Do you have a maid?

Govtgirl

Govtgirl

Cathlete
For the past few years, my husband has said that when we made enough money, he wanted me to have a maid come in a couple times a month. I have always said "no way", I don't want someone in my house when I'm not home touching my stuff, and I don't want to spend the money on it. We would joke back and forth about it, and that's where it's stayed for years, a joke.

Well, yesterday as I was cleaning the kitchen floor and bemoaning "how did it ever get this dirty??" , my husband brought it up again. He said we make the money now, we can afford it, and he'd rather I have the time to do stuff I want and spend more time with him than worry about cleaning the house. He absoltuely does what he can to clean up, but his commute is much longer than mine, so I have never been bothered that I do a bit more, because I have more time.

So now I'm thinking...is a maid such a bad thing? Can you trust them to come in and clean, and not sit on the couch eating drinking your beer and eating your Doritoes? I am still against the idea, I would rather take care of my own home, but I'm willing to consider it given that my husband really wants me to consider it!

Does anyone have a maid, and how is it working out? I'm really curious, it's such a foreign concept to me!
 
My little sister has a maid come into her house and do a deep cleaning once a month,or when she host parties. I personally rather clean my own home, but I do admit I would love to have a maid every once in a while...I have 5 boy's plus my husband and I'm always cleaning and picking up after them. My house is not perfect but you will find a clean home every time you drop in!

Lourdes

P.S. Did I mention my little sister doesnt have kids and just her and her husband...Go figure! :)
 
If you hire a bonded service, you won't have to worry who's in your house. If you hire an individual, that's a little tougher because then you have no idea what their background is. Of course, who am I to say, I've never had a maid and probably, at the rate we're going, never will!

My mom always used someone who had been referred to her by a very close friend. Never just hired someone out of the paper or off the street.

Lucky you! Basically, I'd have to beg for one, if I ever were to be in a position to even consider it!

ETA: You will never be happy with the job they do! My mom always complains that they don't do certain like she would, etc., etc.
 
My husband just recently mentioned that he'd like to hire someone to come in once or twice per month, especially when we retire in the next year. I sort of felt embarrassed thinking he didnt like the way I clean, but he says he wants us to have more time to do the things we want to do and not be tied down to cleaning on the weekends.

Carmen.
 
I have someone come twice a month and I don't know how I ever did it myself anymore! I used to spend 1 of my 2 days a week off cleaning the house and now I have so much time for other things. I still spend a lof of time doing laundry and of course the day to day cleanup, but this is one of the best things that I ever did. I have found that the quality of work can vary significantly, so if you do decide to hire someone try them out before you sign them up to come regularly. I have had people in the past who only did an ok job, but the people who do my house now are awesome. It's a woman and her sister and cousin and they are very trustworthy. Ask around for referrals from friends and neighbors, and then have them come and clean once or twice to see how they do. I had one girl come in and said she would clean the house sparkling clean from top to bottom for a price that was much lower than anyone had quoted me. I worked at home the day that she came so I could be here. She was here for 2 hours! I have cleaned my house on many occasions and know that it's not possible to clean it from top to bottom in only 2 hours! Needless to say I didn't have her come back. It is definitely worth it though when you find the right person/people!

Pam
 
No offense to anyone who hires a service to clean, but "been there, done that", and it was NOT good! In fact, I've used several services and none of them are as good as one trusted person. The services are likely to send a different person to your house every time. They don't know how you like things done and you don't know who they are... doesn't matter if they are bonded.

We have a wonderful lady who comes in once a week and does the whole house. She has been cleaning for us for about 2 years and is an angel! I know how lucky I am to have found her. She's trustworthy and good at what she does. I can leave her here alone, or even give her access to the house when we're not even in town.... no worries. She knows my house, and my preferences, and she does a fantastic job every single time.

I say do it! You may have some initial problems finding the right person for you, but once you find him/her, you'll love having the help!
 
I've been using Molly Maid for the last 3 years and have been very happy with them. Generally it's the same 2-3 women who come in and I've never felt that I had to hide any of my valuables. I've had a couple small items broken though:mad: but that's life, accidents happen. I have them come through my garage and I can set-up a special code on my door opener to work just on days they're coming in.

They just vacuum, wash the floors, kitchen and all the bathrooms along with dusting.

