MaidPro to the rescue.

Terrence and I talk a lot about cleaning our small apartment. Mostly I think it is because I hate cleaning, and we can never seem to be in the cleaning mood at the same time. I'd rather spend that time cooking.

So on the recommendation of a friend who wants to remain anonymous, I contacted MaidPro. Some of their questions were funny to me. I realize they have a form that they send to everyone, but still...

Hi, Casey!
Thank you for contacting MaidPro to assist you in your home cleaning needs. We received your request for a home cleaning estimate,  and since you said e-mail was a better form of contact for you, I’d like to ask a couple of extra questions to better customize your estimate, thus getting you an idea of pricing.

The questions I have for you are: 

1.) Would you like us to clean the bedroom each time?

Yes. But our bedroom is 15 feet by 6 feet. It is very small. In fact the visible floor area not covered by the bed, dresser, radiator, or closet is just 10 sq feet. How much could it cost to clean that? 

Also, I understand that you will change the sheets on our bed if we leave clean sheets out for you. Since you only have to throw the sheets over the headboard to get to our laundry basket, do we get a discount?

2.) Is your full bath a master bath where the tub and shower are separate from one another? 

No. In fact, the bathroom is barely separate from the bedroom. The only thing coming between the bed and the toilet is a lovely folding door that T put in.

3.) Is there only one kitchen in your home? 

Yes. This is a funny question, because in my original form I indicated that the apartment is only 475 sq feet. If we had two kitchens, there would be no living room.

4.) Is there an office in your home?

No. Well yes, but I see that you have a question about a foyer, and since the office area is actually the foyer, I don't want to create a false impression of two separate rooms.

5.) Do you have a living room, dining room, or family room that are all separate from one another? OR Is your living room, dining room, and family all one big area?

There is a small foyer directly attached to the living room. Between the living room and kitchen there is a butler's pantry. HA bet you didn't expect that in such a small place. There is no dining room, just a two person table in the kitchen that one time a fireman who was going through our apartment told us we shouldn't have because it wasn't safe. To be fair, he couldn't really fit in the space we left for walking, but most people don't wear a fire suit and O2 tanks on a daily basis.

6.) Do you have a laundry room or a foyer that you would like cleaned?

Yes. A foyer. That is also an office. Is there an extra charge since the area serves two purposes?

7.) Are there any other rooms within the home that you would like cleaned that I may have missed? For example, a bonus room or finished basement? 

No. The entire apartment is just 475 sq feet. We would love a bonus room, where can we apply?

8.) What is your flooring like? Do you have carpet, tile, hardwood, etc? 

Hardwood with 1 area rug. Oh and the bathroom is tile.

9.) How many stories is your home? If more than one, what kind of flooring do you have on your stairs? 

1 story. Unless you count all the stories we have in books. Boom-ching!

10.) Is there anything specific about the home that you would like us to focus on or pay attention to while we're in your home cleaning? 

Dusting. Windows. General cleaning would be great.

With the answers to these questions, I will be able to customize your estimate to your home and from there we will be able to provide you with a quote. 

Thanks, MaidPro.