logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
49m 15s

A Butler's Guide to Managing Your Househ...

THE ART OF MANLINESS
About this episode

It's a tough job to manage a household. Things need to be regularly fixed, maintained, and cleaned. How do you stay on top of these tasks in order to keep your home in tip-top shape?

My guest knows his way all around this issue and has some field-tested, insider advice to offer. Charles MacPherson spent two decades as the major-domo or chief butler of a grand household. He's also the founder of North America's only registered school for butlers and household managers and the author of several books drawn from his butlering experience, including The Butler Speaks: A Return to Proper Etiquette, Stylish Entertaining, and the Art of Good Housekeeping.

In the first part of our conversation, Charles charts the history of domestic service and describes why the practice of having servants like a butler and maid ebbed in the mid-20th century but has made a comeback today. We then turn to what average folks who don't have a household staff can do to better manage their homes. Charles recommends keeping something called a "butler's book" to stay on top of household schedules and maintenance checklists. We then discuss how to clean your home more logically and efficiently. Charles shares his golden rules of house cleaning, the cleaning task you've probably neglected (hint: go take a look at the side of the door on your dishwasher), his surprising choice for the best product to use to clean your shower, how often you should change your bedsheets, and much more.

Resources Related to the Podcast

Connect With Charles MacPherson

Up next
Jul 1
Books, Routines, and Habits: The Founders’ Guide to Self-Improvement
Note: This is a rebroadcast.A lot of self-improvement advice and content feels empty. And there’s a reason for that. It often offers routines and habits to practice, but doesn’t offer a strong, overarching reason to practice them.That’s why the self-improvement advice of the Foun ... Show More
45m 7s
Jun 24
Ancient Buddhist Principles for Modern Life’s Dilemmas
When you’re feeling stressed, burnt out, and anxious — when you’re striving and achieving but still finding yourself persistently dissatisfied with life — you might start looking for answers beyond what’s offered by contemporary self-help.One ancient philosophy that can cast ligh ... Show More
51m 29s
Jun 17
How to Turn Vices Into Career-Advancing Virtues
What if the traits you’ve been taught to suppress your entire career are actually the very qualities that separate those who get what they want from those who stay stuck waiting for recognition that never comes?Today on the show, Jenny Wood argues that most of us are living in wh ... Show More
54m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
AP 525: How to Make Cleaning Easier: My Practical System for Better Managing your Home, No Perfection Required
I have had my fair share of personal struggles with feeling inadequate in the face of unrealistic cleaning standards and the never-ending list of household chores. And while I know that a clean and organized environment impacts our well-being I also know that it doesn't have to b ... Show More
38 m
Apr 2017
Cleaning Client is Micromanaging Me and Bossing Me Around
Micromanaging and bossing around the house cleaner are narcissistic tendencies. The house Cleaning Guru, Angela Brown shares insider secrets to end the chaos. Learn how to deliver excellent customer service without caving into negative manipulations. Don't be the victim. Take con ... Show More
6m 29s
May 2017
Driving Rules for House Cleaners and Maids
Driving rules should be a given for house cleaners and maids. And yet here we are discussing driving rules today on Ask a House Cleaner. Cleaning specialists are often in a hurry and that jinxes our judgment for safe driving. Whether you've been driving for twenty years or you ar ... Show More
7m 24s
Oct 2017
Things You Need to Know Before Starting A House Cleaning Biz
Things you need to know before starting a house cleaning biz. We'll cover that today on Ask a House Cleaner. Sure, you'll want to market your cleaning business. But there are a few things you need to know before shelling out a bunch of cash. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru ... Show More
6m 35s
Jan 2023
Getting your Maids to be Organised (#229)
This week I wanted to talk about maids. A lot of people have maids full time or part time in this region and in other parts of the world. When you have a busy household, working, and kids, you need someone there to help with cleaning the house, cooking and sometimes looking after ... Show More
15m 8s
Sep 2022
Messiness Is Not a Moral Failing | KC Davis
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Today we’re talking about an often overlooked source of suffering— housework. There are so many ways in which housework can be a bummer. Maybe we’re feeling ... Show More
1h 3m
May 2020
How Do You Qualify a House Cleaner - Hiring a Maid
How do you qualify a house cleaner? Residential cleaning isn't a magic bullet, and there are no easy answers. But there are lots of ways to find a local house cleaner when you want to hire a cleaning service. But, how do homeowners who want to pay a living wage find a legitimate ... Show More
8m 11s
Apr 2018
How to Upsell Party Hosting from House Cleaning
How do you upsell to party hosting from house cleaning? I've got a client who wants me to do party hosting for their Passover party and I don't know how to price hosting. I'm trying to grow my cleaning company and a job like this (if we can get the terms of agreement right) would ... Show More
6m 11s
Apr 2017
Bidding Residential Cleaning Jobs - What You Need to Know
Bidding residential cleaning jobs is not a mystery. Today on Ask a House Cleaner we cover some secrets and tips to prepare you for your initial walkthrough. Learn about the cleaning proposal, cleaning contract, and questions homeowners will have. Arrive with confidence when you d ... Show More
12m 48s
Feb 2024
How To Treat Your Cleaning Employees with Shawn Day
In this video, host Angela Brown welcomes recruiting expert Shawn Day for an insightful discussion on how to treat your cleaning employees. Shawn stresses the immense value of cultivating a positive company culture where workers feel like family. He advises going above and beyond ... Show More
4m 41s