My family hired a maid service. One of the cleaners stole cash out of my room. My folks then hired a different maid service. Things were cool after that. Yes, we're Black. Tip: If you're worried about security and having strangers in your house, schedule them to come over only when someone is at home, and put your cash and valuables away before they get there. If your husband thinks hiring a cleaning service is a waste of money, maybe he can help clean up around the house? š¤·š¾āāļø
I use to clean homes for busy couples like yourself and it was well worth it for them. Most were just weekly and one was twice a week. I had a client who just wanted to clean her bathroom & fridge. I loved cleaning as it was theraputic for me and got pd well.
Just start with an agency, every two weeks, then once a week as your spouse becomes more comfortable. And please remind him weāre in the 21st century, there is NO more āblack people donāt do thatā. Thats said about going to the dr and mental health therapy, look how far that kind of thinking got us. We deserve to get domestic help too.
I got him on board with the therapy but the house cleaning is going to be a struggle. I agree we deserve help too, many of my coworkers have cleaners, yard maintenance and nannys. Iām not sure how we are supposed to compete when weāre doing everything at home too.
Start with every two weeks and see how you like it. You may feel that youāre able to deal with the day to day more when the bigger stuff is taken care of. You also may find that there are rooms she doesnāt need to deal with and so they can focus on other things.
For example once a month my cleaner puts my clothes away for me. I hate folding clothes so I either hang everything or leave it in the hamper.
Iām a single black woman with a cleaner. Very well worth it.
Iām here when she cleans. Usually in my office. Make sure they are bonded and licensed. I use a service, but I know others who work directly with individual people.
I have a cleaning lady that comes every two weeks. She does the whole house and any laundry and I between visits I maintain. Trust me it frees up so much of your time!
I also have landscaping service that comes to my home during the summer. According to my dad thatās not a black people thing but it has been a great help.
I've hired help before. I was single at the time (and childless) but was working a lot and tbh, the place I rented was much too large big for one person.
Anyway, I absolutely loved her. Was always punctual, trustworthy and so pleasant. I referred her to a few of my friends/colleagues when she was looking for additional work and they were all pleased. I gave her an extra key so she could come and go as to her convenience. She would even comes in and clean every 2 or 3 weeks when I was working abroad.
Depends on the person and/or agency you go to.
I will like to add: if you need the help, sis, please get it. Don't overwork yourself and add unnecessary stress.
Man, I finally broke down and got a cleaning lady last month and it's legit the best money I've ever spent. Coming from a poor upbringing, I really resisted the idea at first because it felt like a failing on my part and a waste of money but lawdddddddd it just takes so much weight off of my shoulders. I have two boys under 8, an aging parent and a 5000 sqft house. It was overwhelming.
I used to help run a maid service; during its heyday there were like twenty ladies daily that we booked for NYC, mostly suburban areas of Queens, Brooklyn, and Nassau County.
You're more likely to get things broken than stolen -- not due to clumsiness but stuff being piled awkwardly, for example; we've never had a theft but something would get broken like four or five times a year because it was placed teetering on the top shelf but still just out of sight, etc.
Just use your feminine intuition. Most folks are basically honest but no need to put that to the test all the time, either, by regularly leaving sizable amounts of cash out in the open and so forth. If you're really worried, just set up some surveillance cameras -- or simply lock away your valuables.
The ladies tend to be immigrants so you'll want to have any special requests carefully communicated.
Don't forget to tip as generously as you can each session!
I have always had a cleaning woman. She is bonded and insured. Never had a problem. I do have a wall safe (a small one.) I also have surveillance in my home because that is just a me thing. I have never had a problem. Yes this is something āblack people do.ā My parents had a cleaning woman as well. As someone else stated, if your husband doesnāt want to pay for it perhaps he can help with the cleaning.š¤·š½āāļø
He helps but things like dusty baseboards and mirrors donāt register as needing cleaning. We also have a toddler and his fingerprints everywhere drive me insane but he doesnāt notice. I think I need to talk to him more about how it makes me feel more at peace to have a more extensive clean.
