Currently pay £22/hour in Yorkshire, cleaner comes on a Wednesday every week for a couple hours (we never really fully defined time requirement so she kinda just does however long is needed). She mainly does the deep clean in areas we don’t want to do, such as kitchen, bathrooms and toilets and then vacuums and dusts around other rooms. It’s one of the best decisions that I think I’ve ever made and for the price of a takeout a week. It was a little awkward at first, as I work from home a lot, but just got her to skip my office and that removes any overly awkward stuff.

We got a robot vacuum, it removes a lot of pressure for cleaning and frees up time for light cleaning and other life admin. Big initial outlay but costs pennies to run long term and saves so much time.

You’re probably asking the wrong sub here.

But the important thing is - will that £20-40 per week massively improve your quality of life, and you’re not over stretching yourself?

It sounds to me like it will be worth it. You’re currently time and energy poor with a new baby, temporarily.

There’s no harm in trying it out.

For me, it’s so nice not having to worry about bathrooms and microwaves etc. if there’s something that needs extra attention I just note it down.

The cleaners will also use the products you buy - I provide my cleaner everything they need.

I started using them just before I went on mat leave.. and now 2 years down the line you can pry my weekly cleans from my cold, dead hands.

Honestly, if I could afford it I would 100% get a cleaner. Have had one in the past and it was an godsend. Used to come in on a friday so I could have a clean house over the weekend.

Don't feel any guilt if its within your budget. Especially with a baby and long work hours. Sometimes somethings gotta give.

No idea on current prices but ask around for local recommendations.

The greatest thing youll ever do! Also can be quite stressful. Helps if youre used to having staff of managing people. Over the years we have inly had one truly shit one, who didn’t last long. Our current one does Monday, Tuesday, Friday for us and Wednesday and Thursdays with mother and mother in law. We all have different needs as houses and lifestyles differ. She also does light housekeeping for us. If see sees a job, she just does it or sorts it out Everyone loves her and any guests always comment how immaculate the house is. Now just to find a Gardener as great!!

You wont regret it, but you will have to go through a few.

We pay a team of cleaners £67/week in Cardiff, that's for a 4 bedroom house with 2.5 bathrooms. They come weekly and do the full clean - kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping through, emptying the bins.

It's been an absolute life saver for me. I'm disabled and we have two kids, and it's alleviated so much of the guilt I had for not keeping things to the best standard. Now we mostly just have to have a big tidy up the day before they come, and stay on top of laundry and dishes.

I would recommend it to anyone, it's given me so much time back to actually spend quality time with my family on the weekends.

mine is £15 an hour, so I have 2 hours a week. Without doubt the best £30 I spend each week.

Best investment I've made. Time is money and I work two jobs (one full time, one freelance) so I already have very little me time. Just having someone come over to help with that stuff has really helped for the mental load of keeping everything in order, and encourages me to keep things tidy between their visits

It’s twenty bloody quid or so to hire one

Treat yourself before you end up miserable because you’re penny pinching

Might be beneficial if it saves you from a divorce which is much more expensive

It’s something I would recommend. I have 1 hour every two weeks for £30. It’s worth it! I would rather have that than a takeaway.

Make sure you get a good cleaner, don't be afraid of changing to a different one if you are not happy. I'm in the south east, and my current cleaner costs £30/h. She started off well enough, but she's been slacking off lately. Spends almost the entire time on her phone and I don't hear any cleaning going on. Noticed she stopped mopping downstairs, didn't wipe the kitchen counter tops etc. She does the absolute minimum. I talked to her about it, and things improved for a while, but it's slowly getting worse again. Her schedule is all over the place, arrives late/cancels, last minute text appeals to clean on a different day etc. Loads of excuses involving family drama, money etc. Just a lot of hassle. I'm letting her go this week.

If I could afford it I’d get one. We both work full time and have a 7yr old and we have busy calendars with various activities etc and finding time to properly clean the house is hard. I manage to keep it decent with quick cleans but I would love someone to come in even once a fortnight for a few hours to deep clean rooms and properly wash floors. Don’t feel guilty for wanting this. Saving money is great for giving your family financial security but if having a cleaner gives you less stress and more time to spend with your growing family it’s not a frivolous expense and you should go for it.

