To please ask…

Allyouneedislunch · 2023-09-03T10:56:41+00:00

…If you can afford a cleaner but don’t have one, why not? We can just about afford a cleaner a couple of hours a week but don’t. We both work full-time and the thought of coming home to a clean house is lovely. I think it’s because we have so much stuff, not hoarder style but more ornaments, candles, books etc. We don’t do clear surfaces. Additionally, if you are a cleaner, do you have any no-nos when it comes to accepting a job? TIA

WandaWonder · 03/09/2023 11:59

We do things when we want, I can't think of anything worse having to remember to tidy because the cleaner is coming or have to pay them to tidy or having to deal with issues if the cleaner does not work out in whatever way it is another thing to think about

Original poster

Allyouneedislunch · 03/09/2023 12:47

WandaWonder · 03/09/2023 11:59

We do things when we want, I can't think of anything worse having to remember to tidy because the cleaner is coming or have to pay them to tidy or having to deal with issues if the cleaner does not work out in whatever way it is another thing to think about

Thank you, yes, I can see that would be another thing to consider. We’re pretty much in a routine for the time being so wouldn’t be such an issue for us, although the tidying before the cleaner arrives really resonates.

OP posts:

Stompythedinosaur · 03/09/2023 12:49

I never feel like our house is sorted enough to employ a cleaner. I feel like it would have to be tidier that it is right now.

Also, dp and I are often working from home now, so I don't see how it would work.

It is my dream though! I hate housework and would gratefully pay to have to do less.

FinallyHere · 03/09/2023 12:50

My home is always today, I'm very much a place for everything and everything in its place kind of person.

I'm not much for actually cleaning and do very much value coming home to a house which is sparkling clean. I love the idea that our house doesn't need much effort to keep clean exactly because we have treasure for three hours, twice a week

One of the first luxuries I allowed myself when I could afford it and worth every penny. Costs much less than I earn per hour so why wouldn't I ?

GoogleWhacked · 03/09/2023 12:52

I would love to have a cleaner, and could probably afford it, but with 3 teenage boys the house is a permanent mess and I feel I need to get on top of that before getting a cleaner.

Hufflepods · 03/09/2023 12:54

We just generally keep on top of the house anyway. We could easily afford a cleaner but I just don’t see the point really. Not having the flexibility to wfh at the last min because the cleaner is in seems annoying plus we’re just in a good routine with a quick tidy and clean in the evenings.

stillplentyofjunkinthetrunk · 03/09/2023 12:57

had a cleaner growing up - my mum got constant grief of the form - where is my...? as the cleaner had to move things and then family members didn't know where they were.

So when I had a cleaner I would spend hours picking up & tidying ahead of the cleaner coming (so she could just clean).

Sometimes the work it saves doesn't feel as great as the work it creates, and it's nicer to do things on your own timetable.

Dontcallmescarface · 03/09/2023 13:15

I can afford 1 but don't see the point in getting a cleaner. We live in a small bungalow that we spend no more than 2 hours on a Saturday morning cleaning. The cost of paying for something that takes up so little of our time is just not worth it IMO.

melj1213 · 03/09/2023 13:20

Simple answer is that while I could afford one I don't need one.

I share custody of DD with ExDH so she spends every other week at his house, so two weeks out of four there's only me at home which is a small two bed flat. Whilst it would be nice to not have to do the cleaning after a full 10hr day at work I would not be able to justify getting a cleaner to clean up after me when it takes just 20 minutes every day to keep things maintained.

Because we only live in a small flat I can focus extra time on each room once a week - my room, DDs room, bathroom, kitchen, hall, living room - and keep on top of the daily maintenance cleaning even if I only spend 20 minutes cleaning a day.

So on a "normal day" I will give the kitchen sides a wipe down as I'm cooking and do the washing up after dinner but on "kitchen day" I will spend 20-30 minutes doing that as well as wiping down all the appliances/oven/hob, mopping the floor, cleaning the sink etc; each day I make the bed and open the curtains but on "bedroom day" I change the sheets, hoover, dust, have a general tidy round etc but it rarely takes more than half an hour due to the size of the place and the fact we keep things generally tidy etc

Twice a year I book a day into my diary to do a proper deep clean - moving furniture to hoover underneath, washing windows, dusting skirting boards etc - where the flat is scrubbed and tidied in it's entirety top to bottom, but on a weekly basis there's maybe an hour's worth of cleaning to be done so it's really not worth me paying someone to do it for me when I can just take a few minutes a day to do it myself.

Original poster

Allyouneedislunch · 03/09/2023 13:25

Yep, i can definitely relate to the tidying beforehand. I live with two very untidy men - no cleaner in their right mind would go into my son’s room. Although I would love to have the house cleaned I try and visualise a cleaner coming in and not knowing where to start. I mean, it’s not a dirty house by any means but it’s just the copious amounts of stuff.

OP posts:

AnneLovesGilbert · 03/09/2023 13:27

Ooh I hate the idea. We could probably afford a cleaner but we manage what needs doing when it needs doing and that suits us fine.

BrightLightTonight · 03/09/2023 15:32

I have had a cleaner. I loved my cleaner, who turned up when I was at work, so I came home to a lovely house, but since hybrid working, I hate being home when the cleaner is here.

