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WARING: to all those that hire cleaning help
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 05 2009, 10:40 pm
I know for myself, that there are times I go extra out of my way for a non-Jewish worker to make sure there is nothing negative he can say about Jews. It doesn't come up that often for me since I rent and don't have cleaning help, but mainly for delivery guys, taxi drivers, etc.
I wouldn't do the same if the worker was Jewish. Standard respect and politeness, yes, but not extra. I just don't see a reason to.
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Mama Bear




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 05 2009, 10:49 pm
I always give my cleaning ladies lunch and good conversation. My most recent one turns down lunch and asks for a fruit instead. I once had a polish cleaning lady who was unusually smiley one thursday. on friday she quit. on sunday I found $100 missing from the r' meir baal haness pushke... (this same cleaning woman didnt want to come one sunday before pesach to clean because her 'papa' - Pope John Paul - had died. she showed up and cried on my shoulder.)
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Rosemarie




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 05 2009, 10:58 pm
I always treat my CL very nicely, good lunch, fruit before she leaves... One CL even keeps telling us (she works for a few people in my family) that she will only work for our family, we are such nice, special, good (choose your own positive adjective because it changes all the time) people. Smile
My current CL cleans the floors on her hands and knees even though I never asked her to. I just told her to clean the floors, period. She does it however she likes.
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MiracleMama




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 05 2009, 11:14 pm
I make a huge effort to treat my cleaning lady very well and after so many years of her working here I guess I must be doing something right.
Personally I don't require hands and knees floor cleaning, though I do agree that it does get a floor cleaner generally. For us a mop is fine with occasional down on the floor spot cleaning.
But I don't see that there is anything wrong with getting down on the floor to clean. Bottom line - if that's what you want done and you are paying for it, why should it be an issue. If the employee finds it demeaning and doesn't want to do it, then it's not a good match. No big deal. Plenty of cleaning jobs elsewhere. (At least around here good cleaning ladies are always in demand).
I can't understand those who are reacting so disgusted by the idea of hiring somebody to scrub a floor.
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bbmom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 05 2009, 11:40 pm
I don't have cleaning help but I grew up in a house that had full time help and here are two points that I remember:

1. The only time my mother ever asked the cleaning help to get on her hands and knees to clean was erev Pesach, when my mother (and often us kids as well) was on the floor with her, cleaning at the same time.

2. Recently the cleaning lady (who now cleans my parents home only once a week) made a casual mention about the fumes from the cleaning agents she was using, how sometimes she felt sick after cleaning for a day. The next time she came there were more natural, environmental friendly products for her to use.

It also happens to be that people in my home spoke fluent Spanish and the cleaning ladies were always spoken to like normal, adult, human beings, not 2 year olds.
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willow




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2009, 4:26 am
MiracleMama wrote:
I make a huge effort to treat my cleaning lady very well and after so many years of her working here I guess I must be doing something right.
Personally I don't require hands and knees floor cleaning, though I do agree that it does get a floor cleaner generally. For us a mop is fine with occasional down on the floor spot cleaning.
But I don't see that there is anything wrong with getting down on the floor to clean. Bottom line - if that's what you want done and you are paying for it, why should it be an issue. If the employee finds it demeaning and doesn't want to do it, then it's not a good match. No big deal. Plenty of cleaning jobs elsewhere. (At least around here good cleaning ladies are always in demand).
I can't understand those who are reacting so disgusted by the idea of hiring somebody to scrub a floor.

That is my understanding. Of course you have to always treat your employees (and every human) with decency, kindness and understanding. However you are hiring and paying them to do this job. Why is it demeaning? Is it demeaning for a reflexologist to do your feet, for someone to cut and clean your toenails when you want a manicure, a dental assistant that has to clean the teeth?
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realeez




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2009, 8:21 am
granolamom wrote:
listen, I have my books-worth of nasty cleaning lady stories too.

I know full well that the NY Times isn't unbiased, and thats the point. we are being held to a higher standard and oftentimes non-Jews are all too happy to point out our shortcomings without trying to see the other side of the story. this is not new.
but when you go the extra mile to treat your help with dignity and respect, and there's nothing negative they can possibly conjure up to say about you, that's got to be a good thing. fair? maybe not. but no one ever said the world judges Jews fairly.


I think you should treat them with dignity and respect because we are mentschlicht because honestly, at the end of the day, they will say whatever they want and will only remember and badmouth the one person who probably didn't treat them without dignity but had to move on with her day and couldn't spend another half an hour listening to her entire gynecological history with full sympathy yet again. (And yes, one of my old cleaning ladies has this complaint against someone who treated her well for like 10 years but really couldn't spend time listening to the whole story especially while she was paying during that time for work that was not getting done).


Last edited by realeez on Mon, Jul 06 2009, 8:35 am; edited 1 time in total
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ss321




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2009, 8:23 am
wow. glad someone started this thread. My DH (who hates that I "hang out" on this site) told me months ago, I should "warn" people about what our housekeeper told us she endured before coming to work for us, but I figured why start a flame war. But some people treat their housekeepers/maids/cleaning ladies like slaves. no this isnt only in our communities, but I think because we are frum and need to worry about chillul hashem, we should be extra careful.

btw my parents and in laws have parquet floors all thruout the first floors of their houses, I have never seen a housekeeper on her hands and knees scrubbing, other than before pesach as in scrubbing all the nooks and crannies of cabinets etc. that story from the OP is sickening! oy!
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2009, 10:40 am
willow wrote:
MiracleMama wrote:
I make a huge effort to treat my cleaning lady very well and after so many years of her working here I guess I must be doing something right.
Personally I don't require hands and knees floor cleaning, though I do agree that it does get a floor cleaner generally. For us a mop is fine with occasional down on the floor spot cleaning.
But I don't see that there is anything wrong with getting down on the floor to clean. Bottom line - if that's what you want done and you are paying for it, why should it be an issue. If the employee finds it demeaning and doesn't want to do it, then it's not a good match. No big deal. Plenty of cleaning jobs elsewhere. (At least around here good cleaning ladies are always in demand).
I can't understand those who are reacting so disgusted by the idea of hiring somebody to scrub a floor.

