Since I've moved to New York City, I've found that a few acquaintances that visited me did so with many misconceptions about the way I lived.
Expecting a huge Friends-sized apartment in the middle of Manhattan, they are often surprised when they come to my tiny Queens studio. I'm not sure what about gave them the idea that I stay out partying until 3 AM on weekdays, but they are disappointed when I'm in bed by 10 PM. More than anything else, they are distraught to find how anal I am about having my apartment clean, and that having guests... sometimes messes it up.
Several failed friendships later, I learned to not have people stay with me if they're not VERY close to me--like, sister-close. Aside from that, I realized just how much cleaning means to me. I'm not one of those Pinterest kind of gals; my stuff is not color-coded and not everything matches. I have a pretty cool shower curtain and I really like the desk and chair I was gifted with when I first moved here, but that’s really it for nice house items. However, everything I own is organized and in a systematic fashion. In New York, your space is often crammed and you have to make the best of what you have. Lots of people have storage, and others are lucky enough to have a spare closet or keep their items at their family’s house. I have none of these things, so I have to be smart about what’s in my home.
I read Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, which inspired me to get rid of a bunch of stuff that “did not bring me joy.” I went through my wardrobe, and can finally say after years of hanging onto all of my ex-boyfriends’ (yes, more than one ex) clothes, I have one shirt now (okay, three, but who cares). I only have stuff that fits, shoes that I actually wear, and things that are in good condition. For my bathroom and utility-type possessions, I have it all organized in a closet or in the bathroom itself. My kitchen items are kept in the kitchen, my spare blankets are under my bed, and all my writing/work stuff fit on or under my desk, or on the cabinet next to it. I don’t keep things I don’t have a use for, or don’t mean something to me.
That makes cleaning easy enough. Every other day, I sweep, clean up my cat’s litter, and wipe down my kitchen and bathroom. I take out the trash on these days as well, so in general, my home smells good and is spotless. Once a week, I clean out the fridge, mop, and do some “deep cleaning”- like washing the walls and the doorknobs, scrubbing the bathroom down, cleaning the windows, dusting the cabinets, reorganizing my drawers, refolding my clothing, and doing my laundry. Basic cleaning takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes, deep cleaning is from 1-3 hours. I live in a pretty old apartment, so despite how much I try to make it shine, it doesn’t feel like enough. Or maybe that’s just the cynic in me talking.
When I was moving to New York, I had the vision of myself being a high-powered executive or a well-known writer. In both scenarios, I loved being a working woman and was making $$$BANK$$$. Then I started working for corporate America and realized it was like school with no recess. I didn’t really dig it too much. I tried working retail and in a gym, and didn’t like those either. What I did like was being a freelancer - getting all kinds of projects from several different people or businesses, and working on them at my own accord.
Some of it is stuff I REALLY like to do, like interviewing and writing about athletes or events, or creating content for websites, articles, and blogs. Occasionally I get to edit documents, which is also enjoyable, or I have to do some research. I do other things as well, like billing and invoicing for businesses, making deposits on their behalf, filing, organizing documents, or other basic assistant work, which is all fine by me. I’m like a Jack of all trades, and there’s really nothing that I can’t do. However, getting writer’s block is more frustrating now, because it’s the difference between getting paid or not. In general, while I’m not making anything close to what I was before, I’m a lot happier and am working only on projects I feel like are worthwhile. I make my own schedule and get to do a lot of really cool and fun stuff. Essentially, I am the poor starving artist, which I’m okay with right now.
In order to make ends meet, I’ve had to look at all my talents and see what I can utilize. Eating a Chipotle burrito in six minutes is not something that people will pay you for, so I’ve had to think about what I could bring to the table. I have many many friends who are personal trainers, but for as much as I love going to practice, exercise is not my forte. What else is something I can do, that people need, and would pay me for?
You guessed it - I clean people’s apartments. Sometimes I’ve cleaned offices and gyms, but more often than not, I’m in someone’s home. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English, a Master’s degree in Writing, and am on the pursuit of being a full-fledged journalist. In every biography I’ve ever read about a successful individual, they were doing work that others would never consider or take seriously. Barack Obama scooped ice cream, Jon Hamm worked as a porn set dresser, Pari Aryafar cleaned houses. It all comes together in the end.
