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House Cleaners
I have always been against getting a house cleaner for a few reasons.
A) My ex had one, and he said that the lady didn't like him and would throw out his adult magazines. I just don't like the idea of someone throwing things out just because they don't agree with them
I am afraid they will put things were they don't belong.
C) I am the manager at the motel in town, so a lot of house cleaners in the area have either worked for me, or applied for a job. I don't want anyone I have turned down, or have worked for me. I am also afraid they will ask me for a job, or DH for a job.
D) I feel like a failure using someone else.
DH wants us to look into getting someone when I go back to work. I plan to go back for 32-40 hours (maybe more some weeks), and having A now means I have less time for cleaning.
Do any of you have a house cleaner? How did you go about hiring them? How often do they come? What do they clean? If you don't mind answering, what do you pay them roughly?
I guess with Xmas this weekend, we are having DH's mom, grandma and grandma's FI I am overwhelmed trying to finish up the wrapping of presents, cleaning plus making lunch ahead of time for them. Any info would be helpful. TIA
Re: House Cleaners
I've never had a house cleaner and with a one bedroom condo, I'd be pretty lazy if I couldn't take care of it myself.
I'm not totally against it though for the future with a bigger house as long as we have enough extra funds to cover it.
A really good friend of mine has been cleaning houses for years and she gets most of her business by word of mouth. Another friend recently hired her to clean her place starting next year. She charges between $75-$125 per visit, depending on how big your house is and what all is done. My friend lives in a townhouse (2 floors + finished basement), but the cleaning friend will only be doing the two main floors, so she is charging $75.
Apparently she comes for a walk-through first to go over all the details with the home owner before being hired/accepting a job. I think she cleans pretty much everything, but I'm not sure about laundry. I'm sure she adjusts her fee based on what you want done.
I think if you're really interested, ask around for recommendations rather than hiring a complete stranger. The walk-through is a great idea because you can go over every last detail and even work out a contract if that's something you'd like.
HTH!
We have a house cleaner. We have had them for about 2 1/2 years. What I like is that they take care of the dusting, floors, bathrooms. They also clean the ceiling fans, baseboards, etc. They do not do any wash including sheets. They will put clean sheets on the bed if I leave them out, but most of the time they just make the beds. They come every two weeks, and it costs us approx. $115.
Honestly, now we wonder how we did it all before we hired them. I work anywhere from 40-60 hours a week and have 3 young stepchildren - they are with us every other weekend, so I was spending my free weekends cleaning. DH does help out, and we do have to vacuum, clean the kitchen, laundry, etc in between cleanings. We also "pick up" before they come.
The downside is - things get broken. They do go work, but they work quickly, which means accidents happen. They have always paid to replace things that have broken, and luckily, it has not been anything that can't be replaced. Usually, a picture frame or something like that.
Overall, it has been a good experience for us.
Wow, sorry this is so long.
We've had a housekeeper on and off for five years. First of all, do not feel like a failure. Seriously. You are a working mum. End of discussion. If you feel overwhelmed, get help. Your sanity is worth more than you'll ever pay a housekeeper and anyone that looks down on you for it is an idiot. Just my humble opinion...
We found our old housekeeper through family in the city. She was a lifesaver when I was in school and working full time. She got pregnant and left us after I graduated, but I feel like I owe part of my degree to her. She kept me sane and focused, and Alex was just happy that things were tidy-- he didn't care who was responsible for it. We now employ her neice and she is a sweetheart. I love this gal, but I miss our old one. I once came home to her standing on a ladder vacuuming our chandelier. She was a keeper.
As for practical stuff, I'm neurotic, so I like everything cleaned on a weekly basis. She comes every Tuesday for the day and does all the laundry, tidying, cleaning, organizing, grocery shopping and food prep. We pay her $20 an hour, which usually means anywhere from $100-$160 a week depending on how long she stays. I work from home so sometimes I feel guilty that I'm not doing it myself, but at the end of the day, my happiness and sanity are worth the money.
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
I've never employed a housekeeper (would love one though!) but right out of school I lived with my aunt & uncle and they had one. I know the housekeeper only did certain things - cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, mopped, and wiped down the counters - and that was it. My aunt did all the rest.
So if you're nervous maybe you could start off by having her just do the bathrooms and vacuuming and go from there.
{Blog: Adventures of AlaskanAlison}