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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why people have cleaners

285 replies

Gingerninj · 30/06/2018 10:07

I don't mean this in a rude way I'm just curious how much people really benefit from having a cleaner. They seem to do the hovering, cleaning floors, changing beds, dusting, clean windows and so on. Honestly I don't do much of this very often, maybe hover once a week, change beds every other week, clean windows and dust possibly every other week but probably not. The house still looks fairly nice and clean. Fair enough some people don't have time for this, I don't either really but it seems like it would take up more of my time to tidy all the rooms enough that I'd be happy to let someone see them.

OP posts:
HushabyeMountainGoat · 30/06/2018 14:37

I don't but i'd like one.

Between laundry, shopping and social things i feel like weekends go by in a flash. DH and I both work mon-fri and by the time we've come home and do dinner and bedtime we're ready to just relax. We keep the house tidy, but floors, skirting boards, windows etc are not what i'd like them to be.

It's not about not having time as such. It is possible to do all these things, but it would be better to spend that time doing more enjoyable things as a family.

I'm hoping once DH goes onto shifts later this year that he will be able to do more during the week.

BananaHarvest · 30/06/2018 14:41

I can only speak for myself. I know very few people who don’t have a cleaner. When I chose to stop working full time plus to focus on the children and allow my husband to develop his career, I was very clear that I was not doing so to be a cleaner. We employed a housekeeper/mothers help when the children were young but went back to using just cleaners via an agency now the children are grown.

My husband works about an 65 hour week and I do around 55 so our non working time is valuable. We want to come back from working away to a clean house and fresh bed. We don’t want to feel guests are a burden and too much effort. We want someone to clean their rooms after we’ve enjoyed their company over a weekend. We want friends to be able to pop in without us feeling embarrassed by a messy house.
We still do jobs around the house on a daily basis but the cleaners allow us to stay on top of all the chores.

Thesearepearls · 30/06/2018 14:42

I really enjoy both cleaning and gardening.

Unfortunately I have a job that involves 60+ hours a week of work, two children and a dog.

So I have a gardener to do 4 hours a week and I do around another 4. I have two cleaners each doing 4 hours a week and I do around another 4. DH does all the laundry which takes around 7 hours a week plus all the nightly tidies which takes around 4 hours a week, and a couple of hours of gardening.

Total gardening time is 10 hours a week - 4 hours outsourced.

Total cleaning/laundry time is 23 hours a week - 8 hours outsourced

And the house is still not quite as clean and as tidy as I'd like!

Oly5 · 30/06/2018 14:43

Because I hate cleaning and I earn enough to pay for help! Why should I do it myself if I can afford the help?
I also love a clean house

bringincrazyback · 30/06/2018 14:45

A variety of health issues, no help in the house from DH, and the fact that life is short.

nocoolnamesleft · 30/06/2018 15:08

Because I work ridiculous hours, and am mobility impaired. Cleaning takes me ages, and hurts. It leaves me with no energy to do anything fun and relaxing in my free time. It takes my cleaner rather less time, she does a better job of it than I would, and it is part of her income. I am time poor, but earn reasonably well. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Is that okay with you?

Neverender · 30/06/2018 15:14

Because they want to spend their money on one, and their spare time doing something (anything) else?! I don't have one but understand why people do.

KM99 · 30/06/2018 15:37

We have one who comes once a week for a couple of hours and then does a bigger spring clean for me couple of times a year. We do this because a) we prefer spending our limited spare time doing more fun or relaxing stuff and b) we can afford it. We pay a local Mum who is lovely, needs the work to fit around her ds and is brilliant at her job.

Years ago when we got together my DH was against getting one. I told him that as long as he did 50% of the cleaning that was fine. He lasted two weeks and changed his mind.

We still do loads around the house - tidying, laundry, odd mid week hoover and constantly wiping kitchen surfaces.

