To those who have a cleaner...

Metranil_Vavin

I'd far rather spend £40 a month on my cleaner than a pair of shoes, or a handbag, or a night out!

bright_side

lallysmum wrote: »

And I don't agree with that.. If there are things like newspapers on the floor, or homework papers left on the table, I have to clean those areas anyway, so what's the problem spending 2 seconds tidying them up. To be fair, I don't put away/move children's toys, but I always remake beds, straighten curtains etc as I just feel that it makes a better/cleaner impression when they come home from work.

Maybe I should market myself as a housekeeper then? lol. Although, I started with one woman and now clean for 7 of her friends as well, so I must be doing something right.

I think it all depends on how much time you have per house. With many of our jobs we are stretched to the limit time wise, so if things are neat and tidy we can get out on time, if they're not it can eat into to unpaid time. Obviously a few bits here and there isn't a problem, it's when there is serious clutter that it becomes difficult. I never move anyones personal papers unless they are in a neat pile because you never know if there's a bit of organised chaos going on :rotfl:

fluffnutter

Tish_P wrote: »

Whereas my beloved grew up with a SAHM and his family had a cleaner so I think he just got irritated that the place didn't magically clean itself. Getting a cleaner must have saved us so many hours - not only of housework but of nagging and arguing.

It's one of the best reasons to get one, IMO. Why leave the door open to resentment between a couple who have different expectations about who and how the cleaning should be done when you can just employ someone else to do it?

Spottedleopard

daisiegg wrote: »

Yes, I know this is MSE but I know I'm not the only one here who has a cleaner!

Just wondering, what do you do to prepare for the cleaner coming? I tidy up every room, empty all the bins, and clean the toilets. My OH thinks I'm mental ("isn't that what we pay her for?!") but I can't bear the thought of her having to clean our toilets. I know she still cleans them...but it feels much better to know they're perfectly clean from me cleaning them 1 hour before she gets near them!

What do you think? Am I crazy? My mum is exactly the same (she always feels stressed the night before the cleaner is coming because she feels she has to tidy up for her!) and my dad thinks she is mental...

Your OH is right- that is EXACTLY what you pay her for! I'm not bothered about making the house look presentable (she is there everyday, so its usually still pretty tidy the next morning anyway!) and she isn't bothered either- she is getting paid a nice little wage which is what she wants at the end of the day and it is her JOB.

Maybe its a man thing, but why waste your money if your going to do her job for her?!

fluffnutter

Spottedleopard wrote: »

Maybe its a man thing, but why waste your money if your going to do her job for her?!

This comment beautifully illustrates the difference between the way women and men view having a cleaner! For all my banging on, I could just have easily pointed to this and let it make my point for me

jansus

I'm a cleaner and i find it incredibly frustrating to have to tidy a house before i can get down to the cleaning, i want to do a professional job but because i only have x amount of time in each home to clean this can sometimes be impossible.
One thing i always do is flush before i look in the loo you would be surprised how many people don't flush, i have no objection cleaning a toilet but surely it's common courtesy to leave it reasonably clean.

gibson123

I have just realised how much I miss my cleaner! Can't justify it now I am no longer studying for my MBA as well as working, and as I have a little two bed terrace, my cleaning takes me about 4 hours top to bottom. My cleaner would come in one a fortnight and do a top to toe, and that was hours saved. A friend who is a cleaner goes to one house once a week, the family do absolutely nothing, the whole weeks dishes are stacked up, dirty washing on the floors, dirty towels left in the bathroom, she says every week it looks like they have had a huge party. They have to pay her £160 a week and she takes her daughter along because she cannot do everything herself, but it is literally everything including all the washing and the ironing. seemingly if it falls or spills in that house it gets left for the cleaner. She says it is incredibly satisfying to get it all shiny again, but her heart sinks when she enters the house. But they did not balk at £160 a week which to be fair is for about 16 hours cleaning. WOW that is a lot for cleaning, they also have a gardener.

londonsurrey

It's their choice as to how they spend their money, but do you know what they did if your friend was ill or on holiday?

Mojisola

gibson123 wrote: »

I have just realised how much I miss my cleaner! Can't justify it now I am no longer studying for my MBA as well as working, and as I have a little two bed terrace

I really don't understand why you have to justify having a cleaner? Do you have to justify why you buy something nice to eat instead of living off mince and pasta? Or go on holiday rather than spending the week at home? Or whatever else you spend your money on?

NickyBo_2

This is a really interesting thread and has really got me thinking now. I would LOVE a cleaner and can't believe it's never occured to me before! I work full time in the day and my husband works evenings and weekends. We have 2 young children but it seems any time we get as a family is spent cleaning or arguing about cleaning!

I have a few questions -
How would I go about finding a cleaner? Is it better to go to an agency or an individual? Is £10 an hour about right, that seems to be what I've read here. Do they have a key and expect an empty house or would it be okay if DH and the boys were at home still? Are there any jobs that I shouldn't ask them to do? (I don't mean personal things, just cleaning the oven etc!)