I've been having trouble with my cleaning ladies. I had this really awesome girl for a few years and I think she totally spoiled me - she mopped my floors on hands and knees - just did such an awesome thorough job and I paid her roughly $40 a visit. She then got a "job job" and had to stop cleaning - and since then I've had a string of lackluster people through the house. The one woman just kept coming later and later and I would actually find garbage on the floors after she left - so I got rid of her. The next lady was just kinda sloppy - she cleaned to the same level that I do (swiffer floors, not really mop, etc) and I let her go cause if I'm paying you need to do a better job than me! :-)
So - I'm on my new team and they are good but spendy ($54 for 2 hours) and while they told me they could do my home in this time (1600 sq foot house - NO BEDROOM CLEANING AT ALL - so we're talking floors mopped on 2 levels, 2 full bathrooms, my living room and kitchen) but then came yesterday and said it took two of them 1.5 hours to do those things.
What am i doing wrong? Are my expectations way out of whack? I really don't think it should take two women that long to clean my little house. So - I've pondered setting aside 2 hours a week and doing a deep clean myself then pocketing the money I would have paid them and squirreling it away towards something special.
Any thoughts? Has anyone tried this and how did it work out? My biggest thing is I work full time so I'd have to find 2 hours to do this every week (though I supposed if I was doing it weekly it would probably be closer to an hour) and have my hubby get the kiddos out of the house during that time.
Look forward to your response
I guess I should have added that I absolutely HATE cleaning - so I would need the motivation of the "fun money' to get through it. Thanks for the advice - I guess I'm just discouraged that I keep coming up with the same issues over and over...
2300 square feet is small? That's funny ;-)
I don't know... if I had the money & hated cleaning I would think a good housekeeper would be worth the money. $54 each time doesn't seem that bad to me, honestly.
I think I'd feel weird to pay myself for cleaning, mainly because it's DH & I's responsibility to do it anyway. Why not split the chores up between you & DH?
Hmmmm.....wonder what other jobs you could do to squirrel away some money?
Have you seen this?:
Mom Job function Hours per week
Working mom avg SAHM avg
Housekeeper 7.2 hours 22.1 hours
Cook 6.5 13.6
Day care center teacher 7.2 15.7
Laundry machine operator 4.2 6.7
CEO 4.6 4.2
Facilities manager 3.5 5.8
Van driver 2.8 4.2
Psychologist 3.5 3.9
Computer operator 7.2 9.1
Janitor 3.1 6.3
Total weekly hours 49.8 91.6
ANNUAL PAYCHECK VALUE $85,876 $134,121
http://swz.salary.com/MomSalaryWizard/LayoutScripts/Mswl_...
I work full-time, go to school full-time (online), have 3 kids in activities, and my husband works 2 hours away so I'm basically a single parent during the week. I don't pay someone to clean my house because it really doesn't take that long if it's kept up with. And my kids help! My husband also helps when he is home.
We don't have the ideal situation and it might take me nagging to get my husband to help, but it gets done.
I can't imagine paying someone else to do it - though sometimes the thought is really nice!! I've heard only horror stories though and don't want anyone in my house when I'm not there. Plus, who will really do a better job than I will?
The floors don't need hand and knee mopped on a weekly basis. Keep them swept daily and mop once a week.
I clean a lot more than 2 hours per week and a lot more than 2 hours per day and I can't imagine how putting aside some me money would make it go any better or faster. But whatever you need to do to make yourself work at it. :)
Whatever keeps you motivated. If rewarding yourself with the money you saved, then by all means...
How about asking your hubby and kiddos to pitch in and then go out for a group reward?
$54 for two people for two hours??? Lucky!!!
Can you afford you?
I mean, if you pocketed the money, where would it really go?
And you'll have to see if this works into your already busy schedule. It's hard to kick a family out of their own house. And what would be shoved out of that space that you'd put the cleaning into - your time with your children or your husband?
On the other hand, if you can't find someone to do the cleaning the way you like it, you may have to rely on yourself.
I'm a little surprised at what you're used to paying someone to come in. It seems low to me.
I haven't had a cleaning lady in years!
Just for the same reason, the cheap is normally not good and the good is normally not cheap, so I do it my self.
About paying my self, nope, I don't.
Once I was joking to my husband that I should get paid, but before I finish I thought.
a) does that means I have to pay taxes on it, retirement, etc.
b) do I get fired if I don't
I think I rather don't get paid and rub it to my husband face how much I do, lol.
At the end if there is something I want and I have the money I get it and if I don't then I don't.
I don't know. I think cleaning is part of owning a house. I totally understand paying someone, if you don't want to do it yourself. But firing them and paying yourself, for what is your responsibility? That's just odd to me, but to each their own. I mean, if your kids went to daycare and you decided to pull them out...would you then pay yourself what you paid the providers? Anyway.
I think if you scrub a little every day, you are more likely to have to time to clean. You wouldn't have to block out such large amounts of time. What if everyday, you cleaned one thing really well. Then, you would only have to allot a small amount of time each day.
Nope - wouldn't work for me. I don't like cleaning and no amount of money would make me excited about cleaning my own house. Plus, I'd never find the time. It takes my awesome cleaning lady four hours to clean my house, and it's only 2300 sq feet. I wonder if you maybe need to pay a little more for someone who'll do a better job?
Before doing it yourself, ask friends and neighbors if they have someone they like. Find out exactly what they do for them. Try again.
Deep cleaning is hard work. I don't want to do deep cleaning - it hurts my back. You have enough to do keeping up with everything else...
Dawn
