Cleaning Lady??

Fiona24

Hi Ladies,

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but here goes:

I was just wondering people's opinions on getting someone in to clean the house and do some ironing a few hours a week.

Im gone from the house from 7am until 7pm, by the time I get home I just want to spend sometime with my child before I put her to bed. My job is very pressurised (not complaining about it) but when I get home in the evening all I want to do is switch off before I head to bed!!

It's just the two of us in the house but it still manages to get very messy despite how little time we spend in the house!! I think my bf is getting a bit tired of looking at some of my clothes on the floor in my bedroom

Would it be expensive to get someone in for a couple of hours, does anyone feel like this about how little time they have and housework?

Thanks

WindSock

There's nothing wrong with it at all. Thats what they are there for. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be very rich or own a large house to justify having someone in to clean once a week. if I owned my own place and had kids (even if I didn't) I would definately have someone in.

adelcrowsmel

I think its a great idea if you don't have the time to do it yourself and it would ease the pressure a little bit for you. Personally i enjoy doing it, especially the ironing, I take out all my fustrations on the poor clothes:p-helps me to destress but i know not everyone does!! The going rate seems to be around a tenner an hour which isn't too bad if you were just to get them in for a coulpe of hours a week!!

diamondp

Hi op, thats a great idea not only will it help you out but you will also be helping someone else out. (with a job) if you work hard during the week well you dont want to spend you evenings and weekends cleaning if you have a child. I work full time and have a child and am very lucky to have a member of my family to do a few hours for me and it dose make a huge difference. when you walk in from a long day and you get the smell of clean and look around at everything neat and tidy it is a great feeling. Also it dosent cost the much. Average charge would be anything from €10-€15 Per hour. If you can afford to make life a little easier for yourself well im all for that.

Quality

Hey Fiona,



I have a cleaner who comes once a week, She does all my bathrooms, windows, dusts, hoovers the whole house and washes all my floors.

I get to spend quality time with my kids aged 9 and 2 and just have to maintain the rest of the house by myself, which is still time consuming. (Washing, Ironing, tidying up after the two kids)

I like having a clean house, I am very house proud, I dont see why I should have to compromise time with my husband and children, so that is why I hire someone to do it for me.

Anyhow, I say go for it, Try to get a company or someone with references.

Best of Luck

corcaighcailin9

If you are in the position where you can afford it, I'd say go for it. Anything that gives you a bit of extra quality time with your child and bf will be well worth it.

Loopy

Getting a cleaner was one of the best things I have done. She comes in once a week and blitzes the place in 3/4 hours for €10 an hour. It means I get to spend quality time with my kids when Im not working - before I got her I was miserable, cleaning all w end and spent hardly any time with them at all or when we did it wasn't 'fun' because i was so tired.

Definitely do it, its well worth the money. Initially, I felt a bit weird about it thinking my god I have a cleaner (i.e. Im a lazy bitch) but Im so glad now I have her. A lot of my friends have them too now.

dh0661

I don't work outside the home at the moment, I have two little ones and decided to take time out to look after them - lucky me.
But when I do go back into the work place I will certainly have to get a cleaner in.
Hubby is a workaholic at work, but when it comes to work at home he's very work shy.

The Sweeper

Fiona24, cleaners are a great idea but just be aware of what you're getting them to do.

In other words, have them tackle the jobs that take a lot of time - hoovering, washing floors, cleaning the bathroom, dusting the house. Pay them to iron as well if you can, and change the bed linen.

It's not really fab use of your cash getting your cleaner to pick your clothes up off the floor or have them washing dishes - though you might find when everything else gets done for you you're better able to tidy up yourself as you go.

Fiona24

Thanks for all the replies Im definitly going to look into it now, I hate ironing so having someone to do that would be a joy in itself!!!

spinandscribble

if you're working or have an illness i think its a great idea. i grew up with my mother needing help around the house as she was so ill. since i was too young to help, she got a cleaner. if you have the money why not? never mind anyone who thinks its high and mighty they're just jealous. times have changed, women work outside the home more nowadays.

luckat

I had a great cleaner, a really nice Romanian woman who's now gone off to train in a profession. For €40 she spent two to three hours blitzing the house. I miss her!

Reku

If nothing else you're helping the economy by creating another job. Hope you get a cleaning person who fits your needs to a T.:)

ozchick

Go for it - it is worth the money. Back in Oz I had one for a while and it was great. She only came fortnightly and we managed to maintain the place ok between her visits. She did 2 hours and basically got everything done in that time, she was very efficient. It also makes you keep the place tidy so she can clean.

I've heard suggestions of getting them to do jobs you hate (i.e the ironing) or cleaning the stove or fridge or stuff that you never get too. Personally I found having the dusting, hoovering and bathrooms done was just wonderful and the kids thought it amazing that she folded their clothes and made their beds if they hadn't done them!

I have a single g/f in the UK who works long hours and she has someone come in and do her place. I don't blame her. Life is too short to be cleaning! And if you work f/time and have children, time is so much better spent with them.

Now, I better head off and clean the bathroom and do the ironing and the floors! We are in an apartment and it only takes me about an hour all up and as I can't work at the moment I don't mind (still hate housework though!)

Anti

I may not be a lady, but i have an oppinion on this.

When i lived in waterford, i had a cleaning lady to come in for 1 hour per day, as i worked 12 hour days. I had her come every day for 2 years, not one thing went missing or was broken. And she even did the ironing if she finished doing the tidying up. I didnt go through an agency or anything, there was just a flyer left in the door. She only charged 10€ an hour too, but after a few weeks i started paying her 15€.