I always considered myself to be like a “Monica” from Friends - very particular about cleanliness and organization, hyper-competitive, and a connoisseur of food (but I’m an awful cook). If my old roommate, Crystal, had just let me clean her side of the room, we would have fought less. Oxy-Clean and vacuum commercials are some of the most satisfying things for me to watch, and when I have a bad day, cleaning out my kitchen or organizing my documents is a sure way to make me feel better. So when the chance came up to clean someone’s apartment, I took it - and haven’t looked back.
I’ve learned a lot of things about cleaning someone else’s home, and the first thing is you need to have respect. You’re being trusted to be in another person’s house, and sometimes they may not be there with you. I don’t peek in other people’s stuff, or disrespect their things. You never know what might be valuable to someone else, so I don’t throw anything out. If it’s something I’m not sure of, I’ll put it at the front so they can investigate for themselves. The only things I’ve gotten rid of was made explicitly clear to me or it was rotten. Otherwise, leave it alone!
Another thing I learned was to keep it to yourself. Some people are embarrassed that I am there cleaning, even if it’s a very New York thing to have (your laundry guy, your delivery buddy, and your cleaning lady are the trifecta for sure). So I don’t say anything about it to anyone else. I don’t talk about what’s in your home or what it looked like when I got there, and I don’t make fun of what I come across or what I had to clean. I’ve never had a really awful experience, and coming from growing up with a younger brother, I’ve seen it all, trust me. But having someone touch and clean your stuff is already pretty sensitive already, and I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable having me there.
When I am cleaning, I try to show why there is a difference between me and an agency you could’ve hired instead. I go for all the areas that others miss or don’t care for - I’ll clean the bottom of your walls where dust collects, clean off all your knick-knacks, trim your plants, wash your cat’s food bowls, get rid of all the oil that’s accumulated on your oven and microwave, and scrub your shower until it’s the color it was when you first moved in. Your door will be free of spots, your TV wiped down, and fridge drawers to be made like new. Give me a cabinet to organize, and all the trash bags in it will no longer take up so much space. My job is to make it so when you come home and start doing your daily life routine, you’re not confronted with something all over or disorganized. Mess equals stress, and I am the stress fighter! It's all about giving them one less thing to worry about.
When I am offered one of these kind of gigs, I’ve found that many people start it off with, “Well, I know this is beneath you but…” and I find it pretty funny that they think so. A lot of cleaning agencies charge top dollar for their services and often (but not always) pay their employees well. I feel like if I was working in a restaurant or in an office, it would be a similar situation. I’m not selling drugs, or cleaning in my underwear, so trust me, it’s fine. I don’t care what it looks like, as long as you give me the cleaning supplies and pay me, it will get done.
The actual work feels like going into a meditative kind of trance for me. Every morning before I leave my house, I tidy it up. I think about what my day will look like and what are the things I need to get done. I don’t leave dishes in my sink or my bed unmade, and put away everything on the counter or my desk. It’s really nice to come home to a clean apartment, and honestly, my cat is the messy one out of the two of us. When I am cleaning someone else’s home, it’s the same thing. I think about my writing projects, something new I learned at practice, or an event I’m looking forward to. It feels good to see how I can benefit others, and I know that I am a really big help. When someone else is overwhelmed or just doesn’t have the time, it’s relaxing to come home to find that their space is clean.
When I was 14 and kicked out of my house for the first time, the lady I stayed with was very nice and gave me a lot of life advice that I still follow to this day. Since I couldn’t repay her for a lot of what she did for me - feeding me, providing me with necessities and shelter, giving me rides anywhere I needed to go - she had me help her out by cleaning her house, doing her dishes and laundry, washing her car, and the like. It wasn’t a big deal for me to do, but it was a huge asset for her. She told me everyone always has something dirty they’d rather someone else take care of, and she was right. Some people don’t want to deal with their bathrooms and others hate washing their clothes. I can do it for them and get paid for it, while doing something I actually enjoy. It’s a nice trade.
I’ve only seen one episode of Sex & The City (another “New Yorker” mess up on my part) but the main character, Carrie, doesn’t seem to be a lot like me. A lot of my friends back home told me they thought I’d be like her when I moved here, because I guess she is a writer as well. However, it appeared to me that she was way established and was able to make money solely off her writing, which is great and frankly #LifeGoals. In the meantime, while I work towards that, I have no problem putting in the hard work - I’ll file your papers, make your phone calls, create your content, and yes, clean your house. I’m working towards my dreams, so I don’t mind getting a little dirty.
