The things I hate as a housekeeper

Stainless steel! Textured tub/shower floors Fixing beds/folding sheets (I would rather clean a toilet any day) I hate folding fitted sheets. I suck at it. Not fond of dusting especially pet houses-seems pointless Glass shower doors unless kept up Tile showers unless kept up Granite/marble countertops because you can't tell unless by touch if there's food, etc. Pet hair Glass cooktops Carpeted steps Pet beds or where they lay because I do vacuum it

Things/products I use to clean

Magic eraser is my favorite, a mix of bleach & water w/ LA's totally awesome cleaner mixed in, my homemade toilet cleaner, club soda in a spray bottle, pampered chef scrapers, toilet brush, my homemade shower/tub cleaner, a bottle of LA's totally awesome mixed for use as a degreaser, pitcher for tubs/showers w/o handheld sprayers, toothbrush for scrubbing small areas, squeegee for glass shower doors, barkeeper's friend (great for rust stains left by shaving gel cans), bottle of mopping cleaner, swiffer extended duster, drain cover to let shower/tub soak in bleach while I clean other parts of the house, bottle of bleach (I also squirt it under the rim of toilets), LA's totally awesome brand of CLR, fur Vac attachment, Weiman glass cooktop cleaner, lemon oil for stainless steel appliances, Murphy's oil soap for hardwood floors, lots & lots of rags, Wal-mart bags for trash & dirty towels, my homemade disinfectant, my homemade dusting spray, pumice stone. I love my Bissell revolution pet lift off. I also love my Bissell 3-way stick Vac. It's great for any type of flooring except for carpet & brazillian cherry wood floors. I also use an o'cedar mop & have 10 mop heads. I take them off & wash them after each house. Every house gets a clean mop head. I also have a hardwood floor mop. I do have a steamer but use it very little. I also make my own oven cleaner & use it w/Brillo/SOS pads.I lay aluminum foil in the bottom of the oven after cleaning it to keep it from getting cruddy again. I do like the shaklee scour off for glass cooktops but all shaklee products are quite pricey. My vacuum parts & filter get cleaned regularly. I run the plastic parts through the dishwasher & wash the sponge type filters by hand & replace filters when coming apart. I have bought some of the scrubbing bubbles extend a clean battery powered automatic spray bottles & have figured out how to fill it w/ whatever I want. It works great!

The funny things I have seen as a housekeeper

I have seen some funny things. I responded or posted an ad on Craigslist & got an email from a single in his 50's well to do guy who never checked my background or anything. He gave me his address. The first time I met him was tHe day I cleaned. I arrived & he quickly showed me around, left a check, & went to work. Luckily, I'm an honest, good person. Well, after he left I noticed photographs of naked women hanging in his bathroom in frames. Faces included in some. There was also a garter in a frame. He was a client for a good while. I eventually dropped him because he wasn't regular enough to be worth the amount I was charging. I've dropped clients for different reasons. I don't take on any one time cleanings any more. Too much work for it not to be continuous & then t.hey wait til it's bad again & want me to come back. Well this guy referred me to his girlfriend around Christmas time. His girlfriend had a nativity scene & Ozzy Osborne was Joseph. All the others were normal. At the bar, was sitting a stuffed Santa wearing a leopard bra holding a whip & Jeff Dunham's Peanut puppet was beside of Santa also. I have been to a house where a single guy showed me & the owner of a cleaning service that I used to work for, his bedroom. He had artwork of a man holding a woman sensually & lighting running around the top edge of his ceiling for mood lighting. He had spot lights aimed at the bed. He also had a video camera in the corner on a tripod. He would also leave his Cialis visible when we cleaned. There was one time where we didn't know where he was & we heard "Let's get it on" playing loudly from the garage.that was the only instance I ever felt a little uneasy in all the times I cleaned until I was blatantly sexually harassed by an employee of a company I clean homes for. I now carry a stun gun for protection because the company didn't do anything about the employee except tell him not to do it again. I was very disappointed because I'm not a complainer. I will clean shit off of walls & it doesn't bother me. I do it & move on.

Pet hair vacuum attachment that works great!!

