Odd Jobs: Chloie cleans up her act

Is home your castle or your sanctuary? February is national “Get Organized Month,” and it’s evident from the billion-dollar cleaning/organizing industry that we all want our homes to work for us, rather than the other way around. There is nothing like the feeling of a clean home. However, with a husband, two kids and an ancient dog, that feeling doesn’t last long for me. In fact, I declared last month “Ignore It/It’s Not That Bad Month.”
Lera Jo and Michael McDermott, The Housekeeping Specialists, have made a business out of cultivating that well-kept feeling. Eighteen years ago they started caring for Columbia homes with a system modeled on European housekeeping, not unlike what one might learn at Starkey International Institute for Household Management in Denver. Those experiences, combined with the knowledge they gained running households for clients such as the Busch family, set their service apart from others.

The couple’s knowledge ranges from feng shui to the care of antique furnishings. Their standards are high, their employee retention is even higher, and their client base is well over 250. They not only interview their employees; they interview clients as well—and turn away about 1/3 all client applicants.

I meet my team at 4715 Pierre St., the business headquarters of the McDermotts. It’s 7 a.m., and the garage is bustling with employees restocking supplies. It has to be one of the cleanest garages in Columbia. There is not a smudge on the smooth, grey floor and not a cobweb in sight.
The Housekeeping Specialists employ, on average, 35 people. Each employee starts at $8 an hour, with raises based on training, merit and attitude. Michael greets and introduces me to each employee as he or she arrives.
While loading the vans, three different employees show me the blue binders that house client addresses, a Columbia map, a training manual, employee phone numbers, mileage sheets, space for client requests/concerns, and stationery to leave notes for the homeowners. The third time I’m given the rundown, I sense the thoroughness this job demands.

Houses are cleaned by teams of four to six people. My team consists of team leader Lisa Martin, Daniel Nichols, Erin Nichols, L.J. Kellerman and Lera Jo. We begin by removing our shoes onto a cloth. Lisa sends me to the master bathroom with Lera Jo.

There are three levels of training, qualifying employees to clean different areas of a home. Every employee starts with bathrooms. I’m armed with a blue apron containing equipment and cleaning sprays of Lera Jo’s creation, termed “red and blue juice.” I start with the mirror over the vanity. By the time I’ve finished the small vanity, Lera Jo has completed the shower.
Checking my work, she points out I’ve missed a little around the faucet. It’s time for the toothbrush. I’m starting to have cleaning guilt. I can’t remember the last time my bathroom was cleaned, let alone with a toothbrush.

Kitchen cleaning is level II training. According to Michael, kitchens are the dirtiest areas of houses, containing the most contaminates. In the kitchen Daniel is scrubbing the sink. He doesn’t mind the sinks; it’s the stove grease that takes the most time.

Level III is dusting. It takes a delicate touch not to break anything and a well-trained eye not to miss areas. Lisa, the team leader, is dusting the dining room. She left a profitable job as a marketing executive to become a housekeeper. That was 10 years ago, and she liked the job so much she brought of both her children and a niece on board.

Floors are always the last task. L.J. uses a wet mop, and Lisa follows with a dry mop. They work toward the door, eliminating any footprints. In less than two hours, we’ve cleaned an entire house. It’s uneventful, as one might expect, but Lisa recounts the time she accidentally tripped a silent alarm and came around the corner to find an officer holding a gun toward her face.

A cleaning caravan, we arrive at the next house. The owner is home; no alarms to trigger here. Again we leave our shoes by the front door. The owner has allergies, so Lisa sends me to vacuum the baseboards under the bed. Using a portable vacuum with extensions, I extract books and sundries from under the bed. I follow the baseboard and crevices around the room. I’ve forgotten to follow the designated pattern, and when I’ve finished I have to extract myself from a tangled web of orange vacuum cord.

Next I tackle the hallway and stairs. My ramshackle approach has gained the attention of L.J. She takes a moment to give me some pointers: “Move your cord to the bottom of the stairs and work backward so you don’t trip. Work in a scrubbing pattern from left to right, and stand so the stair you are sweeping is at or just below eye level; it’ll save your back.” When I’ve finished there’s a pattern, showing where I’ve been.

The day has gone by quickly. We slip our shoes on and say goodbye. My hands are dry and my socks more than a little gritty, but I feel a definite sense of satisfaction looking at the difference we’ve made. And until I can get my own housekeepers, I might try Get Organized
Month.