Ease The Transition To Motherhood

From the moment you bring your newborn through the front door for the first time, your life will change forever. If that thought sends you into a panic, take a deep breath and try to relax!  Remember that life-changing doesn’t necessarily equal stressful or difficult.

Sure, there will be moments when the baby is fussing and you don’t know what to do or you are feeling sleep deprived and overwhelmed. But there will be plenty of cooing and smiles and baby ‘firsts’ to balance out those difficult moments. In addition, organizations such as MomsBloom are available to support you and other new moms through the rough patches.

One resource many moms overlook is a housecleaning service. While hiring a professional cleaning service may seem like a luxury, but many affordable services are available. Whether you are looking for a clean before you bring the baby home or a regular clean to help lighten your load while you get your feet underneath, cleaning services offer customized schedules that can fit your budget and needs.

Tips for finding reliable housecleaning services

Housecleaning companies run from one-person operation to nationally franchised chains. Here are some tips to help you find the perfect service for your family.

Read reviews online: Start your search on the web. There are a variety of review websites available that can be used to whittle down local options to those worthy of your business. Check out the following sources:

• Angie’s List
• Better Business Bureau
• Yelp
• Merchant Circle
• Social media sites such as Facebook and Google+ (check the business page to see if other customers are posting complaints or kudos)

You can also try doing an online search for the name of the business and the word review to bring up other sources of feedback such as blogs. If the company you are researching is national, be sure to seek out reviews specifically of the local franchise.

Look for insurance: Since you are allowing a cleaning company access to your house, you want to be sure you can trust them and if anything happens they are going to take care of it. Make sure the business is fully insured. If you are a new mother you already have a lot to deal with. No one ever plans on accidents, but you need to know you are covered just in case.

Check for consistency: Every house is different and every homeowner has different expectations. If the company you choose sends a different cleaner to your house every week, you’ll spend a lot of time explaining what is where and how you’d like certain tasks performed. Instead, look for a company that will provide consistency by having the same cleaner or group of cleaners for each visit.

Meet your cleaner first: When you are going to have to someone in your house on a regular basis, you want to be sure it will be someone with whom you like and have a connection. Many cleaning services provide free in-home estimates and that might be the best way to determine whether you are comfortable with the company and getting the most accurate quote. If free estimates aren’t available, consider ordering a one-time cleaning session before committing to ongoing services.

New moms have more important things to do than scrub toilets and wipe down mirrors. A reliable cleaning service is one way to make motherhood less overwhelming and free up time to enjoy every single baby smile and coo.