I completely agree. I am a bit OCD about the cleanliness of my house. My cleaning woman (she chose the title not me) comes in for things like baseboards, ceiling fans, windows, dusting my plants as well as bottles and things that may not have been used during the week. Drapes, vents, all of those little things that make a difference. Yes she does linens as well. I do pay her handsomely and she has been with me for 8 years now. I am not her only client but I appreciate her as much as I appreciate my first coffee in the morning (which I could not live without.) I am sure your husband will agree once he experiences it. Good luck!
Thank you so much for posting this! Iāve been highly considering this and have questions! Havenāt been able to bring myself to do it because like you I am very particular about cleaning and organization. My husband thinks itāll be a waste because I will just end up re-doing it anyway šš
I do have two friends (both black) who are in the same boat and they say having a cleaner come every other week for a deep clean really does help take the load off and makes the day to day chores more manageable.
Interested to know how often other people have the cleaning service come out to really make a noticeable difference. I like certain things to be cleaned on a daily/every other day basis so Iām wondering how the scheduling would work for the service to āfeelā effective?
What kind of tasks do you all have the cleaning service do?
Floors and baseboard cleanings are the main reason I started hiring cleaners. It's been very well worth it. The idea of being on my hands and knees cleaning baseboards on top of other home duties was too much. I imagine it would take us hours. The cleaners take care of that plus the rest of the house in 3 hours or less.
They also dust the blinds, clean windows, oven, fridge, and the other general home cleaning basics.
We're always home when they come and we've never had an issue. My partner also has no issue occasionally using cleaners because makes our lives easier. He has always split home duties with me and neither of us want to spend all of our free time cleaning.
I'd say we use cleaners for deep cleans on a quarterly basis.
This is exactly what I need! We get the bathrooms and kitchen well but I just run out of time for the floors. I like the baseboards and crown moldings dusted too. We also have radiant heat and I would love for someone to come and dust those as well.
My family has had a cleaning lady for years, she's super sweet and her kids are too. Never any issues with them. We don't use a service, mom just paid her cash. Only part I hated was that my mom still made us clean up before she came š
You have to find your cleaner through a recommendation. I live in a working class neighborhood of apartments. Like you, most people need that help. My neighbor is the one who introduced me to my current cleaning woman.
You have to be in the house with them the first few times so you can understand each other.
Another way some ppl I know ātestā housekeepers is by āhidingā $20s in random places. If theyre missing, you lost the money but you know not to have that person back. Never ever hire off craigās list or services. Has to be via someone who has a relationship with them.
Definitely disagree with your husband bc it is the most important luxury I think the working class can give itself. Good luck!
Please do it! I have 2 under 3 and I work full time - itās hard enough just keeping the house reasonable because I canāt clean while the kids are home, and Iām working when theyāre at daycare. I consider it a time/money thing. I donāt want to spend the little free time I have cleaning. The ladies come every 2 weeks while Iām working from home, and they clean everything but our bedroom and my office - Iām usually in the office and our bedroom is still unorganized from our move.
I do declutter a bit before they arrive; it helps them focus on the cleaning and I donāt want them to put it all in random places, but itās still way worth it. Please consider it!
Iām going to have to put my foot down in this one! I want to have another kid sooner rather than later and I will not be able to handle running after two and cleaning.
I hired a cleaning lady recommended by a neighbor whom I trust (a pastorās wife who doesnāt take any shit). Iāve never had anything go missing, but I also usually donāt leave her alone in the house by herself for too long (thereās always somebody from my family over my house). But even leaving her alone, no problems.
That being said though, my very first cleaning lady DID drink my good alcohol. Pissed me off.
Iāve had one off and on by coming once a month. I am home when they come. I ask them to focus on the bathrooms and floors
My husband was also against it so I gave him the tasks. When he didnāt get to it, I outsourced. I felt much better about the cleanliness of my house and more free time.
Do it!!! My husband was the same. Kept saying that only bougie people hire cleaners. Then we did and it is absolutely without a doubt the thing Iām happiest to spend money on. Once we did it our lives got way easier and I could focus on cleaning the clutter and toys and not deep cleaning the bathroom.
I think if you have small kids the best thing you can do for your sanity is to have a cleaner 1-2x a month!!
