Hiring cleaning help

vlagrl29 · January 2016

hoffse said:

Update: H got out of his trial a little early yesterday and surprised me by straightening up the house before I got home from class. He knocked a few things off the list I was going to try to get to before the weekend.

I literally sat in the middle of my living room and started to cry because I was so relieved and tired. Poor H - he had no idea what to do.

I think he finally realized how much this has been bothering me. We're going to try to make some time this weekend to develop a house maintenance schedule so that it doesn't pile up through the week, and then we're going to look at our budget to find room for a Roomba and/or help.

aw - I understand. Me being a tad OCD I would be the same way. I'm actually in the process of deep cleaning right now. Finished the first floor on Sunday and I'm starting the 2nd floor today. Then I'm going to declutter and organize drawers. I cried during December because I had a sinus infection most of the month and had no energy to clean - couldn't wait for that xmas tree to come down so I could get back to my schedule. It makes me so happy sadly. When we get hardwoods I want a Roomba.

BlueBirdMB · January 2016

vlagrl29 said:

Mustard76 said:

Mustard76 said:

MIL used to clean houses for a living. When I first graduated college I cleaned with her on my day off from my primary job. She let me take over 2 of her houses and each one paid $100 a visit, every other week. One was about 2000 square feet, the other was probably wabout 1300. One had a dog, one didn't. One lady mandated that her floors be cleaned by hand, so her 1300 sq ft probably took longer than the larger one. I hated doing it, but at 22 and drowning in student loans, I needed the money. I did it for about a year. Now I could never hire cleaning help because H would never, ever trust someone in our house. There isn't a soul alive that has our garage code or a spare key to our house.

Like on your hands and knees? Hell no. That's crazy.

I used to be like your H, but I was forced to get over it when we had our kitchen done. We had a bunch of guys we had never met traipsing through our house, and it was completely fine. Honestly, we don't have much that's valuable anyway outside of our instruments and a couple pieces of jewelry. Like I said, we don't even have a couch yet!

Do you not have a family member with spare keys? Our parents each have a set of keys to our house for a "just in case" kind of thing. They live a couple hours away, but it's come in handy when they have come to visit and we haven't been able to get off work right away to meet them.
Yep. On my hands and knees. It was the PITS. But I get it, when you're paying someone to work, you want what you want. No family or friends have keys or the garage code. No one. H is crazy about trusting people in our home and in his space. He's seen a lot in his line of work, so I kind of understand. But he's nuts. Haha.

I get on my hands and knees and clean my deep clean my floors every 8 weeks

Good I saw that and I do that to my tile every few weeks, but then I was reading all this and thinking "I think I'm an insane neat freak!"

jtmh2012 · January 2016

I'm curious how well the roombas actually work? I've heard they don't go up and down a room like you would with a normal vacuum, but "randomly" bounce all over the place and that you pretty much have to run them daily to have the same effect of normal vacuuming? And what about multiple rooms?

hoffse · January 2016

jtmh2012 said:

I'm curious how well the roombas actually work? I've heard they don't go up and down a room like you would with a normal vacuum, but "randomly" bounce all over the place and that you pretty much have to run them daily to have the same effect of normal vacuuming? And what about multiple rooms?

Yeah, but I think they are programmed so that the "random" pattern actually cleans most everything. I've read that if you watch closely, there is some logic to it.

They obviously aren't as efficient as doing it yourself, but then again... you don't have to do it yourself (as often) if you have one. For me, the appeal is that I could run it while I was at work and come home to floors that aren't quite as bad as when I left. With pets, the hair just gets everywhere, and I always feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. If it takes a couple hours to do a few rooms, NBD. We aren't home to see it.

jtmh2012 · January 2016

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

I'm curious how well the roombas actually work? I've heard they don't go up and down a room like you would with a normal vacuum, but "randomly" bounce all over the place and that you pretty much have to run them daily to have the same effect of normal vacuuming? And what about multiple rooms?

Yeah, but I think they are programmed so that the "random" pattern actually cleans most everything. I've read that if you watch closely, there is some logic to it.

They obviously aren't as efficient as doing it yourself, but then again... you don't have to do it yourself (as often) if you have one. For me, the appeal is that I could run it while I was at work and come home to floors that aren't quite as bad as when I left. With pets, the hair just gets everywhere, and I always feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. If it takes a couple hours to do a few rooms, NBD. We aren't home to see it.

