To get a cleaner

In my younger days I worked full-time plus another weekend job. My friend was a cleaner and she offered and took her up on it. I had no children and lived in a one room + bathroom bedsit. I loved having a clean home but struggled to keep on top of it myself. I would do it again in a flash if I could afford it.
I now work part-time (hahahaha. Just getting ready for work and I don’t work Fridays…I’ve already done about 32 hours this week and I’m employed for 16.5. Prizes for guessing my job 🤔😆🙄)
I still struggle to keep house clean but am now only able to outsource a bit with my ❤️❤️❤️robotic hoover❤️❤️❤️ and ❤️❤️❤️dishwasher ❤️❤️❤️.
Just do it op. If you can afford it and it makes your life better what could be wrong with that?

Single parent here too, 60 pounds for 4 hours a week. 3 bed house. She can do it in 3 but the last hour gets spent doing something like a messy laundry cupboard which I hate doing etc. It's forced me to be tidier and such a weight off my shoulders after work. My house looks so much better now.

When I worked full time I had a cleaner for two hours each week, it wasn’t perfect but it meant I didn’t spend hours at the weekend cleaning. I found it made me a bit tidier, knowing she would be coming. If you can afford it then go for it. Knowing it’s been hoovered, mopped and dusted each week is a nice feeling. I still had to clean but she did a good job of staying on top of the dust, bathroom and kitchen

It give you much less time and energy to clean the shower and fridge 🤣

@StrawBeretMoose Apart from friends who live abroad in serviced apartments I don’t know anyone irl who felt the need to get a cleaner before they had DC. I don’t think it’s wrong, it’s just not something I’ve come across.

If it makes your life easier and you can afford it then go for it

I am a cleaner, people hire me for all sorts of reasons, maybe due to illness, old age, or just don't want to do it themselves! I certainly wouldn't give it a second thought as to why you had hired me, I would just get on with the job.

@PinkPlantCase

Why? Having kids doesn’t alter the fact the fridge and shower need cleaning, does it?

Do it! You work and you're supporting someone else to work and earn a living.

Good grief, I’ve had a cleaner a one bedroom flat, and there’s nothing unusual about that, never mind a 2 bed house.

Cleaners by definition clean houses, so they are unlikely to judge you for wanting your house cleaned right? Else they wouldn’t have a job?

I have one and I don’t understand why people are judgmental about it.
We had one when we were in a two up two down with no children. I didn’t want to spend my day off cleaning.

If you get a takeaway or buy a coffee no one judges why you aren’t cooking or making your own coffee.

We don’t get takeaways but we do have a cleaner.

We had a cleaner when we had a tiny 1.5 bed central London flat. I don’t think there’s a law for how big your living space has to be to hire a cleaner.

Our cleaner charges 45 for three hours a week. We would rather forgo a takeaway if it came to it. Money well spent.

If you want one get one, you both work hard.

I pay £40 for 3 hours.

As for what the cleaner does - well that's up to you. For me the priority is the kitchen so that gets done thoroughly every week. Then she does the rest of the downstairs (lounge and playroom) and then what she has time for upstairs - depending on how long it's been since it was done, and who is at home that day. She has been with us several years and is fab, we have a good relationship and I can easily ask her whether she can do a specific thing.

We've always had a cleaner since before we had children, and now they have all gone & we don't even work full time! It makes us tidy up & is a godsend. £60 for 4 hours every other week.

Some people spend their disposable income on drink, clothes, holidays, whatever. If a cleaner makes life better for you and DH, go for it.

@PinkPlantCase Why would people without kids want to spend their free time cleaning? We've always had a cleaner before having DC even when we lived in a 2 bedroom flat. We had more of a social life then and guests more often.

OP I can't imagine a cleaner would want to come for 1 hour but a few hours every other week can't see why not. Maybe ask your neighbours if their cleaner has any availability.

Best money I spend every week hands down.
They won’t judge you or give a crap as to why you aren’t doing it yourself. Having one encourages us to keep everything tidy during the rest of the week as she can’t clean if it’s not tidy.
£60 for 4 hours a week, she brings her own cleaning stuff and hoover and mop etc.
I wfh now and always get to see her too, she’s absolutely lovely and we bake a lot during the week so there’s always something to go with her cup of tea halfway through cleaning.
Life changing. Your cleaner will clean what you ask them to do. Mine does the whole house but mainly leaves my office as I’m usually in there although she does come in and hoover if I’m not on a call.

I am wondering if paying a cleaner (just for an hour or two every other week) is a huge cop out, given the house is so small

Just DH & I in a one bed flat and we have a weekly cleaner 😳😁
No need to justify it, if you can afford it do it. I pay £30 for 2 hours in London.

I'd stop drinking alcohol before giving up my cleaner! It's the best money I spend every week!

We have a cleaner, £25 for 2 hours every week. Life is too short. Outsource the shitty stuff

I live alone. I pay my sister to clean my.house weekly.

If you can afford it and you don't want to do it, just pay someone else to do it. People need the work.
I'm a single mum with a 4-bed house and a full time job. I pay £54 for 3 hours every two weeks. Knowing that everything will get a decent clean takes a load of my shoulders.

@chessica I pay £25 for 2 hours so an absolute bargain!! They clean the whole house, kitchen, bathroom, and then dust, skirting boards hoover etc. i usually only have the hoover, mop and lightly clean the kitchen and bathrooms in between cleans.