Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by CottageCare. FWMB contributor Emily H received a complimentary house cleaning to review. The following comments are Emily’s own words and opinions.
As a mother, there are several things that make my heart smile. My kids’ dance parties, my husband folding the laundry, chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven — all great things that give you warm fuzzies. As a bit of a neat freak, coming home to a clean house is also high on my list of happy thoughts. There is nothing quite like walking in the door with that super clean smell, walking around on my hard wood floors barefoot without anything sticking to my feet, and looking in mirrors that have no tiny handprints.
Like most moms (and people in general), my time is precious, and I hate to spend it cleaning, but I love the result. My kids are hard on the house, even though we keep things picked up, and if I don’t clean weekly, things start to feel a little grimy. So, every Wednesday is cleaning day: I do the bathrooms, mop, vacuum, wash all the linens, etc, often with the “help” of my kiddos. You know, all that in addition to those basic things like work, caring for kids, cooking dinner etc. Wednesdays nights find me proudly looking around the house while I fall asleep on the couch from sheer exhaustion. So how do you get that happy clean without the tired mommy?
Enter CottageCare. CottageCare can help you get that clean house, without sacrificing your time. They will clean your house like you clean your house. Ok, let’s be realistic, they’ll probably do it better. The cleaning checklist has some things that I know I don’t hit every week, like handwashed floors (sorry, Grandma) and vacuuming closets.
I scheduled my appointment so that the cleaners came while we were out of the house in the morning. I requested that they start with the bedrooms, so if we came home for naps and they weren’t done, then my kids could still go to bed. It worked out perfectly and I got to enjoy two beautiful hours of a clean house before my darling tornadoes started running around.
I gingerly walked in our one carpeted room so that I didn’t make footprints on the beautiful vacuum marks. I pranced around barefoot and rejoiced that I didn’t feel like the need to brush off my feet. I sat on a couch free of crumbs, and ate at a table that had no sticky honey spots. Bliss.
The company only uses eco-friendly products, which was music to my ears, considering the only cleaning products I have in my house are vinegar, borax, and baking soda. And it comes with a 100 percent happiness guarantee. If there is something you’re not satisfied with, call within 24 hours, and they will work until you are happy. I was unbelievably happy with how my house was cleaned, but there are many things in my life that could benefit from that sort of guarantee . . . .
I expected to feel grateful and relaxed after the cleaning. What I did not expect was the side benefit of not being so frustrated when my kids are kids. Turns out, I can keep my cool a lot more as things go back to normal if I didn’t spend my own time cleaning. It somehow felt less of a personal insult (which I realize is ridiculous because clearly my two year old isn’t actually trying to make me cry by spilling his salsa all over the floor.)
CottageCare can come and help weekly, monthly, before (or after) a party. It makes a great gift for busy parents, because it’s really giving the gift of time. With budget items like this, I weigh the cost by how much my own time is worth. Of course, we can all clean our own houses, and I regularly do, but sometimes delegating can free you up for something that you really want to do, whether it be take your kids to the zoo on a weekend, or sleep on the couch during naptime.
So the next time you find yourself having a staredown with your mop or deciding if it’s really worth your energy to 
clean a toilet, stop. Instead of doing it yourself, or waiting to see if those magic fairies will come help you out, you COULD stay on the couch, grab your phone or computer, and visit CottageCare’s website and schedule a cleaning. (Be sure to mention the Fort Worth Moms Blog sent ya!) It’s a great way to come home to clean.
nice post