Who has a cleaning lady?

LC122

Working Moms has this thread and they all say it's worth it. Just wondering how different it is for SAHMs.
Someone in the FAQs admitted to having one for deep cleaning.

So, if you have/had one, how often do they come, what do you pay, and is it worth it?

Andrewsgal

She comes every other week. Does all the deep cleaning. I pay $120 for 4000 sq feet. It is so so so worth it. I would give up a lot before I would give up my cleaning lady.

jensriot

Mine comes every two weeks. $90 for 3000 sq ft. I'm with AG, I would give up so many thingsto keep her coming.

LC122

Where do you all live? Are your rates pretty standard for your area?
We live in an in-town neighborhood of a major city. Just trying to see how much room to expect to make in the budget if we go down this road.

Also, do you have a person or a service? I feel like a person would be cheaper, not having to pay the middleman, marketing, etc.
We hired a service for a one-time deal after our renters moved out. They did an ok job but wanted to nickel & dime over ridiculous stuff (this level of service doesn't include the baseboards, so we're not going to clean that stuff off the pantry door that extends to the baseboards), so we wouldn't use them again.

TexasGal2008

Ugh, we had one until we moved this week. She was $90 for 2100 square feet, but we moved about 45 minutes from her, so she can't come this far. Will be looking for another! So worth it! She came every other week. I live in the Houston suburb area, so definitely not a a HCOL area compared to most places. I used a service once and it was more expensive, but they sent two people and were done very quickly. That was nice too.

sunnydays99

I have one. She comes every two weeks and I pay $135 for 2500 sq ft. It's definitely worth it for me :-)

Mrs.Hizzo

Once every two weeks, $120, and it's totally worth it.

olga1311

I have one. It's a family business so she comes with her husvand, mother or MIL (not sure) and a cousin. Every other week. Charges $80 per cleaning session for 1300 sq ft house. So so so worth it. I HATE cleaning so for me it's either the cleaning lady or never do floors/dusting etc. I would literally go 6 months between doing my floors when we didn't have her. Can't imagine not having help with the baby!

sschwege

We have one who comes every other week.  It's three ladies, they charge $60.  Our place is really small, not sure the square footage, but 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, all one level.  It is the best thing we have done, honestly, we would give up a lot before giving up our cleaning ladies.  When we go out on the weekends to the park or some place fun and we can spend time together as a family without having to worry about cleaning, that is what we are paying for...quality time spent as a family.

eaglesfan700

We have a husband and wife team, sometimes they have a helper. They come every other week and it's $110 for 2300 sq ft. We do a deep clean 4 times a year for $200. Totally worth it

jillyjill1026sr

I live in Northern Ca. Ours comes once a month, $80, 1200 sq feet. She does not work for, or own, a business. She just cleans houses for cash and she does a spectacular job!

cactus5

We have one come weekly. We pay $120.

sugarbug10

Mine is weekly and I pay her 72$. She is on her own, no company. House is just shy of 5,000 sq ft

JeffandLeslie

Mine comes monthly, it's a service, and it's about $250 for 3000 sq. ft.  I freaking love it. 

hlm184

Stupid question... how much do you have to clean before the cleaning person comes?

olga1311

hlm184 said:

Stupid question... how much do you have to clean before the cleaning person comes?

I don't clean at all specifically before the cleaning person comes. If I did it would defeat the purpose lol. I have my dirty laundry off the floor and in the hamper but that's abt it. They pick up/ put away all misc stuff, do dishes and laundry , change bed sheets and clean.

chardonnay24

We had one. She hurt her back and quit in February and I haven't bothered to find another one, but I'd like to before this baby comes.

We started with having her come once a month. We paid $120 for her to deep clean our 2 br 900 sf place and steam clean the carpets. She did everything from dusting to cleaning the toilet to scrubbing the walls. We added another touch up cleaning for $60 in between the monthly deep cleans, where she basically did everything except steam clean the carpets.

It's absolutely worth it for me. My kiddo is SN. We spend a lot of time in therapy and he's a challenging kid to parent. My husband works long hours. At the end of the day, doing anything more than straightening the house was just not a priority for me. I don't regret it at all.

NicoleWI

We had a lady come, every other week, and we did have to clean up for her each time but at least that kept things from getting completely out of control. That was when I was working, and then we stopped when we moved last summer. We've been doing a huge construction project for almost a year now and when it's finally done I definitely want to get someone again. I feel it's well worth it. As others said, I would give up other things but keep the cleaning lady. We have a big house and e little kids, plus one on the way. I just don't think I have what it takes to keep up on this on my own.

sunnydays99

I tidy up clutter before mine comes but that's it. I don't want her wasting time putting the kids toys & books away!

Mrs.Hizzo

hlm184 said:

Stupid question... how much do you have to clean before the cleaning person comes?

I usually scramble that morning getting rid of all the clutter. Our kitchen island is a receptical for mail and school papers and stuff. Random toys littered all over the house. The boys rooms always look like a hurricane hit them. The dog steals stuffed animals from their rooms and hides them all over the house. I always have to check behind the couch for underwear since my boys still think it's good form to strip the minute they get home. That sort of stuff.

eaglesfan700

I clean up the week the the cleaning people don't come. My house is always straightened, but that has never been my problem. I am anal about clutter and things being put away, but hate doing stuff like floors and bathrooms.