I'm guessing I do indeed have a housekeeper, on a regular set schedule for years but not as frequently as others and for not as long. Besides the cleaning, she will tidy, wash linens and make beds, clean dishes, etc, etc. As time permits, she'll tackle projects like re-organizing/tidying closets, etc. I'm with Mtn -- It likely the last thing we'd cut out of the budget. We also have a guy who just does the equivalent tidying outdoors -- cleaning the garage, sweeping walks, organizing, planting, deadheading, weeding, etc (with a separate crew for mowing/blowing).

Mtn, your help sounds like a dream to me. I've never had anyone even come to clean and yet most of my friends do. I think I have control issues. I wish I could get over it.

A side question about the woman who cooked for you. Did she prepare meals and then leave them for you to heat and serve? Or did she holler "Dinner's ready!!" and you'd all sit down and she'd serve it up? That's my fantasy. Someone tell me dinner's ready and I would go, oh this is so good!!!

Thanks MtnRdRedux - I have always had a cleaning service as well - I am sure my friends thought I was nuts just out of college, but I would rather forgo a night out than clean on my downtime. I have always worked many hours. I suppose it also just seemed natural since my mom did the same and so did her mom!

most cleaning people or companies around here expect to clean, not tidy.

We had an au pair, but our boys are both in school now and I am not enthralled with having a full time person living in our house anymore (plus we moved and this new house is not set up as well for it). DH is the primary care giver and while he is great at doing more of what I would call handyman kinds of things around the house and taking care of the boys, he is not so great at the tidying aspects and I work a lot. I want to be able to enjoy my boys and have some downtime here and there :) It has only been a month and there has been a lot of illnesses, but I can't stand it anymore! it is overwhelming.

I suppose I could include the regular cleaning services in that too so that one person has more hours if that makes sense.

Grocery shopping seems easy to me now a days and I don't mind putting it away. I either have it delivered or pick it up and place an order once a week.

DH goes to the farmers market one a week as well for fruit and veggies that we run out of.

So it would be clean the house weekly - spread out over two days I suppose, wash and change sheets, towels, and kids clothes, tidy the house on the two days they are there. I wonder if two days is enough and how much that will be. Also how to find someone you click with. I have tried places like care.com and they are really hit or miss and kind of more miss.

oh more posts while I was typing! :) Gooster - how often does your housekeeper come? and for how long?

No housekeeper here, but I hope to have a maid every other week. There are people around who will be willing to provide referrals when the time comes (i.e., when I move to my new home this year.)

I just don't want someone underfoot more often than that.

If I could afford it, every dang day. Since puppy/cottage and other expenses we have not been having someone in more than a few times a year but I treasure those times.

@boopadaboo -- She comes weekly. It would be nice to have her come over to tidy more frequently, I had not thought of that (we are not ones to be too indulgent).

the ones were have sourced have all been referrals from neighbors or friends. it makes it more convenient for them as well. A good one, though, can be a closely kept secret. :) I wouldn't feel as comfortable with a service.

No we don't. Occasionally for bigger jobs or certain things, we will hire someone - just a few times a year. It's just the two of us (always has been) and as long as things stay organized, we are good at keeping things tidy. Hubby helps, so I don't feel like I am spending hours of time on cleaning. I work part-time and never work late, etc. so it's not like I feel overwhelmed. There are certain "chores" that really FEEL like a chore, but overall I don't mind taking care of our home. I will say that the few times I have had someone in to do just regular cleaning, I have found myself going behind (afterwards) and redoing some things. I guess I have my own way of how I think things should be done. LOL I also feel weird having someone in the house, if that makes sense.

We have have one three times a week. I would not do without one.

Beagles - for how many hours? each time? do they do cooking too? Grocery shopping? or is the the sheets, laundry, cleaning, tidying thing?

