Mom Confession: I Don’t Clean

I often have people asking me how I  “do it all,” working from home full time and still being at stay at home mom to the girls. My answer to them is that I don’t do it all. In fact I barely scratch the surface.

I love that I am able to stay at home and work, but it puts a damper on some of the household chores that need to get done around the house. I try to have dinner cooked every night for when my MacKay comes home (I actually enjoy doing it,) but with looming deadlines, little girls that want attention, and pure exhaustion by the end of the day, most of the time we end up ordering in. Sidenote:  I am so thankful we live in a city that delivers nearly everything (including wine.) It’s less stressful on me and everyone can always get what they want.

I used to think that moving from a big house into a small apartment would make it quick and simple for me to clean. Although smaller, it’s definitely not easier. A small apartment means less room and less room means less surface area. Add a family of four plus two dogs to a small area (with only one bathroom) and you are going to have messes ALL THE TIME.

I am really good at straightening, but I despise cleaning. My apartment might look clean on the surface, but check the window sill and you will see a layer of dust. The only time that I have time to really do a deep clean of the apartment is on the weekend. But the last thing I want to do on my “days off” is sit there and spend hours scrubbing everything. I find it completely stressful and a time that I would much rather spend with my entire family.

So rather than stressing out about having a dirty apartment and not getting to spend any time with my family on the weekend, I have officially called for help.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of having the cleaning service MyClean come to my apartment and give it the deep clean that it needed. I’m a little embarrassed at how long it took for her to clean this teeny tiny apartment, but it reassured me that it needed to be done.

The process was so incredibly easy. I went to MyClean’s website, registered for a new account, scheduled my appointment at a time that was convenient for me, and BAM, Paulette showed up right on time on the day I scheduled. She came prepared with all of her own cleaning supplies (which meant I didn’t have to rush out to buy anything special) and all I had to do was provide a vacuum.

There are over six cleaning services to choose from. I chose the Deep Clean, because I knew my apartment needed as much help as it could get. Paulette spent her time in each room dusting, polishing the furniture, sweeping, and mopping. I was so amazed at how clean she got everything.

The last room she cleaned was our kitchen. Let me explain to you that my kitchen is TINY, but this was the room that she spent the most time in. After she left I realized that she spent the most time there because she cleaned the inside of my oven and the inside of the garbage can! I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone (including myself) do that before! The oven looked like new and probably better than when we first moved in. And that proved to me why I have to hire someone to come and clean. I don’t have the patience to sit and scrape all of the gunk out of my oven, but I do love the way that it looks.

Prior to leaving, Paulette went through the MyClean 50 Point Checklist to double check all of her work and make sure that it was up to MyClean’s highest standards. Although I knew that she did an amazing job, it was nice to see her double checking her work.

Having Paulette come and clean for me was an honor and I can’t wait to welcome her back into my apartment again now that she knows the ropes around here!

So there you have it. That’s my deep, dirty (pun intended) secret. I don’t clean. I take away a few luxuries from my life, just so I can have this one. And to be completely honest, it is money well spent.

MyClean is available in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. It conveniently allows you to book appointments only and pay with a credit or debit card. To learn more about their services, visit their website. Use discount code “mominthecity” for 25% off of your first clean.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free cleaning session from MyClean. All thoughts and opinions are my own.