Do you have a cleaner?

Wyllow3 Once I was so tired I waited for her to do the bedroom then went there for sleep and she just carried on.

I have ME and if I'm having a bad day my cleaner has been known to vacuum around the bed while I'm lying in it!

Yes, I have a cleaner, she's also my dear friend.

We both hate cleaning, so once a fortnight we clean each other's house, knowing where to avoid and what needs doing most!

This has been on-going for years, and works well.

I've always done my own cleaning but have it down to a fine art and only do that day what my cleaning chart tells me i.e. 30 mins. The house is always work in progress never clean never dirty. If someone visits I tidy the sitting room. I'll need someone when I am no longer able to do the difficult bits. I use my cleaning rota as zen/meditation time and focus on the physical process. If I had to spend hours tackling a room I'd go bonkers. Hey! Ho! It works for me.

I am not able bodied as I used to be because of osteoarthritis but I keep mobile by doing my own housework.

I have a small house 2 beds and one long room downstairs. I have CFS and very limited energy. the energy I do have I do not want to spend cleaning, nor gardening (its a very big garden).
I have a wonderful young woman (well, 35 ish) who comes once a fortnight. She is the DiL of a lady in a craft group. She does 2 hours a fortnight and in that time does the lot, more or less. I can leave her to get on with it.

I pay her £30 for the two hours which is above the going rate locally because why shouldn't cleaners get what they deserve? Why should such a valuable service be rated at minimum wage? She has a family to clothe and feed. (its not too hard to find a cleaner in a northern city and many are paid rubbish rates).

I also hate housework, always have. I'd rather go for a little walk or go to my gym, which I love as its my social outlet and been going there for 20 years. Once I was so tired I waited for her to do the bedroom then went there for sleep and she just carried on.

I don't need to tell her what to do, nor hover. but I do agree you need to feel comfortable with the individual to do that.

kittylester

Baffled by why there is anything wrong with employing someone to help out with tasks one is unable to do, or dislikes doing, is wrong.

We have always had a cleaner and a gardener. We can afford it, it provides employment and gives us more time to volunteer, help with grandchildren etc.

Not entitled at all.

Oh I’m of the school that whatever suits.

So if you hate housework and gardening get help, and keep active in other ways.

If you enjoy twiddling around in the house and love love gardening then diy.

I’m lucky that I can happily fit my life around it, including volunteering.

But I wouldn’t think twice about paying for help if I wanted to do so. Entitlement pah!

I have always had a weekly cleaner, recommended and not through an agency. My current cleaner sees what needs done and just gets on with it and does a terrific job.

I am surprised you are 'baffled' Kitty- we know there are many GN members who are having a very tough time at the moment, and their families too- so I think it depends how it is said, but perhaps a bit of discretion and humility would help.

I would love to have a cleaner but DH would never go for it. He has privacy issues.Although l am fairly fit and only mid 60 's l find it overwhelming sometimes looking after a sick husband and poorly dog, and doing everything else.
If you can afford a cleaner and a gardener, absolutely nothing wrong in having one.

argymargy

Norah

We have weekly cleaning.

Pair of women, their own business. Their supplies.

Two hrs @ £40/hour.

Forty pounds an hour??!!

Made me jump too. But that is for 2 people, and as through an agency, will include cleaning products, their own equipment, etc- but much MORE importantly- all social contributions and pension, etc. Most cleaners employed directly, do not get social payment, pensions or holiday pay either.

Employing a cleaner helps the money go around.

I don`t need a cleaner so don`t have one but I have excellent devices that make cleaning a much easier job. I live alone, easy new build and have my health and strength. If I make a mess, then I clean it, even if days later. Most of my mess comes from crafting

If you can afford a cleaner and that is what would help you enjoy life, then do it and along the way, you help someone else provide for their family

So cross that I mangled the first paragraph but I'm sure you get my drift!

Baffled by why there is anything wrong with employing someone to help out with tasks one is unable to do, or dislikes doing, is wrong.

We have always had a cleaner and a gardener. We can afford it, it provides employment and gives us more time to volunteer, help with grandchildren etc.

Not entitled at all.

Currently, no.

The only time in my life I had a cleaner was when I was expecting my twins (1975), had three small children, and hubbie had sharp deterioration in his MS. Social Services provided this lovely lady, started just a couple of weeks before twins were born, and stayed on. After three months, I found I was working so hard cleaning and clearing up before she came each time, I felt the time had come to say I no longer needed her.