I recommend the As Seen On Tv vacuum attachment Fur Vac. It's grey w/ a flexible orange part w/ bumps on it. If you can't find that which I haven't seen it since I purchased it, I recommend the Bissell pet pack vacuum attachment. It comes w/ a turbo brush & the fur Vac like attachment w/ the accessories that make it compatible w/ any vacuum. I don't like the brush attachment because it gets stopped up w/ fur. The fur Vac doesn't have that problem.

Sister wives...

I'm watching Sister Wives & I'm intrigued at how that many women get along. I have such a jealousy issue & I just don't get along w/ women that well. I prefer men. Women get catty & tend to like to tell me what to do. I think it would be neat if you could have a close family & family you can talk to. I have none of that. For Thanksgiving, I cooked & spent it w/ my husband & 5 yr. Old. No one called or cared to see how we were. It's sad. I get depressed. I have had too many women to treat me crappy & stab me in the back that I just don't prefer to be friends w/ any. This is why I work alone.

How I'm feeling #2.....

My teenage daughter just recently found out that the dad that she thought was her real adopted her. I told her for the wrong reasons. I wanted to hurt her dad that adopted her & I did know I needed to tell her soon because that had been trying to friend her & I on Facebook. I knew when she was 18 they would tell her if I didn't. I wanted to be the one to tell her. This has blown her world up & has brought the past back again. Her bio dad is still a prick & it's devastating that he still acts like a dumbass. His parents seem great but there's still weirdness & tension & i' ve been told in an email that they don't want the past to be dwelled on. I just brought up that it was weird because of past memories. I'm not constantly bringing up the past if I go visit. I just wanted to explain my feelings but nobody really cares. There house is a house where we lived for a time. I remember things. I never did dope to forget about it & mess up those memories. I also have one of those photographic type memories where past memories appear to me so clear like it just happened yesterday. I hate this about me. My daughter was hoping we'd all get along but it's just not possible. I will always be the bitch that terminated their sons rights. My husband will always be the one that came in& took the option of their son being a dad away. I am pissed about this. If the grandparents really wanted to know what was really goin on, they could have called me during this situation or tried to talk to me. There's even a law for grandparents that if they wanted to be involved, they could have taken it to court. This is not my fault that their son lied, turned out to be an ass & always will be. I have felt so much guilt around them about this but I have to let it go so I can move on. I have done what I thought was best for my daughter even though most of the ex's family feel otherwise. At the time this was going on, I was pulled by so many people, feelings, etc. All in my 20's. My daughter is very bright & was diagnosed w/ADHD at the age of 5. She had been doing very well w/o Meds & since this has come up it's like it has come back. She can't remember anything, grades are dropping, & she's turned into a rebellious teen again. I am struggling w/ what to do. I support her education but feel it's not supported by the ex's family as they all have quit school & a GED is about as far as any have gone. I want her to go to college. She has great potential. I don't wish my life on her. Low income sucks. Working manual labor sucks. I could have went to college but chose my ex & was burned badly from it. I can also blame my parents for it as well because they didn't encourage my love for art & for me to do art, i would have had to go to a college away from home. They didn't ever explain to me that that wasn't possible due to finances. I'm now stuck in this rut of a life. I did used to love what I do but due to how people treat people generally, I have lost it. I can't physically handle this job forever either. So then, what will I do?

How I'm feeling...

