Although I SAH, DH insisted on our having a weekly cleaner. When she does come it is to mop and wipe surfaces because I do everything else. I vacuum most days and mop at least once per week. He was raised with a daily cleaner who was like family, never had to pick up after himself or clean a toilet or anything else. We live in Europe.

I clean my own house. In addition to daily tidying and cleaning the kitchen, I set aside two hours a week to clean the whole house (bathrooms, deep clean kitchen, dust, vacuum, mop). I like it. I find it invigorating and it’s a great workout. I know how to do it very efficiently at this point.

Since I enjoy it, the equation is different due me than it might be for others. Yes, I could spend that time doing something else. But it’s so satisfying that I rarely wish I didn’t have to do it.

When I’m sick or slammed at work, I sometimes contemplate hiring someone. But I can’t imagine having someone come weekly.

This was helpful.
I was afraid I was underpaying our cleaner and I might be actually overpaying which is a good thing.

I clean my own home. It’s small enough for me to do it. I never felt comfortable with having someone I don’t really know coming into my house and having access to my house.

I grew up with a housekeeper and have always had people coming to clean as an adult. I didn't want someone in my home all day, every day, like I grew up with, and I've had everything from someone coming every two weeks, to having someone come twice a week.

Do you have cleaners? yes
How frequently do they come? since having our first baby, twice a week
What do they do? dust, vacuum, strip beds and do sheets & towels and remake beds, scrub kitchen and bathrooms, and each time they're here they deep clean one specific thing - this time it's the windows, next time it's moving all living room furniture, next time it's scrubbing the refrigerator complete with taking out each shelf and cleaning it, etc.
How much do you pay? $120 each time they come.

Yes. Pre-COVID. Twice a week. 3000 sq ft home. I pay $200 a week.

I am cleaning on my own now. House is not as immaculate as it used to be. She will come back just as soon as we feel comfortable.

Do you have cleaners?
How frequently do they come?
What do they do?
How much do you pay?

2100 sqft. Cleaners come twice a month and we pay $120. They dust, vacuum floors and furniture, clean bathrooms, change bedding, mop. They don’t deep clean and don’t really clean under furniture, wipe trim, etc. Their “mopping” I’m sure is a pretty light Swiffer style rag wipe or wet sweep. I’m not thrilled with them but I hate cleaning bathrooms so we keep them.

We are moving to a much smaller place and I think I will still have cleaners, but more frequently clean the floors myself. I’m from a culture that wipes the floor meticulously by hand, so I might do that sometimes.

It is nice to have the whole house look clean and tidy at least every two weeks. It also forces us to tidy and preclean by putting everything away.

Yes. Every week and it’s $100.

No, I will though once my kids go to college and the house will stay clean.

Anonymous wrote:No it’s a waste of money. Everyone should clean their own homes!

Whether or not it’s a waste of money is actually relative to your earnings. If your hourly is say $200/hr and it takes you 8 hrs/week to clean your home to your standards, then that’s $1600 of your time. Versus paying someone else $200 so you can spend that time focused on work or a preferable activity.

I did this calculation for myself when we moved into a new house and once I showed it to my dh we immediately got a cleaning lady. We still clean and tidy after ourselves on a daily basis, but it is NOT the same as a deep clean and certainly not a waste of money.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I clean my own house and, yes, I hate it. I’m not even good at it.

+1

I learned a great new cleaning trick on tiktok, one that even your children may love. Take a kitchen dish scrubber, a hollow one that stores dish soap inside of it. Add dish soap + vinegar to it. In the shower, use it to scrub down the walls. It truly works and my DD actually enjoys doing it.

No it’s a waste of money. Everyone should clean their own homes!

Once a week since we had our second 12 years ago, every other week before that. $125. Went to her citizenship ceremony and drove her to get her vaccines. She’s family and a huge help to our family.

Yes, I clean my own house and, yes, I hate it. I’m not even good at it.

No, but my neighbors and friends do, except for one.

I would love to hire good cleaners. But more importantly, I would love to hire someone to TIDY UP. It's not the cleaning that bothers me, it's the tidying up! We are an ADHD family and the least affected (me) has to halfheartedly organize things and put them back, if they even have a home. I need a live-in maid to pick up after us like in the olden times, and for this I also need a larger house, because I don't have room for anyone other than my family right now.

Sigh.