When I get older, I will consider it. I like the floors swept, bathroom cleaned (least favorite chore, esp. shower), furniture dusted, surfaces wiped clean as in stove and counters. If I live to a grand old age and am still able to live in my house, and still have a cat, help with the litter box too! lol

There are plenty of house cleaners available in my area, but many are Amish and do not drive, thus you must pick them up and take them home. Otherwise, they have to pay for an Amish taxi.

24/7 ME!

When I worked out of the home I had a weekly cleaner but now it is me. I hate grocery shopping, putting away more so than shopping actually, but the rest I do not mind. I am a clean as I go person and will admit my house is pretty much always drop in ready so I do not have to a lot a long block of time dedicated to deep cleaning. I really follow LEAN in every aspect of my life or the five s's....

I had a very hard time with having work done during my remodel. I was super picky too and still think I could have tiled better, painted better etc.

i do the snow blowing, leaf clean ups, pool care and my own mowing too but I am a stay at home and would be quite bored without tasks at nap time and it keeps me in great shape too.

I have to ask about those with help with laundry, cooking, shopping and cleaning do your kids have chores? On their tenth birthday kids in my household learn to wash, dry, fold and stow their own laundry. On their eighth, they are taught to vac and mop, by five they are making beds and clearing plates, at three they set tables and when theyare toddlers they must put away one thing before taking out another or I donate left out items to kids who pick up.... I guess I do have house keepers after all. Oh they must hate birthdays!

But I would love a person to shop and unload for me. Until a child has a driver's license in seven years I am on my own there...unless I hire out.

I have to be honest; the first person I shared the news that I had gotten the job when I returned to full time work was the house keeper I hired. That was years ago. Now I am retired and still rely on the housekeeper for general house cleaning.

Mtn, your former cook sounds like a retired grandma I know. I help with pick up and homework when I am available- on average 2-3 times a week. My daughters, working moms and business owners, appreciate when I send over pot roast, soup, stew, and meat sauce. I don't mind; pick up provides me a time to see kids amid their busy schedule of activities and school. And my daughters deserve the help.

We've always had someone, but our needs have changed with stages in life. Right now we have a house cleaner, one day a week now that DH only works two days a week and can help keep up (I still work almost full time + a commute and an elderly Mom I help with in the city). Until about a year ago, we had a housekeeper two days a week that also did laundry. When DD was younger, we did have a daily housekeeper that took care of her after school and did some cooking. By the time we no longer needed the daily childcare, that housekeeper moved up to bigger and better things -- more education, moved and a good job.

DH hand I have both gotten neater as we've aged and by the time we retire next year, we will probably just go with a monthly house cleaning service for a while as younger retirees and add more later as needed.

Funny you mentioned bathrooms I just delegated the hall bath to my DD as a chore yesterday. I admit I go over it everyday so it is not a hard job for her...

when i go back to work we will hire out much of what I do now for I expect not to be so bored then... But now I am sure I would be eating too much and on GW even more....I admit to being a bit under stimulated lately but things are busy and my volunteer gig is becoming full time soon so I think within a few years I will learn to delegate better to someone outside of the family.

Living alone, laundry is not an onerous chore. I can make my own bed and change the sheets. I can straighten up my messes. What I hate to do is clean baseboards and around the base of the toilet. Nooks and crannies that you forget about until they're suddenly gross. Vacuuming and hardwood floors.

Do you all leave the house when your cleaners are there? Or just stay out of their way in a room where they're not working?

I would have loved a cleaning lady when I worked full time but I know I would have cleaned before she came. I'm retired now and figure I should do it myself while I still can! I do split it up over 2-3 days now...gone are the days when I could zip through the whole house in a few hours.

One reason I don't want a cleaning lady is I'm just not comfortable with workers in the house. (I didn't even like it when the kitchen and bath were being remodeled and I was working full time and they would just be there for a bit after I got home). I would feel stupid sitting around while they are cleaning(and guilty I wasn't helping!) and I don't want to be forced to be gone for several hours. And I would be very uncomfortable with someone washing my underwear!

