10 Things I'm Shocked a Maid Will Clean

For the purposes of this article, I’m combining traditional maids and maid services. If you’ve never thought about it, folks that do this type of work sometimes have to clean some pretty disgusting or shocking things. Some of this material comes from research; some of it comes from personal knowledge through people with whom I’ve been acquainted. Perhaps after reading this article, you will have a higher level of respect for the people that clean up after some of us. You may also be able to tell why many of us would rather be a babysitter than a maid!

1. Rain Gutters. One of my mother’s friends, a person of some wealth, had two maids on her home staff, and one of their jobs was cleaning the rain gutters on the outside of the home. I would not have expected this to fall under the list of duties for a maid.
2. Outside Dog Kennels. This same person raised dogs as a hobby, and expected the maids to put on rubber boots and gloves and clean out the kennels as part of their house cleaning duties. Again, I was a bit shocked to find that this would be expected, and that a maid would agree to this when being hired to clean in a home.
3. At-Home Births. When my youngest child was approaching his emergence into the world, we considered an at home birth with a midwife attending. In the process of speaking with local midwives, we found a maid service that would come in and clean up after the birth. I was mildly shocked to discover that there was a commercial maid service for this sort of work.
4. Unsavory Things in Motel Rooms. In my earlier life as a traveling salesman, I got to know some of the maids that worked in motel rooms, and was somewhat shocked to learn about some of the things that people will leave behind for maids to clean up. I heard of feces on floors and walls, of used condoms left on bedside tables or on tops of televisions, and of, in one case, the remains of what appeared to be a ritualistically slaughtered chicken.
5. Fish Processing Room. A motel in which I used to stay on a regular basis, was located in a popular fishing area, and had a place for anglers to butcher and process their catch of the day. I was more than a little surprised to learn that cleaning up after the anglers was included in the duties of the motel room maids.
6. Crime Scene and Suicide Sites. I knew a person who worked for a maid service that contracted with law enforcement agencies to provide cleaning services in places where people had been killed, or had killed themselves. I don’t know why I was shocked at this; someone has to clean up these sites. I just hadn’t thought of it as maid’s work.
7. Illegal Drug Factories. Another surprise for me was that this same maid service company provided cleanup of homes where things such as methamphetamine had been illegally manufactured. This is truly dangerous work for maids, considering the hazardous chemicals involved.
8. Commercial Cooking Hoods. In researching this article, I found a company that describes itself as a maid service, and includes on its list of services commercial cooking hood cleanup. This one surprised me, as I wouldn’t have thought of this as work for maids. It can be greasy and unpleasantly aromatic work.
9. Industrial Boilers. Found on the web site of a company advertising commercial maid services. This is another one that I would expect to fall under the services of a different type of company, not a maid service. I’m picturing a person in an apron and old style maid’s cap, climbing into a commercial boiler with a steel brush. Maybe I have too vivid an imagination.
10. Parking Lots and Garages. On another commercial maid service web site, I discovered that this company’s maids would clean parking garages and parking lots. Really? Maids cleaning parking areas? I never would have guessed it.

Maybe you aren’t shocked to learn about some or even any of these things that maids will clean up, but I certainly found them shocking to learn of. Maybe you will think I’m easily shocked or surprised. If so, I’d love to find out what you actually would find shocking for maids to have to clean.

Taken From Babysitters