We have a cleaner, £75 for 3 hours. Get it done weekly. Defo doesn’t need it that regularly as my wife is a sahm and keeps the house clean and tidy but it has taken the pressure off her and gives her some much needed down time to do her thing.

I don't see frugality as never spending money. For me it's doing things in a way that suits my lifestyle in the best way possible, financially.

I have a cleaner come in once a week for 2 hours. She cleans the kitchen and bathrooms, dust, vacuums, and organizes my stuff. Extra time within that allotted time frame is to do things like clean windows, help me arrange a room or whatever I need done.

She brings her own cleaning supplies (all environmentally safe and not tested on animals, which also happens to be essential for me). I pay her £18/hour.

You can request whatever you want when hiring a cleaner. Bedrooms aren't on my cleaning needs, nor is anything other than the basics. But next week I plan to have her help me clear the paved area at my back door. I'll either pay her for extra time or skip the organizational part.

It can vary as much as you like and you can be as picky about results as you like (assuming you allow enough time to do everything to high standards).

I would absolutely recommend a cleaner. We have a child and a dog, I have ADHD (so one particular bit of the house might get a really deep clean but I've then burnt out). We've had a cleaner for around 3 years (different ones).

It costs £18 an hour here in Northwest England, £25 when we get a deep clean which I try to get every 6 months. They do 3 hours for our 2.5 bed 1.5 bath house. Obviously rates are going to vary massively though depending on location. We also leave a £20 tip at Christmas (generally I think an hours wage is a fair Christmas tip in the UK).

Being frugal isn't about never spending money, it's about saving money where you can precisely so you can afford things like this IMO. Mine and my husband's hourly wage is more than the cleaners and they do a better job faster.

Have a cleaner for my mum. It’s the best investment in time for busy people. Also the lady who does Mums is a lovely young mum. It feels good to know the money is going to someone local and makes a positive impact on her and her young sons lives.

I’m all for being frugal but is that not the case when considering well-being, time with loved ones. Especially if you’re working and don’t have the time. It’s took such stress of my sisters and I. She comes every 2 weeks but Mum only uses a few rooms. Maybe do weekly till you get settled and then 2 weeks. She also does things like change the bedding which great so means one of us needs to do that every other week. Some will also do ironing as well or look at outsourcing that to someone local. Even if it’s just till you’re feeling less overwhelmed and settled.

I see it as an investment in well-being and family time. We ideally now get to spend the limited free time we have around work seeing Mum to have a cuppa and check in on her rather than run around not interacting apart from briefly or to get instructions on things she needs done. X

I'm thinking of doing the same, with the same reservations! It would make a huge difference, but there is still the fear I'll be judged

We have a lovely cleaner come once a fortnight for two hours (occasionally 3) which gives her just enough time to do two bathrooms and the kitchen. Costs £30 a fortnight and way better for our quality of life than a takeaway once a fortnight!

Go on next door to see exactly how much they are charging in your area. 

Usually starts from £15 per hour and from what I’ve seen on Nextdoor usually is 2 hours per week. 

Personally I stay away from cleaners because after my bathroom renovation the firm that done my bathroom was working with  I think was called- (a cleaning firm) and when I came back from work my new installed bathroom was full of micro scratches. (They ripped the protector film from my new toilet  as the lid still had it and cleaned and scratched that too) 

So go for recommendations not necessarily who is more professional and expensive. 

£15 an hour for four hours every week, in London. In cash

Absolutely agree it’s worth it for peace of mind and time is also money. If anyone’s got recommendations of specific cleaners, where to look for one, or rates in north east London I’d greatly appreciate it!

We had a cleaner when I was younger. My mum would clean the house before she came as she didn't want her to think she was lazy!

We had a cleaner for a number of years but she was so accident prone - literally dropped the hover down the stairs and took chunks out of the plaster which I had just decorated. We moved house and she didn’t come with us as too far away. New house was a massive Reno job so got a new cleaner as didn’t have the time. Again, sadly a disappointment. Not sure what products she was using but got stains on so many newly decorated walls. Once the Reno was done we no longer used a cleaner. It’s a large 6 bed Victorian semi and takes me around 3 hours first thing Saturday morning. Cost wise, we were paying £20p/h so £240-£300 a month. Maybe have just been unlucky but for a few hours on the weekend, I’d rather save the money and go on a few extra holiday.

