MORE THAN CLEANERS - HELPERS!

Are you time poor?  Juggling too many balls and frequently dropping some? Frustrated that neither work or home are calm safe havens?  You sound like our first client, let’s call her Ava.

I’m Antoinette, Founder of Just Helpers an ethical Cleaning Agency for high-flying Londoners.  I am a former teacher, Head of Year and Head of department and have complete empathy with the personal challenges that 80+ hour work weeks bring.

Time Poor Busy Executive?

Ava was a high flying super busy burgeoning executive.  Within 5 years, she had gone from being a bewildered newcomer in London to managing some extremely high profile, high net worth clients for her marketing agency.

Within 10 minutes of meeting Ava in her home, I had possession of her keys and the mandate to get her house organised during the two weeks that she would be away over Christmas.  On the surface it was a cozy 1 bed new build flat.  When I finally got to grips with it I discovered a curious and haphazard storage of system of clothes and items in all sorts of unexpected spaces where a guest had obviously appeared and in the time taken to get up to her flat, she had employed the age old system of ‘shovage’ i.e. open the nearest cupboard and shove stuff in.  No judgement! I completely understood her pain.  I’d been there too.

'Shoveage'!

No judgement. I completely understood her pain

I'd been there too.

Antoinette Daniel

It took me a full two weeks to sort, organise, wash, match linen, optimise her kitchen and move things around to introduce a little Feng Shui.  On her return, Ava and I settled down into a weekly cleaning relationship.

Home Is Where Your Haven Is

Each week, when I arrived I could chart her last 7 days activity by the dishes on the surface and in the dishwasher, the trail of clothes and the ‘shovage’ into random places.  I quickly became a whizz at restoring order, calmness and clarity for Ava.  Everything housed in the right place, things intuitively organised to make her homecoming a joy.

After my first 3 weeks, I realised that Ava had not had time to change her bedding.  This was not something we had agreed on, but I knew it needed to be done.  I switched the linen and left the old ones in the hamper.  I did this the next fortnight and realised that the 1st lot of linen was still in the overflowing clothes hamper.  I recognised that if this continued, I would run out of clean linen.  That week, I put a linen load on, left a helpful note for Ava reminding her to hang it out on her return and thought no more of it… until the following week!  The linen was still in the washing machine and now damp and smelly.  

A Helper Not Just A Cleaner

This was when it dawned on me.  Ava didn’t need a cleaner, she needed a Helper – someone to help her seamlessly enjoy her home in the few hours that she spent in it.  It was then that I set about systemising my routines around her and finding a rhythm that meant I could get her house in order once a week, washing and airing her clothes, tidying the clutter back into place.  Every time I left her home, I knew I had recreated a space for her to kick back, relax, exhale and enjoy.  This arrangement bought both of us great amount of joy.

Ava didn’t need a cleaner, she needed a Helper – someone to help her seamlessly enjoy her home in the few hours that she spent in it.

Over time, Ava, with us in the background transformed her life.  She entertained more, she worried less about her home life, she had zero communication with us about her cleaning as we had it all handled.  We were there when she got married, had her first child, stood with her as she battled her mother’s cancer. Transitioned her to her ‘big girl home’ and took on the care of her younger sister as she started her London adventure. Last weekend, we joyfully managed her move out clean too.

All Work and No Play?

Our aim at Just Helpers is to understand that when we meet new clients, that they each have a set of needs, standards and expectations.  We recruit Helpers who are intuitive, caring and get a thrill from giving their clients that ‘wow’ feeling when they get home.  We understand that cleaning is a tool to lighten the demands of your busy schedule.

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them – Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You’ll soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls- Family,Health,Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it. Work efficiently during the office hours and leave on time. Give the required time to your family, friends and have proper rest. Value has a value only if its value is valued.

Bryan Dyson Coca Cola

Who Do You Know, Like Ava That Could Do With Help?

Do you know someone like Ava who needs a Helper? Is this you? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch, so that we can help you on your journey to freedom.

At Just Helpers, we understand that cleaning is a tool to lighten the demands of your busy schedule.