NukaColaGirl · 30/06/2018 15:39

Because I have 3 children

Because I’m a single parent

Because I work 24 hours a week

Because I also study 37 hours a week plus extra at home

Because I want quality time with my kids

Because I can’t see the point in being a fucking martyr and doing it all myself when I don’t have to

wheezing · 30/06/2018 15:42

Since moving into our new house I have never cleaned the bathroom or scrubbed the kitchen sink or mopped the floors. I don’t like to do these jobs so I outsource them. As the cleaner comes once a week it is necessary to keep on top of basic tidying and a bit of vacuuming, but I don’t mind doing that.
I don’t see what’s hard to understand really. Some jobs I’ve decided the value of NOT doing them is more than the cost of outsourcing.

Racecardriver · 30/06/2018 15:44

You don't change sherts at jest once a week Shock. What about cleaning bathroom/kitchen?

ggirl · 30/06/2018 15:46

So we don't have to clean on our days off-simples

welshmist · 30/06/2018 15:46

You all work so damn hard and are time poor. A cleaner just gives you a little quality time

Mabelface · 30/06/2018 15:49

Because cleaning is boring and they want one.

Ski4130 · 30/06/2018 15:50

I've got three children and a dog, my cleaner is my one non negotiable house expense because she makes it so you don't know we've got three children and a dog!

I'm really uncomfortable when the house isn't properly clean, so having the cleaner stops me getting ansty about the state of the house.

AnnettePrice · 30/06/2018 15:52

Thinking of getting one.

I work FT, long hours, major commute and I’m a single parent. NRP is no help either with time or CM.

Trying to keep on top of everything is cutting into my sleep time, and the list of stuff I need to do grows quicker than I can get stuff done.

Notice, that’s just stuff I need to do. Can’t remember when I last did something nice for me. If I go, the knock on effect lasts for a week, trying to catch up.

Something is going to break soon, and I’ve got to make sure it’s not me. I have a DC relying on me.

(Now back to the house work, until I find a cleaner/house help).

busyboysmum · 30/06/2018 15:52

I love my cleaner.

I hate cleaning but I like living in a clean house.

That's why I have one.

Original poster
Gingerninj · 30/06/2018 16:07

@Racecardriver Bathroom gets a proper clean once a week and I usually give it a quick tidy whenever i'm in there. I clean the kitchen when I stack the dishwasher after tea

OP posts:
Racecardriver · 30/06/2018 17:48

@gingerninji my cleaner does the weekly bathroom clean as well as a through clean of the lurch so I only have to tidy. It's only two hours but I have so little time that they are worth more than the twenty odd pounds I pay my cleaner.

WearyAlready · 30/06/2018 19:09

We're buying time.

The OH and I are both out of the house for 12+ hours a day, between work and other stuff, especially at this time of year in Scotland, when the days are long and the weather is...not unfortunate (we have LONG winters up here).

We like a clean house, but we don't want to spend all our spare time on it. We can afford to employ a cleaner, so we're giving somebody work and distributing wealth, which is how the economy is supposed to work.

I really don't get this snobbery about cleaners, or that doing your own hoovering somehow makes you a better person. Ye're a lang time deid, as they say.

WearyAlready · 30/06/2018 19:11

Oh, also - the 'secret added bonus' of having a cleaner is that it makes you a wee bit more mindful about being tidy and picking up during the week so as not to inconvenience them, so everybody wins.

Pilgit · 30/06/2018 19:20

Because we both work long hours. Hate cleaning. Would rather spend the weekend being with the children. Because I'm knackered by the weekend after working stupid hours. Because I earn a lot and being able to outsource something I hate doing is one of the reasons I do a job that earns.

limon · 30/06/2018 19:21

Having a cleaner keeps me sane. I work full time and have a school age dd.One hour of a cleaner does all. The stuff I don't have time to do.

MachineBee · 30/06/2018 19:50

Because we both work long hours. Because I was fed being the only who didnt do fun stuff at the weekend.
Because I didn’t want my DSSs growing up thinking housework was women’s work
Because they now understand they have tidy their rooms so the cleaner can clean.

PS - I also have a gardener. It’s brilliant. Grin

mumof2exhausted · 30/06/2018 19:59

Because I hate cleaning, because I would rather spend any spare non working time playing with kids / going to Gym / reading a book? Bloody love my cleaner she cleans house a million times better than I ever could