'Clean your own house'

[LovelyTheresa]

This is just something that bugs me about this site. Every time there is a thread about the etiquette of employing a housecleaner, whatever the question is, someone invariably says 'clean your own house'. Why is that? It is so utterly bizarre, nobody would say 'do your own plumbing' 'do your own plastering' or even 'do your own garden' so why is it seen as so odd to have a cleaner!? I have a cleaner, everyone I know has a cleaner. It is only on this site that that is seen as out of the ordinary.

First comment nailed it!

Well, individuals will discuss with their cleaner what is achievable in the time, and what to prioritise. I have a big, ramshackle, half-renovated house and a cleaner for three hours a week, but I just ask her to concentrate on the kitchen and bathrooms, and mop and dust downstairs, where all the floors are wood or tiles. Less often I will ask her to concentrate on the bedrooms. She never goes into either study.

I’d love a cleaner but my house is a tidier version of an episode of ‘Sort your life out’ so a cleaner wouldn’t be able to do their job properly. We’re slowly making our way through it and have got it down to just two areas that need the most help now.

The kid’s rooms are always tidy and the bathroom and the main kitchen area are too but there’s piles of crap dotted around that need sorting and there’s lots of unfinished DIY jobs that need finishing.

Sometimes my mum does a clean up for me if she’s watching the kids while I take one of them to a hospital appointment (frequent appts). It is so wonderful to walk into a freshly cleaned space, I could cry with relief when she does that for us. So I totally understand why people get a cleaner, like I say, I’d love one. It would be a huge weight lifted from a stressful life.

I know of one person with a cleaner BUT I don’t know anyone that goes around shouting ‘hey I have a cleaner!’ And it’s not something I ask people, for all I know, many of my friends could have cleaners.

If it helps someone out in life to have a cleaner, why not? It would be a blessing for me but I’d be far too embarrassed to have someone in my house as it currently stands.
Like a pp said, as long as they are treated respectfully and paid well for what is a tough job I don’t see an issue.

I have a cleaner. For a couple of years, I even had a male cleaner.

When I first started using a cleaning service, I did feel like I was outsourcing my drudgery. Now I see it as just being part of the economy. I can afford it, and by paying someone else to do it, I am providing a work opportunity as well as making my life a bit easier. I am not forcing anyone into slavery.

I envy people with cleaners, but I only earn minimum wage and do have time to do my own
If I was out the house all the hours and earning the mumsnet six figures I'd definitely look into it then ! I guess that many career people hive off all the jobs like gardening / cleaning etc etc
Must make life easier

When I worked very full time, with 3 boys and a large garden, I had a cleaner and it was such a blessing. Although it caused arguments the day before with the boys as I insisted they tidied their room so the cleaner could actually clean. For me, it is a sign of respect to not expect a cleaner to pick up their dirty underwear and chocolate wrappers, etc.

No cleaner now on regular basis- but several times a year to do windows and full clean before visitors, etc.

I've had more male cleaners than female, actually -- when we lived in London, we had two consecutive teams of husband and wife cleaners (I think the first two, who were Brazilians, in London for the wife to study, sold the business/passed on their contacts to the second couple), both of whom were lovely people, and efficient and reliable, and ambitious, and while it was sometimes one and sometimes the other who cleaned, we seemed to usually have the husbands, though I saw them only intermittently. .

I suppose, in SOME circumstances, I do see it as lazy. For example, a young couple I knew, worked regular hours but both out at work all day, lived in a flat, I mean how messy can it get? And I don't see how it would take hours to clean. I just didn't see why they needed a cleaner. Logically, I know it was completely their choice and none of my business. But opinions aren't always logical!

But then I am someone who is reluctant to pay anyone to do something I can do myself. I do my own decorating, most of the DIY, basic electrics etc. I could afford to pay, but I also like the satisfaction of doing things myself. The only thing I've paid for in recent years is to have a gas cooker uninstalled, and that's only due to safety and legal requirements. But I did find it galling paying £100 for a job that took 10minutes!