Ok. So basically consider it a supplement to normal vacuuming versus a replacement. We keep considering it when we see the display in the store. We've just never actually bought one.

hoffse · January 2016

jtmh2012 said:

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

I'm curious how well the roombas actually work? I've heard they don't go up and down a room like you would with a normal vacuum, but "randomly" bounce all over the place and that you pretty much have to run them daily to have the same effect of normal vacuuming? And what about multiple rooms?

Yeah, but I think they are programmed so that the "random" pattern actually cleans most everything. I've read that if you watch closely, there is some logic to it.

They obviously aren't as efficient as doing it yourself, but then again... you don't have to do it yourself (as often) if you have one. For me, the appeal is that I could run it while I was at work and come home to floors that aren't quite as bad as when I left. With pets, the hair just gets everywhere, and I always feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. If it takes a couple hours to do a few rooms, NBD. We aren't home to see it.

Ok. So basically consider it a supplement to normal vacuuming versus a replacement. We keep considering it when we see the display in the store. We've just never actually bought one.

Yes - you'll still need to do some deep vacuuming now and then, but it does maintenance vacuuming for you in between. At least, that's how I understand it. I've read you should give your floors one really stellar vacuum before starting the Roomba, but then it will keep things maintained pretty well.

formerlyGDaisy09 · January 2016

I'm catching up! H and I have a roomba, I love it! we have the 780, I think, it's one of the models that's for pet hair. It's programmed to run everyday at 10am, and it's little bin is full of pet hair and dirt everyday. it definitely doesn't do as good of a job as our regular vacuum, but it keeps things from getting to that "oh my god" place, I touch-up with the real vacuum every 4-6 weeks or so, and spend the time I would normally be vacuuming on the weekends cleaning other things or steaming the floors since they're already "broom clean".

All that said, I'm currently thinking about hiring someone to do a one time deep clean of the house so we can start a cleaning/maintanence schedule with everything really clean.

brij2006 · January 2016

No judgement whatsoever. I would love to hire a cleaning lady, but our budget just doesn't account for it.

However, I did use some of my fun money to buy a Roomba. Love that thing! My biggest struggle is to keep on top of the dog and cat hair. This helps a ton. Only negative is that I do have to physically move it from 1 story to the next, and we have 3 areas that need cleaned with it. So I just set the automatic program on it for M/W/F while we're at work, and I move it to whichever level needs it the most before I leave for work that day.

We've had it for about 6 months now, and I still love it. Oh, and you also have to pick things up on that level. That part isn't so fun now that DD is mobile. She'll spill a box of her toys out while we're getting ready in the morning, and I'll have to pick them all up or else Mr Roomba moves them everywhere. He gets quite the workout in our house, but I absolutely love that he also cleans underneath things like the bed, nighstands, end tables, etc. All places I don't clean under very often.

I do still use the Dyson once a week to do a heavier vacuum and to get the hair off the steps.

brij2006 · January 2016

hoffse said:

Update: H got out of his trial a little early yesterday and surprised me by straightening up the house before I got home from class. He knocked a few things off the list I was going to try to get to before the weekend.

I literally sat in the middle of my living room and started to cry because I was so relieved and tired. Poor H - he had no idea what to do.

I think he finally realized how much this has been bothering me. We're going to try to make some time this weekend to develop a house maintenance schedule so that it doesn't pile up through the week, and then we're going to look at our budget to find room for a Roomba and/or help.

Good hubby, but I feel you. After I went back to work after having DD, my mom came over one day and cleaned my house top to bottom, washed all the bedding, did diaper laundry, and had dinner sitting on the table when we got home. I bawled. H works insane hours from Spring-Fall and I'm pretty much a single mom and business professional. It sucks.

Ever since that little episode H has been much better about picking up more of the household tasks.

short+sassy · January 2016

Our cat (Nip) is the one who leaves the serious fur all over the house. She has short hair, but a double coat. I swear one day I am going to come home and her cast-off fur will have morphed into a Nip clone.

formerlyGDaisy09 · January 2016

brij2006 said:

No judgement whatsoever. I would love to hire a cleaning lady, but our budget just doesn't account for it.

