Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Flip

Original poster

What should I pay dd for cleaning toilets or ironing?

22 replies

QE2 · 18/03/2006 15:32

What's the going rate?

I have 1 shower room with sink and toilet, one with bath, sink and toilet and a downstairs loo with sink. dd cleaned them all yesterday and did a pretty good job too.

She also did an hour of ironing last night.

Is £4 for the cleaning and another £4 for the ironing about right would you say? She's 14 and keen to earn a few quid bY doing household chores for me - and let's face it, I am more than keen to pay her a few quid rather than do it myself!! Any suggestions would be welcome.

OP posts:

Carmenere · 18/03/2006 15:33

I'd get her to do the washing up tonight and give her a tenner. She sounds very useful btw, I can barely get dss 17 to do anything.

CarolinaMoon · 18/03/2006 15:35

do you get paid for doing the chores QE2?

I really don't get why teenagers should be paid for helping around the house (after all, they help create the muck).

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 18/03/2006 15:38

My kids won't be paid either. I was expected to help around the house when I was a teenager - and did quite happily.

Airy · 18/03/2006 15:41

I wouldn't pay for help with cleaning, I was expected to help with this as a teenager it wasn't a paid job. But my mum used to pay me to do the ironing and washing I think that's fair if she's doing everyone's clothes and not just her own.

Original poster

QE2 · 18/03/2006 15:44

My kids do have chores for which I don't give, and they don't expect payment. eg on a Friday night, ds1 aged 12, ds2 aged 10 and dd are expected to strip and changed their bed linen, hoover and polish their rooms and keep them tidy throughout the week. Between them they also are expected to wash up after dinner, load/unload the dishwasher, sweep the floor, empty the bins, wipe the table and sort out the recycling every night after dinner.

Over and above this for chores such as cleaning loos, ironing and washing the cars, I will pay them for if they want to earn pocket money. They don't receive any other form of pocket money btw.

OP posts:

fastasleep · 18/03/2006 15:45

Yeh but the girl deserves to be paid, just for lving in a house with five males I reckon!!!

(Got to stop clicking on your threads QE2 I didn't know this was you, obviously psychicly drawn to you today pmsl)

I was absolutely useless as a teenager, I think they need some encouragement (I would also rather pay someone 8 quid to clean my loo and do the ironing than do it myself!) sounds about right to me!!!

fastasleep · 18/03/2006 15:45

(I'm beginning to want 5 kids to do the cleaning for me...)

Original poster

QE2 · 18/03/2006 15:46

These extra chores are a recent thing btw as dd wants to save up to go out with her mates. I don't expect to just hand over 10 quid when they haven't made an effort to earn it. What would that teach them?

OP posts:

fastasleep · 18/03/2006 15:48

I wonder if I could pay DH! Oh I have ideas already!

Carmenere · 18/03/2006 15:49

Whilst I agree she should do a certain amount of housework as a matter of course I do believe that enterprise should be rewarded.

Londoner · 18/03/2006 15:59

Hi QE2, wow I'm impressed. Think what you've established here sounds amazing! Perhaps instead of getting involved in costing jobs you could say you'd like to give her £8 for doing all that extra hard work? I think that sounds a fair amount for her to go out on with friends, if you can spare it, yes. Am trying to get mine to help around the house more at the moment and am inspired by how you manage your lot.

Original poster

QE2 · 18/03/2006 16:09

Cheers Londoner

Believe me it's a long hard slog sometimes when one or other of them moans about the particular chore they have that night. ds1 always thinks everyone else's chore is easier than his; ds2 always "forgets" he has a chore to do and needs reminding! dd is not immune either - she often disappears to watch mtv and then makes out she was waiting for everyone else to get out of the way before she starts her chore!

I don't think I have one night where one or other of them doesn't moan. Which is fine as then I start talking consequences............!

OP posts:

Tortington · 18/03/2006 16:29

i save the loo for punishments and mine always do their own ironing.

i do pay for cleaning my car though. as its mainly me who uses it - allthe crap inside is all mine. therefore deserves payment.

i think if she was doing other peoles ironing i would give a couple of quid

Original poster

QE2 · 18/03/2006 16:34

hmmm, custy I would be a bit wary of using that as a punishment. If ds1 was in one of his stroppy sulks complete with his usual smacked arse look, then I would be chucking out his bleach stained clothes and mopping up tons of water from the floors. Wouldn't trrust him to be let loose with a bottle of bleach when he's in one of those moods tbh.

Can't believe I am in the minority for rewarding my kids for a bit of hard work, over and above their expected unpaid chores. Are those who disagree with me saying that I should just hand over a tenner every time dd wants to go shopping with her mates? Surely not?!

OP posts:

Tortington · 18/03/2006 16:43

no absolutley not. what ever works for you.

today for instance - my dd wanted a lift to her friends house - i said she could walk - she did the bottom lip thing - i told her to tidy the bathroom and i would give her a lift! so she did

Original poster

QE2 · 18/03/2006 16:48

So, same principle really. Kid wants something = kid does something to warrant reward. Whether that reward is a lift or a bit cash chucked their way - everyone is happy! I don't believe in something for nothing.

Going on what QoQ replied (to my post), she would tell you that your dd should have tidied the bathroom regardless and not expected a reward for it - or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

OP posts:

Original poster

QE2 · 18/03/2006 16:49

And CarolinaMoon for that matter

OP posts:

Tortington · 18/03/2006 17:15

think there are everyday things they just should do - like wash their own plate, tidy the up generally - in my house i mean. but if they want something - like money for going out with friends then i would get them to do something i really didnt want to.

this varies. sometimes it can be the promsie of putting one lot of washing in each night for a week or something.

i think theres a middle ground

ThePrisoner · 18/03/2006 19:17

When my dds were younger, I used to give cash as payment for horrible jobs (cleaning the bathroom, ironing etc.) that I hate doing.

Previous to that type of direct payment, we had a chart with a list of jobs on it (including emptying dishwasher, ironing and anything else we could think of), and they would get a tick for each job that they did. When they reached a certain number of ticks, they'd get a set amount of cash. They used to compete as to who could get the most ticks!

gomez · 18/03/2006 19:21

I would give a tenner QE2 - sounds like a grand plan to me and I think psychologically a tenner would persuade her it was worth while and she would do it again!

CarolinaMoon · 19/03/2006 10:20

aaah, didn't realise how much they all did already.

Fair enough to pay if she's doing a bit extra and doesn't have any other source of income .

mumeeee · 20/03/2006 21:39

My 16 year clens the bathroom on ara rota with the rest of the family so she doesn't get paid for this. She does ironing as an extra chore and I paty her 25p per item so sh usually gets about £3 for an hours ironing. She doesn't get paid for ironing her own clothes expect for her school uniform

Flip