Do You/Have You Ever Had A Cleaning Service?

[momof1princess]

i'm so jealous, i wish i could hire someone to clean my house, but i just can't afford it. my chiropractor says i'm not ready to really clean house. i do what i can, but it needs a real cleaning SO bad. i'm ashamed for anyone to come over here.

 

[tvguy]

My MIL had a cleaning service for a while. She'd clean like a mad woman the night before the came, so they didn't think she was a slob! Never understood that.
Tomorrow is house cleaning day in our house. Do a top to bottom every 2 weeks now. 28 years ago DW insisted on a top to bottom every week. Then kids came along....and it was a waste of time. They're adults now, but we will have this quote still take on our refrigerator.

" Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. PHYLLIS DILLER

 

[budmonster]

I've been thinking about finding someone one to come in once a week also. But I have a question... when you hire someone to come in to clear are you (or anyone) there at the house? I am just very weird when it comes to someone being in my home when I'm (or DH) isn't there.

 

[NikiM20]

We have a lady come in every other week. It is $65 and we provide the cleaning supplies. She is worth every penny and as soon as I am out of school we will get her every week. She has a key to our house and is a good Christian lady who has been doing this for years. We have had her for a year now And the person Who recommended her to us has used her for over 15!!

 

[southern_redhead]

Yes, we do. It is a local girl I went to school with. She does a few houses to make a little "mad" money. She charges $10 an hour and will do whatever length of time you specify. My arrangement is 3 hours a week. She dusts, vacuums/mops, cleans the kitchens and bathrooms. Once, while we were on vacation I had washed and folded the sheets on the beds to let the mattresses air out. She came the day before we came home and she made my beds for me but I hadn't asked her to. It was a nice suprise

IMO it is WELL worth it. I have friends who love to clean but I really don't. I DO love a clean house though. I work 45 hours a week and have 3 kids, I want to enjoy my weekends not work on them. I do my own laundry, she would probably be willing but I am so finicky about laundry I won't even let my own mother help. On top of that I am severely germ-phobic and cleaning the bathrooms used to require (no joke) a valium. I would pay her $30 a week to do JUST the bathrooms, for me the rest of the house is a bonus LOL

ETA I *do* make sure the house is neat before she comes. I make the kids put away all toys and clean up any junk mail, etc... IMO straightening the house is not in her job description unless I want to pay her for the extra time it takes to do it. If the house is neat and she can get to what needs to be cleaned without spending time shifting mess around then the whole 3 hours goes toward my house being given a good cleansing. DH thinks I am insane, he apparently thinks she is akin to a live in maid like celebrities have and should have to clear the kids dresser tops to dust and pick up socks off the floor to vacuum. FWIW, I try to instill the habit of keeping their rooms picked up on a daily basis but I will go in on the day she is due to come and point out "this, this, and that need to be cleared up/put away". And, yes, she comes while we are gone. I think it would be awkward to have someone cleaning my house while we were here. I grew up with her and know her husband's family as well so maybe that is why I'm okay with it. I leave the door unlocked, she comes as soon as she drops her child at school (so the door is only open an hour or less) and she locks it when she leaves. I wouldn't feel that way if it were a "service" and some random (and perhaps each week different) person(s) were going to be alone in my house.

 

[Art 1]

My wife has help and it is worth it to her, I'm not sure what she pays.

 

[Pig Pen]

I am the opposite, I love to clean when I have time for it - which is why I want to be a mousekeeper at WDW!

In fact I am planning on waxing my hardwood floors this morning. I love the smell.

And no, I am not for hire...yet!

 

[Mommee]

I have someone come every other week. She charges $65 for 3.5 hours of work. She uses her own cleaning supplies, but I supply the mop, vacuum, and magic erasers. We do go through and "pick up" before she comes-it would take her longer to do that and then I would have to pay more.

We could really use her every week, but it's just not in the budget.

 

[Music City Mama]

I've been thinking about finding someone one to come in once a week also. But I have a question... when you hire someone to come in to clear are you (or anyone) there at the house? I am just very weird when it comes to someone being in my home when I'm (or DH) isn't there.

I'm weird about that, too. When we first hired her 2 years ago, DH was working from home a lot, so we'd have her come on days when he was there. After a few months, I felt comfortable enough to leave a key for her.

I am the opposite, I love to clean when I have time for it - which is why I want to be a mousekeeper at WDW!

In fact I am planning on waxing my hardwood floors this morning. I love the smell.

And no, I am not for hire...yet!

Your post made me chuckle given your screen name!

 

[MinnieMe87]

I am the opposite, I love to clean when I have time for it - which is why I want to be a mousekeeper at WDW!

In fact I am planning on waxing my hardwood floors this morning. I love the smell.

And no, I am not for hire...yet!

Me too!! Cleaning is one of my favorite things to do!

 

[shortbun]

I have cleaners come in every other week. They do the floors, woodwork, bathrooms, furniture, kitchen and something extra-ceiling fans, picture windows, etc. I hired 3 cleaning services until I found someone whol could really clean. I was amazec at how poor the quality of some of the cleaning was. Love it! I'd love to find someone who would do laundry and cook a couple times a week. That's my next adventure.

 

[minniecarousel]

We had a cleaning service for several years and had to let them go when DH was out of work. We have a 3300 sq.ft. house and paid them $85 for an every other week cleaning. A crew of 2 would take about 2 hours. It's true that I'd spend some time the day before decluttering so that they could concentrate on the cleaning.

We'll be putting the house on the market in the Spring, so I may hire them back. I have had them come to clean a few times and they charged us $100 for that type of cleanng. The owner will probably be calling before Thanksgiving to see if I want one of theose casual cleanings.

The question of whether you're at home or not can be an issue. Giving a house key to a stranger is not something most people want to do. I was always home when the service came, but I know folks who aren't. I think that ideally, one of you would be home to let them in, and have them lock up when they leave.