If I had the cash I’d employ a housekeeper, never mind a cleaner. I struggle with house chores, and to be able to outsource that part of my life would be bliss.

You could also argue that if they were out all day they might be knackered after work and not fancy cleaning in their downtime. And even if there isn’t much ‘mess’, kitchens and bathrooms still need a good clean and everything needs a hoover/dust, windows need done etc.

I need a cleaner just for my shower room and kitchen floor. Two cleaning jobs I detest and let slide. I will also have a deep clean cleaner when I have rennovations/decoration in the future.

Downsizing soon. Will be looking for a cleaner. Can’t wait, we can spend some time doing nice things that we want to do.

I WFH FT and have a cleaner every day for 2 hours. It's a big house, I have animals, and I like a clean and tidy home. I can afford it so I see no reason why I should clean my own home when I already work FT and bring in enough money to easily afford it!

Difference is though:

• plumbing is a one off thing. I can’t remember the last time I needed one

• the cleaning needs to happen every week, every day for some jobs. That’s why people outsource it - it’s ’only a few hours’ but on top of full time jobs, that suddenly can be quite a lot go your free time. And for families in particular - if they can afford to do so, it’s nice to spend that time enjoying themselves/ with their kids rather than cleaning and doing laundry

I worked full-time when the children were younger. The best tip ever given by colleagues was to have a cleaner for a couple of hours a week.

This meant I came home Friday with the children with the house, laundry all done and dinner sitting in the slow cooker. And gave me the weekend with my children.

Now they are older and do their bit I book a few hours every month for the bigger jobs. To me it gives me time and that is a priority over other luxuries.

I am only envious of people who can tidy up enough to have a cleaner. And even then not very much. Do excuse me I have some filing to do in the office.

Yeah, it does take up time - that said, my child actually loves getting involved with it, and it's part of the rhythms of our family life. That kind of slow, taking care of our home is a nice balance to scheduled activities and outdoors stuff. I remember doing these things with my mother too.

That's a Mn fallacy, that you need to tidy before a cleaner. I've had cleaners while living in three countries across three decades and have explained in advance of hiring them in each case that they will be coming in to an untidy house, and that they need to gauge timings/what they can realistically get done in the time with that in mind. I show them every time in advance of their first clean what they will be coming into, and say that I understand if that's not their bag. No one has ever turned down the job. Sure they get less done in the time, but that's fine by me. I'm trying to outsource work, not add to it.

I am a cleaner and I have a cleaner.

I hate cleaning but my 'escape to the country' means I clean a holiday cottage and a shepherds hut sometimes 5 times a week. I simply can't be arsed to clean my own house, even though I have time as I finish at 3pm usually.

I can't really afford my cleaner but I just can't stand how dirty the house gets while I sit on the sofa watching A New Life in The Sun, exhausted and bored senseless by all the cleaning I've done.

Are you new to MN? Or just stick to very few areas on here? I've seen recommendations to get a cleaner way more often than "clean your own house".

And as for the PP who said nobody ever comments on men who don't do housework! Only every other thread on AIBU and relationships!

And in my world it is entirely the norm. That's how life is sometimes. Perhaps you know more SAHP families. Perhaps you know more families on lower income. Perhaps you know more who make a different choice to my friends' choices.

The thing is your normal may not be THE normal and neither might mine.

I don't know anyone who doesn't!

Cleaning and gardening could be done by a monkey, so is not comparable to plumbing whatsoever.

Didn't mean to upset you with my comment OP, I just personally don't understand how you can not want to clean you own home. For me, my home is a point of pride for me.

I have a cleaner and so do about half of the people I know.
There's only so much time in a day so why not outsource if you can afford it? I also have a gardener 😂 I am in no way rich but I make sure they are things we afford.

Because cleaning isn’t hard to do yourself, so if you are short of cash it is an easy thing to cut.

If somebody couldn’t afford a new dishwasher I’d suggest they wash up by hand. If somebody couldn’t afford a taxi I’d suggest a bus.

There’s no moral problem with having a cleaner, it’s just an easy expense to reduce if you are short of money, whereas servicing your own boiler is not something most people can do.