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Original poster

Does your cleaner do your laundry?

44 replies

givemesteel · 16/08/2019 20:44

I'm debating whether getting my cleaner to also do laundry is more hassle than it's worth.

I've never bothered before because it would be too difficult to explain my system for what to tumble dry versus what to hang out and think they would find it too hard to remember where to put things back meaning it would either take them ages or stuff would be lost as its in the wrong person's drawer etc.

Has anyone made this work and how many hours do you allow if so? I don't really want them to just do sheets / towels. Only really worth it if I they can do everything.

I'm just wondering if you have to be more in the bracket of having a 'house keeper' rather than cleaner for this to work...

OP posts:
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chattyness · 29/08/2024 11:19

I wouldn't want anyone doing my laundry, I'm not ashamed of anything, it's just private and personal to me. I don't like thought of other people touching it

Clara1312 · 29/08/2024 11:13

our does all the laundry including handwashing but it is more a housekeeper and maybe it is not very usual but it a man (professional housekeeper)

BackforGood · 17/08/2019 14:22

I'm not in any way suggesting you are lazy - we all do what we can afford to and what suits our lives - but I just think you aren't actually going to be saving yourself work really in terms of sorting it before, and I still don't get how the cleaner /housekeeper is going to know which item belongs to whom and where they go, to be able to put them away.

DoNotBlameMeIVotedRemain · 17/08/2019 09:29

Our laundrette do service washes. They collect dirty laundry bags and return clean, dry and folded. They will iron too if you want to. It's probably less than 6 hours for a cleaner and not cluttering house with laundry.

EmeraldShamrock · 17/08/2019 07:22

@givemesteel I don't think you're lazy at all, the services are available for a reason, outsource the laundry, keep your cleaner for cleaning only, unless you employ her for longer hours as a house keeper.
You might have to put it away but that's easy, when it is returned freshly washed and ironed. Grin

Original poster
givemesteel · 17/08/2019 05:29

I think I would have to sort the laundry first and put a load on for it to work.

I don't mind waiting 2 or 3 days for it to be put away, I've got a utility room so it's not in the way and I tend to wait until everything is dry and then put everything away at the same time.

For those who are implying a bit that I'm lazy, I work ft, have 3 kids, have a husband who works v long hours so is not around much to help and a chronic health condition that has a big impact on tiredness/energy. Obviously at the moment I do it myself but with a family of 5 it's a big chore I'd really like to outsource if it is practical.

OP posts:
Wallywobbles · 17/08/2019 04:25

She does put loads on that are waiting reason being that she takes away our ironing. I aim to have it ready before she gets here though.

OooErMissus · 17/08/2019 04:03

And the waiting for the cleaner to come back to put it away. I mean, just put it away. I say this as someone who has a cleaner.

It would be different if you had an actual housekeeper.

FuckFacePlatapus · 17/08/2019 03:59

Are you being serious? Surely you can load your own washing machine? Genuinely baffled lol 😧

LemonPrism · 17/08/2019 03:11

No she doesn't. I wouldn't want her sorting through my pants

Molteni · 17/08/2019 02:59

Yes and also the ironing (and she puts everything away), changes the bedding every week. Also does quick repairs: like sewing on a button etc....

Love her.

OnceUponAThread · 17/08/2019 01:09

Our cleaner changes the bedding so she does those, it's not quite a full load so I leave a few things by the machine to make it up. She'd happily do another load though - and if I'm working from home sometimes she'll ask me if there's stuff that needs going in and pops on another.

CharlieCoCo · 17/08/2019 00:55

We have a cleaner where I work and she does all my bosses laundry (adults) and changes the beds. She puts a load on when she first gets there and when it’s done hangs it up or puts in drier. She also does all the ironing for them. They don’t have time to do it themselves which is why they pay a cleaner. All of my jobs have been the same, so it’s good to find out these things if I ever get in the position of needing one myself that it isn’t nec standers.

Fatasfooook · 16/08/2019 23:50

Washing and drying? No
Ironing? Maybe

WhyBirdStop · 16/08/2019 23:48

I don't find laundry much of a hassle, I put a load in every night on timer, so it's just finishing as I get up. This time of year, put it out on the line and it's dry before lunchtime.

BackforGood · 16/08/2019 23:37

How would the cleaner know where to "put it away" ? Confused

I struggle quite a lot of the time to know whose socks or whose T-shirt is whose, how would you expect a cleaner to know that ?

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 16/08/2019 23:13

One of my clients has me washing the bedding one week and then ironing it the next week. It sits in the basket all week waiting for me to iron it and put it away.

OooErMissus · 16/08/2019 23:00

You would really wait for her to come the second time to put the first stuff away....?

feliciabirthgiver · 16/08/2019 21:55

I discovered a Service Wash at my local laundrette - game changer!!

Original poster
givemesteel · 16/08/2019 21:54

Thanks all, food for thought. I think most people think the same as me re whether it's worth it.

I was thinking of getting her to come a second day in the week. So the main clean she could put washing on after doing sheets and put some other washing in the dryer, hang stuff out. Then second time in the week put it all away, in addion to a top up clean + ironing.

So obviously would be paying for maybe another 3/4 hours a week for laundry / ironing and a few extra cleaning tasks....just not sure it's worth it or would work.

OP posts:
Skittlenommer · 16/08/2019 21:47

She does everything but she’s more of a housekeeper than a cleaner. I’ve become a bit of a Princess since I hired her. I barely lift a finger now! Grin

EmeraldShamrock · 16/08/2019 21:40

No. Maybe a house keeper, the cleaner would need to be there all day to load and unload, I'm sure if you are willing to pay for 6 hours someone would be happy doing this.

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 16/08/2019 21:39

Yes. She does everything including picking up children from school.

That’s not a cleaner though.

HarrietM87 · 16/08/2019 21:34

Ours changes the beds and puts the old bedding through a wash and then into the tumble dryer. I take it out of the dryer when I get home. If there is dry stuff already in the dryer she will fold it but not put it away. She comes for 3 hrs once a week.

MarshaBradyo · 16/08/2019 21:31

We do send some out though which comes back pressed

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