[Closed] How many people here employ a cleaner?

😆

Gary makes a good point, Kilo...we'd need to extend our advertising past the average STWer. I've just checked the internet and apparently its not illegal to jetwash family pets so we should be all good providing i knock up some dodgy disclaimer forms.

even shampooing the carpet tonight (hiring the kit and doing it ourselves).

Whereas Mrs North and I, on returning from work at around 7-7.30, will have our daughter deposited by exhausted grandparents. Mrs North will do bathtime and bedtime and get herself ready for work tomorrow. I will change and cook dinner and tidy up.

I have no intention of shampooing carpets at 9pm..!

I have a cleaner and a chef.

The cleaner comes everyday, tidys, changes the sheets, cleans the bathroom etc.

Chef cooks breakfast and dinner everyday.

No judgement here Mark et al 😉 - people are free to spend their time and money as they please, according to whatever priorities they have. For me, this is a good point:

The average on here seems to be a cleaner coming in every couple of weeks to do 2 hours.
Is it just me but seems bonkers. That averages out at 8.5 minutes a day.
Seriously. Are you guys that time contrained that you don't have less than 10 mins a day to spare??
EDIT: And for the couples on here thats 8.5 mins shared.... thats 255 seconds a day!

I just tend to fit it in when I have a spare few minutes.
There's also the expense side of things - 2 hours per week @£10 per hour is over a grand a year - a lot of money, that I'd (personally, imo) rather be spending on bike kit, trips, lots of other things.

Whereas Mrs North and I, on returning from work at around 7-7.30, will have our daughter deposited by exhausted grandparents. Mrs North will do bathtime and bedtime and get herself ready for work tomorrow. I will change and cook dinner and tidy up.

Then tidy.

Then clean.

Then cook.

Then sleep.

Then repeat.

is it mainly parents that employ cleaners then? very easy for those without kids to judge. judging others is silly, unless you're a judge.

Or God? You can judge whoever you want if you're God. Its in the contract 😀

how many people on here work over 40 hours a week?

Elfin I'm guessing you don't have kids right?

How many hours do we work then? Hmm, do you want me to include the time we spend caring for our son? I'm happy to go with just the necessary time, i.e. the time that we need to spend else we get banged up for neglect (so feeding, dressing, cleaning etc).

On that basis I probably do from about 6am until about 7pm, five days a week. So call it a 13 hour day or a 65 hour week, of which 10 hours is child related. I will also do around three hours on a weekend on average. Sometimes it's a full day but it's not every week so the three hours is an average.

My wife has it a little easier as she flies planes for a living and the airlines tend to like their pilots fresh and awake. So she typically does a 35 hour working week (that's duty hours, not flying hours. The latter is less obviously) and then another 10 hours a week on top of that for child care.

Of course our weekends tend to be 100% child care but it's fun time. If we didn't have the cleaner you could add another four hours cleaning time, which one of us would have to do rather than spend time with our son.

Im all for cleaners though I don't have one. Im too skint for that caper.

But can I ask what you get them to do? Some said they have a cleaner round for 2 hours a week/fortnight? Do you only have your house dusted and hoovered once a week/fortnight? Bathroom cleaned once a week/fortnight?

I thought those sorts of jobs are done daily, or at least every 2 days?

Wunundred! 😀

Since our girls were born I have made huge efforts to get home before 6pm every night and my wife has gone part time. It is probably because of this we can't afford a cleaner

Ah bless...

When I was little, my mum worked as a nurse. Only 'part-time' as she had me to look after, but this still equated to well over 40 hours a week. Crap wages.

She'd have to get me up, get me to nursery (which she had to pay for no free nurseries you see), get to work, do a whole day of nursing (probbly harder back then cos a lot more manual work involved), rush back to pick me up from nursery 5-6pm, get home, get me fed and bathed, cook supper, put me to bed, and fit in all the cleaning and stuff too. Bear in mind we had no washing machine so all clothes cleaning had to be done by hand.

And she had to do all this on her own.

But hey, your lifestyle sounds utterly horrendous. You must really suffer...

Mf i once was given a cracking bit of advice by a doctor who was a father of four "clean the kitchen and the bathroom and fek the rest' 😆

She'd have to get me up, get me to nursery (which she had to pay for no free nurseries you see), get to work, do a whole day of nursing (probbly harder back then cos a lot more manual work involved), rush back to pick me up from nursery 5-6pm, get home, get me fed and bathed, cook supper, put me to bed, and fit in all the cleaning and stuff too.

