[Eliana]

Does anyone have a housekeeper or perhaps is a housekeeper? I'm seriously considering one. I remember when I got frustrated with my husband for not doing yard work I hired someone to do it for me and the stress relief was AMAZING. Now I'm in a position where I can not keep up with my life and my husband's depression and therefore complete lack of help and I think I'm ready to cave. We pay $100 a month for a personal trainer. I wonder if I couldn't get a housekeeper for about the same and cancel the PT.

Thoughts? (And I don't need the PT...it was for DH actually and it's getting him nowhere.)

Any ideas about how much they charge?

[fatmac]

My parents have professional help in cleaning their house. It originally started out as a gift for my mom from my dad a couple of years ago, but the relief it provided my (working) mother means it's stuck around!

I'm not sure exactly how much they pay, but if it was more than $200 per month (two cleanings per month) I'm sure it wouldn't have lasted this long!

[Kitsey]

I don't have one, but I was a caregiver for an elderly lady in her home and her husband had a housekeeper come in two hours a week to vacuum, mop, dust, clean the bathroom and iron. She was a very nice retired lady who picked up a few houses a week for a little extra income and she was paid $30 a week.

[Kim_Star060404]

I have a wonderful housekeeper who comes every other Thursday. She does a fantastic job and has alleviated a lot of stress for myself and DH. We pay her $20 an hour, but we feel like we're getting a great deal because we know of many others that charge $25 - $35 an hour in our area. All in all, we pay a total of $100 - $120 a month for her.

We're pretty tidy people and there is never any clutter for her to put away or clean around, so she's able to really get down to business and clean. We also have a small house, only 880 sq. ft., so she only spends 2 - 3 hours at a time here.

All in all, I'd say it is definitely worth it if you have the extra money to spend on a housekeeper. The stress relief is unbelievable. It has opened so many doors for me as well, because I'm able to focus more on myself and hubs rather than our house.

[ANewCreation]

I have a lady who comes in 2x a month and I don't know what I'd do without her. Well, I guess I would clean my house more often, LOL! She charges me $80 each time she comes, and it is money well spent!

The lady who cleans for me charges by the job (size of house, what you expect her to do, how messy your are when she gets there), not by the hour. She does not work for a company, she gets jobs by word of mouth. I highly suggest you get someone who is recommended by a friend or neighbor. I went to church with this lady, so I actually knew her before I hired her.

She cleans 3 1/2 bathrooms (includes cleaning floors, toilets, sinks, mirrors), kitchen (includes, appliances, floors, sink) tiled floors, wood floor, vacuums the carpeted areas (includes bedrooms), stairs, dusts furniture (including the blinds through out the house), shakes out the area rugs & takes out all the trash. There is possibly more that she does that I'm forgetting. Best of all, she really pays attention to details. She cleans like I would clean

If you can afford it, do it. You won't regret it. Just make sure you get someone you can trust because they will most likely be alone in your house and they will know how to get in your house (for example, I gave my housekeeper the code to my house so she could get in through the garage and not have to have a key).

Best of luck to you!

[Shopaholic1204]

I would LOVE a housekeeper. I hate washing the dishes & doing the laundry. If I could have someone come in and do that, then it would be PERFECT!!!