Relief.

Taken at HArmonize Peoria’s “Musical Peting Zoo” in June 2024

My husband and I met online and after talking for a couple weeks through text, we decided to meet up at Chick Fil A one afternoon. We talked about a lot of things over our waffle fries that day, but one of the first things he said after I sat down was, "I don't want any more children."

Until that moment, if anyone had asked me if I wanted more children, I would have said I didn't know.

As soon as he said he didn't, a feeling of relief washed over me. And I said, "Me neither!" I was surprised by own relief, but confident in that decision.

Adults make big decisions more than we ever thought we would when we were younger. Sometimes we we make them in the moment, like I did that one. Other decisions come about over time.

I've been working on one of those. I've been praying about it, thinking about it, and looking for signs.

While there were signs leading me along the way, and I do believe my prayers were answered, my biggest confirmation actually came immediately after I made the decision.

I felt relieved.

That relief is why I'm more excited than sad to share that Hire A Housewife is not taking any new regular clients, nor are we hiring any new employees.

I have two employees who will continue with their regular cleaning schedules. When HAH isn't a good fit for them any longer, we'll part ways and that will be the end of all of Hire A Housewife's residential cleaning.

I'm SO PROUD of all I've accomplished over the last 12+ years. My 32yo self would be shocked by what my life looks like today!

I will continue to do personal organizing and downsizing on a limited basis for now, but I've decided to turn my attention to my other business, Peoria Music Live, and the non-profit I started, Harmonize Peoria.

One of the reasons I fell in love with the work Hire A Housewife does is that I could actively see how I was making a difference in people's lives. One at a time, day by day.

With Peoria Music Live and Harmonize Peoria, I am making a larger impact on the greater Peoria Area in so many ways, while also making a difference to people individually at the same time.

I've often said that I don't believe my story of homelessness to business owner would have worked out the same way in any other city. Peoria is special. I want to make this city and those surrounding it better.

There are a lot of feelings mixed up in this decision... mostly positive, although I am sad I'll have to be in charge of cleaning my own house again now. 😂 (Mostly kidding.)

Really, I am excited! I believe that by making this space in my life, there will be more room for amazing things to grow. I don't know exactly what that will look like yet, but based on past experience with telling God "I'm listening, what now?" I can promise it's going to be an exciting adventure!

***If you already had an appointment scheduled, or have multiple appointments scheduled, don't worry. Those haven't changed.***

***If you are on our waiting list, I will be in contact within the next week to let you know if I have found a spot for you or not.***


It’s ironic that my last blog post was about what I thought was a sign to keep HAH open, but I can see now how it worked out exaclty how it was supposed to… If you’re reading this, thank you for following this journey. I love you. I appreciate you. I’ll see you out there….

Four important reasons Hire A Housewife asks for a list

Leave a list? Nobody has ever asked me to leave a list before!
We hear you, and we understand.
But there is a good reason that we ask for a list from you. That reason is likely the same reason you hired us.
We are different. We are different because we know all of you are different.

Ready to Show Ready to Sell


One of the biggest pain points when it comes to selling your home is trying to keep it clean enough for showings while still living there. And, chances are, if you are trying to sell your home, you have other expenses that need to be taken care of besides paying for constant housekeeping.

Hire A Housewife wants to make the whole process easier with Ready to Show Ready to Sell

Clients of our Ready to Show Ready to Sell package will enjoy our guilt-free, high-quality, personalized service, packaged in a way to help them sell their home more quickly, with less stress.

HOW IT WORKS

Phase one of our Ready to Show Ready to Sell program is the Initial Deep Clean.

This is a complete clean of your home to ready it for listing.

When possible, we make this combine your preferences with your realtor's input for maximum effectiveness.

The cleaning includes everything from ceiling fans to baseboards.* If something is found that we missed in the first 24 hours after the cleaning, we will come back and fix it.

