AIBU to wonder why everyone has cleaners these days!

[Storm4star]

Ok, please don’t take offence, I say this somewhat in jest. But my goodness how many of you have cleaners?? I have been utterly ripping the pee out of a male colleague at work because he and his wife have a cleaner but I hadn’t realised how common it’s become until I joined MN!

I personally struggle to justify spending my hard earned cash on things I could do myself (also do most of my own decorating and DIY). But have I missed something? Is a cleaner now the new must have?

Is a cleaner now the new must have?

One of the problems I see in my social circle are people are increasingly lumped into one of two categories:

underemployed (unwillingly part-time/self-employed/redundant/zero hours)

vs.

overemployed (friends with 100% travel commitments in their job, or hellish commutes like leaving at 6am in the morning then getting home at what used to be considered a reasonable bedtime for office workers, or going home to eat dinner then picking up work again in the evening as part of "normal" year-round expectations)

The latter group in my social circle basically are stuck in a merry-go-around of not having time for a real life, and use paid help as a sanity balance - because stuff like trimming your own lawn, ironing your own shirts, isn't something you do when you get in at 9, 10pm at night and just have time to have a shower, eat then collapse into bed.

That's my perception anyway (as someone who falls into neither category and is therefore a bit of an anomaly in my group of friends).

because stuff like trimming your own lawn, ironing your own shirts, isn't something you do when you get in at 9, 10pm at night and just have time to have a shower, eat then collapse into bed.

Yup. Which is why I don’t iron, I have a robot lawnmower and I’m thinking about a cleaner.

Also interesting how all the judgement is on the woman of the household. It’s he home of a couple, why isn’t the bloke judged?

Friend of mines husband has just unilaterally declared he will no longer employ the cleaner and that one hour a week of her cleaning is enough. And toilets clean themselves apparently. They both work, she works longer hours and travels for work too. To say she’s pissed off is an understatement.

In response to why everyone has a cleaner these days:

because the way we live has fundamentally changed in the last few decades. Stay at home mothers / house wives are no longer the majority. In fact very few women/ men are stay at home parents or full time home makers. Many of those who are have additional factors that make them economically inactive eg. disabilities or a disabled child.

Secondly those who do work are much more likely to have stressful long hours in their job with a long commute on top.

Thirdly a lot of people are better off these days. Particularly those who work long hours. People who are disabled may be unable to clean and can use their disability benefit to pay for a cleaner if they so wish.

Fourth I don't think it's seen as a class thing anymore. My cleaner is a single parent with three children. She has her own cleaning business and sets her hours to suit her family situation. She provides a service I am happy with and she is happy with what I pay her. She gets to be her own boss, set her own hours and have an income to provide for her family and I get a clean house and more time for my family. It's not like I make her scrub the floor with a toothbrush. I provide all the cleaning materials and hoover etc

I really don't see the issue here.

I would add to that cleanliness expectations these days are possibly higher these days.

My skirting boards are done once a fortnight rather than a big spring clean and a winter clean.

I am a single parent to 2dc and work full time. If any single parents ask how to juggle everything the first response is 'you need to get a cleaner or your house will be a complete mess and you'll spend any precious free time you have cleaning'

I had one for just that reason but I can't afford it any longer so had to wave goodbye to her a few months ago and yes my house is in an utter state.

Anyway I don't know 1 person without a cleaner where I live and that's with a number of SAHM's who have their DCs at school!!

No it’s not a competition and I wasn’t being smug at all

I just don’t think having a cleaner is a necessity when I am able enough to do it myself, the money I earn goes on days out, things for the kids and savings for when I am no longer able to work due to my illnesses.

If you took offence to my PP because I can do my own cleaning, work and look after my kids then that’s your problem.

There’s no need to attack someone’s comment because they have a different opinion to yours.

I just don’t see the need for one

Have a lovely day attacking others!

The "dream" isnt to be cleaning your house it? People have less time for chores these days. No millionnaires and scrubbing their toilet.

