Do you pay someone to clean your house?

[threebeansalad]

After my mom had an accident and broke her arm (she's ~60 years old) she was feeling overwhelmed by the housework while her arm recovered. I live 250 miles away so I hired a cleaning lady to come help her out. She charged by the job, not by the hour and charged $50 to clean the downstairs of my parents 1800 SQFT house.

Like what was stated above, my mom felt that the cleaning lady didn't do as good of a job as she would have done herself. However, my mom isn't always easy to please!

The individual I hired was fully bonded and insured. Not sure exactly what that means, though!

[scfr]

The individual I hired was fully bonded and insured. Not sure exactly what that means, though!

You raise a very good point, and since we are on the topic of housekeepers anyone who hires one should be aware of what that means exactly.

This is an area I do know about (I am insured & bonded myself tho I'm not a housekeeper).

The bond is most likely a "dishonesty bond" which would cover theft. If the housekeeper were to steal from your parents, and if they filed a police report and the person was convicted, they should be reimbursed from the bond provider.

The insurance would cover damage to your parents property. If the housekeeper knocked a vase off of the table and broke it, the insurance would cover it. If the housekeeper left the water running and flooded the house, the insurance would cover it. I think you probably get the idea.

Hopefully the policy would be the type where you are reimbursed 100%, and any deductible the housekeeper would have to reimburse her/himself to the insurance company.

*****This is the very important advice for anyone who hires housekeepers, contractors, or anyone else who is self-employed and comes in to or works on your house: Just because they say they are insured & bonded doesn't mean they are. Ask them for a copy of their insurance & bond certificates!!! And then file those copies away where you can find them! Even if someone is legitimately insured & bonded, if you ever have to file a claim they may stop returning your calls or skip town and you may not have any way of finding out who their insurance and/or bond provider is. And if a home care worker steals from you, you must file a police report and press charges.*****

[nanamom]

Oh I wish I could!!! I am so cheap though that if I could I probably wouldn't. I'd keep thinking of what else I could do with that money. It is a nice dream though.

[tabbycat31]

I'd love to. I'm very domestically challenged, and as soon as I get a decent raise, it's on my list of things to do.

[bigsaver]

I probably should get someone to clean my house as my back has gotten worse over the years. It is probably money well spent, but I still just do it myself.

[click4credit]

$200 for two cleans sounds very high unless you have a huge house! $20 an hour sounds more reasonable. You could get 3/4 hours a month. It's a luxury I would like but don't feel I can currently justify it. We don't have kids though and a few extra hours of good time with the kids could be worth more than the 20 bucks an hour if you afford it.

[shelbylovesmelby]

Don't I wish! Add me to the list of those whom are domestically challenged!

[QueenOphelia]

I have someone in twice a month. She charges $55 a visit and spends around 2.5 hours. I have a 1200 sf co-op apartment.

It's the best $110 a month I spend

[Fern]

No, i never felt comfortable having someone in the house when i wasn't there. Too many temptations.

[cschin4]

I did have a cleaning lady a few years ago. At first she seemed very motivated but over time things just didn't seem as clean. And, I started to find that my phone was busy because I used to call home sometimes to check my answering machine messages. And, I also found that she was on my computer. I really don't like having a stranger in the house.
I am not all that particular about how things should be cleaned. I just want some basic vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning the bathrooms. I am not at all picky. And, I HATE to clean. About a month ago I tried out another later. She came and said she would be back the following week but then never called me back, returned my calls, etc. So, now I am back to square one. I think the going rate here is $10/hr.

[tgavin71]

My mum has a cleaning lady. Its a running joke in our family as mum cleans up before the cleaning lady gets there. Vacuumming, moping the lot. "I don't want her thinking we live like pigs" she tells us. We all shake our heads with disbelief.
The house is twice as clean now.

[tinapbeana]

My mum has a cleaning lady. Its a running joke in our family as mum cleans up before the cleaning lady gets there. Vacuumming, moping the lot. "I don't want her thinking we live like pigs" she tells us. We all shake our heads with disbelief.
The house is twice as clean now.

haaaaaaaahahhaha!!! that's exactly why i don't have a cleaning service, b/c i know i'd be someone who would tidy up before they got there...

when i first met DH he had someone who came in every 2 weeks, and he would get everything mostly presentable before she came in. in retrospect, it might be worth paying someone to come clean if it got him in the habit of tidying up again...

[mom-from-missouri]

I used to clean others houses, then I had others clean my house! But, since I have been a SAHM, I do it, or deligate it out to my daughters to do on their chore lists.
But, if I were to host a special function at my home that needed my attention (such as a wedding or graduation party), I would most likely consider it.

[saver621]

No, i never felt comfortable having someone in the house when i wasn't there. Too many temptations.

This is my DH's reason against a cleaning lady. But the concession is that he cleans and is good at it.