I am sitting here in my messy living room needing to tidy up so we can have a place for our tree. This is what it's like for me as a housekeeper. My client's houses are well kept except for my hoarding client. That apartment will never be like my others. I just go in & keep it good enough to where the child of the client is not living in a nasty environment & possibly be taken away. I have a hoarding mom. I could have been taken away but it never came out. My mom is in denial & does not admit any of these things. I could never have friends over. My clothes only got washed maybe 3 times/year at the most. The house is falling apart. I can't take my kids over to visit. They only live 10 min. Away.I can never bring this up w/ my mom. My dad has offered to pay me to clean it up. I don't know where to start & it won't solve anything. She'll probably still do it. My mom has said it's my fault that the house is that way. I don't understand this. I do have hoarding tendencies & it plagues me. It's tougher for me because I work such a physically demanding job. I have done 10 hr. Cleanings w/ no break (not even a potty break) because the houses were in such bad shape & I work alone & everyone wants it all done now. I am sitting here wearing a wrap near my elbow because I have tennis elbow from working so much here recently. I pretty much have constant back pain & I'm always tired & hurting. I don't have vitamin d deficiency as someone has said. It's a hard job & wears me out because I do a lot of houses in a week on my own & I speed clean. I am running like my ass is on fire to get done & get out. So, I can go to the next house or just get home. I've done this work for 5 hrs. & it's wearing my body down. I have had people to say they wished they had my job. I would love for people to trade places. Good luck! I don't find too many that are hard workers. I work hard. Damn hard. I have a teenage daughter who is either usually staying elsewhere w/ family or in her room & only emerges to eat or potty. I also have a 5 hr. Old who due to I can't find a babysitter that works w/ me on hrs. & only certain days stays at home & has become a 3rd shift kid. She sleeps during the day. My husband works on 3rd too. She stays up all night. I have been through horrible sitters who change the rules on me or expect me to keep their kids on the only days I have off. I can't afford day care either. My parents don't work but never offer to help me out at all. I do everything on my own. I have 3 turtles, a dog who has heart disease who I love more than about every person I have met. People are just rude & selfish. This has become worse since cleaning. I have had people to not tip around the holidays or even just say thank you. I've had people to have me wash their dog's food & water bowl. This is degrading. I've also had someone to have me take a picture frame apart in front of them & clean it. I've had people to eat in front of me & never offer me a thing knowing it's lunch/dinner time & know I have been cleaning at their home all day. I bring my own drink because I don't just help myself. Offer it to me because I don't just make myself at home. I have had lots of personal things going on & my depression is worse because of it. I think of suicide often but know it doesn't make sense. My kids need me. My dog needs me. My clients' would just go "damn, we have to find another maid!" It sucks having these feelings but this is what people seem to be like.I am only on Facebook for coupons/offers that require you to have one. I think it's a joke that people comment they care. They don't.

Homemade car wash

1 gallon water, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup of eucalyptus or peppermint Castile liquid soap, 3 tbsp. Baking soda. Mix in a bucket & when you add the baking soda, stir until blended. Wash car w/ this mixture w/ a soft cloth/sponge from the top down, working in sections. Rinse each area well w/ clean water before the soap dries.

Vacuums

The vacuum I use is the Bissell Lift-Off Revolution Pet. I have 5 of them as I have bought 2 brand new & 3 used off of Craigslist. I interchange parts as needed. I love it because I can take the canister off to do steps. I have used a Dyson but I'm not impressed & it does lose suction. It is not worth the money. If you suffer from allergies, a vacuum w/ bags is best. I don't use a bagged vacuum because it's not cost effective for me & I currently don't have clients w/ severe allergies. I am wanting the new Shark Lift away vacuum due to it only weighs 12lbs. Vs. The 20 lbs. My Bissells weigh. I have read good reviews on the Shark Lift away & I'm eager to get one.

Homemade disinfectant

You'll need a 16 oz. Spray bottle. Fill the bottle almost all the way w/ water & then add 3tbsp. Of liquid Castile soap. It's best to use purified/distiller water due to minerals can inhibit the cleaning action of the soap especially if you have hard water. Add 20-30 drops of tea tree oil as this is a good antiseptic. Shake before use. It can be used on toilets, faucets, & pretty much anything needing to be disinfected. It can even be used to clean your hands. I get my liquid Castile soap for around $9 in a 32 oz. Bottle at Trader Joe's. That's the best price I have found.

Homemade shower scrub

Mix 2 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup Castile liquid soap, 2/3 cup water, & 2tbsp. Vinegar in a bottle w/ a squirt cap. This is a good scrubbing paste for tubs, showers, sinks, & things that are ok w/ a mild scrub. Do not use on granite or marble. I get my liquid Castile soap at Trader Joe's for around $9 in a 32 oz. Bottle. That's the best price I have found.

