To wonder about cleaners?

[Pinkfluffyhotwaterbottle]

Wondering if anyone can explain this to me. Loads of times on here I see people suggesting others get a cleaner.

I'm just wondering what they do and how it works out for people in reality.

I've got two dc and it's an uphill treadmill to keep my house clean and tidy. If I clean the bathroom it's dirty again within 24 hours with4 if us using it.

If I clean the floors or hoover it's dust and covered in crumbs pretty quickly, especially with the kids eating at the table.

Laundry, dishwasher, cleaning up kitchen, beds made, sweeping up, shopping, general tidying and picking up toys well these are all things I struggle to fit into my day to keep the house how I'd like it.

So I'm thinking is there really any point in a cleaner when surely it only lasts for a day?

PaddysMarket. Exactly! lol!

We've just got a cleaner. She's only been twice, and the difference is already remarkable.

We're both quite tidy people, and to an extent it's a 'naturally' tidy house, because we don't put much effort. Both techy people whose hobbies don't make mess, and we don't have huge amounts of laundry. We do have two cats, but we have hard floors. Cleaning/tidying wasn't taking up much of our time, but...

... the difference is ENORMOUS! She is really thorough, and because she is organised and diligent, she's doing all the extra little jobs we didn't think to list, like polishing mirrors, sills etc. Even given quite an imprecise list, she does a very detailed job. We tidy up/put out the cleaning materials the night before, and she even puts all of our rugs/photos back in place afterwards!

Love her.

Oh and to be honest:

1. My fiance and I both work long hours in well paid jobs. It saves us arguing about who's done their share.
2. Due to substantial payrises, I have rationalised it as practically a moral issue that we shouldn't slog away but pay someone a fair wage to redistribute the wealth.

The things you mention "Laundry, dishwasher, cleaning up kitchen, beds made, sweeping up, shopping, general tidying" are not normally what a cleaner does. It's just normal home maintenance.

Ours does some of these. I’m naturally a filthy animal. Cleaner is marvellous because she ended the ridiculous conversations DH and I were having about who was to do what. Plus if I know she’s here on the Monday I’m motivated to do all the preparatory stuff.

I'm just wondering what they do and how it works out for people in reality.

I've got two dc and it's an uphill treadmill to keep my house clean and tidy. If I clean the bathroom it's dirty again within 24 hours with4 if us using it.

You teach other fmaily members not to be disgusting pigs. How on earth does your bathrrom get dirty in 24 hours? What are you talking about? Toothpaste in the sink? Teach family to wipe sink after use. Shit in the toilet? Teach family how to clean up after themselves. Piss on the floor? Sor

I think this too.

My house is usually tidy and it takes no time to throw a hoover and mop around.

Surfaces in the kitchen...that's done as mess is made....spill something, wipe it up.

I go round the house about twice a week and quickly wipe door handles and light switches and grubby marks on walls.

Coffee tables the same.

Takes no time!

Pressed send too soon.

Anyway.

You sort out our family not to make a shit tip everywhere, and the cleaner does actual cleaning.

Hoovering, mopping floor, skirting boards, mirrors, dusting, whatever.

My cleaner also does bed changes and laundry as well.

I feel it wouldn't work for my house unless I had someone in everyday, the kitchen, hall and front room floor needs vacuuming at least once a day, toilets need cleaning a couple of times a day, there us almost always something that needs tidying.

Your toilet needs cleaning a couple of times a day? Fuck me I'm glad I don't live in your house! Why can't people flush their own shit away??????????????? Why do you live with such disgusting people?

where do you all get your cleaners from?

i've been a cleaner for 10 years but cleaning in dirty shitty factories (grim) be nice to do houses!!!

also, i'd love a cleaner, hate doing my own house haha!

pass try advertising on local Facebook groups.

My clean house lasts about three days.

My cleaner does all the things I otherwise spent the entire saturday on. Scrubs the bathrooms, dusts, vacuums, washes all the floors etc. Sure there is still the regular tidying and cleaning to do, but it makes a massive difference.

We ar however, also relatively clean and tidy. I'm also wondering about the bathroom that needs to be scrubbed twice per day, what do you do there?

