Do You/Have You Ever Had A Cleaning Service?

[AKL_Megs]

I'm getting to the point where I am feeling like my TIME is more valuable than the price of a cleaning service. (I work LONG weeks, as does my husband.)

I'd like to get someone in here once a week to clean our bathrooms and all floors/floorboards (hardwoods and tiles, and vacuuming carpeted and tiled basement.)

The only thing is, it seems like a waste, because no matter WHO cleans, 36 hours later everything is dusty/dirty again, it seems!

What ate your experiences? Is it worth the money? And, if you don't mind, what do you pay?

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I'm getting to the point where I am feeling like my TIME is more valuable than the price of a cleaning service. (I work LONG weeks, as does my husband.)

I'd like to get someone in here once a week to clean our bathrooms and all floors/floorboards (hardwoods and tiles, and vacuuming carpeted and tiled basement.)

The only thing is, it seems like a waste, because no matter WHO cleans, 36 hours later everything is dusty/dirty again, it seems!

What ate your experiences? Is it worth the money? And, if you don't mind, what do you pay?

I have a cleaning lady who comes in every other week. She gets to the places that I never have the time or desire to do (toilets, showers, hardwood floors, dusting, etc) She charges $20 an hour. She is usually at my house for 4-5 hours. Since my husband and I work full-time, the last thing either of us want to do at the end of a long day is worry about housework. I love coming home to a clean house. She is a professional lady who I found out about from a friend.

 

[SeaSpray]

Due to health reasons, and working close to 40 hours a week, I'm in pain and exhausted by the time I get home, so about a year and a half ago I hired a friend of mine to clean my house every other week. I pay her a flat rate of $50.00, and I think she's here for about 2 hours. In a couple of weeks my DSis and DBIL will be visiting, so I'm going to have her do a "big cleaning" and I'll be happy to pay her whatever she wants.

To specifically answer your questions:

Experience:
In past years we had hired a cleaning company to do a "big cleaning" once or twice a year. They charged a LOT, and honestly I wasn't thrilled when they left. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my house, so I didn't appreciate the streaks on my wood furniture and glass/mirrors. I'm VERY happy with my friend's work now.

Worth:
Oh definitely, it's more than worth it! It's such a relief to know that she is taking care of most of the house cleaning.

Cost:
As mentioned above, I pay her a flat $50.00 per visit, every other week. I may increase that soon.

 

[wickey's friend]

I pay a service (two ladies who own their own company) $65 per week. They dust, vaccuum, clean bathrooms, the kitchen, floors, change sheets (yes!), take out trash and do one special thing per week -- clean baseboards, ceiling fans, etc.

I love coming home on Friday to a clean house, knowing that I don't have to spend 5+ hours on Saturday doing it myself.

There are usually 3 people at my house, and it takes them about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Definitely worth it. Even though being OCD, I go behind them and straighten all the knick-knacks, magazine, etc.

 

[Riverhill]

I have been thinking of hiring someone too. But, my only problem is I would spend the day cleaning up before she got here.

For those who have help, do your supply the cleaning products?

 

[MiniGirl]

Nope. They supply all that. Of course, I do have some things on hand, so I can do light cleaning between their visits.

We have a team of 4 women come in every other week. They are here for about 75 minutes -- sometimes more and sometimes less. We pay them $165. We pay a little more than normal because we have pets. We also have a fairly large house.

Is it worth it?! You bet!!! A couple of years ago my dh asked what I wanted for the holidays. Truthfully, I didn't want anyTHING. What I really wanted was a clean house. We are homeschoolers, so our house is always busy with projects and schoolwork everywhere. In addition to that, we run a couple of small businesses from our home. So, this cleaning service has been our gift to each other the past couple of years. We both feel it is the best gift we have given ourselves.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I only supply a couple of things: the hardwood floor cleaner and the Magic Eraser. She brings everything else.

eta: Also, the stainless steel wipes for fridge, microwave, dishwasher, etc.

 

[AKL_Megs]

I wonder if it would be much cheaper if ALL they were doing were bathrooms and floors.

My kitchen is never dirty (miracle of miracles, and yes, I cook ) and I don't mind dusting!