Homemade toilet cleaner

You'll need a squirt bottle like a dish detergent bottle. Mix 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap w/ cups of baking soda. Add 1/4 cup of water & then add 2 tbsp. Vinegar to make it foam. Add 1/2 tsp. Tea tree oil or 50 drops. Use metal spoons for measuring oils (not plastic). Shake bottle before using. I get my Castile soap from Trader Joe's for about $9 in a 32 oz. Bottle. I find this cheaper than most places. Baking soda is good for scrubbing. Tea tree oil is a good disinfectant. I use this w/ a separate dish detergent bottle of just bleach & squirt around under the rim. One good way of keeping your toilet cleaner longer is before you go to bed, squirt the bottle of just bleach underneath the rim & just leave it. I find I actually scrub the toilet less often when I do this. I also buy the bleach tabs to put in the toilet tank. I do not like the ones that turn your water green, blue, etc. They can stain & when you scrub your toilet, it's hard to tell if you got everything or not.

Homemade Pledge/dusting spray

You'll need a 16 oz. spray bottle. Please add 2 tsp. Olive oil, 20 drops of pure essential lemon oil, add 1/4 cup of white distiller vinegar, & fill the rest w/ purified water-it works best. Fresh lemon juice can be used but due to it spoiling if the bottle is not refrigerated, I recommend essential oil. 1-2tsp. Of lemon juice instead of lemon oil if preferred. You can spray this directly onto furniture or on a rag. The olive oil conditions & the vinegar cleans. Shake well before use. It can be sprayed on a dust mop for hardwood floors & can also be used on leather.

Homemade laundry detergent-powder

6 cups Borax, 4 cups baking soda, 4 cups washing soda, 4 cups bar soap (Zote, Fels-Naptha, or octagon). Use 1/8 cup per full load. This makes quite a bit. I grate the bar soap. Then, I put it in a food processor w/ a little of the powder mixture. It will make the soap turn in to smaller pieces & compacts better w/ the powder & mixes well. Baking soda & washing soda are different. Zote soap is bigger. So, it takes 2 bars of it for the above amt. I find it at Wal-Mart. Fels-Naptha can be found at Harris Teeter. It takes 4 bars of it for the above mix. It's a tougher bar of soap which makes it take longer to grate. Octagon soap can be found at Food Lion. It's also a tough bar which takes longer to grate & you will need 4 bars of it for the above mix. I recommend Zote. It runs cheaper than the others & is much easier & quicker to grate. I have a front loading washer & have purchased the Purex fabric softener crystals & put it in the washer to add a nice scent. I haven't tried the Gain or Downy pellet type fabric softeners yet but I'm eager to try them.

Well water ring/rust stains in toilet

If you have a ring in your toilet where the water line is & you have well water, then you would need a pumice stone to remove this ring. It also works on rust stains or any kind of stain/ring from the minerals in the type of water you have. These pumice stones can be found at Lowe's, Home Depot, & even Wal-Mart. You just scrub at the line/stain until it disappears. You only need to do this every so often when you notice it coming back. Also, CLR works well for rust stains in toilets. I use this for a house that has well water & has rust stains in their toilet. I find LA's Totally Awesome brand of CLR at our Dollar Tree for a $1. It's much cheaper & works the same as CLR. If you notice a ring in your toilet, it can also be caused by waiting too long to clean your toilet. I have seen houses that have rings just by waiting too long to clean their toilet.

Baby's Bliss Gripewater for colic

I highly recommend this for anyone experiencing a fussy baby due to colic, gas, or teething. It worked wonders on my 2nd child. I would recommend the regular kind not the apple flavored. I mixed it in my 2nd child's formula. So, no need for flavoring. Plus, the flavoring would add sugar. You can now find it at Walgreens. I used to order it through Drugstore.com or go to one of the pharmacies that was more of a family run pharmacy. It's worth a shot if you experience a fussy baby. It's herbal. So, no chemicals. :)

Homemade diaper ointment recipe

This recipe was given to me by my pediatrician when I had my 2nd child. You mix Aquaphor (CVS has its own brand) w/ original flavored Mylanta until it's a creamy consistency. It works great & better than the OTC stuff you buy in the store & lasted a long time.