However, I did use some of my fun money to buy a Roomba. Love that thing! My biggest struggle is to keep on top of the dog and cat hair. This helps a ton. Only negative is that I do have to physically move it from 1 story to the next, and we have 3 areas that need cleaned with it. So I just set the automatic program on it for M/W/F while we're at work, and I move it to whichever level needs it the most before I leave for work that day.
We've had it for about 6 months now, and I still love it. Oh, and you also have to pick things up on that level. That part isn't so fun now that DD is mobile. She'll spill a box of her toys out while we're getting ready in the morning, and I'll have to pick them all up or else Mr Roomba moves them everywhere. He gets quite the workout in our house, but I absolutely love that he also cleans underneath things like the bed, nighstands, end tables, etc. All places I don't clean under very often.
I do still use the Dyson once a week to do a heavier vacuum and to get the hair off the steps.

+1 to it getting under things like the bed and the couch. yesterday I tidied up the nursery, put the roomba in there, closed the door, and sat and watched a movie with DD while the roomba cleaned the floor in her room for me.

vlagrl29 · January 2016

I'm going to have DH lift up the mattresses of our bed and DDs bed this weekend so I can vacuum the carpet under there

simplyelise · January 2016

This entire thread just makes me want to go home and clean everything! It has also been great pet control to tamper down my desires for a cat and/or dog. I cannot imagine having to vacuum multiple times a week because of pet hair. And I don't have kids OR a job with overtime.

So feel empowered to purchase the Roombas all you parents and pet owners. Meanwhile I'll be over here in my 1000 sqft apartment vacuuming 1-2 times a month!

hoffse · January 2016

simplyelise said:

This entire thread just makes me want to go home and clean everything! It has also been great pet control to tamper down my desires for a cat and/or dog. I cannot imagine having to vacuum multiple times a week because of pet hair. And I don't have kids OR a job with overtime.

So feel empowered to purchase the Roombas all you parents and pet owners. Meanwhile I'll be over here in my 1000 sqft apartment vacuuming 1-2 times a month!

I haven't even talked about how one of my weekly duties is lint rolling all the soft furniture in the house.

I wouldn't trade my cats for the world, but they do come with some serious extra cleaning. Ours stay indoors all the time, so that compounds it.

I'm researching Roomba models...

julieanne912 · January 2016

I'm trying to convince H a Roomba is a good idea. We have 2 basset hounds that shed A LOT. I think if we ran the roomba every day at least in the main living area we wouldn't have a problem, but he thinks their hair would clog it up quickly.

One question though, we have a ledge where our stairs go down to the basement. The railings are horizontal so a roomba could just roll right under them and fall down. Do they "know" to stop when they come to something like that?

hoffse · January 2016

julieanne912 said:

I'm trying to convince H a Roomba is a good idea. We have 2 basset hounds that shed A LOT. I think if we ran the roomba every day at least in the main living area we wouldn't have a problem, but he thinks their hair would clog it up quickly.

One question though, we have a ledge where our stairs go down to the basement. The railings are horizontal so a roomba could just roll right under them and fall down. Do they "know" to stop when they come to something like that?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they do. I'm looking at the 770, and stair avoidance is definitely a feature.

I think they also come with "towers" that you can set up, which creates an electronic wall that it will not pass.

My goal is really to cut down on the housework so that it's back to a manageable level. I'm ok vacuuming once in awhile when I devote a day to deep cleaning, but I really can't handle doing it multiple times per week. There are too many other things that need to be done multiple times per week (dishes, wiping down counters, etc...).

Be able to get under the bed would be a huge bonus as far as I'm concerned. We hardly ever vacuum under there because I just lose steam by the time we get there, and the notion of moving the mattress is not a happy one.

dragonstarjk · January 2016

julieanne912 said:

I'm trying to convince H a Roomba is a good idea. We have 2 basset hounds that shed A LOT. I think if we ran the roomba every day at least in the main living area we wouldn't have a problem, but he thinks their hair would clog it up quickly.

One question though, we have a ledge where our stairs go down to the basement. The railings are horizontal so a roomba could just roll right under them and fall down. Do they "know" to stop when they come to something like that?

They have a sensor that stops at the top of the stairs. Mine has never crashed and we've been using one model or another of Roomba for about 8 years.

dragonstarjk · January 2016

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

brij2006 said:

No judgement whatsoever. I would love to hire a cleaning lady, but our budget just doesn't account for it.

