That a cleaner won’t solve any problems?

[Autumntwilights]

We both work full time and keeping on top of stuff is hard.

I can’t see a cleaner solving any issues. It’s more tidying, laundry (dear god the laundry) getting organised for the week.

Am I missing anything?

How does the cleaner produce more laundry?!

Yes it’s a pain having to tidy up in advance each week, but it means we stay on top of it, and for relatively small effort the whole house gets cleaned. I would never get round to cleaning the bathroom or mopping the floor. I find it helps.

Cleaner helps massively. Doesn't remove the needvto organise bit if someone has cleaned once a week then upkeep is easier.

Cleaners can do laundry too, talk to the agency. older customers often ask them to change sheets too

I didn’t say the cleaner created more laundry - but they won’t do it, which is where the workload really is: laundry and tidying up. The actual cleaning is so easy in comparison.

If you had a cleaner, then you'd either have more time to do the laundry and to tidy, or you could ask the cleaner to do it.

Either way you'd have two or three (or whatever) hours less of housework to do each week.

It means you don’t have to give hoovering, dusting or cleaning the bathrooms a second thought. Surely you spend some time doing those things?

Yes but it doesn’t take long. And I think that frantically tidying up before cleaner would add to, rather than remove, stress.

My cleaner cleans and tidies and folds laundry. I am sure she would wash if I wanted her to.

Well it gives you one less thing to do so you have more time for the rest

Some cleaners tidy, mine does, it's brilliant coming back to a tidy house! Also there are laundry services, depending on if you can afford it, they take the clothes away and bring them back ironed and folded.

Why not hire a cleaner who will laundry/ironing. Plenty are willing to do it. Ours does laundry/strips beds/makes beds/tidies up all the toys etc. We just go over which jobs I want prioritised that week.

How does the cleaner produce more laundry?!
When OP says “it’s more laundry” she doesn’t mean “the cleaner creates more laundry” she means “it’s not the cleanliness of the house that’s my issue, it’s more the laundry and other things that a cleaner can’t help with”.

But you’re wrong, OP! You can get cleaners who’ll do laundry – putting it the fuck away, the dream! Costs, and hard to find. But like most “make life easier” services it does exist. How much you’re willing and able to pay for it…

I didn’t say the cleaner created more laundry - but they won’t do it

Can you not get a cleaner who does?

I like doing laundry and not averse to a bit of tidying, but everyone's different. You just need one who's a good fit.

Maybe what you need is a laundry service. Many collect them deliver back.

If you want to throw money at the problem, try something like Laundrapp. They take away a bag of dirty clothes and deliver it all back clean, or ironed if you want to pay even more.

The tidying is a pain, I agree. But I find it impossible to manage without a cleaner, so I look on the tidying as a way of forcing myself to be more disciplined about staying tidy which is hard for me. Mind you, I have health and mobility issues and am a carer for my mum as well as working full-time, so there's no way I'd manage the cleaning on top of all that.

Thanks. It would be costly though. Thanks for explaining that @hotmeatymilk, I couldn’t see how the poster thought a cleaner created more laundry but now I understand!

Use a service wash or laundry service for all your laundry. I've been doing it for years and it's bloody life changing.

Get a cleaner that does extra things or a housekeeper

It depends what the problem is. For us, if we didn't have a cleaner, we wouldn't tidy up never mind mop floors (I'm not sure I've ever mopped a floor in my life tbh, I've mostly had dirty floors!) So the cleaner means there's a limit to how bad it gets, the tidying isn't a massive job every 6w and I don't have to worry about giving guests rare bacterial diseases.

If you don't have a problem staying on top of day to day mess then yes, the cleaner would literally only free up 2-3 hours. But maybe that would be enough to make the laundry feel less overwhelming?!

We love it. It means all of us who live here have to tidy up our stuff on a Tuesday evening. Because the cleaner isn’t one of us, we all have to tidy and can’t just leave it cause “mum” or “dad” will clean around our stuff.
Then on a Wednesday afternoon we have the whole house tidy and clean.
When we cleaned ourself we’d do a different room or job each day so there was never that “everything totally clean and tidy” moment.
And now we have more time for laundry 😂

I'm a recent convert to the organised mum method (thanks MN). One of her things is doing a load of washing every weekday. It has really lifted some of the mental load. Her thing is basically doing a bit of it everyday. Theres free printables from the website and theres an app so you and dp can check off what youve done that day so the other one knows.

Disclaimer: we do also have a cleaner.

That would just have me all stressed, @museumum!

the organised mum method (thanks MN). One of her things is doing a load of washing every weekday.
I already do this. Bunging a wash on and hanging it out isn’t what takes the time, it’s the putting it away that makes me weep. Is there a “throw it all on a giant pile” method where you hate it a little bit every day?

Depends on your cleaner. We've had ours years now and she is brilliant. From the outset she said she didn't mind what she did in the time we paid her, as long as our expectations were clear (e.g. she will happily spend 2 hours tidying and ironing but then obviously she won't be deep cleaning the bathroom). We used to leave a list but she knows us now so is aware of the drill - if it's tidy, she does proper cleaning; if it's a tip she does a general tidy. If we want something specific I just text her and ask and make sure she has she what needs e.g. shampooing the carpets. Whatever she does, it's 2 hours of cleaning and tidying dh and I don't have to do so it never feels like a waste to me!