Was it uphill both ways?

Do you only have your house dusted and hoovered once a week/fortnight?

Nah.
Nowhere near that often.

Elfin it sounds like a lot of the issues you have in adult life might be related to the fact that your mum had to put you in a nursery every day.

Do you have attachment issues? Are you angry at the world for reasons you can't quite explain?

I can empathize with you but can also say that you should get some therapy. You don't have to be this angry and I am talking from experience.

Thats manky! 🙂

why didnt you stay at home and do the cleaning elfy? that's what a good son does, that's what i did. i was ironing before i was out of the womb. as a result my mum has a perfectly smooth and crease free vagina.

Elfin it sounds like a lot of the issues you have in adult life might be related to the fact that your mum had to put you in a nursery every day.

Do you have attachment issues? Are you angry at the world for reasons you can't quite explain?

I can empathize with you but can also say that you should get some therapy. You don't have to be this angry and I am talking from experience.

😆

Thanks for your concern. I am deeply touched.

why didnt you stay at home and do the cleaning elfy?

Lazy idle sybaritic little bastard, quite frankly. Spoiled by too much pampering. 😐

Elf - do you want a hug?

I promise not to deeply touch you.

Oh christ! Here we go......

Do you only have your house dusted and hoovered once a week/fortnight? Bathroom cleaned once a week/fortnight?

I thought those sorts of jobs are done daily, or at least every 2 days?

Mf i once was given a cracking bit of advice by a doctor who was a father of four "clean the kitchen and the bathroom and fek the rest'

Ah bless...

When I was little, my mum worked as a nurse. Only 'part-time' as she had me to look after, but this still equated to well over 40 hours a week. Crap wages.

She'd have to get me up, get me to nursery (which she had to pay for no free nurseries you see), get to work, do a whole day of nursing (probbly harder back then cos a lot more manual work involved), rush back to pick me up from nursery 5-6pm, get home, get me fed and bathed, cook supper, put me to bed, and fit in all the cleaning and stuff too. Bear in mind we had no washing machine so all clothes cleaning had to be done by hand.

And she had to do all this on her own.

But hey, your lifestyle sounds utterly horrendous. You must really suffer...

and on it goes. 🙄

Thanks for your concern. I am deeply touched.

It was a half serious remark Fred 😉

The irony is that our experiences are pretty much identical except that my mum stopped working days when I was about five and ended up doing nights in a stroke rehab hospital.

I thought those sorts of jobs are done daily, or at least every 2 days?

You are the Queen! And I claim my £5

And she had to do all this on her own.

I bet she'd have killed for a cleaner! 🙂

Not really understanding your logic there Elf - you seem to be saying your mum had a really hard time of it with loads of work, crap wages and no help - so everyone else should too.

Err.. no thanks.

and after all that graft elfin all she has to show for it is you 😯

You are the Queen! And I claim my £5

Ive 2 kids, 2 cats and a wee mutt. Ive no choice!

Now, I could understand if you lived with someone who needed a lot of care and that

is it mainly parents that employ cleaners then?

Mind you my mates sister in law has a cleaner a nanny doesn't work, cook or clean, does pretty much FA but as her hubby is minted it doesn't really matter (to her/them)

Considers getting a cleaner....

Nah

Not really understanding your logic there Elf - you seem to be saying your mum had a really hard time of it with loads of work, crap wages and no help - so everyone else should too.

No, you misunderstand.

My point is, that when people bleat on about 'not having time' or being 'overworked' as a justification for getting someone in to do the jobs they simply don't want to, that they probably are in fact in not too bad a position relatively, so their argument is a tad weak, in that respect.

If people were instead truthful, and just said 'I can't be arsed doing the cleaning so I just get someone in', that would be a lot more honest and I'd have more respect for them.

Fact is we are a pretty lazy nation, let's face it. Exercise less than most other countries, are fatter on average than most other countries, work less hours than most too.

So to say 'ooh I don't have time for something that takes perhaps an hour or so a week', is a pretty poor show, woon't you say?

TBH I don't care if you've got a cleaner or not. Up to you what you do with your money. Just don't try bullshitting by saying 'ooh it's cos we're simply too busy to do such menial tasks'. 😉

Fair enough, no?

Ive 2 kids, 2 cats and a wee mutt. Ive no choice!

There's always a choice....

[img] http://pics.livejournal.com/ron_broxted/pic/000fgdak/s320x240 [/img]

😉

you seem to be saying your mum had a really hard time of it with loads of work, crap wages and no help - so everyone else should too.