Now.....cooking...that's a different story. I don't like figuring out meals, shopping for them, putting the groceries away, or the actual cooking. I would love to have someone come every evening to cook dinner...I'll even do the dishes! But one of my New Years resolutions was to get a little more organized in this area and make more of an effort. It's just me and DH and he's not particular so that helps. Some nights he'll make himself a huge salad or he just wants a big bowl of popcorn and a smoothie. I do enjoy cooking when we're having company...it's just the day to day I can do without.

My prior housekeeper cooked and grocery shopped, cleaned, did laundry, etc. My current house keeper does not cook for us b/c we have someone else do that now. She takes care of the house completely, does laundry etc.

To be honest, I am not thrilled with my current housekeeper. I loved the previous one. She simply did absolutely everything. It was like living in a hotel. She started the day we moved in and the house was basically "hers," in that she bought all cleaning supplies, developed her schedule, emptied the central vac thing when it needs to be emptied, figured out how to clean the shower drains, knew where all the clothing goes and put it away, etc. Everything was just perfect, all the time.

We really loved her but she got a really great full-time job w/ excellent benefits, etc. and she had to take it :(

Our new housekeeper needs more direction than I prefer (e.g. we have to tell her sometimes what to prioritize) and she doesn't just take ownership and get everything done. She comes for about 9-10 hours a week, she makes her own schedule for the most part. We don't care as long as she gets everything done.

We like her, personally, and trust her, which is why we haven't moved on to find a new one... yet.

As to where we are when she cleans... 95 percent of the time, we sit outside anyway (screen porch or patio) so she's inside the house and we're outside. If it is raining or something, we just are in a different room. Our house is big enough that we can easily be out of her way.

My parents have a caregiver, but I'm thinking that what they really need is a housekeeper daily who prepares meals, and a caregiver a couple of mornings a week to help with showering and compression stockings. It would be less expensive!

Bp, in addition to the live-in housekeeper we hired for MIL, a personal care worker came in for bathing and another came periodically for foot care. We paid for the housekeeper, but the personal care services were funded and administered through our provincial government.

Mine comes every two weeks. I don't know why I waited so long. Like someone above said I think it was a control issues. I couldn't imagine letting someone else do my laundry. Now, I couldn't imagine doing my laundry.

I would give up my fancy car (and I love my car) and drive a used Ford before I gave up housekeeping help. BTW, I am single in a small, 1500 sq ft, house. But, hardwoods in every room that show dust. The amount of stress removed not worrying about needing to clean the floors, empty the dishwasher, fold and put away the laundry, and clean the toilets, PRICELESS.

You're looking for the old UK "daily"!

My neighbor had one when her children were school age. She came at noon every day, made the beds and straightened the house - it was a chaotic house with 3 children - whole family were slobs. She did a couple of loads of laundry, did any errands on list left by the wife (usually involving picking up a prescription or dry cleaning), and also went to the store if needed.

When the children got home, she made sure their lunch boxes were emptied and cleaned, got them snacks, and got them started on homework or drove them to activities. Then, she prepared dinner - a simple nutritious meal. The wife (a doctor) usually got home by 6, but if she didn't her mother came over.

This was several years ago, but I think she paid her about $40,000 a year plus provided health insurance. It's the kind of child/house care only a professional with a 6 figure salary can possibly afford, but it's the best kind where the family is concerned.

I would strongly urge you to teach your children to pick-up after themselves, and to make their beds before school in the AM. Even a 3 yr old can made a simply made bed. I have no problem with hiring people to do laundry and clean - even cook if one tends to get home from work late, but I don't like children not learning personal responsibility for the neatness of the house and their own rooms. My children always knew they must have their room in excellent order when my cleaning help came - they knew she was there to clean, not pick-up after them.

I am not looking for a daily person to care for the kids. We had an au pair for a number of years when the kids were not in school.

