Cleaning people

I am absolutely not the kind of person who has a cleaning lady.  I am not rich, don't have a big house.  Getting old, but not that old yet.  But I can't not keep up and it drives me nuts.  I only need it to be average, not spotless.  But it takes me so long to get one area done, then another, before I make it around the house, its all dirty again.  Maybe if I moved faster, had more energy, less stuff, less hobbies, no pets, etc. it would be ok, but that's not the situation.  So I have been thinking about trying to find help for a while. 

Finally got the name of someone a former co-worker uses that she is happy with. That was probably a month or two ago.  Took me that long to get around to calling.  I don't do anything fast, and hate calling people.  Plus I have been slowly working on some of the worst spots.  She is supposed to come see on Sat. then start the next Sat.  If she shows, and if she does not run out screaming. 

I am so nervous about having someone come clean for me.  Silly huh?  I am embarrassed that I am kinda a slob with hoarding tendencies.  That I have so much stuff I plan to recycle, or do crafts with.  I don't kill spiders even in the house.  That even though my bunny's are box trained, there are the occasional pellets on the rug, esp. when they have a spat.  I make a lot of my own cleaning stuff out of non-toxic ingredients.  I almost never use bleach, having a hard time even buying it again.  But most cleaning people will not understand this.  Esp. if English is not their first language.  What to get for them?  My grandmother used to feed her cleaning lady lunch.  My usual salad probably would not cut it.  I am such a hermit!  Such a social misfit.

I always hear people say the cleaning lady is coming, they need to go pick up first.  So I am not the only one.  But for me its more than pick up.  It can look like it has not been cleaned in a month.  That's why I need her.  But it can't look like its been a year.

The woman that I know that recommended her is very picky, and I am sure is very tidy.  No pets, no messy hobbies.  She pays her $50.  Its not possible for one person to totally clean my house in 8 hrs.  If she was able to do half once or twice a month for $100. I would be thrilled.  I could spend more time on other things (like picking up) or the yard, or crafts, etc.  I also have a very big fear that in trying to work fast, things might get broken.  I have so little family that the stuff I have that belonged to them is super important to me, and can't be replaced.  There is no point in having it, if some is not out on display, but it all has to be dusted.  Carefully.  I also don't want it to get back to this person I used to work with, how messy I am.  

No, its not like the houses on Hoarders, yet...its like some of them were a year or two ago though.  At least now I can use my hip for an excuse.  Yes the pain is very real, and it does slow me down and make it harder to do stuff.  But I was not able to keep up even before it wore out.  Partly because I refused to stay home all weekend and work on it.  Sat. fine, but not Sundays too.  Now, since walking hurts so much, I am staying home more.  But after I recover from surgery I would love to be out on Sundays again...without the thought of my house getting worse and worse.

I hope this woman works out ok.  It would be a big load off my shoulders.  I will keep you posted on this.