To feel weird about getting a cleaner?

[PollyCazaletWannabe]

I'm a secondary teacher and live alone in a one bedroom flat. Since January things have been completely crazy at work, as they always are at this time of year, and I've been working 12-13 hours a day in the week and approximately 6-10 hours in total at the weekend. I'm exhausted and my flat is messy and dirty because I haven't got time to clean, and when I do have time, I just don't have the energy.

Eventually this week I decided enough was enough and booked a cleaner who is coming in once a fortnight for 3 hours. Her first visit is tomorrow.

AIBU to feel really odd and uncomfortable about it? I have always been left-wing and feel that having a cleaner doesn't fit in with my principles. On one hand I am looking forward to having a clean flat again, but on the other hand I feel really guilty. Am I being ridiculous?

Cleaners are self employed and you are merely hiring a service that they have made available, there are no other issues it is just a business transaction like when you go and buy something else for yourself.

Don't read anything uneccessary into it just do it! Cleaning services get booked up so fast if you have secured a good one don't worry just be glad you found one and if they are good, enjoy your purchase, if not swap for another service until you find a good match for your needs.

Cleaning services are the same as any other purchase, make sure you hire a legally operating, tax paying insured service and there is really no other issue, people worry too much about nothing.

This just proves left wingers are always wrong.

Like all the people on this thread who are both left-wing and saying "get a cleaner"?

If you are a lefty then all you have to do is 1) respect your cleaner and the work he/she does, 2) create reasonable working conditions eg tidy all the crap up so they can get on with cleaning and 3) pay them well! I love our cleaner, she is awesome in every way and the better we treat her the better she treats us resulting in a great relationship of many years. There were many years though when dh and I were both working very hardcore professional jobs and I did see my husband take a different attitude - he would bolt out of the door without a second glance and I would be handwringing over whether I was a princess for having a cleaner... Have got over that now!

There are few things nicer than walking into the flat on the day the cleaner has been. The smell, the sense of order, the calm that settles over you is wonderful

And you are helping someone else have employment and a better quality of life.

It's true if nobody hired cleaner's through a misguided sense of 'must do everything one's self' then our whole industry would collapse.

I think given the cleaning industry is one of the fastest growing most people are throwing any qualms out of the window and getting the help they need.

It would only be wrong if you did not view it as a business and viewed the cleaners as servants like in the 1940's, but obviously nobody does that so there's really no issue around it, it's a straightforward purchase of something you would like and something the service provider hopes to sell to you.

Our clients are the best, the value us and make that very clear and we value them too and likewise. No politics at play at all.