I've had them in everyweek and now I'm moving and I don't think I'll be able to afford weekly cleanings. But hey even if it is only 1-2x a month it is so worth it when both of you work. What's more important - getting your workout in or your house cleaning:D:D
 
I have been through a LOT of cleaning ladies and no one cleans at well as I do. There are times I am cleaning and think, why am I doing this, and quickly remember why!! I must admit I am a tad OCD when it comes to cleaning, so I think that plays a lot into it.
 
We do have a maid (I'm trying to call her a "housecleaner" now because I read a book recently that implied that "maid" is demeaning...) and I LOVE it. I don't enjoy housework at all, I'm a paralegal which can be stressful, when I used to do housework once a week or so I always felt resentful. Hubby did help when asked but the whole thing was a huge chore for us and I felt like I was "in charge" of what had to be done and he would help when asked, but while sighing and pouting. I used to hate hate hate scrubbing the shower and toilets and mopping the kitchen floor, UGH, to me it makes me feel like a slave. Part of me, also, feels like since I earn about half of our income, I do not have to clean house the way a wife in a more traditional marriage may want to - in a situation where the husband earns all the money I think it's customary for the wife to do more housework, childcare, cooking. (Not trying to offend anyone or say that a SAH mom shouldn't have a housecleaner, this was just the way I justified hiring a service for me personally.)

I've actually used houscleaners and cleaning services for about 30 years, wherever we have lived - it was one of the first "treats" we allowed ourselves when we were starting out in new jobs after college. To me it seems an incredible bargain to have your house entirely cleaned from tip to toe, and you come home from work and everything's done and you can just relax and your weekends are free. I think my standards of cleanliness are not extremely high, though - to me the house always looks sparkling and shiny when I get home after the cleaners have been there, I think they do a great job, but my mom once made the comment that she didn't think they did a good job because she found some dust on top of a picture frame or something. I offered to get her the duster so she could have a go at it LOL.

I started using my current housecleaner when she was with a service which left a flyer on the front door; she has since started her own business which I'm so proud of her for doing; I've used her for over 20 years, never had anything stolen, only had one little saucer broken. Before we moved here we used a couple of different services and never had a problem with them either, and we are almost never here when the cleaners are here.

I have to say, DH does not love the cleaners the way I do, he feels sort of like his house is "invaded" every 2 weeks and he has to pick up his stuff for fear that Conny will put it all in one pile or something. He and I have talked about it though and he admits that if we did not have Conny, he cannot see himself doing housework, he somehow thinks I would do it (NOT) or it would be done at midnight by the Cleaning Fairy. If the alternative was for him to clean the house he says he would vote for Conny to come in every time.

My sister-in-law was a SAH mom for most of her marriage, she has had cleaners come in for most of that time. Now her husband has been unemployed for nearly 2 years, and she STILL uses a cleaning service - she said they had given up lots of things but that would be one of the last things to go. So I think if you dislike housework, having a service can be totally addictive.
 
I have been considering hiring a house cleaner to come in 2 times a month. I'm going to be asking people I know for referrals. I think that is probably the best way to find someone who will be in your house.

Both my sister and my aunt have their own house cleaning businesses (too bad they live in a different state:p). They have their "regulars" who they have been cleaning for for years and they will take on new clients as needed or as their schedule allows. I know what they appreciate most from a first-time client is for the client to let them know, specifically, what they want cleaned, vacuumed, dusted, ect. And if they want a special cleaning product used or special equipment or cloth used. The cleaner should have their own equipment and cleaning supples but you may like them to use your vacuum or special cleaning solution, etc. If something is not cleaned to your liking, let the house cleaner know right away so they can either fix it or clean it correctly/thoroughly the next time. Though, if they are always missing things that need to be cleaned, you may want to look for someone new. Communication is key. Some may charge a flat rate and others may charge by the hour. Both my sister and aunt have a flat rate.

Also, my sister and aunt don't refer to themselves as maids, they prefer the term "house cleaner". It could just be a cultural thing:D

Good luck with your decision!
 
Yes, ME! Sometimes I do a good job, sometimes I don't! Ha! Just teasing with you. I hired someone to come clean years ago and they did a horrible job...never tried again...Good Luck, hope you find someone that works out well for you!
 
