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?

I don't mind cleaning at all. And I still have a cleaner. She does everything I don't get time to do, including all my laundry. At one point, I had a housekeeper.

If I'm working 11 hour days and DH is working 11 hour days, when I wake up on a Saturday morning I don't want to think "better get the bathrooms cleaned", I want to think "what shall I do with my boys today..."

At the moment we can afford it, and so I am enjoying it while it lasts. I will have to forgo my cleaner when we move back to UK and my dh retires.

Hi I have a cleaner 6 hours/week, yes I do feel guilty. However DH and I are 70 plus and have 5 with SN to care for, (ours by adoption) age 12 to 37. The youngest 2 have complex health needs and the oldest 3 have Down Syndrome.
We have an 8 bedroomed house, I cannot (will not0 spend valuable time cleaning.
Maybe I am lazy I care not. Now off to change colostomy bag and give midnight drugs........then bed and up at 05.30 for 06.00 drugs!

I have a cleaner. I work shit hours, I hate cleaning, and I can afford it.

My cleaner makes sure I have beautifully ironed clothes, that my house is clean and snuggly for me to come back to after a shit day, and that I can relax more :) Nothing better after a long run of nights then coming in to your bedroom spotless, bed steamed and pillows well plumped.

All hail having a cleaner.

I don't have a cleaner! 😔😔😔

" I have been utterly ripping the pee out of a male colleague at work because he and his wife have a cleaner "

why would you do that?

Meh. If you work in a professional job in a well paid sector in London then you’ll find nearly everyone you work with has a cleaner. “Cleaner recommendations please” is probably The top topic for frequency that come up on my area’s Facebook group.

@Storm4star I could afford a cleaner and would like the spare hours I spend cleaning back...but Im too tight if im honest! I would rather stay up till 2am bleaching my skirting boards than spend on a cleaner. And I dont like/trust random people in my house. Personal preference :).

I work 11-15 hours a day six days a week I like to spend my free time with my DC. DH works 9-5, five days a week so does most of the cleaning and childcare if he worked longer hours we'd have a cleaner and he cleans so efficiently! I do the cooking 5 days a week, the laundry, the DIY, decorating (I love it) and everything dog related.

How many hours a week do you work?

We have a dog walker and sitter, childcare is done by my DM with school clubs and they go abroad to family every year since been 5 for 4 weeks in summer holidays and sometimes on the other holidays. The best bit about been self-employed is I can take my DC and/or dogs with me but I'm constantly tired and playing catch-up.

....i do have a lovely lady that does my ironing though as i hate ironing

We could afford a cleaner but don't as I do get satisfaction from doing the jobs myself with the occasional help from my teenage girls, we do have a window cleaner though. My next door neighbours earn considerably more money than us and do have a cleaner, the wife I know is a mucky bird who even when she was a stay at home mum disliked housework of any kind, I think each to their own, maybe when I am older and not fit enough to manage it then maybe things may change.

I would love a cleaner, we're both at work nearly full time, work is pretty full on, as is parenting two teenagers and I can think of better things to do with my time. I can't quite bring myself to spend the money though for, as you say, something we could do ourselves, so we just live in a dusty, slightly grubby house most of the time.

I do think also that as we earn more than our local average it would be a good thing to employ a cleaner and support the local economy. Not quite enough to tidy up the mess and take the plunge though.

We aren't well off (joint income of approx £40k) and we have a cleaner.

TBH I do have the time, just not the motivation. We tend to only tidy up the house the day before she comes.

Nope sorry still not convinced, lol. Clearly i’m in the 1% minority that doesn’t have a problem with cleaning my own house. I just wish people wouldn’t take it as an attack. I thought I had been clear in my initial post but maybe I need to hire a cleaner and spend the spare time working on my post crafting skills ;) I just remember the one friend I had prior who did have a cleaner complaining that her cleaner had washed the cats bowl in the food prep sink, eek the horror! I guess it’s just not my world!

I've had a cleaner dating back from when I was single and couldn't really afford it.

I work full-time. I don't enjoy cleaning. I want to go home and just have my time. At the weekends I don't want to be bothered cleaning. DH is at home and TBH could do the cleaning but neither do I want to spend headspace on reminding him or being irritated about him being crap at it. It's not worth our marriage.

The cleaner does 90% of the cleaning and the worst of the ironing. DH does the rest.

The cleaner is worth every penny. Not always sure about DH

@stopfuckingshoutngatme

It’s fine to have a cleaner

But why does everyone have to insist their role is ‘high pressure ‘ and ‘long hours’

Nurses have stressful jobs , as do social workers . As do bus drivers and many many others. They maybe can’t afford cleaners.

Great to buy time but don’t assume your office job is more stressful than others.

Exactly! Well said.

These 'I work so hard/12 hour days/55-60 hour weeks,' and 'because I can afford a cleaner, or 'because I deserve a cleaner' type posts really piss me off.

I know many women who work long hard hours, and have a stressful life who don't have a cleaner, as they can't afford it.

There are some weird, sanctimonious posts on here, there really are!

@ferrier

The average mumsnetter is of significantly higher intelligence and significantly higher household income than the average person so it doesn't surprise me at all.

PMSL.

Yep, a lot of mumsnetters work 50 hours plus a week too, in terribly professional, highly stressful jobs!!

Like anything in life it's cost vs benefit, some people think it's worth the money not to do it yourself whereas other's think it isn't. Any chores that I can afford to outsource I will do imo

I work long unsociable hours, never have an evening to myself and I am truly shit at cleaning. My cleaner does a better job in 2 hrs than I would do in 6. I love her. I'd rather cut food budget than the cleaner. Actually, I think I might give her a pay rise soon. She is brilliant.

I have no idea. But if we could afford one then I'd defo have one. Since it's not likely anytime soon, my weekly meeting with the cleaning equipment will continue, unfortunately

Maybe more people on MN have cleaners because the people without cleaners don't have time to go on MN? They are too busy cleaning.

I have a cleaner

@DevilsAttic

You work 15 hours a day, six days a week?

What do you do, that would entail working that many hours?

I've had various cleaners over the years and have recently decided never again. Unless I'm ill and can't manage it myself. Just got fed up: starts off well and then they just don't give a damn anymore and really take the piss. Also really don't like having a stranger in my house. I do largely hate cleaning though.

I don't have a cleaner but when we are earning a bit more money one will be top of the list. I find working five days a week with two young dc and keeping the house tidy and clean, if i didn't have totry fitting dusting and cleaning the floor in between dcs and my bedtime I would be much happier. I don't see it as a status thing and if a decent rate is paid and the cleaner treated with respect then I dont see why there would be a problem.

That's it absolutely OP, it's not my world either. Just feels like a thing rich/posh people do.

I am one of the few in my social circles who doesn't have a cleaner. And we are both high earning full time professionals. We also do pretty much all our own DIY (it wouldn't be DIY if we didn't) and decorating. I dream of the day when we finally decide there is enough spare cash to outsource the cleaning.