We live in the age of superbugs. Getting the flu can be a severe experience. What has caused this problem? One of the main reasons is the free proliferation of antibiotics, resulting in resistant strains of bacteria. As a cleaner, I follow recommended hygeinic routines to reduce germs and control their spread in your home.

In the 1970s the entrance of a large number of women into the work force started to dramatically change women's role up to that time as "homemaker". Many women were no longer home all day to supervise cleaning help. So there arose a need for professional cleaning services that could simply be contracted to do the cleaning.

In this season of winter flu, it's especially important to minimize the spread of germs in your home. Here are good practices that house cleaners including myself follow related to this:

>Wearing a set of rubber gloves while cleaning the kitchen and another set while cleaning the bathroom
>Usng different cloths and tools for kitchen and bathroom (to avoid cfoss-contamination--different kinds of germs in kitchens and bathrooms)
>Careful attention to main touchpoints (handles, doorknobs, light switches) in the kitchen and bathroom.

Being a professional housecleaner for over thirty years, I've seen a lot of changes in the profession.It's interesting to think about those changes, which are a reflection of changes in the culture.

When I was a boy in the 50s and 60s there were no housecleaning services. Middle class homes had maids, mainly African-Americans or other minorities, who were employees of the households they cleaned for. Rates were much lower and it wasn't uncommon for a maid to work in a home 5 days a week. This is part of the history of race relations in our country.

Next installment: the 1970s.