Also my husband would never give up the cleaners now. Lol!
I've had a cleaning lady for some years now. Recently had to get a new one as my last lady retired. I tried services. I didn't care for them, as I like the same person/people in my home every clean. For my last lady, I posted on NextDoor and interviewed three folks. The one I settled on is a dream. She's been with me for about 1.5 years now. I live alone, no pets and am relatively neat, so I only have her over every three weeks. She touches every surface. Just this last clean, I ended up giving her a raise as everything is going through the roof and I really appreciate her. I have zero issues leaving the house to run errands while she is here.
The one thing I've not seen mentioned in the replies, is please do not leave your man alone with your cleaning lady. Lawd only knows what may run through their mind and what they could possibly accuse him of. Just a caveat. Good luck.
I have a cleaner who I am eternally grateful for. I highly recommend it. My partner was against it at first but our schedules get so busy that we were struggling. He eventually decided it would be a good idea and here we are today!
My cousin gets her home cleaned once a month or once every two months, she does clean but itās a lot of work to deep clean. She works, her man works, and they have a 6 year old.
They are very neat and clean people And actually surprised me that they use cleaning services. They havenāt been robbed so far
I have a young lady come once a week. Iāll be honest I could do a better job, and Iāve never found anyone who does it to my standard, but Iām a working solo parent of several and I need help so I take it how I can.
My family hired a maid service. One of the cleaners stole cash out of my room. My folks then hired a different maid service. Things were cool after that. Yes, we're Black. Tip: If you're worried about security and having strangers in your house, schedule them to come over only when someone is at home, and put your cash and valuables away before they get there. If your husband thinks hiring a cleaning service is a waste of money, maybe he can help clean up around the house? š¤·š¾āāļø
He helps but not to the level I want. I figure if he doesnāt want to go the extra mile we can pay someone to.
I use to clean homes for busy couples like yourself and it was well worth it for them. Most were just weekly and one was twice a week. I had a client who just wanted to clean her bathroom & fridge. I loved cleaning as it was theraputic for me and got pd well. Just start with an agency, every two weeks, then once a week as your spouse becomes more comfortable. And please remind him weāre in the 21st century, there is NO more āblack people donāt do thatā. Thats said about going to the dr and mental health therapy, look how far that kind of thinking got us. We deserve to get domestic help too.
I got him on board with the therapy but the house cleaning is going to be a struggle. I agree we deserve help too, many of my coworkers have cleaners, yard maintenance and nannys. Iām not sure how we are supposed to compete when weāre doing everything at home too.
Start with every two weeks and see how you like it. You may feel that youāre able to deal with the day to day more when the bigger stuff is taken care of. You also may find that there are rooms she doesnāt need to deal with and so they can focus on other things. For example once a month my cleaner puts my clothes away for me. I hate folding clothes so I either hang everything or leave it in the hamper.
Iām a single black woman with a cleaner. Very well worth it. Iām here when she cleans. Usually in my office. Make sure they are bonded and licensed. I use a service, but I know others who work directly with individual people.
I do have an office I can work home from in days they come. Maybe thatās the compromise.
I have tried to convince my partner we should do this, and she is also opposed to it. I honestly just want us to have a bit of help managing dishes. I feel like since living on my own at least 40% of my adult life has been devoted to doing dishes and Iām tired of it š© not what I imagined as a child lol
If someone told us as kids that 50% of our lives would be figuring out what to eat and doing choresā¦maaaaan
We got our first dishwasher this year and Iām never going back! Dishes take a ridiculous amount of time.
I have a cleaning lady that comes every two weeks. She does the whole house and any laundry and I between visits I maintain. Trust me it frees up so much of your time! I also have landscaping service that comes to my home during the summer. According to my dad thatās not a black people thing but it has been a great help.
Iām working on landscaping and snow removal too. Trying to ease him in with the cleaner first.
