'Clean your own house'

My cleaner has a cleaner actually! We discussed it only last week

It's not just here on MN

A colleague recently told a long, convoluted story over lunch to explain why they had to employ a cleaner and seemed slightly surprised to discover that in our group of people grabbing a sandwich, no one batted an eye.

We turned out to be a good mix of people who had 'always had, grown up with cleaners, people who were or had been cleaners (who could point out that it can be a very useful flexibly job in the right circumstances ie created decently as we are at work) and people who would never dream of having someone in their house (whether they were home or out for the duration).

As it turned out, no long explanation needed. No one would say that we should clear our offices, why wouldn't we pay someone decent wages to keep our homes clean.

I've been on Mumsnet for a long time and I don't recognise that at all

Loads of people suggest getting a cleaner, I can't remember many people commenting to clean your own house.

Odd thread

And YABU. Or YANBU. Who knows

If everyone cleaned their own houses poor cleaners would have no work! (I haven't had a cleaner for several years so I'm not being defensive.)

When we did have a cleaner it was more about "buying some of our own spare time back" to better enjoy the weekend with less chores rather than "I'm too good to clean my own house". Time is precious! It also made us keep the house tidy and uncluttered in order to make the most of the cleaning, so that was a bonus.

Well - it’s not like we don’t do any tasks at all outside of the cleaner. We still cook and wash up, have some laundry to do etc.

You may have radically more energy than me, but I personally found it very hard to keep on top of the household tasks with a young family as well as working a full time job.

I found it soul destroying to watch the degradation of the house over the week, and get home from work and have to be thinking about cleaning bathrooms or mopping floors. Having to cook and wash up every evening on top of the bedtime routine takes up enough hours!

It’s a luxury to employ a cleaner, but it really helps my sanity and ability to enjoy life.

I think it’s due, at least in part, to the fact that many people look down on cleaners/cleaning as a profession. They see paying someone to clean your house as taking advantage of the poor cleaner who wouldn’t have to clean for a living if people only cleaned their own homes. However, as someone who grew up with a parent who worked as a cleaner, I’m grateful that people did hire my Mum to clean as it put a roof over our heads and food on our table. There’s nothing shameful in how my Mum earner a living!

I don’t know anyone who has a cleaner either!

Exactly. My world isn't the same as yours. The OPs statement that everyone she knows has a cleaner made it sound unusual if you don't. I was just challenging that statement. Am I not allowed on MN because I perhaps only know lower income families?

I commute for an hour each day by bicycle in total. Unless you guys are crushing up crisps and throwing them on the floor, how do you get so messy you need a cleaner?

Surely anyone saying “do your own cleaning” is in response to someone whining about their cleaner / cost of their cleaner?
I can’t think of any other instance where anyone would even mention it.

Really? A lot of people where I live have a cleaner! (Up north and not an affluent area at all)

How many hours a week are you working / commuting?

I also like my home to be nice, that’s why I employ someone to help me achieve that!

Because cleaning isn’t hard to do yourself, so if you are short of cash it is an easy thing to cut.

If somebody couldn’t afford a new dishwasher I’d suggest they wash up by hand. If somebody couldn’t afford a taxi I’d suggest a bus.

There’s no moral problem with having a cleaner, it’s just an easy expense to reduce if you are short of money, whereas servicing your own boiler is not something most people can do.

I have a cleaner and so do about half of the people I know.
There's only so much time in a day so why not outsource if you can afford it? I also have a gardener 😂 I am in no way rich but I make sure they are things we afford.

Cleaning and gardening could be done by a monkey, so is not comparable to plumbing whatsoever.

Didn't mean to upset you with my comment OP, I just personally don't understand how you can not want to clean you own home. For me, my home is a point of pride for me.

I don't know anyone who doesn't!

And in my world it is entirely the norm. That's how life is sometimes. Perhaps you know more SAHP families. Perhaps you know more families on lower income. Perhaps you know more who make a different choice to my friends' choices.

The thing is your normal may not be THE normal and neither might mine.

Are you new to MN? Or just stick to very few areas on here? I've seen recommendations to get a cleaner way more often than "clean your own house".

And as for the PP who said nobody ever comments on men who don't do housework! Only every other thread on AIBU and relationships!

I am a cleaner and I have a cleaner.

I hate cleaning but my 'escape to the country' means I clean a holiday cottage and a shepherds hut sometimes 5 times a week. I simply can't be arsed to clean my own house, even though I have time as I finish at 3pm usually.

I can't really afford my cleaner but I just can't stand how dirty the house gets while I sit on the sofa watching A New Life in The Sun, exhausted and bored senseless by all the cleaning I've done.

That's a Mn fallacy, that you need to tidy before a cleaner. I've had cleaners while living in three countries across three decades and have explained in advance of hiring them in each case that they will be coming in to an untidy house, and that they need to gauge timings/what they can realistically get done in the time with that in mind. I show them every time in advance of their first clean what they will be coming into, and say that I understand if that's not their bag. No one has ever turned down the job. Sure they get less done in the time, but that's fine by me. I'm trying to outsource work, not add to it.

Yeah, it does take up time - that said, my child actually loves getting involved with it, and it's part of the rhythms of our family life. That kind of slow, taking care of our home is a nice balance to scheduled activities and outdoors stuff. I remember doing these things with my mother too.

I am only envious of people who can tidy up enough to have a cleaner. And even then not very much. Do excuse me I have some filing to do in the office.

I worked full-time when the children were younger. The best tip ever given by colleagues was to have a cleaner for a couple of hours a week.

This meant I came home Friday with the children with the house, laundry all done and dinner sitting in the slow cooker. And gave me the weekend with my children.

Now they are older and do their bit I book a few hours every month for the bigger jobs. To me it gives me time and that is a priority over other luxuries.

Difference is though:

• plumbing is a one off thing. I can’t remember the last time I needed one

• the cleaning needs to happen every week, every day for some jobs. That’s why people outsource it - it’s ’only a few hours’ but on top of full time jobs, that suddenly can be quite a lot go your free time. And for families in particular - if they can afford to do so, it’s nice to spend that time enjoying themselves/ with their kids rather than cleaning and doing laundry

I WFH FT and have a cleaner every day for 2 hours. It's a big house, I have animals, and I like a clean and tidy home. I can afford it so I see no reason why I should clean my own home when I already work FT and bring in enough money to easily afford it!