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Jeff Merkley
ISSUE #34.14 • SPECIAL SECTION •

The Cleaners: Charging Bi the Hour


DIRTY WORK NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD: Housecleaning with flair.
IMAGE: photo illustration by soma honkanen

BY SAUNDRA SORENSON | ssorenson at wweek dot com

[February 13th, 2008]

In his Craiglist ad, “Michelle” explains that he’s just found cross-dressing again and would like to integrate it into his professional life, mainly to bankroll his wardrobe. On the phone Michelle adds, “I eventually want to get a breast job.”

After answering an ad just over a year ago for a “gentleman” looking for an attractive housecleaner, Michelle’s business has expanded. He currently boasts three regular clients, accounting for 15 to 20 hours of his workweek. And although he drops the tantalizing detail in his ad that he’s only been “orally bi” once (“and yes,” he adds, “I did like it”), Michelle, 38 and self-described as 5’10” and 155 pounds, is very clear on his list of don’ts.

He will clean for you (in a French maid, cheerleader or schoolgirl outfit; the latter is his most popular request), but he’s there for housekeeping purposes only. After all, he only charges $15 an hour (for a minimum of three hours), and, he assures, “I don’t mind cleaning.”

But $45 will get you a polished specimen of womanhood.

“I take a lot of pride in it,” he says of the extensive preparations needed to pass as a maid. He first ventured out in female garb on hiking trails and bike paths and, he explains, “I got a pretty nice figure.”

As he expands his business, he finds the Craigslist response has mainly been positive. But, predictably, he’s had to weed a few would-be clients out.

“Most people just want sex,” he admits.

To contact “Michelle,” email him at koolauto@charter.net



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