Would reccomend it to anyone.

pickarooney

The only thing I'd worry about would be the impression on the kids. IMHO, as soon as they're old enough they should be helping around the house, at the very least picking up after themselves and making their beds and not getting used to the idea that there'll always be someone there to clean up their messes.

WindSock

I wouldn't worry too much about the effect on the kids. There's a difference between cleaning and tidying. My Mother used to say 'tidy up, the cleaner's coming' and we got a great laugh out of this, until we realised our cleaner cleaned and we had to clear the place for her to do it.

gollyitsolly

Go for it. Loads of women love cleaning. I worked as a cleaning lady for a while when I was between jobs. Great way to earn some money. It kept me fit too. Just be careful not to overdo it. I worked for one woman who expected too much in 2 hours. 4 bedrooms,2 lounges,3 bathrooms,massive kitchen,hall stairs,landing all vacuamed,washed or polished. Clean showers,make beds, empty/fill dishwasher and washing machine. Hang out washing. Dust, iron and put away clothes.Pick up and tidy kids toys and bedrooms. Oh and if I could clean a few windows too. Didnt stay with her too long! I then gave up window cleaning and charged extra for ironing. Overall I enjoyed seeing peoples faces when the house was gleaming and its more satisfying to clean others houses than your own. After all I dont get paid to clean my own house.:D

Creamy Goodness

i got a cleaner into our house to give my mum and myself a break from cleaning.

what did my mum do? she went around cleaning before the cleaner came in just so it wouldn't be as messy.

some wimmen huh :rolleyes:

tallaght01

I'm gonna start getting a cleaner in, coz I'm a total slob.

God help her.

I would just be keen to make sure the agency are paying her (or him) a decent portion of the money i pay them.

Ideally I'll be looking for someone who I can pay directly,so I know they're not working for minimum wage (coz cleaning my pit is no minimum wage job lol)

The Sweeper

Put an add on the notices boards in your local supermarket.

If you use an agency, they claim to insure your cleaner (but who knows?), and in my experience do ridiculous things like "pay us eighty quid a month by direct debit, but leave the cleaner twenty quid a week... also buy jif cream for the kitchen, mildew spray for the bathroom, glass spray, bathroom foam, orange scented counter cleaner, floor cleaner, floor wax, flash multi purpose surface cleaner, and 100 quids worth of other cleaners"

ntlbell

does anyone know the cost of a cleaner? rough guesstimates?

few hours ironing and a genreal whip round an average sized house?

Quality

ntlbell wrote: »

does anyone know the cost of a cleaner? rough guesstimates?

few hours ironing and a genreal whip round an average sized house?

It is generally between €12 & €14 per hour.

My house is always tidy before the cleaner comes, they are just there to do the heavy duty cleaning, She wouldn't be hanging up clothes or washing dishes or the likes.

Crumble Froo

my b/f does this a couple of times a week, and before i had a job, i used to go in and do the hoovering with him which just about halved his time. i think, for the people hiring, it's a great thing to have, even just twice a week, do the heavier cleaning and mopping and stuff. we didnt do any polishing or laundry, (though we only did each house once a week), but definitely all the jobs that most people hate doing and are a complete chore wehn you get a weekend off.

Susannahmia

My aunt has a very demanding job and is a single parent so she has always had a lady come in to do the washing, ironing and cleaning. When the kids were younger she also came every day and looked after them.

I think its great, I might do the same in the future and I know my mother would have also done it if she could have afforded it. (Especially for ironing )

Loopy

Quality wrote: »

It is generally between €12 & €14 per hour.

My house is always tidy before the cleaner comes, they are just there to do the heavy duty cleaning, She wouldn't be hanging up clothes or washing dishes or the likes.

I thought ten euro an hr was the norm, thats what I pay my girl (shes foreign too and believe it or not a maths teacher in Poland, but her English isn't great so she's cleaning at the moment). I leave her a fiver tip but thought ten was reasonable..It is hard work though and they earn their money..

I also have the place tidy and my OF thinks this is hilarious tidying for the cleaner but like you it heavy duty stuff she does to..

The Sweeper

I've just paid a lady $48 for three hours ironing. I do have the time to do it myself, but I'm crap at it and I utterly hate it. Best damn $48 I've ever spent. I've got himself's work shirts and my own work clothes for a fortnight ironed and ready to wear.

Mr Magnolia

Another voice to add to the masses here.

If you can afford it get the cleaner in to tackle the ironing & basic cleaning. As MAJD says, tidy as you go and keep on top of the dishes yourself.

Kids are only young once, I want to spend my spare time with them not with a vacuum/iron.

John Mason

was considering it myself between work, college and studying, i never seem to have enough time to do things like hoover under the beds, clean the windows generally the big jobs but tbh i cant really justify it to myself. but would love to get a gardner now that i really dont have time for

sam34

the only concern i'd have is letting someone have free reign of your house while youre out- what if they stole something? i dont know if you'd have any come back with the agency if this happened, how could you prove it?

gollyitsolly

sam34 wrote: »

the only concern i'd have is letting someone have free reign of your house while youre out- what if they stole something? i dont know if you'd have any come back with the agency if this happened, how could you prove it?

I would advise getting a reference. Also address and home phone number. Its not 100% but its better than nothing. If I had someone doing my house I would not like them to be in my bedroom, so I would keep it locked with my personal/valuable stuff.