Have you kept your cleaner this lockdown?

[flowerycurtain]

We've been 4 weeks without ours now. I'm struggling with home schooling and working from home and it's one thing I could do that would make life easier.

We need to keep our risk as low as possible - family run farm so not teams of staff to help if we get sick. Not sending our kids to school for that reason.

She could work just in one section of the house (ie one week do all upstairs, the next just fo kitchen/playroom) with all windows open and wearing a mask. It's a big house and there's a big hallway between us home learning in the dining room and her. We could even leave the upstairs to air for a few hours.

How risky is that? Dh and I aren't sure. She works in other houses through the week. Mainly elderly. Case rate in our area is about 350 per 100 000.

Would you have her back?

[trilbydoll]

We have kept ours because last time the state of the house mirrored the inside of my head and it was awful.

DH is shut away in his office (which they don't clean) and I leave the house with the kids until they are gone.

Ultimately they're cleaning as they go so hopefully one of the less risky visitors you might have!

[Verite1]

Yes. Was one of the worst things about lock down first time round!

[flowerycurtain]

Liking the replies so far!

[MRex]

Yes. There are risks, but ventilation, distance and masks mitigate. She wears a mask and works on a different floor to where we are (we have a system); she opens windows on going into each room and shuts when she leaves. She also lives very locally, and only works very locally, so the risks are not amplified by travel all over.

[BadEyeBri]

Yes our cleaner still comes

[SeldomFollowedIt]

No

[DottyWott]

Yes but our risk is lower (we’ve had covid and some of us have had a vaccine) and we can be out of the way totally

[MRex]

She doesn't wear a mask for ironing though, that would be dreadful with the steam, but the window is open and we don't use anything immediately so no real risk on that.

[Neolara]

Yes. My cleaner says she is going to all her clients.

[holidayoncorona]

Yes we've kept ours
We go out when she's here and she wears a mask

[SeasonFinale]

Yes ours is still coming and we socially distance.

[MarciaDidia]

We have. When she arrives I agree with her where she'll go and in what order and we stay out of her way. She skips the rooms where we and the kids are working to minimise risk and disruption.

[Thatwentbadly]

We haven’t since the first lockdown as DH is ECV.

[CryMeAnAquifer]

Just learned today that one of my good friends (plus husband) caught Covid from their cleaner & they’ve been in bed for 10 days solid (London though so prevalence is super high)

I had been lamenting not having a cleaner all year... but, not so much since I heard!

[Hairydilemma]

Ours is back. DH and I stay in the rooms we work in, DC stay in their rooms and she cleans the rest of the house. Means we didn’t get a full clean but bathrooms and most of the downstairs are done.

I was really in two minds risk-wise, but she just seemed so grateful and pleased to be working - she’s been furloughed from her other cleaning job and I think was just going a bit mad at home. Plus of course the house looks better!

She wears a mask and keeps away from us all so I don’t think it’s super risky.

[AnneElliott]

Yes she still comes. We open the back door and windows and stay in a different room when she is here.

[iMatter]

Yes - we keep well out of her way. Kids doing online schooling in their respective rooms and I hide in my office (dh out at work).

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Yes we have.

[ceeveebee]

Yes, but we stay out of their way when they are here

[SacreBleeeurgh]

No, we are in Scotland and domestic cleaners against guidelines unless vulnerable/disabled etc.

[Nohomeschoolingtoday]

We have kept ours and was so relieved when she said she would still come. We paid her during the last lockdown when she couldn’t come & we would give her the choice completely again.
We open all the windows & bleach toilets before she comes. We also strip the beds. Once she has done the front room we all stay in there while she does the rest of the house. She also wears a mask. We keep our distance.
It’s cold with the windows open but worth it!

[Littleguggi]

I wish, I am the cleaner in my house!

[Katie517]

Yes ours is still coming we go to my mums (bubble) while she is here then she just opens the windows once she is done to air the house our. In the first lockdown we just hadn’t got the time to keep on top of the cleaning so I’m really glad she can still work this time.

[cortex10]

Ours decided to shield this time. It's her choice - she's got friends who've been quite ill with COVID lately which has bought home the risks (she's late middle age) - and she's refused to let us continue paying like we did in the first lockdown. Hopefully she won't just decide to retire after her enticed break as she's been with us for several years and is so reliable. Ultimately her choice of course.

[zzzebra]

Yes.

I open the door for her, go straight to my office before she's even inside the house and then she doesn't clean in my office. I feel so rude being like this but I messaged her and just explained we were trying to be careful.

Being stuck at home all the time means my house needs a cleaner more than ever.