Front loading washers/HE washing machines

I love the HE washing machines/front loading washers. The only issue I have w/ them is that if they are kept closed while not in use, the seal around the door & the clear window that stays in contact w/ the seal around the door will grow mold/mildew. The best thing to do is to leave your washer open when not in use. If you have already gotten mold/mildew growth, try a magic eraser w/ a bleach & water mix. I would also recommend to run Odoban through the washer for any smell in the washer & to kill the mold/mildew inside the washer. I've used the washing machine cleaners they sell in the store(Tide & another one that I forgot the name of). They were alright but not a big enough difference for me to say they're worth purchasing. I just leave my door open when not in use & I add Odoban to every load I run just because I like the stuff. I don't use fabric softeners (they are highly flammable). So, Odoban is what I use to kind of add a little scent to the laundry & it makes me feel the laundry is cleaner w/ it. I also add vinegar to my laundry as well. It makes a good natural cleaner & no, my laundry does not smell like vinegar. I clean houses all the time & have some nasty, dirty towels w/ some of the surfaces I'm cleaning. So, I want clean laundry. Vinegar makes a good natural fabric softener. If you mix an essential oil w/ vinegar in a spray bottle & spray it on a rag, you have yourself homemade natural fabric softener.

Please don't use Orange Glo or any product w/ Glo in the name

I have used Orange Glo & it's like adding a coat of wax to your floors. If you ever want to stop using it/remove it, it will be a lot of work. I understand that people like their wood floors to shine but when you're putting a coat of wax on your floor, scratches show up more apparently. If dirt or anything is still on the floor when you use it, it gets stuck in the Orange Glo added to the floor. High heel marks, toe nail scratches from pets, & moving furniture show up & don't remove easily. To remove the Orange Glo, you have to use a mix of Ammonia w/ water & buff it off by hand w/ a sponge or possibly a mop depending on how many coats of Orange Glo have been applied. I have seen wood floors where the people have stopped using the Orange Glo & it starts to look like it's peeling slowly away like nail polish. I personally like to use Murphy's Oil Soap or a vinegar & water mix on wood floors. I have one client who supplies Bona & I like it fine. I just love the smell of the Murphy's Oil Soap. So, I prefer it. On another note: If you have pets that pee on your wood/laminate floors, I always recommend to get up the pee from a pet ASAP because pet pee will mess up the finish of wood/laminate floors.

Living w/a dog on Lasix/Furosemide or incontinence

I have a male dog w/ heart disease who is currently on Furosemide. I am gone for a good amount of the day working & our dog needs to be taken out every 2 hrs.due to the medication. I have bought the belly bands which was said to be used w/ Poise type pads. Those did not do the job. Lots of times our dog would go pee on the carpet & it still ended up on it because the pad had moved back just enough for the pee to be able to come out. So, I have come to use baby diapers. I don't know how well this would work for a big dog. Our dog is only 14 lbs. I use size 3 diapers on him. I put them on him sideways where the elastic of the diaper cups the necessary part to keep the pee enclosed. I tab the diaper & then put the belly band on which secures the diaper & works for a good amount of time during the day until I come home & during the night so I can sleep.

Swiffer dusters

The only duster I use is the Swiffer extended duster. I do not like the feather or the dusters w/ the strands that are like Barbie hair. I use the Swiffer dusters for everything-ceiling fans,light fixtures,shelves,knickknacks,etc. I even wash them. So, I get many uses out of them. They don't look pretty after being washed but they still do the job.

My search for a chemical free glass cleaner

I have used all kinds of glass cleaners-Windex which I detest because of the smell, Sprayway, & Kelsan. They're all chemicals. When you spray them on your bathroom mirror, some of it gets on whatever's on your counter & everything on it-toothbrush, etc. Do you really want remnants of Windex, etc. on your toothbrush which ends up in your mouth? I now use club soda. I have also used vinegar & water.

My quest for finding the right product to get rid of odors

In my quest to find something to get rid of odors instead of just masking them, I have come to find a product I highly recommend-Odoban. I use it in my Bissell Spotbot, I add it to the washing machine, & use it in a sprayer for air freshener. I have made my own Febreeze, used Febreeze, & all kinds of air fresheners. Nothing compares to Odoban. Odoban kills the source of the odor instead of just masking it. I am thoroughly happy w/Odoban & it's concentrated & can be found at The Home Depot or Amazon.com. I have a dog who is on a medicine that makes him need to pee every 2 hrs. at least. So, Odoban is my lifesaver when I get home plus belly bands w/ baby diapers for my male Jack Russell Terrier.