House Cleaning Service – What is included in house cleaning services?

General duties you can expect your housekeeper to perform

The complete list of what a housekeeper would be responsible for doing in
your home really varies depending on your needs. Ask yourself if there
are specific needs that do not fall on the list below (such as caring
for pets) and, if so, make sure to include those in your job listing.
Here are the general duties of a housekeeper: 

• Light cleaning in the living areas. This includes dusting, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping the floors in all rooms.
• Cleaning the bathrooms, including mirrors, toilets, showers and baths.
• Cleaning the kitchen, including wiping down appliances, counters, sinks and cabinet doors.
• Washing and drying dishes and putting them away.
• Changing bed linens and making the beds.
• Washing, folding and ironing clothes.
• Cleaning interior windows.
• Removing garbage and recycling.
• Restocking personal items such as toilet paper, tissues, etc.
• General tidying up of the rooms. This includes putting away toys, decluttering and light organizing.
• Running errands for the family. This can include things like grocery
  shopping or dropping off dry cleaning and mail. Make sure that you go
  over this item with your housekeeper and provide her with some method of
  payment. Not all housekeepers will be willing to perform this duty, so
  have it in your listing and address it in your interviews.
• Preparing meals for the family. If this is something you want your
  housekeeper to do, make sure to specify this on your listing as some
  housekeepers may not provide this service. Discuss their level of
  comfort in the kitchen during your interviews and make sure you get an
  idea of what kinds of meals they make.
• Keeping track of cleaning supplies and letting you know when they are low and need to be replaced.

Duties you should not expect a housekeeper to perform

There are some duties you should not expect from a housekeeper, including
anything that puts them in physical danger or is not in their area of
expertise. Here are a few examples of duties you can’t expect your
housekeeper to perform:

• Deep cleaning or outdoor window washing. You’ll want to hire a
  specialized cleaning service to come in and handle that sort of job. Do
  not expect your housekeeper to climb on anything higher than a
  stepstool. She may be willing to take on a seasonal deep cleaning job,
  but you would be expected to pay an additional fee if so.
• Child care. If you need someone to take care of your children in
  addition to general housekeeping, you will want to look for a nanny who
  also takes on light housekeeping duties.
• Cleaning up human waste. Exposure to human waste can be dangerous, so
  you should call in a waste removal service for that sort of job.
• Lifting heavy objects or move furniture. As a general rule,
  housekeepers will not move anything heavier than a 35-pound object. This
  is a safety issue and you should look for someone specialized to help
  you do jobs that require that type of physical strength.