However, I did use some of my fun money to buy a Roomba. Love that thing! My biggest struggle is to keep on top of the dog and cat hair. This helps a ton. Only negative is that I do have to physically move it from 1 story to the next, and we have 3 areas that need cleaned with it. So I just set the automatic program on it for M/W/F while we're at work, and I move it to whichever level needs it the most before I leave for work that day.
We've had it for about 6 months now, and I still love it. Oh, and you also have to pick things up on that level. That part isn't so fun now that DD is mobile. She'll spill a box of her toys out while we're getting ready in the morning, and I'll have to pick them all up or else Mr Roomba moves them everywhere. He gets quite the workout in our house, but I absolutely love that he also cleans underneath things like the bed, nighstands, end tables, etc. All places I don't clean under very often.
I do still use the Dyson once a week to do a heavier vacuum and to get the hair off the steps.

+1 to it getting under things like the bed and the couch. yesterday I tidied up the nursery, put the roomba in there, closed the door, and sat and watched a movie with DD while the roomba cleaned the floor in her room for me.

Yep. I do this in the smaller rooms on the weekend, that aren't cleaned on its regular schedule during the week. Pick the rugs up off the bathroom floor, shut the door, and let it go! Same with bedroom. All I have to do in there is move a cord that it gets stuck on. NO more dust bunnies under the bed!

dragonstarjk · January 2016

jtmh2012 said:

I'm curious how well the roombas actually work? I've heard they don't go up and down a room like you would with a normal vacuum, but "randomly" bounce all over the place and that you pretty much have to run them daily to have the same effect of normal vacuuming? And what about multiple rooms?

They aren't actually 'random'; it looks random, but if you look it up, they actually do go in a pattern. You just can't really tell when you're watching it.

dragonstarjk · January 2016

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

I'm curious how well the roombas actually work? I've heard they don't go up and down a room like you would with a normal vacuum, but "randomly" bounce all over the place and that you pretty much have to run them daily to have the same effect of normal vacuuming? And what about multiple rooms?

Yeah, but I think they are programmed so that the "random" pattern actually cleans most everything. I've read that if you watch closely, there is some logic to it.

They obviously aren't as efficient as doing it yourself, but then again... you don't have to do it yourself (as often) if you have one. For me, the appeal is that I could run it while I was at work and come home to floors that aren't quite as bad as when I left. With pets, the hair just gets everywhere, and I always feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. If it takes a couple hours to do a few rooms, NBD. We aren't home to see it.

Ok. So basically consider it a supplement to normal vacuuming versus a replacement. We keep considering it when we see the display in the store. We've just never actually bought one.

Yes - you'll still need to do some deep vacuuming now and then, but it does maintenance vacuuming for you in between. At least, that's how I understand it. I've read you should give your floors one really stellar vacuum before starting the Roomba, but then it will keep things maintained pretty well.

This is pretty accurate. We actually do use it as a replacement for normal vacuuming. I could go vacuum my house with our regular vacuum right now and not pick up any dust, but I guarantee there will be dust/hair in the Roomba every day. It picks up way more than regular vacuuming! We just have to dig out the regular vacuum when we want to get into the corners/shelves that Roomba can't reach.

ETA: Sorry to hijack this post, I couldn't figure out how to quote multiple people at the same time. Meh.

vlagrl29 · January 2016

mini schnauzers don't shed it's pretty awesome. We never have to deal with pet hair.

abrewer5 · January 2016

vlagrl29 said:

mini schnauzers don't shed it's pretty awesome. We never have to deal with pet hair.

I had a mini schnauzer growing up and he was amazing... Ugh I still cry thinking about him and he passed away 7 years ago. He was the best dog!

The no shedding thing was great too... but we also had multiple dogs at once and the others made up for his no shedding lol

Xstatic3333 · January 2016

Well, I have learned from this thread that I don't vacuum nearly has much as the typical person and consider myself appropriately shamed. I also want a Roomba now.

jessica490 · January 2016

simplyelise said:

This entire thread just makes me want to go home and clean everything! It has also been great pet control to tamper down my desires for a cat and/or dog. I cannot imagine having to vacuum multiple times a week because of pet hair. And I don't have kids OR a job with overtime.

So feel empowered to purchase the Roombas all you parents and pet owners. Meanwhile I'll be over here in my 1000 sqft apartment vacuuming 1-2 times a month!

This is why we have a dog that doesn't shed (maltese)...I just couldn't deal with the hair...