 

[rie'smom]

My housekeeper comes in twice a week and will start coming 3x/ week. She cleans, does laundry, and cooks. Gertie has been with my MIL for 48 years and with me for 24. She and her family are part of our family. Her granddaughter comes in to help her sometimes but Gertie says she won't retire because that will make her old.

 

[AKL_Megs]

My housekeeper comes in twice a week and will start coming 3x/ week. She cleans, does laundry, and cooks. Gertie has been with my MIL for 48 years and with me for 24. She and her family are part of our family. Her granddaughter comes in to help her sometimes but Gertie says she won't retire because that will make her old.

Gertie can come to my house and stay young anytime!

 

[rie'smom]

Gertie can come to my house and stay young anytime!

She's 73 and has the most gorgeous skin- not a wrinkle and no gray hair. Gertie is a little hard of hearing so I know not to try to sleep in on the days she's here because she is LOUD. I tried to get her hearing aids but she won't "hear" of it. She has been a huge blessing in my life.

 

[KathyTX]

I have a service come in every other week. At first I had them use my supplies, but I now I have them use their own. A team of about 5 does all the floors, bathrooms, kitchen, dusting, take out all the trash, will change sheets, etc.

Cleaning 5 bathrooms... that just wasn't me.

The service is a wonderful thing, and makes it really easy to just keep up with the little stuff in between their visits. Money very well spent.

 

[AKL_Megs]

She's 73 and has the most gorgeous skin- not a wrinkle and no gray hair. Gertie is a little hard of hearing so I know not to try to sleep in on the days she's here because she is LOUD. I tried to get her hearing aids but she won't "hear" of it. She has been a huge blessing in my life.

LOL! I hear ya!

 

[Music City Mama]

I have someone who comes once a month. She's a SAHM who just cleans on the side. She charges me $80 (she's here about 4 hours, so I guess $20/hour).

We do a deep cleaning the 2 weeks before/after she's here and do light cleanings in between her cleaning and my cleaning.

I supply all of the cleaning products, but she brings her own vacuum because I have 2 sets of stairs and hers is lighter and she likes it better.

 

[JLTraveling]

I have been thinking of hiring someone too. But, my only problem is I would spend the day cleaning up before she got here.

My grandmother used to do that. My dad's parents had a regular housekeeper, 5 days a week. They talked my mom's parents into getting one. Grandma had her for about two weeks before letting her go. Grandma said she'd never worked so hard in her life! Apparently she did a major deep cleaning every time before the cleaning lady got there, made a pot of coffee, and sat and chatted with her for an hour

I've never had a regular cleaning service, but my parents used to hire one a few times a year for deep cleaning. I think my cousin pays around $75 a week for hers. She comes 2x a week and does the bathrooms and floors, plus deep cleaning in the kitchen every other week.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

We have a service that comes in once a week. It is two women and they stay for about 2-3 hours and do great deep cleaning on all the wood floors, dust, vacuum, change all the beds, get rid of all fingerprints from walls, doors, etc., they do all of the bathrooms, windows, take out all the trash and do a great job on the kitchen, including the oven. It is $110 a visit, and well worth it. It seems a lot easier to keep things more picked up in between if you start with a great cleaning. They provide all of the cleaning supplies including their own vacuums.

 

[GingerJay]

I'm so jealous..I wish I had someone to come in--I'm running myself ragged every weekend picking up after my 3 kids and my DH! Maybe I'll look into it as a Christmas present for myself.

 

[Music City Mama]

I will say that even though we have someone come only once a month, I like when I do the alternate deep cleaning. Not that I enjoy the cleaning part, but I know if she missed something, it will get clean when I do it. It also helps that DH and I are both very neat/tidy people, so our house never looks messy (doesn't mean it's always spotless, but it looks presentable most of the time -- not including when the kids go nuts in the playroom).

 

[C.Ann]

We tried to get one for my mom - when she was in her 80's - (before she developed severe Alzheimers and had to be placed in a nursing home for her own safety), but all it did was make more work for her.. She would run around like crazy - cleaning, disinfecting, vacuuming, etc. - because she didn't want the cleaning woman seeing her house "dirty"..

Needless to say, it didn't work out..

 

[Judy from Boise]

I have had a weekly service do the whole "works" for the last 1.5 years. At the start of summer when my DD started college we cut it to every other week. It is "The cleaning authority" and I pay $104.