Must you dust? If you need some help around the house, read this advice on hiring a housekeeper

"Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better

To paint a picture, or write a letter,

Bake a cake, or plant a seed;

Ponder the difference between want and need?"

The first stanza of the poem "Dust If You Must" by Rose Milligan provides some enjoyable alternatives to house cleaning. Subsequent stanzas suggest there are books to read and mountains to climb, too. And, for today's busy homeowner, there may be soccer games to cheer, a 40-plus-hour workweek and errands to attend to.

Lynn Hadley, owner of LJ's Cleaning Service, poses for a photo inside her Jackson home. (CAROL KELLISON)

Some are turning to outside help when it comes to house cleaning, in the same way one may contract with a professional lawn service, hire a painting contractor or call the plumber when a problem emerges.

As with pool guys, electricians and tree trimmers, there is a range of expertise and service when it comes to house cleaners. Online directories such as Angie's List provide one source; the local telephone book carries advertisements for several cleaning services; and a quick search of Craigslist turned up about two dozen listings of folks offering to dust -- and more -- if the homeowner decides to outsource cleaning.

Where to start?

Most would recommend -- as with any contracted service -- that one meet with several vendors to compare services and costs and ask a few basic questions.

When asked about advice for hiring cleaning help, Bill Crowell, owner of the Merry Maids franchise in Cape Girardeau for the past three years, has a fast answer: "Are they bonded and insured? Do they have workers' compensation insurance?"

Lynn Hadley, owner of LJ's Cleaning Service, poses for a photo inside her Jackson home. (CAROL KELLISON)

Crowell explains that should a worker slip and fall while on the job, the homeowner could be responsible for any injury. Or, if property may be damaged or go missing, a professional cleaning company would carry responsibility, while an individual may not.

While Crowell classifies that experience as a worst-case scenario, he adds that homeowners should gain peace of mind in knowing the insurance is in place.

"It should be comforting for the homeowner to know that the people we hire have been through background checks and drug screens. We want customers to feel comfortable having our people in their homes," Crowell says, adding that Merry Maids workers are trained in proper use of the cleaning products, vacuum cleaners, mops and other equipment, all of which the cleaner brings to the home.

Merry Maids, which employs 17 people locally, guarantees its work, and, Crowell says, in the rare instance that a cleaner misses something, the customer can telephone the firm's quality control manager.

"If we missed something by accident, we'd appreciate a call and we'd go right back out and fix it," Crowell says.

Lynn Hadley, owner of LJ's Cleaning Service, poses for a photo inside her Jackson home. (CAROL KELLISON)

Lynn Hadley, owner of LJ's Cleaning Service, echoes Crowell's recommendation on contracting with a cleaning service.

"Make sure they're insured and bonded. Not a lot of individuals may have that coverage. Anything can go wrong. They could break something or damage something by using the wrong cleaning chemicals on a certain surface," Hadley says.

Hadley started the business about 10 years ago; she was employed at the time, and she started a house-cleaning service to make extra money. Today, most of her clients are commercial rather than residential.

"I have new business regularly, but everything I started with, I still have. I think that's an awesome thing to be able to say," Hadley says.

Although she now employs eight people, she still is very much involved in the daily work.

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"I still get in there and clean -- toilets and everything. I'm down there in the grunge," she says.

Crowell and Hadley say their companies charge a flat fee for a job when a property is cleaned on a consistent basis -- weekly, biweekly or monthly. The initial cleaning, depending on condition, may be higher.

"Once I assess the job, it's a flat fee," Hadley says, adding a weekly cleaning for a typical three-bedroom ranch would likely be $75 to $100.

"It's a flat fee based on getting the job done; once we price it, we work as long as it takes," Crowell says. His firm likely would charge $100 to $115 for a three-bedroom ranch-home cleaning.

Both said charges depend on factors such as square footage, the presence of pets, the number of occupants and the like.

Sponge, soap, brush in pail

Milligan's poem, first published in 1998 in England, concludes with a sage "life's-too-short" warning:

"Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

Old age will come and it's not too kind.

And when you go (and go you must)

You, yourself, will make more dust."

Close-up of five cleaning products