Would you (or have you) hire a house-cleaner or maid?

[Shanna-like-Banana]

I purchased a deal from Living Social,

It was a serious PITA, after weeks of playing phone tag and finally getting an appt, they called like 2 hours before the appt time and said they were done early with the last house and could they come now ? Sure, I'll got watch TV at my moms or shopping. I drove by an hour later and no-body was here !

Their office called me 5 hours later to let me know she was done

When I walked in the door I was expecting a fresh, gleaming house and I was sorely disappoited.

What the heck did they do here for 3 hours ?

They only cleaned the downstairs, didn't even step foot up stairs and what thy did do downstairs was pretty blah.

I was not happy !

I did purchase another deal a few weeks ago. It happened to be a place I was already looking at booking and had previously called anyways.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

The fact that you compared getting a cleaning person to getting a manicure made me think that you viewed it as a luxury for you, as opposed to a household expense.

I’m not trying to derail the thread here. Threadjack over.

That's a good point. Thanks for sharing your opinion. Not sure what my thoughts would be on my husband saying he wanted to hire someone to mow the lawn, though!

 

[amylynne01]

My parents are just like you - busy professionals, travel a lot, and no kids at home. My mom did not want to spend her Saturdays cleaning, so they hired a cleaning lady. She found her by asking around for recommendations and has been using the same lady for 2-3 years now. My mom still has to do every day stuff like dishes, laundry, etc, but everything else is taken care of. She pays $75 every other week.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I've found a local woman in my area who does cleaning and I talked with her references this morning. They had good things to say about her so I'm going to give it a whirl!

I talked to my husband today again about it and somehow he didn't understand that the maid would come to our home when we were at work. Now he's saying he would be very uncomfortable with someone in our home while we were not there. I have no problem with it one iota, but if it's something he's concerned about, I figure I will honor his wishes. I'm hoping that once we both meet the cleaning person he will be more comfortable with it. I will stay out of the maid's way while she is doing her work--nothing would be more annoying than someone watching over your shoulder.

I think that the reason why I see this as more of an indulgence for me than for my husband is that he could live in a pigsty and be happier than a pig in...well, you know what. His bathroom and kitchen in his bachelor days were scary places.

 

[disneyofcourse]

Just do it! Its so worth it to come home to a clean house that you didn't have to clean. I'd recommend a private group or person over any company. All the big companies seem to want to charge $300 for 2 hours and do half the job. While the smaller businesses tend to run half the cost.

 

[furb & dez]

My SO had a cleaning person when the Ex "was a pig and couldn't lift a finger" and made the Ex pay for half of it.

We tackle the chores on a daily basis.

Each of us spend less than an hour a week on cleaning, and our house is spotless. I always look at the people who whine about "spending all their free time cleaning" and wonder what the heck they are doing (wrong) to waste all that time. A lot of it really is common sense: Put things away when you're done with them, clean up after yourself when you cook, etc.

Monday/Wednesday/Friday - 10 minutes
ME: clean cat boxes, vacuum
SO: dust

Saturday OR Sunday - ~20 minutes
ME: clean hall bath, vacuum, pool maintenance, windows if necessary
SO: clean master bath, dust, yard/driveway maintenance

I would only fathom getting a cleaning person if one of us was injured or something. If you can't take 10 minutes away from the TV to do simple household maintenance, how lazy is that? And any man that can't get off his **** to help is a man to throw back. It's not like cleaning is difficult in any way.

 

[si-am]

I wouldn't. My husband and I split chores pretty evenly (actually he does more since he covers the outside too) but when it's time for a big cleaning, together we can get it done within an hour or two. I clean the guest bathroom, he cleans the master bathroom. He vacuums, I mop the kitchen floor, etc.

He's fairly agreeable about it despite having to be reminded more than once.

 

[Art 1]

My SO had a cleaning person when the Ex "was a pig and couldn't lift a finger" and made the Ex pay for half of it.

We tackle the chores on a daily basis.

Each of us spend less than an hour a week on cleaning, and our house is spotless. I always look at the people who whine about "spending all their free time cleaning" and wonder what the heck they are doing (wrong) to waste all that time. A lot of it really is common sense: Put things away when you're done with them, clean up after yourself when you cook, etc.

Monday/Wednesday/Friday - 10 minutes
ME: clean cat boxes, vacuum
SO: dust

Saturday OR Sunday - ~20 minutes
ME: clean hall bath, vacuum, pool maintenance, windows if necessary
SO: clean master bath, dust, yard/driveway maintenance

I would only fathom getting a cleaning person if one of us was injured or something. If you can't take 10 minutes away from the TV to do simple household maintenance, how lazy is that? And any man that can't get off his **** to help is a man to throw back. It's not like cleaning is difficult in any way.

Some men, and ladies, make enough money in 10 minutes that it's not worth them doing household cleaning.

 

[TanyaS]

I probably could change my own oil, but I've never done that. I certainly could fix my own salad or sandwich, but I do enjoy going out to eat. I know how to tend my own children, but I've hired a babysitter or two.

Yes, I do have someone come clean every other week. It is very nice to have those two times a month that the WHOLE HOUSE gets clean at once. I make sure to look at the calendar before I invite people over.

It is a luxury that I am fortunate to be able to afford. I don't feel bad about it at all - what better use of my money than paying someone a decent wage?

It doesn't eliminate my need to do cleaning - with preparing/cleaning up after three meals a day and having three kids bringing home schoolwork plus laundry for family if five and the general detritus of life, I get my fill of cleaning anyway, trust me.

I have a love/hate relationship with the pre-clean prep - like a PP wrote, I make sure all the kids' belongings are put away before the cleaners arrive and also wash all the sheets/bathmats/etc. on the days they come. My DH laughs at me for "cleaning for the cleaners" but what I am doing is "putting things where they belong," and not actually cleaning (no mops or toilet brushes involved). It's definitely work on my part, but it definitely helps keep my house neat.

I tried a chain (franchise) cleaner years ago, but was disappointed in the results. Then I got a recommendation from a friend for an individual housecleaner and was much happier.

Good luck!

 

[momto2girls]

I probably could change my own oil, but I've never done that. I certainly could fix my own salad or sandwich, but I do enjoy going out to eat. I know how to tend my own children, but I've hired a babysitter or two.

Yes, I do have someone come clean every other week. It is very nice to have those two times a month that the WHOLE HOUSE gets clean at once. I make sure to look at the calendar before I invite people over.

It is a luxury that I am fortunate to be able to afford. I don't feel bad about it at all - what better use of my money than paying someone a decent wage?

It doesn't eliminate my need to do cleaning - with preparing/cleaning up after three meals a day and having three kids bringing home schoolwork plus laundry for family if five and the general detritus of life, I get my fill of cleaning anyway, trust me.

I have a love/hate relationship with the pre-clean prep - like a PP wrote, I make sure all the kids' belongings are put away before the cleaners arrive and also wash all the sheets/bathmats/etc. on the days they come. My DH laughs at me for "cleaning for the cleaners" but what I am doing is "putting things where they belong," and not actually cleaning (no mops or toilet brushes involved). It's definitely work on my part, but it definitely helps keep my house neat.

I tried a chain (franchise) cleaner years ago, but was disappointed in the results. Then I got a recommendation from a friend for an individual housecleaner and was much happier.

Good luck!

I could have written this post word for word.