My aunt has 2 large Goldens, and every time I go there I leave covered in dog hair...as soon as I get home those clothes get shaken out and thrown in the laundry...I just can't deal....

als1982 · January 2016

I will warn you that over time our Roomba has visibly scuffed our (white) base boards and dented the wooden legs of our couches and chairs. Granted, it's still worth it, but do be aware of that if you have nicer furniture.

brij2006 · January 2016

als1982 said:

I will warn you that over time our Roomba has visibly scuffed our (white) base boards and dented the wooden legs of our couches and chairs. Granted, it's still worth it, but do be aware of that if you have nicer furniture.

I've heard this too. We've only had ours for about 6 months, but I will take dealing with that so I don't have to constantly vacuum the hair from our Collie and long haired cat. The main room we use it in is our living room, and that just has a microfiber sectional and the treadmill. So I don't think I'll have too many issues with the scuffing.

@hoffse This is the one we have and I love it! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GK3IVW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

@julieanne912 I wish I would have gotten the Roomba sooner, and we've never had an issue with it clogging (Collie and long haired cat). The staircase thing hasn't been an issue at all. It's weird actually, we have a tall threshold between 2 rooms and it goes over that with no problems. Yet we have that same threshold at the top of our stairs, and for some reason it doesn't even attempt to go over it and down the steps.

The only thing I have noticed it have issues with is a chevron rug we have. It's black, grey, and yellow in color, but Roomba gets all confused on it and doesn't know where to go. I read where its sensors detect ledges with darkness so that's why it's getting confused. It's a small rug, so we just pick it up when it cleans that room.

jtmh2012 · January 2016

als1982 said:

I will warn you that over time our Roomba has visibly scuffed our (white) base boards and dented the wooden legs of our couches and chairs. Granted, it's still worth it, but do be aware of that if you have nicer furniture.

Just thinking here.....while the Roomba might not look as nice. You could probably get some of that felt with the sticky backing and apply a ring to the outside of the Roomba?

julieanne912 · January 2016

brij2006 said:

als1982 said:

I will warn you that over time our Roomba has visibly scuffed our (white) base boards and dented the wooden legs of our couches and chairs. Granted, it's still worth it, but do be aware of that if you have nicer furniture.

I've heard this too. We've only had ours for about 6 months, but I will take dealing with that so I don't have to constantly vacuum the hair from our Collie and long haired cat. The main room we use it in is our living room, and that just has a microfiber sectional and the treadmill. So I don't think I'll have too many issues with the scuffing.

@hoffse This is the one we have and I love it! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GK3IVW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

@julieanne912 I wish I would have gotten the Roomba sooner, and we've never had an issue with it clogging (Collie and long haired cat). The staircase thing hasn't been an issue at all. It's weird actually, we have a tall threshold between 2 rooms and it goes over that with no problems. Yet we have that same threshold at the top of our stairs, and for some reason it doesn't even attempt to go over it and down the steps.

The only thing I have noticed it have issues with is a chevron rug we have. It's black, grey, and yellow in color, but Roomba gets all confused on it and doesn't know where to go. I read where its sensors detect ledges with darkness so that's why it's getting confused. It's a small rug, so we just pick it up when it cleans that room.

Good to know. I have an extra paycheck coming up here soon so I'm sooo tempted to buy this Roomba with a bit of that extra money. But, I should probably wait til my taxes are done in case I owe something there. H would love it if I would vacuum daily, but I told him that's not happening (yet he won't get up to do it either LOL). This may solve that argument.

vlagrl29 · January 2016

Since we are talking about cleaning here I have a question. I'm thinking of hiring a professional company come this spring/summer to clean our carpets. I currently steam vac them twice a year and 1 time a month from the highly trafficked areas. Is it worth it to hire a professional? Can you tell a big difference between what they do and what you do with your steam vac? I'm guessing its about $300.

brij2006 · January 2016

vlagrl29 said:

Since we are talking about cleaning here I have a question. I'm thinking of hiring a professional company come this spring/summer to clean our carpets. I currently steam vac them twice a year and 1 time a month from the highly trafficked areas. Is it worth it to hire a professional? Can you tell a big difference between what they do and what you do with your steam vac? I'm guessing its about $300.

I really haven't. But I have a Bissell Pet shampooer/steamer that I use, and I use the handlheld part to spot treat as needed. The only pro I found was that they move all the furniture for you. But I like moving all the furniture and washing walls, baseboards, windows, etc while everything is out. We used Stanley Steamer because I left for London right after moving my stuff out of my apartment, so I wasn't going to have time to do it myself. It wasn't a bad job, just wished I would have saved myself the expense and done it myself instead. It didn't seem like their machines did any better than what mine does.

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