I have replaced her with an IRobot mop and vacuum, and reduced the number of bathrooms

WildFlowerBees · 03/09/2023 15:41

We have a lovely lady who's been with us for years, I'd sell a kidney before letting her go. She is brilliant and we treat her like family. Our house is fairly tidy but I do run round making sure she can clean. She's our house fairy and we love her!

hugebiggin · 03/09/2023 15:43

We don’t have one because I only work part time and it would feel a bit ridiculous to have one even though I am not interested in cleaning whatsoever.

Also because we are so messy that having to tidy for the cleaner would be traumatic.

hugebiggin · 03/09/2023 15:46

Someone saying it costs them much less than they earn per hour - that’s a consideration for me too. For me I’d probably be paying someone the same as I earn per hour and that’s when I wonder is it worth it.

nokidshere · 03/09/2023 15:46

I enjoy the process of tidying before our cleaner comes on Friday morning. It means there's never more than a weeks worth of 'stuff' lying about and my two boys always knew that they had to tidy up on Thursday evenings.

SleepingisanArt · 03/09/2023 15:46

We used to. We found that the charge was increasing whilst the quality of the clean decreased. We used a local company, supposed to be the same cleaner each time - it wasn't. They were due to start at 12, would rock up at 11:30 and be gone by 1, still charging for 2 hours though. I do a better job of it so cleaner is no more. I clean when I feel like it and can either do a quick whip around or a deeper clean....

monpetitlapin · 03/09/2023 15:49

Because I don't need a cleaner. Cleaning is easy and a relatively small task. I need a professional tidier, but that's not a job so.... 😅

Aquamarine1029 · 03/09/2023 15:49

My husband and I can afford a cleaner, but unless we needed one because of physical disability, we'd never have one. We both enjoy keeping our house clean, and neither of us want someone we don't know in our home unless necessary.

BellaJuno · 03/09/2023 15:51

I know I would clean before a cleaner arrived so it would just make it a regular chore for me when at the moment, I do the housework sporadically during the week. I would like to have a cleaner do a deep clean for me a couple of times a year, to do the stuff I don’t do regularly (cleaning windows / moving furniture to vacuum behind it / woodwork throughout the house etc)

Original poster

Allyouneedislunch · 03/09/2023 15:53

monpetitlapin · 03/09/2023 15:49

Because I don't need a cleaner. Cleaning is easy and a relatively small task. I need a professional tidier, but that's not a job so.... 😅

Yes! That’s the gap in the market! I need a crap sorter-outer 😃

OP posts:

Original poster

Allyouneedislunch · 03/09/2023 15:55

melj1213 · 03/09/2023 13:20

Simple answer is that while I could afford one I don't need one.

I share custody of DD with ExDH so she spends every other week at his house, so two weeks out of four there's only me at home which is a small two bed flat. Whilst it would be nice to not have to do the cleaning after a full 10hr day at work I would not be able to justify getting a cleaner to clean up after me when it takes just 20 minutes every day to keep things maintained.

Because we only live in a small flat I can focus extra time on each room once a week - my room, DDs room, bathroom, kitchen, hall, living room - and keep on top of the daily maintenance cleaning even if I only spend 20 minutes cleaning a day.

So on a "normal day" I will give the kitchen sides a wipe down as I'm cooking and do the washing up after dinner but on "kitchen day" I will spend 20-30 minutes doing that as well as wiping down all the appliances/oven/hob, mopping the floor, cleaning the sink etc; each day I make the bed and open the curtains but on "bedroom day" I change the sheets, hoover, dust, have a general tidy round etc but it rarely takes more than half an hour due to the size of the place and the fact we keep things generally tidy etc

Twice a year I book a day into my diary to do a proper deep clean - moving furniture to hoover underneath, washing windows, dusting skirting boards etc - where the flat is scrubbed and tidied in it's entirety top to bottom, but on a weekly basis there's maybe an hour's worth of cleaning to be done so it's really not worth me paying someone to do it for me when I can just take a few minutes a day to do it myself.

I like your idea of apportioning time to each room as sometimes it’s just too overwhelming…

OP posts:

Testina · 03/09/2023 15:57

I can afford one but I’m perfectly capable of keeping my house clean myself, and there’s plenty of things I’d rather spend the money on 🤷🏻‍♀️

SophiaElise · 03/09/2023 15:57

I've always had a cleaner. I cut mine down to fortnightly as I clean as I go along and realised there wasn't enough for her to do weekly. I'm considering letting her go tbh as she always leaves early (from my ring doorbell as she cleans when I'm at work).

Some of my friends have their cleaners iron for them, but I prefer to do my own laundry and ironing. My house is very uncluttered so relatively easy to clean.

OhamIreally · 03/09/2023 16:11

BrightLightTonight · 03/09/2023 15:32

I have had a cleaner. I loved my cleaner, who turned up when I was at work, so I came home to a lovely house, but since hybrid working, I hate being home when the cleaner is here.

I have replaced her with an IRobot mop and vacuum, and reduced the number of bathrooms

This is my situation as well except I only ever had one bathroom