To want a cleaner during Holidays?

[LoveMyGirls]

I'm a childminder and I currently have 7 children booked in for the majority of the time over the holidays I don't mind doing the cleaning myself if the hols are for a week but 2 or more and I'd like a cleaner tbh.

Dp has said yes to the cleaner coming during summer hols because it's a long holiday and we're getting married just after so a bit of extra help will be needed but I've suggested the cleaner do a trial run at the end of easter hols (2 week holiday) and dp has said no, AIBU?

Oh God LMG, I have a cleaner EVERY week, well let me be honest, didn't have a cleaner for 3 months, as old one left, we moved house, new cleaner could start straight away, BUT SHE DID FIRST DAY YESATERDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 hours a week, bathrooms, kitchen hoovers all the bedrooms, hallway, playroom, lounge, gets things like cobwebs and like and saves my sanity.

When I said I don't mind doing the cleaning I lied......I like it when the house is clean but I'd rather spend my time on something else but I know finances are tight due to the wedding.

Can I put the fee's through my books shoshe?

Any tips on what to ask when the cleaner comes next week btw?

yes I put mine through my books.

Are you getting her by word of mouth? or agency?

i had a list of things I wanted doing laminated it and tick what I want doing in particular that week, (she doesn't do everything every week)

used it with my old cleaner who was fab, but after a few weeks she had a routine going that she knew what needed doing that week IYNWIM

YANBU in wanting a cleaner, but maybe YABU to have one if money is a bit tight due to the wedding? Wouldn't having the extra kids cover the cost though? Or is that also needed for the wedding??

'Any tips on what to ask' - absolutely none. Have had lots of different cleaners (of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds etc) and have run a house cleaning company, and it's all down to a 'trial period'... and it helps to make sure the house is stocked with all manner of cleaning products

We now have a lovely cleaner whose name I am keeping a highly guarded secret and she is a real treasure. However, there are always things you do better differently yourself! (likewise there are lots of things she does better!!).

Money........Dp is possibly going to get a pay cut which would not help our finances and the type of job I have is unpredictable BUT for the moment I think I am earning enough and have enough children on my books to warrant having a cleaner, I'm currently looking after (inc my own 2 dd's) 3 full time under 5's and 2 after schoolers 3 days and 3 after schoolers 2 days on a normal week - I'm not asking for a cleaner on a normal week, though if it were not for the wedding then i might have done tbh.

During Hols I will (hopefully if all stays as it is) have 3 under 5yrs, 2 under 8 and 2 or 3 over 8 from 8.30 to between 3 and 6pm plus the wedding to sort at weekends so I think I'm justified spending £20 a week on getting some help with the cleaning and yes I think the money I earn should pay for it, the parents will expect high standards of cleanliness as it usually is and I don't want my wedding to affect the standards they are used to or stress myself out or over work myself so I'm too tired to enjoy my job or enjoy my wedding.

I think cost of my sanity is a higher price to pay than the £££ (im right aren't i? )

Simply it is one less thing to worry about

£20 a week to keep the house clean is a small price to pay!! Wedding or no wedding, 1 child or 10, £20 a week.... she'd be here every week - it's good for you and good for the cleaner and TBH £20 a week isn't going to make that much difference to a wedding budget unless you are on an uber tight budget.

So... yes you are right

Cleaner is coming tomorrow to give me a quote and have a chat.........has anyone got any more idea's on what I should ask her to do etc?

Hi I have a cleaner (always have done)- 3 hours per week she is great, yes she does things 'differently' to me but it isnt her house, takes me 1 1/2 hours to clean 2 bathrooms each week takes her 1/2 an hour to do them- she is nimble!
My cleaner does 2 bathrooms, downstairs cloakroom, kitchen , 2 x lounges , hoovers down the stairs & irons (all in 3 hours) if she runs out of time she does less ironing. The first time she came I showed her round & indicated how I like things done & what products to use, to be fair she totally ignored me & used whatever we had in & also requested us to buy some other products which is fine. You have to be open minded, I would rather she turned up & did things her way than was unreliable- especially as we have our first child due in June, I know she will let herself in & do what she can which will be a godsend for me & dh!
Make a list of what you think is reasonable in the time available & show her how you like things done.
Oh - & look after her at christmas

LMG i have a cleaner (i'm a cm too) would be lost without her
imo i do 55hrs per week at work and said to dh pretend i work away from the home as parents dont pay me to clean (may put the odd wash load on MAY!!!) i have enough paperwork to do without cleaning too

my cleaner and i decided that as my house has 8 rooms she would do one room per wk really really well ie skirtings, picture rails etc and the rest a dust and hoover over so each room gets a really good clean every 8 wks, it works well

Given you are using your home as a business I'd be asking about what products you/she use - our very lovely cleaner doesn't use any "nasties" to make sure there's nothing the dc would be allergic to.

Thanks

Tbh I am starting to feel that a cleaner would be a wise long term solution but i feel like I'm wasting our money/ can't afford it etc even though I know I would be happier and less stressed during my time off if we had a cleaner, I will often spend hours deep cleaning the house at weekends or doing paperwork and now I'm planning the wedding I'm trying to fit it all in meaning that I don't have much time to relax or take my dc's out at the weekends which is making me unhappy but I do know we don't have money to burn at the moment and it's not like dp does nothing to help round the house and we have just brought a dishwasher as ours broke before christmas which was a real pain tbh.

juicy - hate to admit it but thats so true about christmas. i have an amazing family that gave me £80 at xmas and one that gave me a £2 box of choc.

although not just down to that but i work much harder for the nice lady.

OP - im a cleaner and will give you some tips but have to go on school run will reply back later.

Make sure that if the cleaner is not English, she understand what is in all the bottles of cleaning products.

Tell her what to use where. Also, if you have mindees, they may react to furniture polishes, so I always asked my cleaners to only ever dust with a moist cloth that she rinsed under running water ever so often. Otherwise, she would use Cif or Flash everywhere and the house would stink and my kids cough and splutter.

Also be wary of the cleaner who wants to use bleach everywhere....

Well she was due to turn up at 1.30pm and hasn't turned up so back to the drawing board..........

how did it go - did she come?