Do any of you pay for a house cleaner?

[rennigade]

how do you know what she does all day? and just because a spouse does not have an outside paying job, all chores should not just automatically be dumped on her/him. Marriage is a partnership

Couldnt agree more...which is why the person who is home all day should step up their game so the person who has to drive to work doesnt have to come home to it. Its not a gender specific role.

When my wife drives home from DC every single week she comes home to a clean house and food ready to eat. She takes care of the laundry on her work at home days. Food is then ready when I get home. Not really a big deal...its not difficult to accomplish such simple tasks.

[FLA]

but they both hate these tasks and seem to have the money to hire help. Why should she be stuck doing tasks she truly hates just because she's the one who happens to be at home? She could be working on string theory for all we know. I doubt she's lounging around eating bon bons.

[disneysteve]

Folks, can we get back to the question. If you have experience hiring a cleaning service, please share your experiences and tips. I didn't start the thread to debate whether or not we (or anyone) should hire one.

[rennigade]

If you have the money...go for it. I had one friend who was rich and had a cleaning service. Another couple used a cleaning service and they were living paycheck to paycheck. Both would have someone come by once every other week and clean. Their first cleaning was more expensive for some reason...guess they had to go over everything head to toe...then the cleanings after were basically to maintain.

I wouldnt personally want someone going through my house to clean...but if I did I would put out bait for them...meaning I would stick some change somewhere and know the amount...some other random valuables or money elsewhere, etc etc...and I would check after they were done cleaning if the items were still there. If not...they're done obviously.

[Gailete]

If you have the money...go for it. I had one friend who was rich and had a cleaning service. Another couple used a cleaning service and they were living paycheck to paycheck. Both would have someone come by once every other week and clean. Their first cleaning was more expensive for some reason...guess they had to go over everything head to toe...then the cleanings after were basically to maintain.

I wouldnt personally want someone going through my house to clean...but if I did I would put out bait for them...meaning I would stick some change somewhere and know the amount...some other random valuables or money elsewhere, etc etc...and I would check after they were done cleaning if the items were still there. If not...they're done obviously.

So glad for my cleaning lady. I could tuck away $1000 in small bills and never think for a minute that she would take one of them. I have always trusted these ladies and they trust me as well. We are the paycheck to paycheck sort of people. I gave up getting hair cuts and other things to help afford her because I needed her. I have done ALL the housework my entire adult life. But if you get to the point that you physically can't, then you can't.

[rennigade]

But if you get to the point that you physically can't, then you can't.

Absolutely. If your body no longer allows it then by all means...hire someone.

[FLA]

For me, keeping large amts of cash on hand in $100 bills in an envelope system helps me save faster for my emergency fund, vacations, tuition for the kids, whatever. If I see it in my hand in hundos, I save it. Well, I lost the key to my safe, I had it opened but never bought a new, lockable safe. It is in clear view in my closet. Never once has any money gone missing.

I leave smaller amts that I'm saving up to put in the safe in my nightstand drawer, again never touched. Left a twenty on the dresser just to see if she was trustworthy. Nothing, she never took anything.

I was hesitant to go with someone who just came recommended to me, who didn't come from a company and was bonded but I trust her with anything. The first few months, we stayed home while she cleaned, after a while we made it a tradition that we would go cook for the grandparents on that night. Nothing like walking into a just cleaned home and not having to have seen how it got that way. She makes the beds so tight, it's like coming home to a hotel.

When my parents hired her, she became a family friend because my mom befriends everybody. We do stuff with her, have her and her husband over for dinner, invite her to parties. She actually became my mom's home health aide over the past year. Sometimes I think we've gone too far with the boundaries (she always kisses me goodbye and says she loves me, every text: I love you, it's a bit much, lol) but we'll never find anyone else like her so I keep my mouth shut.

I hope you find somebody great.

[TexasHusker]

Having someone who speaks fluent English would be a non-negotiable condition if we hire someone. I don't care what race or ethnicity or nationality they are but they must speak English. I'm not inviting someone into our home who I can't communicate with.

Thanks for the responses so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5clTGfXLMYA

[chestynuts]

On my part, I don't rely on a house cleaner. I find it risky and an additional expense. My family does it. It's convenient to relocate things if we do the decluttering too.

[bjl584]

I do not.

I also do all of my own yard work.

However, I can see a day in the future when I decide to pay other people to start doing those tasks for me.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

get a referral from friends. Then test them out and see if you like what they do and charge. That's what we did since we recently switched. Anyone we've ever used has been cleaning neighbors houses. That way if they were to steal something we'd tell the people who referred us. Never happened.

And no we don't have an english speaker either. But texting now seems to work great. Today I sit at starbucks as my cleaner is doing our house and I just finished dropping kids. Now off to get errands done on my day off.

I could clean but here's another tip and experience having someone come in keep you more honest. Night or day before when you pick up you throw away a lot more stuff because you don't want to hassle with putting it away.

I will caution that once you start it's hard to stop.

[myrdale]

I have never had any experience in this field. I did have a class mate in high school who's parents had a maid come in a couple of times a week. Laundry and cleaning from what I understood. They loved it.

My mother has worked as a sitter before to help with an elderly gentleman's wife. She would help with some light house work, but was more there to help turn the lady every few hours and help with hygiene stuff. He had money stolen from the previous lady who was helping him before my mothera.

Despite my paranoia I don't leave cash laying around the house. Cash or jewelry or personal papers I'd keep put up. Even if they would never steal, leaving cash just laying out is a poor idea in my opinion.

Just be careful about who you bring in and it should work out well for you.

[TexasHusker]

I do not.

I also do all of my own yard work.

However, I can see a day in the future when I decide to pay other people to start doing those tasks for me.

I used to change my own oil. Crawling around in 90 degree heat, hot oil burning my hand, screwing up the threading on the oil pan, wrestling off the oil filter, washed my hands for the next two days.

Then I had this bright idea to pay WalMart 20 bucks to do it.

[scfr]

cleaning the house is something we both just suck at.

My mom uses a cleaning service. Be aware that many cleaning services will want things tidied up (decluttered) before they come in to clean. Mom is one who often has to make room in her schedule to "get things ready for the housekeepers to come in."

If you are open to learning how to get better at cleaning, Jeff Campbell's "Speed Cleaning" book is a classic all-in-one teaching tool.

[Gailete]

I have read about people that clean their house before the cleaning person gets there and I had no clue why people would do that. Now I know!