Day 6: Maid situation
I did expect the former maid to show up for her pay today, but it was pouring down rain all night and all day today, so she didn't come. Tal vez mañana si Dios quiere (Maybe tomorrow, God willing).
Training a new maid is a lot of work. You can't imagine. I suppose you are picturing me sitting around with my feet up eating bonbons while I wave for another cup of coffee. Not so!
I have to teach them everything, which, given my Spanish abilities, usually means doing it while they watch or at least helping them to do it. I have a whole list of warnings I have to go through, which are mostly ignored.
For example: No Bleach! One lady ruined an entire set of brand new sheets. I asked her to try to get out a couple of blood stains from smashed mosquitoes. I've done this myself many times with the hand laundering soap with no problem. She used bleach, straight from the bottle. The next time we used the sheets, they began to shred up like they were made of tissue paper. Bleach has been the demise of clothes, cleaning rags, and cotton mops. Bleach is also popular for mopping floors, a practice that could be deadly for my dogs.
Another example is Ajax cleanser. I have a beautiful pedestal sink in the guest bathroom that was completely ruined within 6 months with Ajax. The porcelain finish was just scrubbed away. Oh, it's clean now − the problem is that it is scratched and yellowish so it will never look clean again.
All the cleaning products either have instructions in English or no instructions so I have to constantly check on what they are using. One maid tried to clean the mirrors with Pledge furniture polish. Another one used floor cleaner to clean the granite countertops. Another one used an entire bottle of Spray 'n Wash stain remover (about $5 here) to hand wash her own clothes. She thought it was detergent.
I have to explain that water is not good for wood, that it isn't hygienic to use the same rags in the kitchen and the bathroom, that you have to wash your hands before you cook, and even what to do with two sheets for the bed.
That's why it is so frustrating when someone quits. I have to start all over again. This is why I usually do without a maid for several months after one quits. It's almost easier to do everything myself, but it's not the Honduran way.
When in Rome....
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6 comments:
La Gringa, my problems in getting the maid to change her habits isn't nearly as bad as yours but once the new kitchen is in, we are going to have a sit down meeting about using scratchy stuff. I still haven't figured out what she used on the faucets in the old kitchen but in 4 years she took the chrome down to brass in a couple of places. And I think in another year or two our toilet seat will be down to bare wood. But our maid is so sweet, honest and dependable that I don't want to do anything to hurt her feelings or embarrass her.
It might be a good idea for you to look into making some of your own more natural cleaning products. This is a good site to give you some ideas to start with and I am sure that there are lots of others out there. http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=es%7Cen&u=http://www.profeco.gob.mx/&prev=/language_tools
Billie, It's hard to change old habits, that's for sure. The problem is that we need Ajax for cleaning the stainless steel sinks, and bleach occasionally (rarely) for the clothes or getting rid of mildew.
Check for those scratchy green pads. That and Ajax are often the culprits.
Brenda, can you send me the link? It didn't work. I'll post it again in case anyone else is interested.
I do like natural cleaners. In fact, I like to use white vinegar for a lot of cleaning, especially because it cleans the mineral deposits from our bad water better than a lot of other things.
I try to tell the maids that vinegar is safer to use than chemicals, but they think it is just about the weirdest thing they have ever heard.
I've enjoyed browsing your blog! So please don't take too much offense to this. :) I know blogs are a great place to vent and everybody needs to vent, but...you probably can guess what I'm going to comment on. :)
"...granite countertops..." What? Did I read that right? In Honduros? This means you probably have a/c, too, right? GRANITE countertops? GRANITE COUNTERTOPS??? No sympathy from me regarding your dealings with the poor maid. Full stop. :)
Lessie, I'm wondering what my countertops have to do with anything?
Do you mean that if I can afford granite (which incidentally costs a fraction of what it does in the U.S.), that workers shouldn't have to do a good job?
If your boss has a nicer car than you, does that mean that you have a right to be careless and irresponsible?
Makes no sense to me. Just because someone is poor doesn't mean they should be absolved from all responsibility.
It's thinking like that that has generations of welfare families who don't have a clue what it takes to hold a job.
You are right training a new maid is a lot of work. By the way have you heard of Kitchen Countertops This is a great service! Easy as pie! I was contacted by a few contractors, got some pricing, and found one that gave me a great price.
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