At what HHI would you get a cleaning lady to come every week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is 750k plus and I still do it all myself. I don't trust other people to take good care of my things. Over the years I've had different cleaners: scratch my floors, scratch a table, scratch my stove top, stain a rug, break picture frames, and break a family antique. Plus they just didn't always clean that well. I'm done hiring it out.

I'm far from your income at ~400k but feel the same way about cleaners. I've been home when they have cleaned and I can't believe how they bang their vacuum around and how roughly they clean. Not to mention it's still often not up to my standard.

+1 I'm shocked at how few people feel this way. I can't stand hearing the banging, knowing how careless they are being and that my furniture is being dented/scratched.

+1 here as well. 350k HHI and we clean ourselves. We have tried cleaning people and the experience has been ok, but we don't think it's worth what it costs. They definitely aren't as careful with your things as you would be and the quality of the job is pretty variable (usually better right when you hire a new service/person and then trickles off over time when they get comfortable). I fired the landscapers this year too. Same thing - job wasn't as good as I can do myself so why pay a premium for a halfassed result? No thanks, I'd rather do it myself so it is done correctly.

This has been my experience as well, 100%. Same thing with 3 different cleaning ladies/services over the years. Now I have the time to do it myself so I am done with trying to hire it out.

I used to wonder how really rich people handle this (you know, like actors and actresses or people like the tech millionaires and billionaires of the world) because you know they are not scrubbing their own toilets. What I've concluded is that they probably hire a middle man, a housekeeper or house manager, who cracks the whip and creates a buffer between themselves and the people they are paying to scrub their toilets. Otherwise, it is too awkward to scold another adult for not doing a good enough job or for damaging one of your belongings. But when you don't, the level of service inevitably declines and you become a doormat in their eyes. It's lose/lose if you're not a confrontational person.

You are correct. Most of them have a personal assistant or a house manager that handles all the other household employees, contractors, etc.

[Anonymous]

Costs $40 per week to have my two-bedroom condo cleaned. You pay more to have your McMansion cleaned than my HOA dues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is 750k plus and I still do it all myself. I don't trust other people to take good care of my things. Over the years I've had different cleaners: scratch my floors, scratch a table, scratch my stove top, stain a rug, break picture frames, and break a family antique. Plus they just didn't always clean that well. I'm done hiring it out.

I'm far from your income at ~400k but feel the same way about cleaners. I've been home when they have cleaned and I can't believe how they bang their vacuum around and how roughly they clean. Not to mention it's still often not up to my standard.

+1 I'm shocked at how few people feel this way. I can't stand hearing the banging, knowing how careless they are being and that my furniture is being dented/scratched.

You do realize that many people with extensive cleaning help are not home to hear the banging because they work FT outside the home, right? If they become aware of the banging etc they view it as the price to pay so they can spend their limited night and weekend time with their family instead of deep cleaning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HHI is 800k and we are sticking with every other week. I've gotten somewhat spoiled over time and although I like being spoiled I also like to remain within shouting distance of "down to earth."

good for you. At that HHI I would have a housekeeper, chef and all

[Anonymous]

Check with your cleaning lady on how much she would charge for weekly - ours has told me it would be less per visit since there would be less to do. Not a lot, but it might make a difference to you.

[Anonymous]

Every week since about $140k. The BF moved in and was not keeping up his end of cleaning. So the alternating weeks became his contribution. It stuck, but now...8 years later I think we have to go back to bi-weekly with the arrival of 2nd DC. Hard to justify the expense, even though we make more, but I'll miss never really having to scrub the toilet...

[Anonymous]

210k hhi, we live in a row home and have a cleaning service once a month. 2 adults and 1 dog.

If we made $300k and had children, I'd probably justify a weekly cleaning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check with your cleaning lady on how much she would charge for weekly - ours has told me it would be less per visit since there would be less to do. Not a lot, but it might make a difference to you.

Wow, thanks for the tip. We have monthly service and had to skip two months in a row due to scheduling conflicts, and our cleaning service ended up charging us $175 because they had to do "catch up" work. I was a little peeved since I of course kept the house up in the meantime, but I paid because I still don't do what they do (baseboards, windows, ceiling fans, etc).

[Anonymous]

Ugh. We desperately need the help but I don't think we can afford it. I SAHM to my 3 young ones and the house is a disaster. We also just moved twice (moved to rental, then bought). I just can't keep up right now.

My BIL and his wife, however, has a full time housekeeper/nanny. And, his wife is a SAHM. $25/hour full time = $50K a year. Which is insane kinda because up until recently they only had 1 kid who started school several years ago. SIL apparently kept this housekeeper a secret until BIL let it slip. At least this explains why she always posts perfect spotless photos of her house and kid but leaves a huge mess at FIL's house when we are all there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check with your cleaning lady on how much she would charge for weekly - ours has told me it would be less per visit since there would be less to do. Not a lot, but it might make a difference to you.

Wow, thanks for the tip. We have monthly service and had to skip two months in a row due to scheduling conflicts, and our cleaning service ended up charging us $175 because they had to do "catch up" work. I was a little peeved since I of course kept the house up in the meantime, but I paid because I still don't do what they do (baseboards, windows, ceiling fans, etc).

Stuff like this drove me crazy and why I no longer employ cleaning ladies. I was already paying them what's essentially tax-free money. But I had to cancel once or twice and they had the audacity to tell me the rate would increase if it's not bi-weekly. Keep in mind I'm very clean.

I hate having to have regularly scheduled appointments because I clean often myself. Sometimes a mess will drive me nuts and I'll clean the stove, bathrooms etc myself and not be able to wait X number of days until the cleaning ladies come.

Which is why I now just do it all on my own.