To want a cleaner?

[happyhopefulmummy]

My DH and I have a 10 month old baby. At the moment, during the week I try and stay on top of housework as much as possible and cook dinner every day. I am
Not going back to work (nursery fees made this a no brainer).

My DH is a great help and often cleans up the kitchen each night: our house is relatively tidy, but I don't feel its clean. This is going to sound awful, but baby's room hasn't been dusted since he was born. AIBU to suggest we get a cleaner for 2 hours a week to help us keep on top of things?

We used to have a cleaner but as soon as i fell pregnant we stopped her so as to save money. My DH doesn't earn a great income (£22,000) but we are in the fortunate position of owning our house with no mortgage. At the monent we spend a large chunk of the weekend cleaning, and i feel we could be putting in quality Family Time. DH says he doesn't mind doing this on the weekend. I feel that as our baby gets older this will prove harder and also not really fair on him; he should have some quality time with his parents, esp as during the week he'll often watch me tidy.

I was going to talk to him about it tonight so would appreciate some thoughts, and perhaps suggestions to boost my argument if I'm not being U!

If you can afford it, why not?

I'd give up many things before my cleaner. Possibly even wine

I'm a SAHM but you know I do it to keep the economy moving

So yes if you can afford it - then get one

Ha! I'm rubbish at keeping on top of housework because I just don't care enough. I do try but actually the thought of having a cleaner is even worse than doing it myself!

IMO the baby's room is the hardest to keep clean - my baby is following me everywhere, I don't want to risk whisking the backlog of dust on him while he's playing round my feet or napping or whatever. Plus, before dusting you have to tidy - any room where dh has to try and remember where things go ends up a tip quicker than blinking - so I get that done and then no time to dust... Fitting in the rest of the house seems so much easier. We're about to rearrange the room my two boys sleep in and dh can't understand why I'm dreading so much - I would definitely save the pennies to afford a once a year help with spring cleaning rather than a weekly bit.

Wow - some very judgy comments here. Everyone is different.

i can just see it

im a mother to a 10mth old,i work and partner stays at home to look after baby

im getting annoyed as im the bread winner,i also come home and do a little housework and also wknds help out with housework

now my partner wants a cleaner

aibu to feel a little hacked of as my dh wants a cleaner when hes at home and i earn,

oh the reply would be lazy sod,ur working fulltime hes at home and your still helping with housework etc,leave the bastard,cheeky sod

I have a cleaner, I love her, she comes into my life for two hours a week and always makes me happy .

Everyone has different priorities when it comes to spending money, some people like clothes, some like fine wine, some smoke, I like a clean house. Work out how much it will cost you, what you will have to do without and proceed as you feel appropriate.

It wouldn't thekidsrule - it really wouldn't. I suspect the proportion of people with a cleaner on mn is higher than that of the general population.

As someone else said - pretty much everyone I know has a cleaner.

thekidsrule - that isn't the thread though. It's about the OP and her circumstances.

mrs campbell,i do agree that more mners seem to have cleaners than the general poulation

i do feel i live in a different world sometimes,lol i deffo must do

bump, it is though just if the sexs were reversed there would be less support for a cleaner if the SAHP was a male

Pretty much everyone I know DOESN'T have a cleaner. They would like one though

You may be right thekids but that's not the case here.

If it is going to help you all relaxing as a family at week-ends (even just around the house) then get a cleaner.

Ours comes for three hours once a week (v. small house), concentrates on bathrooms, kitchen and ironing (also vacuums and dusts whole house) and then does a 'deeper' clean on whatever she thinks requires it about once a month (windows / fridge / oven etc.).

The difference it makes knowing that only surface tidying is generally required the rest of the week is huge. She's also adored by small child, is experienced with children and is available for babysitting if needed.

Doesn't matter whether you can do the cleaning or not, if you don't have to, and you don't enjoy it, then why do it?

I live in the same world as thekidsrule

I feel like the poor relation on MN most of the time.

usual,thank god im not the only one,we could clean each others for free then maybe we could empathise with others,lol

The fact that most people hire or don't hire a cleaner regularly is not the point.
The OP can't/doesn't want to find the time to clean her house. She wants a reasonably clean house. She might have some money to spare to hire a cleaner 2 hrs a week. I can't see why she would be unreasonable to do so.

get a good hoover!

£22K is not shit loads, so save that money for something nicer

actually you are mortgage free? fuck it, get the cleaner and enjoy weekends

Agree with another poster that you think you're busy when you have one child, then you have another and somehow manage to get even more done than when you only had one baby!

I think it's a case of finding your feet/ routine, and it takes a while to get into the swing of being a stay at home mum. Certainly easier when you stop bf.

Getting a cleaner doesn't have to be a permanent decision, get one for a couple of months then see if you feel like you might be able to manage yourself.

Can't understand why you have not managed to dust the baby's room in 10 months..... but if you want a cleaner get one. I used to manage my house over the course of a week during the babies post lunch time nap. With the hovvering done in 15 minutes with babies in the playpen.

usual and thekids - don't feel like that! I don't think it is the general rule.

I don't have a cleaner - I am a cleaner. I see the difference it makes to people.

not everyone are born cleaners, OP clearly is not a lover of cleaning, fair enough

fair enough porcamiseria but she has only 1 10 month old baby and can't be bothered to dust his romm they are a low income family and her dh is a big help. Really OP I have news for you, one small baby does not stop the world moving, if you are thinking of a cleaner for 2h/week then if you got off your butt for less than 20 mins/day you have the same result. On that income even £64 is a huge percentage

OP - what about getting a cleaner to come once a fortnight?

Mine does 4 hours every fortnight, so she has time to do a proper clean into the corners, skirtings, mirrors, kitchen cupboard fronts, insides of windows.

I pay her £11 an hour, in total around £100 a month. It is money very well spent IMO.

In between I keep on top of things, some weeks more than others depending on what else I've got going on.

On Mondays for 3 hours, my cleaner tidies through, dusts, does an hours ironing. On Thursdays, she hoovers, mops floors and cleans the bathrooms for two hours. That just about keeps things in control. Once a year I have a deep clean and that costs about £450 - £600 if I have the carpets cleaned.

I work full time, there are two teenage children, three cats and a dh who isn't sure where the hoover is kept.

How big is your house op. If you have the money and you want a cleaner I don't see the problem.