Does everyone have a cleaner except me?

I have a cleaner for four hours once a fortnight. I usually go out for some of the time she’s there. I don’t clean before she comes but make sure everywhere is tidy so she can clean easily. Love coming home to a lovely clean tidy house. Worth every penny to me.

Never had a cleaner and don't want one either.

Goodness, I’d tell your daughter to ‘do one’, @Luckylegs - and maybe I’d be a bit ruder than that!

I was very lucky when we lived in the Middle East - had what they used to call a ‘houseboy’ (not living in) paid for by the company and living on site. No women were employed - there was no provision for separate accommodation for women.

He would come in the morning, clean and tidy up and do the washing and ironing. It was fantastic after I went back to work - coming home to a pristine house. That was many years ago and I’ve never once got to the bottom of the ironing basket since! ?

The last one was with us for several years, we grew extremely fond of him, and often paid him extra. They were nearly all Indian and very glad of the jobs, which did stop me feeling guilty about it. Though in the beginning, I would feel unable to just sit when he was working, so I’d start doing some job or other, but I soon learned not to - he’d take it as a reproach that he hadn’t done this or that.

He would babysit for us too (we paid him extra) and I won’t forget in a hurry the first time we left him with dds at about 5 and 2 - came home to find that toddler dd had got hold of a lipstick and smeared it over all sorts. Our chap said, ‘Madam, this baby too much problem!’ ?
Dds grew very fond of him too - we were all (including him!) in tears when we finally had to say goodbye.

I’ve never had anyone in to ‘do’ since.

I have a professional cleaner who gives the house a thorough clean, top to bottom, once a month. It takes four hours at £15 per hour, and it’s worth every penny. I keep it more or less liveable between her visits. If I’m home when she comes round, I save up a time-consuming computer based job to do in my office while she’s here.

I hired a cleaner once, when I was ill. She was a dainty wee thing who did not do any really dirty work.

As you help your daughter out so much perhaps she could help you out by getting someone in to help out with a one off clean. With her paying and you describing what you would like it to include...

eteriorated considerably in the last six months so antything I attempt doesn’t seem right. Trouble is I don’t know how to go about getting a cleaner/home help. I thjnk after Christmas I’ll make a few enquiries.

Calistomon
Slapped wrist for me. I offer to do housework for my daughter. She has a largish house and in her own words has failed to train the 3 children she only has 2 children but she says sometimes it's like having 3 ?
I don't mind as I like housework and like to see things looking nice.

Bluebell you make an important point about £12.50 could pay for a meal out. If I was on my own with only half our pension I too would find it hard to pay for a cleaner.

This is about boundaries with your dd, Luckylegs, not the cleanliness or otherwise of your house. I’m afraid I’d be telling her that if she doesn’t like it, she can go elsewhere to eat and get someone else to do her laundry.

Btw, I do have a cleaner and have had for years. My Dh worked away a lot and with four dc, it was a bit of luxury for me.

Our cleaner has been part of our lives for nearly 25 years and is a godsend now that DH is struggling and needs so much care and attention. She is intelligent and intuitive and has her own routines and systems which I never interfere with. I do the ironing, polishing brass and silver and the bits about eye level which tend to get missed. Hate housework and would give up almost anything before my cleaner.

Cheek of her, she can see it is only while you are having the house decorated and we all know how messy that can get. However, if she is wanting to help you by paying for one accept with open arms. When the cleaner arrives, they will understand why there is a disorder, tell him/her what you would like done or not touched, even write a list. Then take yourself off in another room to either relax on gransnet or go out for a walk.

Thanks for all your kind support. I think it’s a good idea that, once we’ve got straight in the New Year, we get a cleaner to do a full clean. My DD may offer to pay, it doesn’t matter. I am going to tell her to mind her own business but tonight I didn’t mention it, she knows I’m annoyed.

