Miss Laurie's Smart Guide To House Cleaning - video


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Keeping it clean

Laurie Kilpatrick's new video on housekeeping basics shows how to get it all done, and quick

By Linda Hutchinson

Staff writer

There's no whistling while you work for house cleaner/manager Laurie Kilpatrick, although as a one-time stand up comedienne with training in theatre, she certainly possesses some thing of a funny bone. Kilpatrick turned it into elbow grease at her jobs as housecleaner for a number of different high-profile clients and she did it with dedication and determination.

"Well, it was my job! I took it very seriously,'' said Kilpatrick. "The whole thing is about organizing your time.

"Who wants to spend all their time cleaning, when you can organize yourself actually be spending fun time with your family, or something else you enjoy?''

Her 20-plus years of experience led to making a how-to video on housekeeping, "Miss Laurie's Smart Guide -- House Cleaning.''

This recently released video featuring Kilpatrick herself takes you through every little and big task -- from what you need to get the job done to step-by-step instructions on how to get the job done. She also includes some helpful tips to make things easier or get things cleaner, like putting tennis balls in the dryer along with your duvets, or putting mineral oil on a cutting board to pre vent splitting or cracking rather than cooking oil, which can go rancid.

A native of Whittier, Kilpatrick said her mom was a clean freak, but too impatient to teach house cleaning skills to her and her brother.

" 'Oh, let me just do it,' she was that kind of mom,'' said Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick said the bulk of her experience was gained by being a house manager for multi-mil lion dollar homes.

"You manage peoples' homes, and they have very nice things, and you learn how to take care really good of everything,'' said Kilpatrick, who also managed the household staff.

She observed inefficiencies on the job, and this, she said, is the material, which made her video.

Kilpatrick advocates that by using your brain, housecleaning can be a much easier task.

"I feel like I just came up the smart way of doing things,'' she said. "Don't make it such a hard job -- use your brain!''

While the video can speak to a number of different audiences -- a college kid in his first apartment, a new bride and groom, and even a seasoned cleaner looking for new cleaning tips -- Kilpatrick seems to be addressing those who clean for a living. So the video could be handy in cases where housekeepers are not working to their bosses' satisfaction.

Most of the time, when some one is unhappy with the cleaning help, said Kilpatrick, "they'll fire them. Or, they'll keep them working and just not say anything to them.''

Kilpatrick's advice is to help your cleaning person under stand what you want.

"Give them some tips. I'm sure they're as interested in keeping their jobs as you are in having them do a good job,'' said Kilpatrick. Her video in Spanish is scheduled for release soon.

Kilpatrick said that after her years in the field, making a video to help others has added value to her housekeeping experiences.

"It's actually a service, people are getting something useful from this,'' said Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick said that while cleaning is a tedious task, it's important. She even got a little Fung Shui.

. "A clean house keeps a good energy flow,'' Kilpatrick said. "You house is a larger reflection of you. You keep your house clean, that is a reflection of who you are and the respect you have for yourself.''

Linda Hutchinson can be reached at (626) 962-8811, ext. 2611 or via e-mail at linda.hutchinson@sgvn.com .

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Los Angeles Newspaper Group