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Any experiences with a housekeeper?

OrangeSquash

OrangeSquash

Active Member
hi all, it’s been a while since I’ve logged-in, basically - I changed jobs at Christmas and am now not bored at a desk in front of a PC all day - which is a good thing!!

So I’ve been considering hiring some form of home help recently, to help me keep up with cooking meals, cleaning etc.

I live on my own, and really struggle to really feel like I can keep up with my cooking/cleaning chores - people who live on their own have no one to share these things with, just an observation, not a moan.

I was wondering if anybody here has any experience with this?
Was it worth the expense?
Was it a comfortable arrangement in terms of the person being at home with out you being present all the time?
How much time/money/stress did it cost/save?
Where did you find such assistance?

Thanks all
 
I have been married almost all of my adult life, so it has been awhile since I was in this position. I always did the housework myself because I would have been very uncomfortable with strangers in my house.
 
Quite honestly I suspect most of this audience simply does not have the disposable income to afford to pay for a housekeeper or cook. Things I've had to do all on my own for virtually my entire adult life.

You just learn to deal with it. Though in my case my cooking skills remain rather limited, mostly because of the mess it involves. With OCD, needless to say I'm a much better housekeeper than I am a cook. ;)

I don't think I could deal with a stranger having such access to my property, even if they were bonded. :oops:

Being ill for three weeks has taken its toll on my apartment. But yesterday I could take it no more and did a demon-cleanup of the house, even though I wasn't really up to it physically. :eek:
 
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I've had a housecleaner or maid for many years. She comes once a week and does the heavy cleaning. I keep up with the cleaning the rest of the time. She does not cook, she just cleans. I found her through a local maid service whose employees are bonded (insured) so if something goes missing from the house and we can prove that she stole it or she breaks something, then her bond will pay us for our loss. Nothing has ever been taken from us and I trust her to come to our house when we are not home.

But that's just my experience and I may have been lucky to get her.
 
Let me add that I pay the agency that employs her and do not pay her direct so I assume she gets a W-2 from her employer ever year and I have no exposure for any tax liability or withholding, etc. I do tip her in cash every week, and give her a big tip for Christmas.
 
My parents had a housekeeper when I was little. It made me very uncomfortable, I felt guilty and awkward being in the same room as her so I would hide in my room (which I had to clean myself) for the duration of her visit.

I’d like to have a housekeeper for cleaning, because I get overwhelmed by it, but I can’t afford it. I’m going to see if I can get cleaning help via the government, because I have three diagnoses that qualify for help.
 
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Aye, we have a housekeeper that comes in from time to time.

What you think of as "housekeeping" is hardly ever a live-in sort of thing. That isnt required for it to work. Now, a caretaker, THAT can be different. Someone with health issues, or someone that simply cannot operate on their own or care for themselves? That can require a live-in person to be hired. For a rather extreme amount of money, that is. My grandparents currently require that sort of care, and it is crazy expensive.

But housekeeping? Even in a bloated mass of a house like mine, keeping it spotless only requires a weekly visit from the cleaning lady. As it is, she just got done about 30 minutes ago. I just stay in my room whenever she's here (as this is the one part of the house she doesnt work on).

If you want someone that is going to be there constantly, or just really often (like a cook, for instance) it's going to cost you an absolutely absurd amount of money. After all, that person has to be able to make enough money off of JUST the one person they're working for in that situation. Whereas an occasional housekeeper has a great many clients, and doesnt need to charge crazy amounts from each. If you're looking for someone to come cook all of your meals, focusing entirely on you... hoboy you better have a heck of alot of money ready to spend on that.
 
I have a home health aide that is here for that purpose.
She gets paid for by my disability package.
I'm on what is called an independence waiver,
so all she ever cost me was a lifetime of work and breaking my brain to get her :p

She cooks, cleans and helps me run errands, but the upside of it is that she costs them far less to provide her to me, enabling me to live in my own home than it would for them to keep me in an institution.

Was it worth it? Without a doubt, but it is also because of a deal I cut with the gov't years ago that said if I paid them something out of each pay, they would have my back if I got to a point where I was unable to hold up my end of the bargain ;)
 
We have had a housekeeper who comes every other week to clean. It is worth it to me, because I do not like cleaning. Also this is my wife's decision, and I trust her judgment.

In over 20 years, I have never had anything stolen by a housekeeper.
 
I have used a housekeeper for years. She comes weekly for four hours, which I think is fairly typical. I have a physical disability so vacuuming, washing floors, etc. is very difficult for me. My husband was doing a little of that but has a lot of back pain. I am fortunate to be able to afford help, but if I could not, I would try to get that through the social services agencies, as someone else said it is cheaper for the government than putting me in a nursing hone would be.
 
Oh yes! I am a single mom with cancer, so a couple of charities send over a group of maids once a month or so to clean my home for me. It's quite nice.

You will love it!

Be respectful, as these are people just trying to feed their families, and they're cleaning YOUR bathroom. But other than that, sit back, relax, and enjoy the break <3
 
Hey there, OrangeSquash. I looked into a housekeeper a couple years ago.

I decided not to hire because I don’t qualify for support or do I have the resources.

My neighbor has a housekeeper on hire who has the code to enter their house and cleans it every Monday and Friday while my neighbor is at work.

My neighbor has not expressed any uncomfortableness with the arrangement. In fact they are thrilled with their housekeeper and brag on her abilities frequently.

If I remember correctly they spend $150 US per week for housekeeping two days. Annualized this number and that is a major expense in my opinion but worth every dollar to my neighbor.

Good luck to you.
 
I'd feel violated if I had someone in my house touching my stuff. It's bad enough having friends over. No sense of privacy. As soon as they go there's a sense of relief.

Ed
 
We used to have a lady come about once a month for a few hours. I didn't really feel comfortable with her being around and always went to a different room or out, but I find it hard to keep up with household chores, neither of us are really great with these things and we needed the help. It was worth it.
 
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