I have had a cleaning service or person for about 12 years after I decided to go back and get my masters while working full-time. I do like coming home to a clean house every two weeks but it is not without its faults. No one ever does a perfect job so you will see things they missed. Sometimes it was just a bad week but sometimes it just got progressively worse and we had to fire the cleaning lady. We have a person right and she is completely trustworthy but she does break things. We don't have too many breakable things so it is okay but that is something to take into consideration if you do. We have found every person who cleaned our house through referrals and we have had them do an assessment before they started cleaning. The assessment allowed us to negotiate price and tell them areas we don't want cleaned (for example, DH does not want the papers organized in his office). Overall, I love having my house cleaned and I would be hard pressed to give up.
 
I did up until recently (had to cancel for budget reasons), every other week. I will tell you this much--the $75 per visit services just did not cut it for me. They'd walk around w/a bottle of 409 & a roll of paper towels. That is just not my idea of cleaning. So I went with a commercial service. It was much more costly, but they did such an amazing job I never had to lift a finger.

God I miss them! LOL!
 
I don't have a maid, but as soon as I can afford one it's happening!

I do drop my laundry off to get it done weekly; which bothers a lot of people, especially my mother. She doesn't understand how I can let someone else touch my underwear, to which I reply that I dont care if they run around with my thong on their head, everything comes back clean and folded and I dont have to go to the laundromat.

If I had my own washer/dryer I'd do it myself, but I dont and it cost just as much to get it done as it would for me to spend 2 hours in a laundromat.

Go get yourself a maid!!
 
There is nothing wrong with bringing in some reinforcements. I just recently hired a family owned housekeeping service to come in 2x's per month. It does two things- first it forces me to get all of the clutter put away and secondly it is soooo much easier to stay on top of the general cleaning after they've done a thorough cleaning. It also is a sanity saver!! :eek::D

Ask around to get reports on the good, bad and trustworthy. The team I hired came highly recommended from several families in my neighborhood. It's totally worth the money in my mind.

Good luck!
Pam
 
cleaning lady

I grew up with cleaning ladies in my mother's house & when I moved out I used her cleaning lady until she retired.. Ask the people in your neighborhood for a recomendation, that is the best way to find a cleaning lady.
I have had the same cleaning lady now for about 15 years, she has the keys to my house & my boyfriend now uses her as well.
Good luck in your search & do not feel bad about having one
 
I don't have one but would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if I could hire someone to come in say once a month and do a DEEP CLEAN. That would be AWESOME! I have never broached the subject w/DH...Wondering if I should give it a shot! ;)
 
syzygy314 said:
Lucky you! Basically, I'd have to beg for one, if I ever were to be in a position to even consider it!

ETA: You will never be happy with the job they do! My mom always complains that they don't do certain like she would, etc., etc.
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Hey Tricia. I WISH I could afford a maid too. I'm a neat freak type "A" though that wants things clean my way, . .think Monica from the show "Friends." There are times when I hate cleaning the bathrooms, and dusting.
 
JeanneMarie said:
No offense to anyone who hires a service to clean, but "been there, done that", and it was NOT good! In fact, I've used several services and none of them are as good as one trusted person. The services are likely to send a different person to your house every time. They don't know how you like things done and you don't know who they are... doesn't matter if they are bonded.

We have a wonderful lady who comes in once a week and does the whole house. She has been cleaning for us for about 2 years and is an angel! I know how lucky I am to have found her. She's trustworthy and good at what she does. I can leave her here alone, or even give her access to the house when we're not even in town.... no worries. She knows my house, and my preferences, and she does a fantastic job every single time.

I say do it! You may have some initial problems finding the right person for you, but once you find him/her, you'll love having the help!
Click to expand...

Ditto this. We tried a few services and they were ok, but not great. If I was paying that much, I wanted great! We found a woman who was her own cleaning service, and she was incredible. She'd come every other week (if we could have afforded it, we would have done weekly), and I loved, loved, loved it. We dropped her a while ago to save money - it is definitely a luxury. But in my opinion, it is money VERY well spent. I can't stand cleaning and have no issue with having someone else do it so that I can do things I'd rather be doing.

If you go the private person route, talk to some people in your neighborhood to see who they use. That's how we found Yara - recommendation from a neighbor.

This thread reminds me of how much I miss having a clean house!!!!!
 
I think having a housecleaner is a wonderful gift to yourself. Who wants to work all day and use their precious little time off scrubbing sinks and toilets? That being said, I do not have a housecleaner for my home, ironically I AM the housecleaner for our overnight rental property and by the time I am finished there I don't feel like cleaning my own place!!
If I were to have a full time job outside the home, I would definitely get someone to come in and clean 2x a month...... the price is worth my sanity!!
 
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