January 15 and 16, 2022: Let’s go!

My first day of adventure begins with our goodbye at 5 am. I send my loved ones on a good journey home and realize that I am now alone. But wait: that’s not true. Quite the opposite.

Because at 10 o’clock there is a team meeting with Carlo, Oliver and Marie-Thérèse. My head is still spinning when I think of all the information about bed linen, towels, cleaning agents and their imaginatively hidden storage places … And I get going: armed with my bucket overflowing with rags and various secret weapons in the fight against any kind of dirt (tip: Sponge Magique), with my little cleaning lady disguise (headscarf) and a lot of initial selan …

I am allowed to be honest here but fortunately: Mon Dieu! Is that hard work! I take my hat off not only respectfully to the whole team here in the house, but to all people who earn their living with hard physical work.

 

I’m sure it will be a while before I’m really familiar with all the processes and tricks. And although I secretly think I’m a notorious clean person, I’m terrified that I won’t meet the demands of the owners of the house. What is already clear after two days of Astrid’s work: I urgently need to speed up. While Marie-Thérèse (allegedly) whirls through an apartment in just one hour (which is then tippitoppi – how does she do that?), I was busy in my premiere-1 for a whopping six hours. Whew.

First maid learnings:

Oliver relies on system! The legalities of this system extend to landing the MÖVE on the quality towels in the bathrooms. It took me three attempts to get the folding technique right – and laundry is really my thing …

Carlo hates hair: on the floor, in bed, in the shower, sink and anywhere else! That’s why the vacuum cleaner is his best friend. Good thing my relationship with vacuum cleaners is also very intimate.

I’ll unlock Marie-Thérèse’s secrets when my French is better.

But at the end of a long day of mènage, the only thing that matters to anyone here is that the guests feel good. So let’s make it nice and clean together: with a lot of passion – and with system, of course. Let’s go!

On-y-va!