# Do you use a cleaning service in your home? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 31, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213 "2018-05-31T19:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/21 "2018-06-01T00:28:19Z")
Yes, every two weeks. We both work, so it is a valuable way to free up time. Also, we are fundamentally tidy people to begin with so there is not a need to de-clutter before the cleaners arrive. At another level, I am the type of person who keeps a clean home, whereas my spouse does not share that same value. So, instead of me being pissed off at my spouse because I would be the only one cleaning on a regular basis, having the cleaners come in promotes marriage harmony. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/22 "2018-06-01T00:44:52Z")
Yes, a local company. Two ladies every other week. Vacuum, clean bathrooms, dust, clean stove etc. GaryM ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/23 "2018-06-01T02:09:39Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I checked ‘Nope’ because I do not use a cleaning service. The woman who cleans our house every other week is not a ‘cleaning service.’ > > I don’t know if this was a distinction the OP intended to make, but we have lots of cleaning services that operate in our area - Merry Maids and so forth - and we didn’t really consider using them; their reputations aren’t that great. So it’s an important distinction to my wife and me. Is this person someone that you pay for the service of cleaning? If so, she is a cleaning service. She may be independent but she still is a cleaning service for hire. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/24 "2018-06-01T02:41:22Z")
Yes, I do. She also runs errands and does other odd jobs around the house and property. It’s useful to me to have someone who can do things I won’t necessarily have time to do. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/25 "2018-06-01T03:10:00Z")
How much do/did the yes voters generally pay? If my job becomes permanent, this is something I’m considering looking into. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/26 "2018-06-01T03:16:08Z")
We went with a company rather than an individual so that any issues of immigration verification would be someone else’s problem. We used to pay about $85 per biweekly visit, but now I think it’s about $110. Washington DC area. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/27 "2018-06-01T10:29:57Z")
And insurance! Don’t want that to be your problem. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/28 "2018-06-01T11:46:00Z")
Some years back we did, but they didn’t do the kind of stuff I didn’t want to do - like moving furniture out of the way to dust and vacuum. I can do general tidying myself - I wanted someone to do the heavy work that I hated. Plus I’d come home to weird things - like the book that was always on my nightstand turned up in the living room, or there were darts in the dartboard instead of the storage rack, or puddles on the countertop in the kitchen… I seemed like the cleaners were coming in my house to chill and goof off. That was too creepy, and I got my key back and stopped the service. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/29 "2018-06-01T11:47:58Z")
Yes, I have a cleaner once a week for two hours, which is more than enough for my smallish 3 bed house. Best money I spend all month. We’re a tidy couple anyway, so we don’t have to clear up before she comes over. She cleans the house and changes the bed linen. She’s a lovely youngish lady from Romania, she arrives on her bicycle and dances round the house singing to what ever’s on her headphones. Only one unhappy with the arrangement is the dog, who thinks she’s an intruder and follows her around barking at her. I basically never have to do any cleaning as a result. I pay £130 per month - so, about £16 per hour? (c.$21?) ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/30 "2018-06-01T12:59:51Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > WADR I don’t think you’ll find out how common it is by a volunteer poll on this message board. There are a bunch of variables. Do you want to know how common it is for people where you live in your income range? Or in general everywhere in the country? First of all, I want to know what WADR is. Second of all, having been on these boards, I have a rough idea of who the Doper population is (primarily, but not all, Americans; wealthier than the median American), and I am interested in hearing specifically how common it is in people who participate in this community. Though if there were any statistics out there citing how prevalent cleaning services are, which are subdivided by income range and location in the U.S., I’d be interested in them as well. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/31 "2018-06-01T14:02:25Z")
I adore our help. She is my hero and she is to be worshipped. She’s completely nuts, as any cleaning lady should be. She refuses all thanks and offers of coffee. She has a meltdown if you ask her to change anything. But she is deliriously happy if I ask her to iron something special and she usually takes it home to get it just right. I knew we were good when she pranked me once by pretending she had ruined a bridesmaid dress. She said: “You will be so angry with me!” and then fell about laughing when there was nothing wrong with the dress. I am the only one who can communicate with her, because she doesn’t speak any one language but rather just combines a couple. She says we are good people because we are clean and that it’s a good thing she cleans for us because it’s so dirty. I take this to mean she makes me a better person. In short: she’s bonkers and I love her. We’re a household of 4 working adults, so for us it’s perfect. It’s so easy otherwise to not do certain things because you feel it’s someone else’s responsibility. Or you breed resentment because you feel you “always clean that particular thing” while you don’t notice the things others do. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/32 "2018-06-01T14:11:35Z")
Every two weeks. Neither my wife nor I are dedicated housecleaners, and with two dogs we tend to get a lot of dog hair and dirt tracked in. We find that 95 bucks every two weeks is a good price to pay for a clean house. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/33 "2018-06-01T14:14:06Z")
For nearly 30 years now - very successful. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/34 "2018-06-01T15:30:33Z")
We have a woman who cleans every other Thursday. She’s worth every penny. We like doing yard-work, so we devote one full day to that every week. Neither of us enjoy cleaning the house, though, so hiring it out makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/35 "2018-06-01T18:29:09Z")
I am the house cleaning service. I rent a room and part of my rent is covered by keeping the house clean for the guy who owns the house. It’s not too much trouble other than his very fluffy dog that leaves hair everywhere. He rarely eats at home so most of the cleaning I do is after myself. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/36 "2018-06-01T18:40:08Z")
In some ways, I would love someone to come in and clean for us! We are not sloppy people and we clean the house ourselves every week. But there are some jobs I hate to do and/or neglect to do very often. High dusting, dusting baseboards, cleaning behind furniture, deep scrubbing, etc. I always imagine how wonderful it would be to come home from work to a spic and span house. But I don’t think I’d be comfortable having strangers in my house when I’m not there and strangers having a key to my house. So I don’t think I’d ever do it. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/37 "2018-06-01T19:41:04Z")
We did in the past, but we dropped the service due to finances. I would be interested in picking it back up again. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/38 "2018-06-01T19:46:11Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > First of all, I want to know what WADR is. With All Due Respect ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/39 "2018-06-01T20:02:19Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Yes. We have the same person come weekly and spends about 4 hours when she’s there. She brings her own supplies and tools. And yes, we always pick up and straighten the night before she comes, so she can focus on **cleaning**. She has a schedule that alternates over the month, so that everything results in a monthly deep cleaning. We are very pleased. She has her own code to get into the house if we’re not at home, so we know when she comes and when she leaves. > [@Leaper](#): > > How much do/did the yes voters generally pay? If my job becomes permanent, this is something I’m considering looking into. We pay our cleaner $25 per hour, so it ends up being about $400 a month. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213/40 "2018-06-01T20:17:02Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > How much do/did the yes voters generally pay? If my job becomes permanent, this is something I’m considering looking into. $130 every two weeks, in Los Angeles. It’s 2 people for about 3 hours each time. So, if you want to break it down to man hours (mh): $130/6 mh = $21.67 pmh. I consider it a good value. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-cleaning-service-in-your-home/815213.md?page=3)