Phase two is the fun part! We take all the worry out making sure your home is ready for each showing. When you call, we will come in and perform a customized "Show Clean" with as little as 20 hours notice.**

There will be a pre-approved plan that the housewife we send out follows to ensure that everything is cleaned and picked up the way you want it done, without you lifting a finger.

Sound good? It gets BETTER...

The best part of this service is that after the first payment, you don't have to pay us each time we come out. In fact, if your house sells in the first six months of using our service, the amount not prepaid isn't due until you close on the sale of your house.

We're not just helping keep your house clean, we are helping you invest in a faster, more profitable sale!

We can also schedule someone to come in between you moving out and someone new moving in, so there is no more worry about how you are leaving the house for the new owner.

Our services could actually be a selling point on your home... potential buyers know that you are keeping the home maintained and that they will be able to move in without needing to do cleaning.

Below is our pricing schedule. The different categories make our program flexible to fix your needs.

Pricing:

Deep Clean: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.20/sq ft

Show Clean: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.09/sq ft

Show Clean (unoccupied): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.07/sq ft

Show Clean (less than 20 hrs notice) . . . . . . . . . $25 add'l

Show Clean (high demand days) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50 add'l***

Post Move Out Clean (add-on) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.10/sq ft

Post Move Out Clean (separately) . . . . . . . . . . . $0.18/sq ft

Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $25-50 add'l each

Square footage is typically determined by the listed number of livable sq ft in the house's reality listing. Changes may be made if additional areas need to be cleaned or if there are areas that do not need service.

We are unable to clean areas or fixtures that are not temperature controlled in extreme weather. This may include garages, outbuildings, passages between buildings, and windows.

Terms:

Deep Clean costs + 40% due at time of Deep Clean service. No other payments until closing or for 6 months, whichever comes first. After 6 months, an additional deep clean and a payment towards the balance due may be required.

Contract required.


*This excludes walls that need more than dusting and/or spot scrubbing and carpet that needs more than a vacuum.

**Cleaning with less notice may be available for an additional charge, but we cannot guarantee availability.

***High demand days outlined in contract. Usually 2-3 days before and after major holidays.


If you are interested in this program, please fill out this form and we will contact you soon!
Ready to Show Ready to Sell

Big Changes for Hire A Housewife

I am excited to announce that over the next few months, Hire A Housewife will be rolling out new programs and packages designed to meet the needs of our customers and improve your overall experience. 

We are going to start with rate changes for today and will make other announcements in the coming days and weeks... so keep reading and stay tuned for what is coming in the future!

New Rates and Expectations

We love our clients and employees.

It is important to us that HAH has only the hardest-working, most reliable, and professional housewives representing our company. While we offer many benefits to our employees as a company, if we are not competitive with pay, we will continue to lose our best employees to higher paying jobs that are less physically demanding. 

Besides that, many of our housewives are relying on tips to make ends meet... and we don't believe it is fair to them or you.

We want to make sure tips are over and above what they do on a regular basis. If someone tips, it is because you appreciate their hard work.

You will see many positive changes in your service as well.
We'll announce those in coming weeks.

The first wave of new rates goes into effect December 15th for clients who book a one-time or recurring appointment that takes place after that date.

Clients who are already set up with recurring appointments (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) by that date will continue at our current rate until January 15th.

Clients who are already set up with recurring appointments by Dec 15th and who pay in advance via PayPal will continue at their current rate until January 31st.

Starting Dec. 15th our regular rate is $35/hr.
The rate for >10hr blocks of time is $32/hr when prepaid through PayPal.  

If you are a new customer, lock in the old rate for an extra month by signing up for regular service now (a month and a half if you prepay through PayPal.)
Also, gift certificates are good for one year. If you buy them at the current rate of $25/hr... they are still good for the same number of hours next year!

We also have some great new packages coming to better serve our clients.
Stay tuned for a post about our Ready to Show Ready to Sell program
for clients who are trying to sell their homes.