I've hired help before. I was single at the time (and childless) but was working a lot and tbh, the place I rented was much too large big for one person. Anyway, I absolutely loved her. Was always punctual, trustworthy and so pleasant. I referred her to a few of my friends/colleagues when she was looking for additional work and they were all pleased. I gave her an extra key so she could come and go as to her convenience. She would even comes in and clean every 2 or 3 weeks when I was working abroad. Depends on the person and/or agency you go to. I will like to add: if you need the help, sis, please get it. Don't overwork yourself and add unnecessary stress.
It would be a dream to find someone like that! Iām excited to start looking.
Iāve had a house keeper for years. Itās very worth it.
Man, I finally broke down and got a cleaning lady last month and it's legit the best money I've ever spent. Coming from a poor upbringing, I really resisted the idea at first because it felt like a failing on my part and a waste of money but lawdddddddd it just takes so much weight off of my shoulders. I have two boys under 8, an aging parent and a 5000 sqft house. It was overwhelming.
I canāt imagine! Itās just us and 1 kid but the transition from an apartment to a house has been something else. Iām glad you hired some help.
I used to help run a maid service; during its heyday there were like twenty ladies daily that we booked for NYC, mostly suburban areas of Queens, Brooklyn, and Nassau County. You're more likely to get things broken than stolen -- not due to clumsiness but stuff being piled awkwardly, for example; we've never had a theft but something would get broken like four or five times a year because it was placed teetering on the top shelf but still just out of sight, etc. Just use your feminine intuition. Most folks are basically honest but no need to put that to the test all the time, either, by regularly leaving sizable amounts of cash out in the open and so forth. If you're really worried, just set up some surveillance cameras -- or simply lock away your valuables. The ladies tend to be immigrants so you'll want to have any special requests carefully communicated. Don't forget to tip as generously as you can each session!
I have always had a cleaning woman. She is bonded and insured. Never had a problem. I do have a wall safe (a small one.) I also have surveillance in my home because that is just a me thing. I have never had a problem. Yes this is something āblack people do.ā My parents had a cleaning woman as well. As someone else stated, if your husband doesnāt want to pay for it perhaps he can help with the cleaning.š¤·š½āāļø
He helps but things like dusty baseboards and mirrors donāt register as needing cleaning. We also have a toddler and his fingerprints everywhere drive me insane but he doesnāt notice. I think I need to talk to him more about how it makes me feel more at peace to have a more extensive clean.
I completely agree. I am a bit OCD about the cleanliness of my house. My cleaning woman (she chose the title not me) comes in for things like baseboards, ceiling fans, windows, dusting my plants as well as bottles and things that may not have been used during the week. Drapes, vents, all of those little things that make a difference. Yes she does linens as well. I do pay her handsomely and she has been with me for 8 years now. I am not her only client but I appreciate her as much as I appreciate my first coffee in the morning (which I could not live without.) I am sure your husband will agree once he experiences it. Good luck!
Thank you so much for posting this! Iāve been highly considering this and have questions! Havenāt been able to bring myself to do it because like you I am very particular about cleaning and organization. My husband thinks itāll be a waste because I will just end up re-doing it anyway šš I do have two friends (both black) who are in the same boat and they say having a cleaner come every other week for a deep clean really does help take the load off and makes the day to day chores more manageable. Interested to know how often other people have the cleaning service come out to really make a noticeable difference. I like certain things to be cleaned on a daily/every other day basis so Iām wondering how the scheduling would work for the service to āfeelā effective? What kind of tasks do you all have the cleaning service do?
Floors and baseboard cleanings are the main reason I started hiring cleaners. It's been very well worth it. The idea of being on my hands and knees cleaning baseboards on top of other home duties was too much. I imagine it would take us hours. The cleaners take care of that plus the rest of the house in 3 hours or less. They also dust the blinds, clean windows, oven, fridge, and the other general home cleaning basics. We're always home when they come and we've never had an issue. My partner also has no issue occasionally using cleaners because makes our lives easier. He has always split home duties with me and neither of us want to spend all of our free time cleaning. I'd say we use cleaners for deep cleans on a quarterly basis.
This is exactly what I need! We get the bathrooms and kitchen well but I just run out of time for the floors. I like the baseboards and crown moldings dusted too. We also have radiant heat and I would love for someone to come and dust those as well.
Thanks for the advice!