We pay £300 a month in the midlands fpr a 3 bed 3 bath home. I might be over paying, idk.

10+ years ago we were discussing house cleaners while at a christmas get together a friend’s house.

This woman whom I had never met before looked at me dead in the eye and just went: ‘This is more than money well spent. This is blessed money. I will give up dinners, cinema, anything, I don’t care - but not the cleaner. Those 2 hours give me peace for the whole week.’ We decided to try - we took it from our fun/takeaway/other fund and I have never looked back.

That lady was right, and now I understand her intensity about it 😂

£30 for two hours a fortnight, but my cleaner is my best friend, I would pay her £40 if I thought she would take it as she does such a fantastic job. Mentally life changing to know that it’s all getting done properly at least once every two weeks, for £60 it’s the best decision we’ve ever made. She brings her own vacuum as she doesn’t like mine but otherwise uses my products - though I’ve converted her and she uses the same ones herself now 😂

With ADHD and just being severely burnt out and not able to clean things, I’m considering the same thing and I don’t earn much. I’m just thinking, for the one day and ~£70 it would take, I would have so much peace of mind and energy and free time, and I would also be able to just take on an extra shift to cover the costs. It makes sense if it helps you breathe.

I have a cleaner 3hrs week at £ 17ph .. worth every penny .. weekends are ours to relax

We are in Herts and pay our cleaners £18 an hour. We have a 3 bedroom house and it takes the two of them 2 hours (so 4 hours x £18 = £72) once a week to clean the house. Let them use the cleaning products they want. "Natural or Eco" products are really hard to use and I guarantee you your cleaners will eventually quit if you make them use them. Let them use bleach etc and get the job done. They can leave the windows open after or you could buy a HEPA air filter from John Lewis.

We are considering this as we are in a similar position. Either that or a robot vacuum and mop as downstairs we have all hard floors. Budget about £250 but want a good one as we have a cat and a toddler.

Anyone know the rates for a cleaner in Wiltshire? We want to get one for a semi deep clean every other week.

I resisted getting a cleaner for ages because I thought why pay someone to do something I can do myself. But life got busier and busier and it would drive me mad seeing dust on the surfaces and hair on the floor. So now I use the Wecasa app and pay something like £18-19/hour for a cleaner to come once a fortnight for 2.5 hours. We have a 2 bedroom flat. It’s changed my life. Highly recommend it - if you don’t want to commit to weekly then try once every 2 weeks to begin and see if you like it

We charge £18.50 and £20 per hour depending on if customers want to use our equipment and products or their own.

Some people have a massive stock of stuff they dont want to go to waste bringing in a cleaner, others have the 'you know what cleans best' attitude

I’ve never got on with cleaners. In my experience, they all start out pretty good and become slacker as time goes on. I’d expect to pay up to about £25ph, lower side for self employed and higher side for anybody hired through an agency. 

I’d often come home and immediately notice things the cleaner had missed or I’d feel like they weren’t using their time sensibly (e.g. my cleaner also did my ironing and they’d iron and fold socks and underwear, but I’d notice bits they’d missed in the cleaning). I also found that a couple of hours once a week was not frequently enough for me, as I’m not the kind of person that can see any kind of mess and just be content to wait another few days until the cleaner comes, but also that the length of time they did spend here was almost too much because I’m quite clean in my habits so it’d almost feel like they didn’t have enough to keep them occupied as they didn’t seem capable of using their initiative to do something like a roster of less frequent cleaning tasks. 

Honestly I think in your position I’d split the cleaning into manageable tasks and spread them through the week to do after 8pm or before 7am. Bring a load of laundry down with you in the morning and put it on before you leave, hang it up when you’re home kind of thing. Clean kitchen on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, change bedding and dust bedrooms on Wednesday, living room Thursday, food shopping plus fridge clear out and full hoover/mop on Friday kind of thing. Plus if one of you will be on mat leave shortly.

I would try it for a while. Nothing is forever, we tried it for 6 months then cancelled

Do it!! I got one during pregnancy because I had HG. It has changed my life! She is obsessed with my daughter now and I consider her a friend☺️. We pay £17p/hr in london and get two hours done a week. The cleaning isn’t perfect and not up to my standard but it helps so much and it has helped my sanity lol