Always managed myself after that, okay perhaps when all the chldren were small the house was untidy and messy -although essential areas alwas clean. Washing machine on at least twice each day. Stay at Home Mum, beds were changed ona rolling basis throughpout the week (or when a child wetted).

Now, I live in a wonderful 2-bed, 2-bathroom flat. Just me. It is all so easy to keep really tidy and clean. Bed changed weekly -washing twice a week. The occasional flick around with a duster, vacuum two or three times a week. Kitchen floor and both shower room and bathroom floors cleaned weekly. Modern fittings, and modern cleaning tools make all these tasks so easy. So my mop has the the solution in the long handle which sprays out as it goes. Mop head unclipped and popped into washing machine each time it is used. Vacuum is cordless and light, My electric bed makes changing the fitted bottom sheet a doddle, and I use a flat sheet between me and duvet, that is changed weekly, duvet cover every four weeks. I reckon that I spend about two hours a week, spread throughout the week on all cleaning (including washing, etc).

No way do I need nor have enough work to have a cleaner and most definitely would not like one.

I've had a cleaner for over 20 years due to having M.E. and very little energy.

She's not the world's best cleaner but she's a lovely person and has been coming to me for nearly 10 years, and we've become friends. She comes for 2 hours once a fortnight and I do tidy up beforehand, and knowing that she's coming makes me do that.

During the lockdowns when she didn't come, I had wondered if I could manage without her..... but I couldn't. I started off cleaning one room a day which meant it was a continual ongoing chore, but I often have bad days as I'm juggling a number of health conditions, so then I'd miss a couple of days, and before I knew it, a week had gone by with no cleaning. I also have a lovely chap to do my garden.

I like the house to look nice and I get a great deal of pleasure from a pretty and colourful garden, so I'd rather do without other things in order to keep these going.

I have quite poor mobility but I can dust, clean the loo washbasin and shower, use a long-reach soft brush for cupboard tops and skirting boards, wipe the work tops, clean the fridge & microwave, wipe window ledges, load the washing machine & dryer, mop the hard surface floors.........bed stripping is shared with OH and he helps with all the above and does the vacuuming and most of the ironing. I have to confess to recently having the oven professionally cleaned though. The thought of anyone else cleaning my toilet etc just does not appeal to be honest. while I can do it, I will do it. I basically, have more sense than money I guess.

I dont see anything smug about Ladyleftfieldlover's posting and I agree that I did not retire to do housework. I also have a gardner. Nothing wrong with providing employment for someone else or paying them to do things which are beyond me since I became mobility impaired.

I have a cleaner for 2 hours a week. Hired by word of mouth as she cleans for others in the area. She does the jobs Im too disabled to do. I pay via bank transfer.

Norah

We have weekly cleaning.

Pair of women, their own business. Their supplies.

Two hrs @ £40/hour.

Forty pounds an hour??!!

We have had cleaners for over 35 years (not the same one)

I hate housework but I am rather fussy and love a clean and tidy house.

Cleaners are like gold dust round here, and good ones are hard to find.

Life is to short to spend time in things that I do not enjoy.

LOUISA1523 - is that a large chip I can see on your shoulder or are you just being rude?

Ladyleftfieldlover

We use an agency for our cleaners so it’s not cheap. We did have a local weekly cleaner but she had to stop coming during the pandemic and then found something else. They are like gold dust where I live so an agency it is. We have had cleaners on and off over the years, specially when my three children were small. As someone else said, I didn’t retire to clean. We have a gardener too as it’s not our favourite occupation but love a beautiful garden. We have a four bedroom house with two loos, a dining room, kitchen, utility room and a conservatory. The ladies come fortnightly in pairs and stay around one and a half hours. They Hoover and polish and clean the bathrooms. OH and I do our own ironing.

Another smug post 🙄

Humbertbear

We have a cleaner once a week. We are in a five bedroom house and she comes for four hours. It sounds as if you would need 2 hours a week or 3 hours fortnightly depending on whether or not you want her to change the bed. Our cleaner comes in when we are on holiday and does extras k=like cleaning cupboards, the fridge or the oven. I couldn’t manage without her. I didn’t retire to do housework.

Very entitled post 🙄

Always had a cleaner, once a week, all my married life.
Had a few as they give up for various reasons, however mine is an absolute treasure, she's part of the family now, she's been with me about 20 years.

If you get a special one they are worth their weight in Gold.