Clean enough?

"Our House is Clean Enough to be Healthy and Dirty Enough to be Happy."

So read the junky plaque (I am SO dating myself here) that hung above our dining room table when I was young. And lest you think I was living a "yard sale chic" home vibe, let it be known that we lived on two acres in a beautiful home outside Sandy, Oregon. Yes, it was somewhat rural, but I had the unique honor of being the first kid on the block to get an Atari home game system. Frogger had met his match, and while not rich, we lived a solidly middle class life.

But that plaque. I'd read it over and over again, mostly as my parents waited for me to eat my canned spinach before being allowed to leave the table (Popeye was such a sellout). It's stuck with me all these years, especially now that I've founded Freshen My Home on, essentially, the same idea.

I've found that there are a few ways that people look at hiring house cleaning. One group is made up of folks who hear via word of mouth about someone who can come in and clean their home for them. This can be one of the best options - no middleman, no insurance, just cash under the table for work done. Many, many times this is a really satisfactory experience for everyone involved.

Sometimes, though, it doesn't work out so great. The cleaner gets a bit sloppy, or suddenly realizes that a cash business can leave a lot to be desired. The lack of insurance (personal and/or professional) can create a feeling of instability. Sometimes, the house cleaner is actually used, exploited because they have a lack of skills. We've all heard the stories.

But, when it works for both parties, this is typically the least expensive option to get help with house cleaning.

There's a different group of folks who, with larger disposable income, have the ability to hire a professional house cleaning company. These companies often have four-hour minimums and require an in-home estimate and a signed contract. But wow, are they thorough! Cleaning their way through a home from baseboards to kitchen hood, they know their stuff.

The potential downside to this option - other than the lack of flexibility - is that many of these businesses use pretty harsh chemicals to get these homes shiny. When I was looking for a cleaner, I was pleased with the experience until I went into the kitchen and saw that whatever they had used on my kitchen hood and burner controls had actually melted away some of the paint on both. While I understand the need for chemicals in some aspects of our world, that's not the kind of stuff I wanted near my food. After replacing the hood, I guess I'm lucky that I remember what the burner controls used to say.

Lastly, there's a group of people who don't think they can make hiring a house cleaner work for them. Given all the above, its quite understandable. Either they don't know someone who could do it inexpensively, or they know a four-hour minimum is too much time to pay for, or they get overwhelmed by even trying to schedule an in-home estimate.

But shouldn't hiring some help be...simpler than that?

When I was still working in education, I needed some help with my house that was simple to get scheduled, focused on the essentials, and flexible. But I couldn't find it.

So, I built it. Freshen My Home is here to create an affordable service with flat fees, transparent pricing, flexible options, and is subscription-based rather than contract-based. Cancel any time. Or just skip a week, or a month. Get help once a month, or four times. Leave a key or a key code, or stay the entire time. Know that we're insured, we're paying our employees a living wage, and we're helping your family stay safe and live your real lives.

"Our House is Clean Enough to be Healthy and Dirty Enough to be Happy." Not the typical house cleaning slogan. But real life means balancing affordability with a service that actually fits your needs—not someone else’s idea of what a 'clean home' should look like.

At Freshen My Home, we believe that house cleaning shouldn’t be an all-or-nothing game. You don’t need a deep clean every time, and you don’t have to commit to an overwhelming process just to keep your home fresh and livable. Life is messy, and that’s okay. Our job isn’t to erase every sign of life from your home—it’s to make it easier for you to enjoy living in it.

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So if you’ve ever felt like hiring help was too expensive, too complicated, or just not for you—maybe it’s time to try something different. A house that’s clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy? That’s exactly what we’re here for.