I am trying to figure out if I can find someone to come in twice a week, clean the house, do laundry, dishes if there are some, do household laundry (possibly the kids) change the sheets and wash the towels.

No cooking, no errands, no watching kids, no picking up kids, no preparing snacks for the kids etc.

I am not sure how many hours a week that would be. and, how does that change the cleaning service (really family) that we have now. How many hours a week would you need someone to come in and do what I am thinking? I am not sure. is it 10 hours? or 12 hours a week, and is that better broken up by 3 days?

I guess I will talk to DH about it. I need to get him on board with it too :)

When I worked my house cleaner offered to empty the dish washer and load the sink dishes, strip all beds sheets and remake, and I am sure if I used her twice per week she would have done the laundry the second day instead of the beds. could you ask your service first if they would like an increase in responsibilities and hours in exchange for an increase in pay?

We had a weekly housekeeper during the years when we had children in the house and I worked 2 days/week. She was incredibly helpful in keeping a busy household of 5 organized. I never asked her to clean the children's rooms. That was their responsibility, and it kept the cost down. She did clean the bathrooms, kitchen and common areas and would help me prepare for parties by doing extra services as needed. Now it's just DH and me and we do the housekeeping together in this house. In our vacation house, however, we hire it all out-housekeeper who also tends the gardens, landscape service weekly, so that when we are there it's a retreat, and one that require very little of our energy or time. DH is always working, both inside and out at both houses. I attribute that to being newly retired, but I am not going to complain! I work full-time and want to do as little as possible! It's a role reversal for us and, at times, it is really hysterical to see!

It sounds very nice, but I have never had a housekeeper, cook, babysitter, or what ever. We have always done all the housework, cooking, shopping, yardwork, and child care. We did get someone to reroof the house, but have always done all the painting inside and out.

People are responding to a post by MtnRdRedux, but I don't see that post. What happened to it?

I don't know Lucy. There was more than 1. Maybe she deleted them.

I've only had a house cleaner in a few times to help me with "spring cleaning" (moving the furniture, wiping the baseboards, cleaning blinds etc) which I like to get done in one fell swoop. But, I have had mixed luck -- finding a service provider that will clean behind furniture (even if I am the one to move it) and wipe blinds is difficult; of the ones that I have had, the last team ruined my range hood (by using oven cleaner on it!!!) and, I believe, stole my and my mother's wedding rings from my bedroom.

My aunt's housekeeper came with the husband. She is so lazy but no one cares. I think mostly she talks on the phone when they aren't watching. My uncle likes her and my aunt is too busy to see how much she goofs off. For as much time as she is there, their house should be spotless.

I did have someone come in last year when I broke my ankle. She showed up three times a week (changed quickly to twice), and cleaned up for me (and helped me clean my hair). She collected my mail and brought my trash curbside. I did my own cooking ... unless it's Jamie Oliver or some one with a flair for reasonably authentic Asian dishes, I'd rather cook for myself. (I have a chair on wheels, I just used the patio cushions in a layer of two of them to make this high enough for my use.) Peapod delivered groceries, but seriously, I'd much rather pick out produce and seafood myself. And, as it turns out, lamb. The lamb chops Peapod sent over were extremely fatty.

Once I move, though, I really want someone in once every other week, and maybe just prior to any special get togethers. Clean up all the public spaces and bathrooms, special scrubbings for the baths and kitchen. Assist with kitty litter. Periodically do windows. Maybe this person, or someone else, can drop by every three days if I am out of town, to check on / feed / litter change the cats. More visits than that... no. (There is no way I can board my one cat - I am going to be interested in seeing how he responds to his eventual two hour move to my future home...)

I am fine with doing my own laundry, although they're welcome to do the sheets and linens. (I needed help with all laundry when I had the broken ankle, as my current laundry set up is in the basement...) It's the nitty gritty of dusting, vacuuming, kitchen & bathroom scrubbing I want to hire out on.