To want a cleaner?

[Cherryapples]

I work three days a week, so it feels as if I should be able to manage it myself.

However, the reality is that I’m struggling. I have one child who is 20 months old, and I am a teacher.

So as not to drip feed, on the days I work, I am up at around 6, give ds some milk, shower and get ready, get ds teeth brushed and washed, dressed, out of the house for around 730, take ds to nursery. In work for 8, leave at 4, pick ds up, home for around 430. Then ds has his bath at 630, bed at around 7. I do generally have some work to do at home.

I do have two days off a week with him and my thinking was I’d be able to do housework then. But just keeping on top of things seems to take up most of all my time - putting toys away and cleaning up after lunch and dinner. To be totally honest, I really struggle to do anything when ds is there as he just follows you around messing it up!

But looking into it, it really is costly. Is there an easier way I can keep on top of it all myself?

@Simonjt i do, but the thirty minutes tends to be cleaning the carnage from DS’s reign. So once the surfaces in the kitchen are wiped and the floor cleaned, the dishwasher loaded and emptied and nursery bag/my bag ready for next day, 30 mins have gone. Which leaves no time for anything else, so it’s where and how I fit that in really.

@Cherryapples

I dont know because I genuinely don't know how it can be a struggle

🤷‍♀️

Tidy/clean as you go. It doesn't take that long.

Yeah but your shitty passive aggresive reply wasn't called for or in any way helpful.
Yeah you can reply in whatever way you want. I just can't see the point in posting something unhelpful.

OK - so how to hoover with a toddler right behind you?

How do you clean the bathroom with a toddler running round?

How about the oven?

pulling out the furniture?

It’s things like this I suppose. Like I say, the house isn’t a hovel or anything, just that I am conscious I am not keeping on top of things as well as I could be.

You might be surprised that you can hoover once toddler is in bed. I think you need to break down the tasks into roughly 30minute chores if you can.

So

Bathroom
Hoover
Mop

Clean kitchen
...are all probs half an hour. You pick two and spread them between two evenings or two nap times and your other half picks two and does his in two evenings.

When you break is down it's less overwhelming.

There's no shame in getting a cleaner though. Do what's best for you, your stress levels and your family.

Cleaning bathroom is always done when toddler is in bath.

@Cherryapples

I dont hoover or clean ovens or pull furniture out. Dh does.

I dont understand how it's difficult to clean a bathroom with a toddler running about? If your home is baby proofed, let them run about.

Or if you really can't figure it out, you have 2 adults in your house. 1 cleans while one supervises the toddler.

I'm assuming no one here hand washes all clothes and instead opts to use a washing machine? A cleaner is no different, if you've got the money for it and don't want to clean, why wouldn't you pay to outsource it? Why be a martyr?

Prioritise. I earn almost fuck all but want to spend my spare time with my dd and siting on my arse reading my book. I do without other stuff to get a cleaner once a week 3 hours once a week £14 an hour £42 total. Worth every single penny. I haven't cleaned a toilet or shower cubicle or washed floors or skirting boards in a year. She also changes the beds.

I buy cheaper wine, get train rather than taxi if going out. I get hair done less often & buy make up dupes. I cook from scratch & don't buy takeaway coffee.

Worth every single penny.

We had a cleaner even I was a SAHM of 1. Both DH and I dislike cleaning.
Ours is self-employed. She charges £25 per clean, which takes 2-2.5 hours.

But now we know there are two adults, that gives an hour of cleaning time each day. You have to remember a cleaner doesn’t mean you don’t need to do those things, ours does deep cleaning in one room, but we still have to vacuum daily, dust, clean hardfloors, clean the kitchen each time we cook etc.

Hoovering with a toddler is easy, you’re just walking around with a noisy stick essentially. Bathroom either take them with you with some toys, or do it at nap time. Oven, just leave them playing on the floor, running around etc while you do it (just like you would if you were cooking). Pulling out furniture you just do it slower and make sure toes aren’t in the way while you dodge the bits of lego.

DH isn’t around during the week, it’s all on me.

If you live with your husband, why on earth are you looking for tips on how to do it all yourself OP?

And why didn't you mention him?

Hoovering really isn’t easy with my toddler maybe some toddlers.

So how long would he typically spend cleaning at the weekend?

This thread 😂

No it isn't.

Even if you're going to tell us he works from 6am till 10pm, there's always weekends.

Not much, @Simonjt . He doesn’t do a lot but neither do I.

I suppose I was envisioning a cleaner would ensure some things (bathroom, hoovering) are just done, and that having to have the house tidy enough to have the house deep cleaned would hopefully help. Maybe it’s not the answer - I don’t know.

And rightly or wrongly I do have the assumption that as the PT worker the majority of the house stuff is on me. I imagine most threads on here would concur with that. Unfortunately I am not very good at it.

Presumably he is around at the weekend though?

So clean/tidy as you go during the week. You have 2 days you dont work and 2 days where you have 2 adults around.

So do the heavier stuff at the weekends

If you can afford a cleaner, get one, life’s too short. Also you’ll be giving work to somebody who might need the cash, so win win. ignore the sarcy comments.

OP ignore all of the martyrs and get a cleaner.

We have one who cleans for 3 hours a week and it costs around £17 per hour.

Best money we spend as we both hate cleaning. There are so many other more interesting things to do with your time.

You can't do the 'majority' of the week's housework in just two days whilst looking after a toddler, that's why you can't cope.

Give King Charles a nudge and tell him he needs to man up, especially at weekends.

I have a 21 month old, work four days a week and have a cleaner.

She absolutely keeps me sane.

If you can afford it, it’s a no brainer. I’d recommend getting an initial deep clean and then asking them to come once a week.

What has really helped us too is an (ongoing) decluttering process. I’ve been pretty ruthless and have managed to sell a fair amount, which is then going into buying DS bigger clothes as I sell his old ones, or days out with him.

I do need to get better at decluttering toys and books though, that’s this month’s job!