They're here

It is noon on Saturday and I've been cooped up in my bedroom for an hour and a half. Jeff is out cold in the bed. He was awake from 4 am to 9 am, surfing the internet, playing computer games, and trying to get a solidly-asleep-me to talk to him. For the past three hours, however, he's been out cold with the help of one of those funny eye covers that they give you on airplanes and a pair ear plugs. Normally I would be poking him, jumping on the bed, and trying to get him to entertain me on this sunny afternoon, but for now we can't leave the bedroom, so I figure asleep is a good way for him to be.

We can't leave the bedroom because they're here -- the cleaning ladies are here. They're cleaning like I have never seen anyone clean before: attacking all surfaces, nooks, and crannies at an astounding pace. I'd never thought to scrub the moldings at the top of our walls before, though they are shockingly dirty. They cleaned out our fridge and freezer and asked me if I wanted them to organize and wash the insides of all of our cupboards. I can hear them scrubbing the grout in the bathroom now, and one of them said something about washing the windows in the living room. Who knew that money could buy this kind of heaven?

The path to retaining the services of cleaners was a long, emotional road. I'll admit there was initially a lot of guilt on my part. I felt like I should be able to clean up after myself (though there has been no time in my life when I have successfully been able to do that). Paying someone to clean up after me somehow felt like taking advantage -- transforming me into The Man. Then I realized I'm getting an MBA and I am The Man, so I should get over it.

I also realized that it's not taking advantage, it's a fair exchange -- money for a valued service. Their services aren't cheap. The cleaning ladies are compensated well for their time. Thankfully, my roommates and I have an ideal situation, since we can split the cost three ways. It's a good deal for us, women who tend to be so busy that we never do anything more than superficial cleaning.

I also feel like I've been pretty responsible in my choice of cleaners. I didn't go through a commercial cleaning service, such as those listed in the phone book, because I know that though you're paying a lot the workers only get minimum wage. The woman I hired has a legal work permit (she's Brazilian) and has been doing this for years. She's not underage and she's very professional. Her fees aren't the cheapest out there, and by doing the math I know that she can make a decent living doing this. I feel like the compensation is fair to her, which was important to me.