That is my understanding. Of course you have to always treat your employees (and every human) with decency, kindness and understanding. However you are hiring and paying them to do this job. Why is it demeaning? Is it demeaning for a reflexologist to do your feet, for someone to cut and clean your toenails when you want a manicure, a dental assistant that has to clean the teeth?

Or why cleaning a toilet is less degrading than scrubbing on hands and knees.
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willow




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2009, 1:04 pm
Right why? Its a job and usually it pays quite well.
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bonnie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2009, 7:28 am
Never dealt with the cleaning floor on hands and knees-
but a little perspective-

I think any request ( within reason) as long as its made respectfully and not demeaningly, is ok. And, it's nice if you show some appreciation as well.

I've dealt with many cl's through the years. They're not so perfect on their side, either. They're human beings, absolutely. I've had some steal from me, bring their boyfriends...etc...etc...So, you don't have to worry so much on how they're treated. They know how to speak for themselves.

A few rules-
First time, sit them down with a cup of coffee as an EQUAL, let them know what you expect from them
Always give them something to eat ( MORE important than whether they clean the floors on their hands and knees). Let them take what they want from the fridge ( apple, drink..etc...etc...). What gets me more crazy is when people limit the food they can eat
Pay them on time
Say thank you
What's more demeaning, is being so meshuganish that you micro manage and stand over them when they clean the toilet.

thats my take Ive had cl's come back to me after years...
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Merrymom




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2009, 11:48 pm
What is the point in telling bad cleaning help stories? We've all had them and it doesn't give us the right to ask a [gentile] to get down on their hands and knees for us even though we would do the same for ourselves. It's our home, not theirs so if that's what you want to do fine but don't ask anyone else to. Yes, that's right even though you are paying her $10 an hour (which is a joke btw) you cannot ask her to do things that she considers degrading. Yes, she comes prepared to clean toilets but not to get down on her knees job after job in frum homes. Think of the chilul Hashem, is it worth it to you?
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sunset




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 08 2009, 1:11 am
its funny I wanted my cl to clean the floor with a rag but even though I do it myself, instinctively I felt that she might feel it beneath her. so I just asked her beforehand if its ok...she said sure she does other homes this way. I don't know if ill ask her every time tho...I only hire her once a month
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pina colada




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 08 2009, 1:29 am
bonnie wrote:
Never dealt with the cleaning floor on hands and knees-
but a little perspective-

I think any request ( within reason) as long as its made respectfully and not demeaningly, is ok. And, it's nice if you show some appreciation as well.

I've dealt with many cl's through the years. They're not so perfect on their side, either. They're human beings, absolutely. I've had some steal from me, bring their boyfriends...etc...etc...So, you don't have to worry so much on how they're treated. They know how to speak for themselves.

A few rules-
First time, sit them down with a cup of coffee as an EQUAL, let them know what you expect from them
Always give them something to eat ( MORE important than whether they clean the floors on their hands and knees). Let them take what they want from the fridge ( apple, drink..etc...etc...). What gets me more crazy is when people limit the food they can eat
Pay them on time
Say thank you
What's more demeaning, is being so meshuganish that you micro manage and stand over them when they clean the toilet.

thats my take Ive had cl's come back to me after years...


If you let your cleaning lady take whatever she wants from your fridge please be careful to put away any open wine or grape juice to prevent Yayin Nesech.
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willow




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 08 2009, 5:57 am
Merrymom wrote:
What is the point in telling bad cleaning help stories? We've all had them and it doesn't give us the right to ask a [gentile] to get down on their hands and knees for us even though we would do the same for ourselves. It's our home, not theirs so if that's what you want to do fine but don't ask anyone else to. Yes, that's right even though you are paying her $10 an hour (which is a joke btw) you cannot ask her to do things that she considers degrading. Yes, she comes prepared to clean toilets but not to get down on her knees job after job in frum homes. Think of the chilul Hashem, is it worth it to you?



But thats the job. It is our home and that is the job description. They can say no but you can ask. Why pay them to do a light cleaning job (unless that is all you need/want)? By the way here in Israel its quite common for cleaning ppl to be Jewish.
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OOTBubby




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 08 2009, 12:43 pm
flutterfly wrote:

If you let your cleaning lady take whatever she wants from your fridge please be careful to put away any open wine or grape juice to prevent Yayin Nesech.


I believe the correct term would be stam yeinam as yayin nesech would actually have to be poured for avodah zarah.

And, it would matter if your wine is mevushal or not as are most nowadays at least in the US.

That said, we do use non-mevushal wine and do actually keep it locked up as I have regular now-Jewish help in the house with free access to the fridge.
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sarahd




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 08 2009, 5:44 pm
OT, but not everyone holds that the way wine is heated by today's winemakers makes it mevushal. We, for example.
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Nicole




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 09 2009, 11:28 am
I clean my kitchen floor on my hands and knees every day. It gets so much cleaner that way!
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