We had our cleaning lady come while we were in the hospital so we came home to a clean house but had zero exposure. Can you set something up like that if you’re nervous?

Get the lady!

You’re probably more likely to hurt yourself cleaning!

OP—totally sympathize with you! I had the baby during covid and we were without cleaning service since COVID happened. We did not hire cleaning service during pregnancy or after birth because of concerns about how they clean(is it top down and do they use same tools at other homes), do they keep their Kn95 mask on (it’s really hard to when cleaning), who they live with, and how to stay safe. We ultimately bought a bissell steam scrubber for kitchen and bath, swiffer dusters, and sprays.

This is gonna sound crazy especially since you are not trying to clean, but we didn’t know that some methods are way more effective at cleaning a tub than others! So we googled and it’s scrub tub with soap then do a baking soda vinegar paste and all soap scum disappears. We were trying to use non toxic stuff since I was pregnant and didn’t want baby breathing in toxic stuff. Then for the real mildewy black spots we had to use a mildew remover which completely got rid of the black stuff on the tile caulk. My spouse is not the biggest fan of cleaning either but I was nesting and wanted everything clean and just made him do it. No bathroom should take more than 30 min to clean!

But like a PP said you do have to find a way to divvy up the house chores because you will go nuts if you don’t. You will have baby bottles and baby laundry to do after birth. Also, I’ve been reading about immune system development and its first 2 years where it happens and there’s thought that it’s just too clean nowadays which contributes to allergies and other health problems for kids. I say do the best you can with your husband cleaning and leave it at that. When I debated the cleaning service it was “will I regret having a cleaning lady if I get covid.” Also, we have a dog so our house was full of dog hair.

We have elderly family members who most likely contracted COVID from their cleaning lady of over 3 decades and are on week 5 of battling COVID, with one member in the ICU. It is all up to you on acceptable risk.

I'm also due soon and am not risking it. I did have a service come a few weeks ago for a deep clean while we stayed in the backyard. I feel like I squeezed that in just in time. But, it's important to note that when we looked in the windows, we saw they had lowered their masks and I've been freaked out about it since.

I was supposed to have them come again a week before delivery, but I'm cancelling with rates so high and feeling more and more at risk this late in pregnancy with diminished lung capacity. I will probably have another clean in Feb and then hire a full time cleaner at that point when the baby is a bit older.

Our cleaner comes once a week and wears a mask. We leave the house and open the windows while she is here. I also spray down bathrooms, handles and kitchen with Lysol for her benefit prior to her arrival and then spray down again when she leaves.

I totally get it. I tried to get my house as clean as possible before DC2 was born, because I knew that the first few months, housework would be last on our list of things to do. I would have one come before Thanksgiving. This weekend if you can, since the weather is supposed to be nice. I've been pretty lax on COVID protocols since June, but the upcoming holiday season has me pretty nervous. I'll be keeping my "bubble" as small as possible from Thanksgiving to New Years.

PP needs some Zoloft. Fauci has a cleaning lady. He sticks to one room when she’s there. You can search for the interview with him on that. I just had my third baby and am thankful for the cleaning lady especially after a birth injury also, India has released a lot of info on moms giving birth during and after COVID. Guess what? They are overwhelmingly fine. Obviously try not to get it (no bars or gatherings for thanksgiving) but doing be like PP wringing your hands in a panic.

The day I gave birth I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor because I thought it was dirty. DH laughed at me, and since this was my second pregnancy, I laughed too. Nothing was really dirty - I was just preparing for birth!

Covid cases are exploding right now in DC area. There are far more cases than when DC, MD and VA went into stay-at-home mode mid-March. A slightly dirty home will not kill anyone, even an infant with no immunity. COVID-19 CAN KILL YOU.

I strongly urge you NOT to have anyone come into your home. No cleaning lady, no family members, no friends. You can go through this period of birth and infancy just with your husband. I've done it twice. It's not a big deal. You just need to sit down with him and divide the chores, and assure each other that you will both roll with the punches. Your home can look like a bomb went off, but if the baby is safe, warm and fed, and you all get some sleep, it's FINE. Really.

Get the cleaning lady, just leave for the day she comes. Totally worth the very small risk.

I know this wasn't what you're asking, but I feel the need to comment on "DH doesnt think the house is dirty, has never cleaned in his life and won’t clean."

If he pulls his weight in other ways (laundry or cooking, particularly), then great. But if this is more representative of how he handles all domestic tasks, you should do some reading here (and elsewhere) about how difficult it is, particularly once you have kids, if your husband doesn't pull his weight at home. It may not seem like a big deal right now, but it's soul crushing to have to handle all the domestic stuff yourself. It might be time for a come to Jesus conversation with your husband and make sure he knows he's got to step up. As a rule of thumb, unless one person is not working, I think that between laundry, cooking, and cleaning, each person in a marriage should completely own one of those realms. Otherwise, in a year or two, you'll be drowning.

Congrats on the baby!

Yes but if you can manage it get out of the house while they're there. We brought our cleaning lady back in August and she lets us know when she's coming. If it's a workday we hole up in the basement until she needs the basement and then go to another floor; if it's a weekend we all get out of the house and go to a park or something.

My cleaning lady for the past 7 years died of coronavirus during a time I was paying her not to come. She actually did stop working and did not get corona through work. (I’m still sad about it)

After 6 months, i did hire a new cleaning lady and she comes every other week. Nothing is zero risk but we open windows and are in the basement while she cleans.

Your mental health matters too. Yes its fine. WE have ours come eovery 2 weeks thru Covid and none of us have gotten it.

Yes , open up windows and let them clean!

I’m almost due and have gotten too big to bend over and clean effectively. The house hasn’t been cleaned in ages and is filthy. Is it safe to hire a cleaning lady to do a deep clean before baby gets here? We have been so careful with Covid and it seems like a risk but I also don’t want to bring baby back to a dirty house. DH doesnt think the house is dirty, has never cleaned in his life and won’t clean.