We’ve delayed the carpet fitting which should have been this week until January as we couldn’t possibly manage to move everything out of the hall! We’re getting new doors as well after Christmas so I’m looking forward to it. There has been some progress today, after what feels like weeks of preparation so I might be able to think about writing cards, buying presents soon. Thanks for your kind thoughts, aren’t kids, even grownup ones, so b....y annoying!

No, I don't have a cleaner either! Considering all the work that's going on in your home just now there would be little point in my opinion. We have recently had some renovations done and had clutter in various rooms which had to be moved to make way for the work........and don't even get me started on the dust!
We simply made sure that food was prepared in a hygienic environment and the bathroom was kept clean.

I always had a cleaner while I was working full time, but not while I’m retired. Though I could easily be persuaded to get another one - it was always lovely to get home to a cleaned house after a day at work .

I'm having one as my non-retirement present. I'm going to carry on working and claim my pension, so I'll have more spare cash. I can't wait! I don't like cleaning so this will free me up to do more of the things I do like. I intend to ask the cleaner to do the bathroom, mop all the floors and clean the kitchen cupboards on the outside. All jobs I hate! I intend to leave the house whilst she (or he!) is there and just let them get on with it. Roll on next July!

I always had a cleaner when I was working, I don't know why people are sniffy about this. It meant someone else was earning money and I had more time to do the things I enjoyed. It's a win win situation as far as I can see.

We've got a terrific cleaner. A lovely Polish lady. I furloughed her on full pay for a few months and when she came back she brought me a huge bunch of flowers, chocolates and insisted on staying longer than her 2 hours to do a deep clean. Obviously, she's furloughed again. It would be great to have her back as I'm rubbish at cleaning. It really makes me appreciate what a really good job she does.

We have a lovely cleaner for 2 hours every fortnight to clean where l can’t - due to health / mobility problems. We do tend to go out when she’s here, as she can talk for England !

We're in our late 70s-80s and managed up to recently. But now have a young Romanian woman who comes weekly to clean for us.
I didn't want to start this ( I'm a bit slutty ) but husband is more obsessional. So for peace, I gave in.
She does a good job and needs the money.
Another point - I don't like to use the word 'cleaner'. I think it's demeaning. Maybe domestic help, or something like that.

I visited a young (30s) friend one summer day.
We couldn't go outside until the gardener had finished.
Everything indoors was off the floor and on the table as the cleaner was coming.
Jokingly, I asked her what time the cook arrived to make dinner? ?
I think it's a generation thing.
I think about cleaning a lot, but with no visitors to see it there's very little incentive when there's more interesting stuff to do!
I am hot on kitchen and bathroom hygiene, but dust... ?‍♀️

No, never had cleaner, there's no need, as sadly, I really like housework. I am very houseproud and get a lot of satisfaction from giving the house a good clean. I also clean my son's house (I'm retired so plenty of time on my hands - son is single, I wouldn't clean for him if he had a partner, as I'm sure no one would relish their MIL doing their cleaning?). Luckylegs I know others have said that your daughter is out of order for her comments, but personally, I would want my children to speak up if they thought something wasn't right; I know their comments would be coming from a good place and in my opinion they are only trying to help, but that's just me.

A one-off clean after you’ve finished your decorating works is well worth it, if it’s affordable for you, Luckylegs. I had one-offs done when we lived abroad and the house was empty for longish spells. They descend in a group and zoom about the place so efficiently!

The company I used are the ones who clean Balmoral for the queen. My house is a tad smaller than that.

No cleaner here.

No we don't have one, mind you did many years ago when my two children were living at home and never did a thing. So employed a clean and split the bill 4 ways and told both of them if they didn't keep it clean in-between visits then I would employ her for 3 days a week. That did the trick. When they left home, as it was cheaper to live away from they said I did with out the cleaner and managed. Anyway doing housework isn't top of my list of things to do. Mr Barmey and I have a go at it every now and and again.. In fact we are going to do some on Thursday. Just for record our house isn't dirty but is sometimes untidy and nobody has ever been ill from the state of my home.