the in-laws are over, my wife can relax and enjoy it—instead of racing around, making sure everything is up to par. And isn’t that what quality of life is all about?
Having the free time to actually enjoy it?
We think so.
And now at Clean Avenue, we’re here to help you find a little free time, too.
You deserve it.