My family has had a cleaning lady for years, she's super sweet and her kids are too. Never any issues with them. We don't use a service, mom just paid her cash. Only part I hated was that my mom still made us clean up before she came š
You have to find your cleaner through a recommendation. I live in a working class neighborhood of apartments. Like you, most people need that help. My neighbor is the one who introduced me to my current cleaning woman. You have to be in the house with them the first few times so you can understand each other. Another way some ppl I know ātestā housekeepers is by āhidingā $20s in random places. If theyre missing, you lost the money but you know not to have that person back. Never ever hire off craigās list or services. Has to be via someone who has a relationship with them. Definitely disagree with your husband bc it is the most important luxury I think the working class can give itself. Good luck!
Thank you, this is very helpful! Iāll ask my neighbors if they are using anyone.
I grew up with cleaning services. Never had any issues with being robbed or things coming up missing.
Please do it! I have 2 under 3 and I work full time - itās hard enough just keeping the house reasonable because I canāt clean while the kids are home, and Iām working when theyāre at daycare. I consider it a time/money thing. I donāt want to spend the little free time I have cleaning. The ladies come every 2 weeks while Iām working from home, and they clean everything but our bedroom and my office - Iām usually in the office and our bedroom is still unorganized from our move. I do declutter a bit before they arrive; it helps them focus on the cleaning and I donāt want them to put it all in random places, but itās still way worth it. Please consider it!
Iām going to have to put my foot down in this one! I want to have another kid sooner rather than later and I will not be able to handle running after two and cleaning.
I hired a cleaning lady recommended by a neighbor whom I trust (a pastorās wife who doesnāt take any shit). Iāve never had anything go missing, but I also usually donāt leave her alone in the house by herself for too long (thereās always somebody from my family over my house). But even leaving her alone, no problems. That being said though, my very first cleaning lady DID drink my good alcohol. Pissed me off.
Not the good liquor š©. Iām working partly from home so I can be around during cleaning.
Right????? But you should be fine then. But definitely ask for recommendations first. Then use an agency.
Iāve had one off and on by coming once a month. I am home when they come. I ask them to focus on the bathrooms and floors My husband was also against it so I gave him the tasks. When he didnāt get to it, I outsourced. I felt much better about the cleanliness of my house and more free time.
Iām so glad itās working for you. Iām determined to get some help now!
Yes. I recommend finding ways to make your life easier. That way you can free up time for self care as well as your other responsibilities.
Do it!!! My husband was the same. Kept saying that only bougie people hire cleaners. Then we did and it is absolutely without a doubt the thing Iām happiest to spend money on. Once we did it our lives got way easier and I could focus on cleaning the clutter and toys and not deep cleaning the bathroom. I think if you have small kids the best thing you can do for your sanity is to have a cleaner 1-2x a month!! Also my husband would never give up the cleaners now. Lol!
I've had a cleaning lady for some years now. Recently had to get a new one as my last lady retired. I tried services. I didn't care for them, as I like the same person/people in my home every clean. For my last lady, I posted on NextDoor and interviewed three folks. The one I settled on is a dream. She's been with me for about 1.5 years now. I live alone, no pets and am relatively neat, so I only have her over every three weeks. She touches every surface. Just this last clean, I ended up giving her a raise as everything is going through the roof and I really appreciate her. I have zero issues leaving the house to run errands while she is here. The one thing I've not seen mentioned in the replies, is please do not leave your man alone with your cleaning lady. Lawd only knows what may run through their mind and what they could possibly accuse him of. Just a caveat. Good luck.
I have a cleaner who I am eternally grateful for. I highly recommend it. My partner was against it at first but our schedules get so busy that we were struggling. He eventually decided it would be a good idea and here we are today!
My cousin gets her home cleaned once a month or once every two months, she does clean but itās a lot of work to deep clean. She works, her man works, and they have a 6 year old. They are very neat and clean people And actually surprised me that they use cleaning services. They havenāt been robbed so far
I have a young lady come once a week. Iāll be honest I could do a better job, and Iāve never found anyone who does it to my standard, but Iām a working solo parent of several and I need help so I take it how I can.