Need advice regarding daily routine

Posted by ms1 (198 days ago)

hi, we are soon ( hopefully) getting a new helper and i would like to give her a routine for daily chores. i have never done this with any of my previous helpers but the amount of cleaning done just kept getting lessser and lesser by them. So now i would like to try a different apporach and give her something that can serve as a guide for what is expected when working .
she will need to prepare dinner, and clean 4 bedrooms, 2 bathroom lounge and kitchen and ironing. of course not everything everyday. she has from 7.30 in the moring to 3.30 in the afternoon free ( with lunch off) since no one is at home during those hours. I don't expect her to do much in the evening except just watch the kids. she'll be off work by 8.00p.m free to do what she wants. i tried to do a timetable but i'm no good at these things. could someone please help and suggest a routine or share what they get their helpers to do.
thanks in advance

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Posted by cara (198 days ago)

7:30am put load of laundry into washing machine
clean one bathroom M,W,F
clean other bathroom T,TH,S
(do this top to bottom, including removing all things from counter top. polish all taps, vacuum/sweep floor, wash down tub/shower stall including walls surrounding it)
Change sheets in one bedroom on M, one set on T, one on W, one on Th. Change the same set on the same day each week.
vacuum whole house
dust 2 bedrooms on M,W,F
Dust other 2 T,Th,S
change laundry

lunch

start to prepare dinner (any cutting, preparing veg, marinate meat)
change laundry
water plants
wash floors

use afternoons to do various things like:
clean windows
clean air con filters
clean fridge
clean cupboards (i mean inside...take out everything, wash shelves etc, restock~not all at once, do one cupboard every day or so)
wash car
clean balcony

any other little things that you like to have done.
she can then use any spare time to do the ironing.

my mum used to own a house cleaning business in canada and i worked for her when i was in uni. this was very similar to the schedule that we had to follow (although, we usually only went once per week.) three of us could clean a house from top to bottom thoroughly in about 2 hours. so, that's 6 hours for one person. these houses could be anywhere from 1500' to 3000'+.

i think that this kind of schedule is very reasonable and she won't be exhausted at the end of the day.

Posted by neenib (198 days ago)

Hi ms1, have sent you a pm. I have typed up a guideline which goes for many pages! when our helper started, I was apologetic when giving it to her as it must have seemed daunting, but it covers everything right down to the routine for my daughter and her schooling. Our helper said it was fantastic and she really appreciated it. Whenever there is a change in routine, like if something works better a different way, she will tell me and I make the change to the guidelines and she puts it in her folder. Our life and our helper's life is much smoother and easier and we both know exactly what is needed. It is roughly the same in essence as cara's.

Posted by ms1 (198 days ago)

thanks for the replies so far. it is beginning to make sense! hat about the ironing cara? when does she fit that in?

Posted by cara (198 days ago)

she can do it whenever she has extra time. if she finds that it takes her all morning to do what i listed above, then she can do it in the afternoon. if she still has time, then she can do it in the morning as well. the thing is, there should never be 20 shirts to iron, unless you have her iron EVERYTHING.

do you want her to iron bedsheets? pillowcases? shirts? trousers? t-shirts? shorts?
baby clothes? underwear ( i do know helpers that are required to do this!)?

we never have mush ironing. i think that our helper has done it 5 times over the past 3 years! but, neither hubby nor i work in an office. hubby wears t-shirts and shorts most of the time. he spends his days walking dogs, so there's no need to iron those. i teach and usually wear jeans and a shirt. i find that the shirts that i have are wrinkle-free so they never need ironing either. i don't require my bedsheets or pillowcases to be ironed and definitely not my underwear! 99% of the baby clothes don't need it either. so ironing for us isn't a big deal.

if she keeps up with the laundry, then there shouldn't be more than 45-60 minutes of ironing in a day. (that's on the outside)

Posted by Katherine227 (197 days ago)

Neenib,

Could you let me have a copy of your guidelines too? Thanks!

Posted by bobius (196 days ago)

Neenib,

Can you also give me your guidelines too?
My new helper will come this Friday and I am really appreciate for it.
Thanks!

Posted by neenib (196 days ago)

Hi, I'm happy to email the document through, so you want to each pm me with your email address, once I have your addresses, I will send it on.

Posted by Katherine227 (194 days ago)

Neenib,

I have PM'd you. Thanks!

Posted by neenib (193 days ago)

Hi all, I am going to send an email to you all hopefully today (sorry, i only checked my messages today). I hope it is helpful to everyone and their helpers.

You owe me a good a coffee! Oh and a lamington wouldn't go astray either! Good luck to everyone.

Posted by Katherine227 (193 days ago)

neenib,

Received it. Thanks!
Regarding coffee and cake, anytime!
Thanks

Posted by rgf_hk (191 days ago)

To prepare dinner, and clean 4 bedrooms, 2 bathroom lounge and kitchen and ironing ++ with only one helper, I think you need a SUPER HELPER. Godluck to your new helper.

Posted by holmes1953 (191 days ago)

rgf_hk
I believe mothers do this job all the time.

Posted by neenib (191 days ago)

Touche!

And just think of the size of our houses back home! Much bigger than the apartments here.

Posted by Katherine227 (191 days ago)

rgf_hk

I got the guidelines from neenib, but they are to use myself (not a very organised person). I am a SAH mum and I have to prepare dinner, clean 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, lounge, kitchen and laundry, ironing, shopping as well as taking care of 3 kids. Don't think that makes me a SUPER mum. LOL
Not be so judgmental!

Posted by pinkie (191 days ago)

Hi neenib

I would really appreciate too - i have had my helper a while but we have moved and baby no2 due very soon so i want her to have a bit more help when i am busy with baby.

I will pm you - thanks for your hard work - we do owe you.

Posted by neenib (176 days ago)

Sorry to everyone who has pm'd me. I have had family staying, so as you can imagine, life has been hectic! I will be sending out emails today. once again my apologies!

Posted by bauhinia_boy (173 days ago)

Hi

Is there any chance you could send me a copy of the schedule too.

Many thanks.

Posted by sunita26 (172 days ago)

me too

Posted by gum (171 days ago)

And me. Thanks.

Posted by mixeymum (124 days ago)

neenib
I'd LOVE a copy of your schedule...I'll buy you a whole pack of lamingtons if you send me one too :) thanks!!