I told my husband, Bill, he needed to help me straighten things up, but he has never understood the concept of “cleaning for the cleaning lady” at all. “Isn’t this what we’re paying her for?” he always says.

I really didn’t have time for his nonsense when there was so much work to be done.

First, I went into the kitchen. There wasn’t really much to straighten in there because that room is usually pretty tidy. I did notice, however, that my bananas were way too ripe and needed to be thrown away. But just as I was about to toss them into the trash I decided to make two loaves of banana bread from scratch. It only took about an hour to prepare.

Next, I went to straighten up the living room. Upon entering, I glanced over at my computer screen and noticed I had some new emails. I decided that I couldn’t concentrate on cleaning when I needed to see who emailed me. I quickly answered the emails and then for the next hour I read my favorite site for catching up on important news, www.people.com. I really needed to see what everyone wore to the SAG Awards and find out what Jennifer Lopez had to say about Scientology.

Later, the phone rang and I spent the next 2 hours talking to my friend about her six-year-old’s birthday party this coming July. We also discussed other important topics like the weather and the “skinny jeans” trend.

Now, most people can talk and clean at the same time, but not me. It’s not that I’m incapable of doing both, but I really like to pay attention to what my callers are saying and I would feel rude if they heard objects clanging in the background.

Finally, after about 7 pieces of banana bread, a few late-night TV shows and only about 20 needed minutes of actual straightening, I went to sleep around 2:00 am.

The next day, before the cleaning lady arrived, I had a few questions about the cleaning service industry. Because I wanted the information to be impartial, I contacted a cleaning business that I had never used. I looked on the internet and found The Maids Home Services at www.maids.com. Their website alone made their services sound so incredible, I almost ditched my own cleaning lady right then and there.

I spoke with Sara Carrillo, Operations Manager in the office that serves Buffalo Grove.

First, I asked her the most important question. “My husband thinks we don’t need to straighten up before a maid comes but I think we should. Who is right?”

“Definitely pick up before we come,” says Carrillo. “If things are up off the floor, like toys, shoes and clothing the maids don’t have to figure out where it all goes and they can get started right away on the actual cleaning. We don’t want the customers to really clean because that’s what they’re paying us for.”

“Once, a person called and said, ‘I’m hiring you to clean my home so warn the girls—I’m not touching a thing.’ She wound up being a monthly customer. She was really impressed with us.”

My other burning question: Was the term “cleaning lady” still politically correct or is that offensive nowadays?

“Most people call then cleaning ladies, cleaning women or maids,” says Sara. “They are not offended.”

Also, “If you have pets, either be home with them or put them away somewhere so they are not scared of the vacuum or drinking from the cleaning buckets,” says Carrillo. “Just be sure a pet is secure in some manner.”

The nice thing about The Maids Home Services is that you do not have to commit to a certain cleaning schedule. “People use us weekly, every two weeks, once a month and even one-time only,” says Sara. “There are no contracts. We can give an estimate over phone and tailor the cost to people’s needs and budget.”

By the way, please remember to email me about the best public restrooms in this vicinity for an upcoming column. The types of restrooms you may consider reporting about can be female, male, family, children or infant changing areas. I would like to know about cleanliness, quantity of supplies, roominess, area to hang your coat or purse, ADA compliant, quality of sink or toilet, etc. Examples of public places may be a restaurant, a store, an entertainment venue, etc.