Almost every person who calls A Woman's Touch Domestic Agency will ask "how do I find the best cleaner/housekeeper for my home?"

The best way to achieve this is be as flexible as possible.

For example, we take calls every day from people who have immensely strict/lengthy criteria, and who say something like:

• I want the best cleaner you have

• I want her to be long-term

• I want a female cleaner

• I don't want anyone from overseas

• I don't want someone young or a student

• I need to have them on a Friday, and it must be Friday morning

It's easy to see why this seriously limits our choices of who can be allocated. Every cleaner working through us is already attending a number of homes, and has perhaps only one or two free mornings or afternoons in their schedule.  Whilst cleaners work throughout the Melbourne metro area, it's only sensible that they are allocated homes within a reasonable radius of where they  live or where they already have other cleans booked. We also need to be mindful of various other factors, for example, some cleaners must finish by 3.30pm in order to collect children from school, or can't start before 9.30am due to early morning work commitments elsewhere

The ideal cleaner for your home might:

• meet all your specifications but only be available on a Tuesday afternoon, or a Thursday morning (and have the rest of their roster already filled up)

• be available on a Friday morning but is someone from overseas, or a male (some of the fastidious, experienced males are so good that they have an even longer waiting list than any female cleaner has)

• be available on a Friday morning, and is an excellent cleaner, although is from overseas

If you are able to offer some flexibility in your requirements, you will get the best possible cleaner available allocated to you. But if we are required to meet a list of tight specifications, then we have to send you who is available on that morning or that afternoon. Please consider how flexible you can be, before making your booking, in order to get the best result.

It's important also that you remember your cleaner/housekeeper requires guidance from you (despite their experience), when at your home, to do the best clean possible. That means :

• supplying your cleaner with verbal information or instruction books on the use of your equipment (there are many types of vacuums, steam mops, washing machines etc out there and cleaners can't know every one of them)

• advising your cleaner what you expect in your clean (which differs greatly from home to home)

• remembering people are different  (some cleaners are slightly slower and more thorough, others are slightly less thorough but get through more chores)

• your cleaner need guidance on any special requirements (i.e. the dining table that should not have any chemicals sprayed on it; how to clean the polished boards that should not be vacuumed; the stove top surface that should never be cleaned with a scourer etc)

Its a great idea to have a list for your home, outlining your requirements and any special do's or don't regarding what to use (and not to use) to clean specific items of furniture or specially treated surfaces in your home - that way a new, or temporary, cleaner to your home has ready information to work with

Our chore list may be of assistance to you

Do you have other questions?  Please visit our FAQ page for more information