Mental Health and Maid Services (Thank you Diamond Fan)

[Gypsy]

When I had phnemonia and was going nutso DF suggested a maid service.

Well, since that time we have been trying our different ones, and while we still haven''t found the ''perfect'' one (I''m still hoping for one that I don''t have to point out everything they have to do beyond the basics and that manages to put things back where they found them) we get our house done every two to three weeks and it''s been SUCH a blessing on our relationship and mental health.

Just had FMIL and niece over in our TINY place for 7 days, and we had the current service we are using come before, and then today (the day they left) and I''m sitting here in my house. 4 days left till I have to go back to work, SOOOO relieved that with the exception of some laundry and emptying the dishwasher there is nothing left to do in the house... so I can actually just BE.

I''ve even started outlining endings for one of my books today. I feel so free.

I highly recommend a service if it''s financially feasible for you. Fortunately for us, here in CA... it really is.

 

[Skippy123]

Yay for a clean house Gypsy; glad you are doing well

ETA: after seeing your post below; I am good. Hoping summer won't end; I love summer. I don't want it to get dark. Glad you are doing well. Enjoy your few days off before you go back to work!

 

[Gypsy]

Definitely. How are you doing Skippy? I''ve been completely MIA and have to catch up with everyone.


I posted this because I''ve seen posts where, like me, couples were having squables over household duties and cleaning. And man... when you take the stress out it''s just so lovely. And so worth it. So I thought I''d post this and encourage anyone considering a cleaning service to come out and simplify thier lives to give it a try. Totally worth it for us.

 

[Pandora II]

I have a great polish lady who is so nice, she doesn't speak much english so I spend ages googling words on the on-line dictionary so we can have a proper conversation.

I've probably had 4 or 5 different cleaners over the years and I've never found one who I haven't had to point out what needs doing beyond the basics.

Eg. They'll hover the floors and clean all the surfaces in the kitchen, but never think to clean the taps unless I ask.

Now I just put honesty and reliability way above their cleaning skills!

I couldn't function without a cleaning lady. Any kind of housework totally does my back in - I can't bend easily - and I am so untidy, I think FI would probably eventually kill me (if he could find me amongst the teetering piles of books and papers

). At least if the cleaning lady's coming I have to tidy-up for her!

 

[UCLABelle]

My Aunt''s use maid services, since they work, and it saves time...they love it. My Mom never worked, so she actually cleans herself. We both joke (my mom and I) that we actually LIKE cleaning. I find it a type of therapy. Strange, I know. But I am glad you are saving time and enjoy the service!

 

[divergrrl]

Wow, I''m glad everyone else has to point stuff out. I''m a thorough housekeeper, so I was thinking my standards are too high (i move things when I vacuum, wash floors on hands & knees, scrubbing the toilet means the WHOLE toilet) ... but being pregnant, and sooooooooo tired/sick to my stomach, I hired a service. They are so cheap ($50 every 2 weeks) but I got really ticked last time when they didn''t a) vacuum my living room or bedroom, b) mop the kitchen floor, c) clean any appliances, d) scrub the bathroom sink, 3) scrub the kitchen sink. Instead of being ticked off silently, I called them that day & asked if something happened that they ran into a snag. The ladies were so apologetic & today they came & I had emailed them earlier & said we''d go over how I like things done today. Turns out they were doing things that aren''t how I do them & they sure didn''t miss a thing today!

I think I''ll have to stay on top of them, but I''m glad I have the service for now. I have no idea how long I''ll keep them, but with a second baby on the way, (and a huge yard) I just don''t have the energy to scrub. I spend enough time each day keeping things neat & that kills me.

Now, who can I get to do my laundry?????

 

[Allisonfaye]

I couldn''t live without a cleaning service. Our house is too big for me to clean alone with two little kids. It is all I can do to manage the clutter they create. I am teaching my three year old to make her bed, pick up her books and put them on the shelf and pick up the toys but even than can be a chore to lord over her and make sure she does it. I am picky too but no matter how good the service, I still find things they miss that seem obvious to me.

I don''t mind cleaning. I agree with the finding it theraputic part. The only chore I really mind is washing dishes.

 

[Dee*Jay]

My marriage would have ended long ago without our cleaning lady. She''s been with us for somewhere around 10 years now and I love her. She does EVERYTHING and she''s good with The Demon and The Monster, so I really couldn''t ask for anything better than that. The concept of telling her what to do or writing things down would not work because her English is... um... nonexistent... Well, I exaggerate; she does sometimes make an effort. Once we found the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the living room with a post-it note on it that said "No God". The Pope had just died and she is Polish so we momentarily thought maybe there was some sort of larger message being passed on, but in reality she meant No Good, as in the vacuum is not working. She breaks sh*t with regularity, has fallen down the stairs on numerous occasions, and there are pieces of our furniture that are rather nicked up in the legs at this point, but we''ve come to accept these things. I trust her with my life (well, OK, with my *jewelry*, which is just as important) and I don''t know what we''d do without her.

Gypsy, good for you for figure this out so early on in your relationship!

 

[ljmorgan]

Thank you to everyone in this thread! For almost a year now I''ve been toying with hiring someone to help clean our home, but then balked at the idea of paying money for something I can do. My husband and I both work full-time and while I think I keep the house reasonably tidy and clean, I really love the idea of someone dusting/mopping/vacuuming/scrubbing more often. The rare arguments that my husband and I have ARE over cleanliness, I constantly feel overwhelmed and exhausted about keeping our home perfectly clean. I know that it doesn''t need to be perfect, but I can''t relax when it''s messy!

Anyway, I''ve called a few places (small, family owned types) and may have to try a few to find the right fit, but I''m hopeful. By the way my husband is in Germany this week and doesn''t know that I''ve decided to hire someone!

 

[Gypsy]

Glad this thread has helped!!

We have a one bedroom small apartment, and I constantly get comments from people along the lines of "but it's such a small place why can't you guys just clean it."

And they just don't get that's not the point. Our place is small so EVERY DAY we have to clean... I soft scrub my counters almost daily, we vacumm every couple of days, we dust weekly, generally tidy and pick up after the cats all the time. But doing everything at once and in depth (couch cushions, shower walls, outside of tiolet, total bleeching of all linolium, conditioning the leather couches, getting the cat hair off the unholstery, washing down the patios.. etc) is a pain and a time commitment that creates tension for us.

TOTALLY worth it.