Get a cleaner and don't feel guilty or embarassed about it. It's not a massive luxury, it's not posh or extravagant, it's more affordable than people think.
Since DS was a few months old, we pay about £45 a month for a fortnightly 2 hour clean which means:
- I never have to hoover, dust or mop upstairs rooms anymore
- I never thoroughly clean the bathrooms anymore, just a bit of bleach down the loo and quick sink wipe
- I never have to do skirting boards
- I only have to do 'light' cleaning around the house inbetween visits because there will never be a big build up of dirt anywhere.
The only cleaning I have to do between her visits now is:
- quick loo and sink clean
- hoover the living room as this is our only 'high traffic' room and we get a lot of carpet fluff
- the usual washing dishes and cleaning kitchen after meals
Seriously, as a family we spend far more than that on buying lunch at work rather than packing lunches, I would rather economise in that area than give up the cleaner. Many families spend that amount on other things which are not considered extravagant, such as takeaways or expensive smart phone bills or Sky TV, a new outfit each month, ciggies, booze, or a new pair of shoes, and so on. So I'd always prefer to economise in those areas rather than give up our cleaner.
I honestly believe that it's sexist that as a society we often disapprove of those who hire cleaners... it's seen as the woman's job to get the housework done and if you pay for someone else to do it you're supposedly wasting money rather than fulfilling your womanly duty.
Meanwhile traditional "men's" work is outsourced all the time with much less criticism: paying for a car wash, garden work, household renovations etc.
Why should anyone be considered lazy because they don't want to waste too much of their short life doing mundane, boring household chores if they can afford to have someone else do a little bit of the work?