This is the basis on which America was colonized by Europeans - protestants whop wanted everyone to have existences even more miserable than their own.

It all started when that Martin Luther's wife went away for a weekend to visit her mother and the only clean shirt he had was made of hair....

You see that could never be my house binners
The white washing still looks white for a start.

As it is, the British are so lazy immigrants have to come over and do all the jobs we're too snobbish and lazy to do. And then people wonder why there's a Polish supermarket opens instead of a nice little tea and cake shoppe

There is some truth in this.

In a previous life my wife worked as a cleaner in London. She was there illegally at the time (5 years in total 8) ). She's still in touch with numerous friends in the same situation (illegal, cleaners).

Although if you're earning £10+ per hour cash in hand & not paying tax/NI, and going about your business anonymously, then it would be attractive for an illegalist ...

and after all that graft elfin all she has to show for it is you

Nice. Did you write the book 'How to win friends and influence people'?

No, thought not.

I'll not stoop to your level, cos quite frankly I'd do me back in it's so low. God Bless.

X

It all started when that Martin Luther's wife went away for a weekend to visit her mother and the only clean shirt he had was made of hair....

And that time Thomas Payne had to get a dirty spoon out of the dishwasher for his soup.

why didnt you stay at home and do the cleaning elfy? that's what a good son does, that's what i did. i was ironing before i was out of the womb. as a result my mum has a perfectly smooth and crease free vagina.

I have enjoyed philconsequence's input on this thread!

> Do you only have your house dusted and hoovered once a week/fortnight? Bathroom cleaned once a week/fortnight?

I thought those sorts of jobs are done daily, or at least every 2 days?

You're having a laugh! The main rooms get hoovered once a fortnight if we're doing well. Bathrooms gets wiped fairly often but only gets a proper scrub (i.e. bleach & scrubbing brush to clean the grout etc) when it absolutely needs it

does anybody see the irony in a bunch of middle class mountain bikers arguing about whether they should have cleaners or not?

TBH I don't care if you've got a cleaner or not. Up to you what you do with your money. Just don't try bullshitting by saying 'ooh it's cos we're simply too busy to do such menial tasks'.

I've concluded you are just a bit thick. Or wilfully stupid. Either way, you clearly aren't capable of understanding the lives of others [i]in toto[/i].

Surely it isn;t beyond your wit to understand that the things people "don't have time for" are clearly those for which they don't have time given the other competing demands on their time, which is evidently sufficiently precious to require them to spend cash engaging someone to do a job of work.

Or are you just trolling (again and again and again and... [i]ad nauseam[/i])?

You're having a laugh! The main rooms get hoovered once a fortnight if we're doing well. Bathrooms gets wiped fairly often but only gets a proper scrub (i.e. bleach & scrubbing brush to clean the grout etc) when it absolutely needs it

I live in a 3 bed semi so it doesn't take long. The Mrs and I can have the whole house sparkling in under an hour.

that when people bleat on about 'not having time' or being 'overworked' as a justification for getting someone in to do the jobs they simply don't want to

Hmmm, no I'm lazy and have shed loads of money and don't like cleaning.

I don't like growing vegetables so I pay somebody else to do that also etc.

I've concluded you are just a bit thick

Ok then. Not a particularly scientific conclusion, but if that's what you choose to think, then I spose I must respect your right to wallow in your own ignorance. 😉

does anybody see the irony in a bunch of middle class mountain bikers arguing about whether they should have cleaners or not?

The cleaners do ironing as well? 😯

Why did nobody tell me this?

What's an "ironing"?

Not a particularly scientific conclusion, but if that's what you choose to think

I base it on evidence, of course. and we've plenty of that.

Right, back to work - gotta pay for the cleaning somehow....

My point is, that when people bleat on about 'not having time' or being 'overworked' as a justification

I think it is more: "I'd rather spend my spare time doing something nice with my family".

Much the same reason that people buy food from supermarkets rather than spending all their spare time tending crops and cattle in their back garden after they get in from a hard day at the office. 😀

Fact is we are a pretty lazy nation, let's face it. Exercise less than most other countries, are fatter on average than most other countries, work less hours than most too.

Fair enough on the exercise but the British actually work quite long hours. Why do you think we're so keen to opt out of the European Working Time Directive?

OH HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVE!!

bet all the people who pay for cleaning have heated mirrors on their cars, decadent beasts.