Mop Master: A Talk With Guo Hezhong, Housecleaner

It’s hard out there for a male ayi. When it comes to housecleaning, most clients have a hard time wrapping their head around the idea of hiring a man to mop and do their laundry. It took Guo Hezhong a while, but thanks to his spotless character (and buckets of charm), he built a name for himself as a top-notch housecleaner.

What do you prefer peoplecall you: ayi (“aunt”), shushu(“uncle”), xiansheng (“mister”)?
Some people call me shushu, but most call me shifu. I prefer shifu. Shushu makes me sound too old.

Are male housecleaners a common thing these days?
All the women in my family and circles of friends do this work, but I would say one percent of cleaners are men.

Do you have to deal with a lot of prejudice from potential clients?
Yes, there is prejudice. A lot of online ads specifically request female ayis. The ads I put up don’t get many responses. Most of my work comes from personal recommendations.

In your opinion, what are the three most important rules a cleaner should follow?
#1: Clean thoroughly. #2: Respect your client’s privacy. Never discuss what goes on in their home. #3: Be kind and offer professional service. Don’t be late. If a client asks for a specific task, do it gracefully.

How did you become a housecleaner?
I was out of work. My sisters, who are also cleaners, trained me from scratch.

Do you remember your first cleaning job?
I was cooking and doing cleaning for a woman and her foreign roommate. I was nervous about my cooking, but they were kind and showed me what they wanted.

Any tasks that you refuse to do?
Anything maintenance-related, like changing light bulbs. I get frustrated when people want me to do too much. My job is to clean.

Who did the cleaning in your house when you were young?
I come from a family of farmers. My parents did most of the housework when my sisters and I were young. But as we got older, we had to pick up after ourselves. I was a bad student, so ended up working a lot on the farm.

Who does the housework in your home now?
I split the work with my wife. She’s also a cleaner.

Have a cleaning job for Mr. Guo? Call him at 136 5136 6244.

For a full list of housecleaning services, check our classifieds here.

This article originally appeared on page 7 in the April 2013 issue of the Beijinger.