To want a cleaner that will pick my clothes up off the floor?

[Zamphina]

Dp and I work very long hours during the week. We’re out of the house 9-10 minimum. We eat dinner in the office. When we get home we’re exhausted and just want to sleep. So often the kitchen has our breakfast stuff. We’ve left clothes on the floor. There might be sunday’s dishes on the table. The laundry has been left out drying.

We earn an OK salary and have a tiny flat to save money, so a cleaner coming 2-3 times a week for two hours a time won’t be an issue.

But obviously I’m slightly embarrassed for someone to see my home in such a mess. Are there any cleaners who will sort all of this? Pick up the clothes, put them on to wash, load the dishwasher, and clean the bathroom etc?

I suspect this couple is hardworking. stressed, exhausted, and possibly struggles with the daily details of life management due to using up their energy managing what sounds like a very busy life. They sound a bit burnt out and would rather use £££ to improve things at this stage in their life. If they can find a suitable housekeeper, they are the ones paying the going rate for what sounds like a pretty pricey service, so sounds reasonable to me.

I do have to wonder if this is how life is now at £120k combined and their aiming to be on £300k combined... life will surely be even more stressful, exhausting if you are then potentially each earning £150k. How much more can be outsourced at that point if you already have someone doing pretty much everything short of feeding you, driving you and managing your diary.

Things can get easier. More senior, you're more in control of your diary. You are more experienced so can prioritise better. You have learnt a lot so are not slowed down so much by being in learning mode. You can get into a better company with better flexibility. Me and my husband didn't push on as far as we could but are doing much better at middle management from a work life balance perspective than we did when we were younger and more junior. We were also studying additional qualifications at the time, etc.

I am judging the OP and her dh equally, @saffy2 - they are both dumping their dirty clothes on the floor.

How difficult is it for any, relatively fit/healthy grown adult to drop their dirty clothes into a washing basket instead of dropping them on the floor? Children manage it!

ahh people like this live among us. All I read from your post was just excuses. It’s not hard to wash up after yourself especially if it’s just a few dishes. Don’t leave clothes on the floor and then you don’t have a problem. It sounds like you’re just both incredibly irresponsible and lazy but sure, throw money away asking someone to do the bare minimum adults usually do 😂

No- you are wrong. There are ‘cleaners’ who, if time that part of the job will also be doing other household tasks, would do it. No one is forcing a cleaner to do it.
if the cleaner doesn’t want to do dishes and pick clothes off the floor they won’t take the job. If they don’t mind more of house keeper roll- they will.
Job spec and all that jazz
it’s hardly slave labour.

Nobody should EXPECT a cleaner to do it. Takes 2 seconds to do yourself. Downtown Abbey much? Maybe they could come early in the morning and dress OP too so she doesn't strain herself.

😆

Soon they will need someone to feed them at their desks because they don't have the time to do it themselves.

Maybe they will have to switch to adult diapers too because they won't have time to go to the toilet
😂

Th op doesn’t expect a cleaner to do it. She wants to find someone who is happy to do it. There is a difference. You ask. You say ‘ these are the jobs I need.’ It is up to the other person whether they want to do them. How is that concept so hard?

She specifically asked for a cleaner who would pick her dirty clothes off the floor.

Exactly - and there will be cleaners who are happy to do this. Equally there will be ones who aren’t. So the ones that are happy would do it and the ones that aren’t wouldn’t take the job. No one is being press ganged.

Dress it up how you like. It’s slovenly laziness. You can can employ anyone to do just about anything in the current climate. Flinging your dirty clothes clothes on the floor for the paid help to pick up is classless and nasty.

It’s not 9-10 hours. It’s closer to 13-15 hours

I’d just advertise and ask upfront. I’m pretty sure you’ll find someone less judgemental than the people who have been commenting here. I work long hours in a physically exhausting job and I know how it can be. I have three teens to add into that mix too. Just find the right person for you guys and pay them well. Good luck.

Honestly, a laundry basket and a dishwasher (or a dish drawer, if space is an issue) will be two very simple and affordable game-changers for the OP.

They are both simple repositories for dirty stuff that get that stuff off surfaces and instantly make a place look at least tidier, if not cleaner.

It’s no effort to drop clothes in a small laundry basket, and as I said upthread, it’s easier and less work to collect them from the laundry basket, than it is to pick them up off the floor.

And a dish drawer means things can just be dumped in there after eating and turned on when full.

I know a lot of people in the UK don’t seem to have dishwashers / dish drawers, but they’re the norm in the rest of the civilised world. And on a joint salary of £120K, easily affordable.

I agree with pp that say the OP so sounds young and is figuring stuff out. Hopefully these are constructive ideas to make life easier. I realise a laundry basket has been suggested countless times, but just really trying to hammer home suggestions that will actually be less effort for her than just dumping stuff where she stands.

And then you can get a cleaner in who can get on with the business of cleaning, which is far better value for money.

And the OP herself says she’s be embarrassed about someone having to do the tidying.

You don't want a cleaner, you want a work/life balance. Unless you're just chasing money.

I'd be sad if i didn't see my husband because he was out 6.45 - 10. When do you have a life??
I'm not saying it meanly, it's meant nicely. When do you see each other or have time to share the home you're building with family etc.

Is anyone really 'happy' to pick up someone's dirty underwear.

All these people protesting as if they don't possibly know what it's like to have demanding, long hours in positions of responsibility and have to put your own pants in a laundry basket as well, well yes some of us do and we manage it as it is not exactly time consuming!

They’re playing the long game - it won’t be like this forever. In time, they’ll be very comfortable financially, and have a better work / life balance.

It might not be everyone’s choice, but it’s a perfectly valid and sensible one.

Yes cleaners will do that - but ask them in advance. Some want to only clean (so need it fairly tidy), others are happy to tidy and clean. Provided you are clear from the start it shouldn't be a problem.

Our cleaner has a clear run through our house which is super tidy apart from my son's room but she's fine with it and just tidies and clears up first. The whole would be a bit much though, but if it's small place I don't see the issue.

Ah, this is interesting! There’s a phenomenon whose name I’ve forgotten where introducing a fine for something actually makes people do it more.

I think the original story was a nursery that was having issues with people picking up their kids after closing time, so they introduced a fine to discourage people from doing it. What actually happened was that people then felt that they weren’t inconveniencing the staff any more, they were simply paying for an extra service. Late pick-ups increased dramatically - it became a transactional issue rather than a moral one.

What I don’t know is whether the usual offenders starting picking their kids up late more often, or whether more people started doing it…

Not everyone wants the same things.

milkywinterdisorder
That's shocking, but on reflection not surprising.
If you remember the name of the phenomenon then I'd like to know more.

I remember at university an acquaintance taking out books and keeping at least one popular book that was on short loan for a long time after it was recalled because they'd just pay the fine. They had no sense that other students would equally need the book and that's why the recall system was in place. A day or two late whilst working on an assignment I could understand, but accepting a large fine because you'd rather hog a book for a long period of time is an entitlement and attitude problem. There was no consideration that other students might need the book. The solution was to chuck money at the situation as if that somehow made the behaviour acceptable.

I am not going to slate you like everyone else has….because SAME..!!

I’m not lazy, I have ADHD and issues with executive function. I often feel overwhelmed and dive from task to task for hours and the result is that only half the jobs are half done. I do the washing and drying but then it sits in baskets for weeks because I can’t bring myself to put it away. It doesn’t help with having kids who are like the Tasmanian devil 🫠

I have often thought of getting a housekeeper, but I would be utterly mortified.

I feel your pain..!!

Just get a laundry basket 🙄