I wouldn’t of had it even a year again but I have 3 children
My 17 year old had a brake down last year I have two adopted children who have emotional needs and I am going back to work 3 days a week I just can’t fit cleaning in

I think it's a bit depressing that so many people feel the need to justify having a cleaner with lists of how many hours they work/how many kids/disabilities/kids with disabilities they have.

My household has a cleaner because we wanted one and we can afford one. End.

My cleaner has a cleaner, but my cleaner is more of a housekeeper, she has been with me 8 years, but I have had cleaners for over 32 years, since my children were born. I love my cleaner/housekeeper, she sees things I don't want to do and does them. I don't tell her what to do, or ask her to do something, she is magic.

Because I'm disabled.

Because we both work full time, can afford it, and have better things to do with our free time.

The £30 a week we pay our cleaner improves our quality of life far, far more than if we spent it on going out drinking/new clothes/smoking cigarettes. I'm sure my 21 year old self would think I was extremely sad and middle aged, but I don't give a hoot.

I’m quite curious as to what chores the DCs of people with cleaners do?

Genuine curiosity. I’m not in the business of attacking others or their opinions. Live and let live I say.

There are still lots of chores that cleaners don't do lynney like tidying, clothes washing, dishes etc.

Mine have to keep their own rooms tidy. Empty and refill the dishwasher after breakfast and dinner. Put a load of washing on each day and help fold washing mountain once a week. They can also choose to cut the grass. Xx

Lynnet bearing in mind their own additional needs things like taking the recycling out, mowing the lawn with a push along mower, tidying their own rooms, putting their own laundry away, loading and unloading the dishwasher.

They also make their own sandwich type lunches at weekends and in the holidays (2 teenagers and an almost 10 year old all with sn)

Stacking and unloading the dishwasher, tidying, sorting the clothes washing, folding it and putting it away, putting the recycling out, helping with the garden... there are loads of things that need doing in a house that a cleaner doesn’t do.

I don't mind cleaning but I hate doing more cleaning than DH. So he pays for a cleaner out of his fun money for about the same number of hours I spend cleaning. Everyone happy.

Thanks guys. I just made the assumption that cleaners do it all. My bad.

I find cleaner my quite therapeutic at times so I don’t mind doing it myself.

*cleaning

Most people's cleaners come once a week.

There is - unfortunately - still a whole heap of cleaning that needs to be done around that.

• daily, relentless wiping down of benches and surfaces
• cleaning the stove top
• stacking and unloading the dishwasher
• sweeping the kitchen floor
• vacuuming
• daily, relentless tidying of rooms
• cleaning bathrooms (it's not like the cleaner can come in on Friday, and the bathroom will still be spotless a week later )
• daily, relentless laundry - washing, hanging out, folding, putting away

I'm sure there's more I've forgotten. And our kids do outside chores, as well.

For all those people who just ❤️ cleaning, and get such a kick out of those mundane, relentless, never-ending, daily tasks - don't worry - getting a cleaner doesn't make them stop. If only.

I don’t but we’re planning on hiring one next day. I don’t like cleaning. We both work 9am-7pm+ and I can’t be arsed.

lynney88 Mine cleans throughout, but she has a system and on a rolling program over the month or longer, does things like the inside of windows, tops of kitchen cupboards and appliances, shampoos carpets and rugs, cleans the silver - we have a lot of frames and DH's silver collection of -fiddly- -bits- treasures, polishes the parquet floor, cleans out the fridges and cupboards, removes all the blinds and washes them, washes down the window frames, cleans all my childminding toys, and so on.

I never have to think, oh so and so needs doing, she is on it, and often we work together on things such as taking the roof blinds down in the conservatory, she helped me empty the loft last week and sorted it all for charity. Yes she drives me mad tidying sometimes, - I take my shoes off and they are in my wardrobe in 2 minutes, never mind I am going out again shortly.

I love her, she loves my cats, she is trusted and respected beyond belief, in return I have helped her achieve a degree, supported her family in Eastern Europe and see her as a member of our family.

She is having her wedding reception in my garden as she wants an 'English country wedding' with a marquee and I shall be honoured to arrange it all for her too.