AIBU to expect that parents keep their children’s pushchairs and prams clean?

[Nevergotdivorced]

Our local FB page had someone posting to see if there was a pram/pushchair cleaning service locally.

To my amazement there is!

£25 a single pram, £35 a double and £50 for a travel system.

AIBU to expect that parents would just keep on top of this?

Exactly, it's not difficult and much more beneficial to clean it daily than wait a week for someone else to do it? That's weird...

No way bitter or that incensed to be judgemental, more an eye roll and sigh of despair at how a quick clean of a pram needs to be outsourced is even a topic. Sorry but it really is a bit ludicrous, ask older family members please. Xx

We used a service like this to deep clean our pram for when our second baby arrived. They did an amazing job. Our 10 year old pram that had been through four babies looked brand new. I definitely did not have the will nor the skill to clean it to that level. Worth every penny.

Well - it doesn’t have to be outsourced, @Allonthesametrain - but equally, if a parent decides it is a good way to spend a bit of money and take a task off the never ending to do list, then surely that’s not such a bad thing?

I had my full travel system professionally cleaned when pregnant with DC2, after it had been in storage from DC1. I felt better knowing it had been steam cleaned to a professional standard for a brand new baby.

Same principles with cars and houses. Some people enjoy housework, or washing cars. For some people they don’t have the time or energy. It’s worth it to them to outsource some of the chores they can’t or won’t do.

I wondered if there was such a thing as golf club cleaning services, and there are. Johnny Cash wrote a song in 1956 about a shoeshine boy. Been going on for centuries OP.

I didn’t know such a service existed! They do get grubby with the amount of snacks.

Such judgement. It’s been a task this evening just to cook dinner while my 2 kids were fighting. Let alone do a deep clean on a pram.

They really aren't hard to clean, it only takes a few minutes. I can understand paying someone to clean your oven, house or car as that is more difficult and takes much longer. Some people have more money than sense is all I can say.

There is always a never ending task list, but personally for me, ensuring the quick wipe down wasn't on a list, it was simply a small chore.

No one said it was hard, but also use your brain.
It’s completely obvious that this is a deep clean service, where the parts of the pram are taken apart, machine washed where possible, frame cleaned and polished and other static parts deep cleaned. Probably between children it because there has been an incident spoiling the pram beyond normal use.

I'm retired. I have a cleaner and a gardener. I employ someone to clean the ovens. I don't do DIY , I hire plumbers, painters, electricians and odd job men to do what needs doing. I have my Christmas tree delivered every year and pay £20 extra for them to set it up. My shopping is delivered to my kitchen. I would love to have someone clean my wheelie bin and pressure wash the terrace but they aren't available locally atm. I have even hired caterers and wait staff for parties.

I don't think I'm lazy. I walk about 5 miles a day. I do exercise classes 4/5 times a week. I volunteer, help out with the GC and have an active social life. But at my age I'm fed up with the humdrum. I have the money to pay people to do the boring stuff and I focus on fun.

It's the trickle down economy. Remember "it is the business of the wealthy man to give employment to the artisan'.

I come from a migrant background. Both my grannies were cleaners. My dad was a taxi driver. My MIL worked in a bingo hall.My FIL was a builder. Mum worked in a bookies. I was a cleaner myself when I was younger. There is no more shame in hiring household than there is in being employed as a household helper.

@Allonthesametrain - if you have to do a chore, it is on the list, surely? By which I don’t mean a written list, but your mental list of things you need to get done. If you can outsource a chore, and give yourself a bit of extra time, and at the same time support a local business, and if you can afford it, I can’t see anything desperately wrong with that - but maybe we will have to agree to disagree.

Cleaning puke, spilled milk or mould is not a simple quick chore though, is it? Last time I cleaned a pram that had been in storage and a bit mouldy took me in total 4 hours over 2 days. I’d have gladly paid someone else to do it.

Well yes for me, sorry, we have to disagree. I just personally find tasks like this are part of daily life, like washing up/dishwasher.

Me and H clean the house, cars etc ourselves, always have. It's really not that hard, well ok it is time consuming but , again, not really that hard.

Yes, we did both work FT and after cooking/bedtime, we did a quick daily clean up. Like with the pram, quick daily clean up, a few minutes avoids a grime build up to need a deep clean.

Yes, also with NDC.

Yes with H working away and me also

Yes it was hard work, but is hard work so bad? Values we were brought on, compared to our DPs and GPs, who really did have it tough.

Use my brain? This brain has managed to get me far in life, though who knows what the future holds?

Keeping prams has been an incredibly rare thing in life observations. Most people chuck them out or sell/give away and buy new for next baby. Sad I know, we've kept ours and never needed someone else to clean it.

It doesn’t need to be outsourced, some people just want to outsource it. There’s a difference.
Anyway, I paid to have mine cleaned in between babies because it had been sitting in the damp, dusty garage for a year. Worth every penny.

I’ve used a pram deep cleaner between babies.
Bin cleaner, oven cleaner, window cleaner, car wash, dog groomer.., I pay people to do these things sure, because although I can do them myself these are people’s jobs and I want them to continue to make a living, meanwhile I can spend more time working because I’m not hosing bins, cars, dogs and windows.

And people complain about the job market. Well, cleaning jobs are AI proof at least.

Just because you have the time, energy, motivation and desire to do all the chores yourself, @Allonthesametrain, doesn’t mean that everyone else is the same as you. They may have less time, more demands on their time, less energy, or simply less desire to do certain chores - that doesn’t make them wrong, or morally inferior.

That's fair enough in that situation, I was thinking it was a case of neglecting upkeep with the intention of having it done with DC still in it!

I don't think anyone's paying that much for a quick wipe down with a damp cloth though...

And has it not occurred that there are many reasons why someone might not be able to give a large buggy/pram a thorough clean - disability - space - equipment - time...

Ah no, YOU don't see the point therefore there must BE no point. Of course.