Do you use a housekeeper?

We have someone come in to clean our house every few weeks and she does mopping, vacuuming, dusting & cleaning the bathrooms. She will also make our bed, clean cobwebs, empty the wastebaskets, and anything else she thinks needs some cleaning. She is a wonderful person and wonderful worker. I try to pick up things for her such as clothes, papers, load the dishwasher, so she can get to the surfaces she needs to clean. Initially I was afraid I'd be cleaning for the housekeeper, but once I got used to the idea, I just don't leave a mess for her to clean before she can do the real deep cleaning. My husband had our housekeeper in his bachelor days before we were married. In those days, she also did laundry, but now I do that, so she doesn't have to worry about washing and folding clothes. A dear friend of mine, who recently passed away, told me what a blessing it was to have someone cleaning the house so I could spend more time with my husband and enjoy life in general. I think of those words often because she was right & it makes me appreciate our housekeeper that much more as well as the time I'm free to do other things & be with my husband. Now, my sister-in-law who is retired & enjoys cleaning house could not do a housekeeper. At various times in her life, she & her husband have hired someone to clean for them. Her husband finally determined it was a waste of money when the housekeeper would come and have nothing to do because everything was clean & in it's place. I think some people are more suited for housekeepers than others. We appreciate ours very much. She does an excellent job for us!

I don't have a housekeeper, though I'm starting to think I need one. We had a nanny for a year with my son and when he was sleeping she would "clean up." I almost cried the day I came home from work and saw that she had cleaned my fridge. While I can manage to keep the place in pretty good shape for the most part, I just can't find/make time for the big jobs like cleaning my cabinets, oven, and yes fridge. I've been depending on wipes to keep my bathroom in order---wiping down the toilet and sink ever other day keeps it decent, and then I have to scour the shower once a week. With two boys and my husband and I working full-time I don't want to waste our downtime cleaning. Why does this make me feel so guilty though, like I'm lazy? It's not like I have a huge mansion to care to! still, Kate, you're convincing me...

I clean as I go and we have a wonderful housekeeper who comes once a month to do the nitty gritty stuff, like mop the floors, vacuum, dust...you know, the corners. It's worth every penny.

I cant afford a regular housekeeper. I might use one if I have construction done again, and need help cleaning up post-construction mess.

Hiring a housekeeper is one of the best things I've ever done. I always tidy up for her, but I would need to do this anyway. The only source of tension I've ever had with my husband was over household chores, and having someone else clean wipes that away (pun intended). Now that I have a 90-pound dog and a baby that crawls around on the ground, I REALLY don't know what I'd do without our housekeeper. Life is too hectic as it is, trying to work, take care of a baby and steal a free moment here and there. Cleaning toilets is not a good use of my time right now.

You will clean for the housekeeper, but there is nothing like coming into a sparkling clean house – the dishes done, floors cleans, carpets vacuumed, counters cleaned, bathrooms spotless. It really is an amazing experience. For me, it classifies as the new 8th wonder. I never seem to get everything clean at once; I really need Maria to come back. I miss her. Ironically, I used to have a housekeeper come in every two weeks when I was single, no children and had loads of time on my hands. Of course, when you are single, no children you have absolutely no concept of time. I thought good down time was a five hour visit to the local spa. Now I am happy with a 20 minute nap (Harper, not me) and five minutes to eat a bowl of ice cream while changing out the laundry. Two hours in the middle of the day is just too much to hope for. My vote, hire one. You will never regret it.