Try as we might we are just not neat people. When I hired my cleaner I made it clear that I needed help with the tidying and organizing as well as the cleaning. My mum used to make us tidy before the cleaner came but honestly I find the tidying harder! Luckily we have a fab cleaner who is naturally organized. She comes 2-3 times per week depending on her schedule, for a total of 8 hours. She tidies, cleans, does laundry, sheets, everything. I pay her fairly for her time and we are both happy with the arrangement. I do economise in some other areas to pay for the cleaner and it is well worth it. Plus the less I spend the less clutter comes into the house, so that helps too.

Passthepotatoes. Try on :

www.care.com/en-gb/uk-brand-v2?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl9-fw-f12AIVBbftCh37pwZwEAAYASAAEgKFgvD_BwE

BeaArthur. So in effect she is a 'Housekeeper'. People seem to get Cleaners mixed up with Housekeepers for some reason.

I only work a half day a week and DC are grown up so I don't 'need' a cleaner anymore but I keep her on because, as other people have said, to get maximum value from her the house needs to be neat and decluttered when she arrives. Knowing she will be turning up every second Tuesday motivates me to put things away, tidy and declutter as I go along. That way I know I can go out on Tuesday morning and come home to a lovely clean, organised house with minimal effort from me.

I also find having it perfect one day a fortnight motivates me to stay on top of things and keep it nice the rest of the time. So much so that I sometimes have to consciously stop myself cleaning things for the couple of days before she is due, just so she has something to do.

Its the deep cleaning I need like skirting boards/windows/bathroom. Everything I else I can surface clean as I go. I think it might take a good 3 hours at least to do downstairs in my house - I haven't got the will power as Ive tended to just haven gotten on top of it when its time to go back to work on Monday

I should say I haven't got one but would love one once a week. Ive made enquiries but gotten no where

Our house is generally not so much immaculate, but generally in tip-top shape. I have a cleaner 2x a week which means I don't vacuum anything except the kitchen inbetween, for which I use my amazing cordless Dyson.

I don't clean bathrooms, mop, or dust.

I tidy pretty much constantly, and clean the kitchen 2x daily.

Your toilet needs cleaning a couple of times a day? Fuck me I'm glad I don't live in your house! Why can't people flush their own shit away??????????????? Why do you live with such disgusting people?

There's six people using the toilets, they get dirty and dusty. My five year old has bowel problems so that's an issue, he cleans as best as he can but he is only five. Plus him and the seven year old sometimes leave wee splashes, neither own up to it so unless I know who it is I have to wipe it.

I love my cleaner. She's the bees knees. Of all the household bills I pay, she's the one I actually enjoy handing money over to!

She comes for 3 hours each week and cleans the house top to bottom. Then we just have to wipe surfaces, do the laundry and make the beds each day.

I will gleefully pay someone else to do a better job than me if it means I don't have to think about spending my weekend cleaning skirting boards.

My cleaner comes once a week and does all the things on your list including shopping for kitchen roll and cleaning supplies, although she doesn't fill the dishwasher because I don't have one: she does any washing up instead. Regarding the laundry, she does the sheets and towels. She even takes out the recycling. When she has finished, it's show-house clean for a day or so.

During the week, I keep on top of the washing up, keep the kitchen surfaces clear, and do the clothes washing, but I don't bother with any other housework.

I think the best way to approach finding the right cleaner for you is to make a list of what you genuinely need to do, what you have time to do, and what you don't have time to do, and find someone who can take 2 of those categories off your plate. Give them the list so they know what's expected. As pps have said, starting with a deep clean is a really good idea.

I wouldn't be without my cleaner: she's a treasure, I pay her well above the market rate, and am very flexible about when she comes. It's a set-up that works for both of us. If you can afford it, you will find it improves your quality of life immensely, and gives you more time to spend on the things (and people) you love.

I have a cleaner who does 2 hours a week in our 4 bed house.

I make sure the place is tidy before she comes so she can get on and just do actual cleaning rather than tidying my mess away.

To have someone come and properly clean rooms rather than just me cleaning that day's mess is fantastic and she definitely does a better job than I do on a day yo day basis. It basically means I don't need to scrub my bathrooms as she does them properly for me once a week and there's nothing better than coming home at the end of that day to a properly clean and fresh smelling home.

@EssentialHummus @PoisonousSmurf
Thank you both

Our dog is such a shedder. A cleaner is pointless for us. I just clean as I go and actually, we have a pretty clean house for 3 kids and 4 animals. But if I worked, I'd totally have a cleaner. I do often long for one but it's too much hassle. I can't really afford one.