Does everyone have a cleaner except me?

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.

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.

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...

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Luckylegs I would say your daughter had had a very bad day and needed to take it out on someone! At least it wasn’t her children!

Sadly no more, COVID means I’m not earning so the cleaner had to go.

I had a cleaner some years ago who used to pronounce delicatessen “ delincontestant “ the children thought it was hilarious?.

I used to have a cleaner once a week when I was working but not since I retired. I have been very busy these last few days ( getting car sorted, writing Christmas cards, choir practice and recording a Carol service, volunteer work, all safe and legal) so the house is dirty. DH says don’t look at it but the dust is obvious and the dirty floors. He isn’t bothered.
When my mum was alive but very frail I urged her to have a cleaner as I had to help her out even though I was working full time and had my own cleaner, but she wouldn’t hear of it.

Maybe get someone in to blitz the place once the workmen have finished, Luckylegs?

I like the idea of a good monthly clean. Maybe one day, but its not easy finding someone you are comfortable with.

Luckylegs

lemongrove I wouldn’t dare! She’s a very bossy headmistress and won’t listen to any back chat! She actually said I would tell her if I felt something wasnt right and it was for my own good!

You are her mother, not a pupil!

I've never had a cleaner and sometimes this house feels like the Forth Road Bridge.

do her washing and ironing

There's your answer, Luckylegs

Stop doing her washing and ironing and you'll have plenty of time to clean your own bathrooms and kitchen.

That is not a joke, btw, why on earth are you doing the washing and ironing for them?
Does she pay you?

NotSpaghetti

I flippin hate it too GagaJo except hanging out laundry which I love!

Me too NotSpaghetti but everyone seems to tumble dry everything here.

Luckylegs - we're going through the same as you, moving things around from place to place so we can decorate. I concentrate on keeping the bathroom and kitchen clean, the rest gets a quick hoover and dust when I get around to it.

I've given my sitting room a good clean today before I put the decorations up - but moved all the normal ornaments to other rooms out of the way so although the sitting room looks nice for a change the other rooms are chock a block .

It will all get sorted eventually and anyone who doesn't like the mess can stay out of my house until the painting is finished and the rooms back to normal. That will be sometime 2023 I think.

Lady Muck here

My cleaner comes once a fortnight - she used to come once a week when I worked full-time.

I clean toilets and sinks & hoover the hall, bedroom and kitchen in between her visits, but that's it.

She's worth every penny.

Son in law. Auto correct.

I don't have one now but for a while when babies were small I had one. She mainly liked to Hoover but house looked ok. Then a few years ago I had another who loved to bleach everything. I found a brand new towel in the bin as she has spilt bleach on it. It was fine after a wash although colour ruined. It's annoying clearing up before they come and checking what they have binned!
My dil offered to tidy my kitchen cupboards after I came out of hospital. He did it very neatly but forgot to clean the shelves he had rearranged. After he left I had to put everything back in place as he had put all the things I use regularly up on the top shelf out of reach!

Luckykegs how rude! Especially as you do so much for her, I would suggest if your standards of cleanliness are not high enough for her, she or they, cook for themselves every night of the week and uses a laundry service for her ironing, I used to have a cleaner when I worked f/t, was a single Mum and travelled a fair bit, but not since. The idea of a deep clean occasionally is tempting though.

It’s understandable that things are quite unto par at the moment wit all the work you are having done.
You say you do your daughters washing and ironing ?
I think I would be telling her that I wouldn’t be doing that any more,so that I had time to keep up
with my own housework .

I used to have one but had to go out when she was cleaning as it felt awkward and she would keep chatting instead of cleaning.

I would not have one now as I live alone in a tiny house.

I think they are great to have as a monthly deep clean if you dont need them on a regular basis.

I don't have a cleaner and if I did, would probably clean before s/he arrived and not that I'm fussy or anything, but I'm not sure the cleaning would be done as well as I do it myself.

I've got too many nik-naks to knock over----I'd be mortified .
My dad's family, there were 4 children, were brought up with a maid. Granddad was a police officer so could afford one in the 1900's. I used to love hearing about all the pranks they used to play on her.
Needless to say, mum used to wait on dad hand and foot, as did the wives of the 3 brothers, so it created laziness.

I have always done my own cleaning but sometimes think it would be nice to have a cleaner but would feel very guilty about someone else clearing up after me.