Hire a housekeeper to tidy up and clean so you can embrace more happy moments with your family. A housekeeper not only cleans but gives you more free time and saves your sanity. The popularity of a housekeeper continues to grow among two-income households so time away from work becomes quality time with family rather than laundry time, vacuum time, and dusting time.
For many, it brings tremendous joy and relief to hire a housekeeper before a big event, a holiday, or even once a quarter to do a deep cleaning in addition to dusting baseboards and ceiling fans.
If you have never hired a housekeeper, now just might be the time to give it a try. National Professional House Cleaners Day is celebrated on Sept. 17. The day was established by the American House Cleaners Association in 2019, according to National Today. Those with a regular cleaning service or housekeeper should celebrate their housecleaner by showing their appreciation with a thank you, a tip, a gift certificate to a restaurant, or even a bouquet of flowers.
If you have never used a cleaning service, you might want to celebrate National Professional Housecleaners Day by using it as an excuse to hire a housekeeper. It just might bring you the same amount of joy as acts of self-care like a manicure, pedicure, or massage.
Confessions from a Stay-at-Home Mom
When I first made the decision to hire a housekeeper, I did not tell my husband, my friends, or my Mom. I felt like it was a dirty little secret to hire a housekeeper. I did not want them to think less of me for not being able to handle everything on my plate.
At the time, I was a stay-at-home mom with a 1-year-old and a 10-year-old. I actively volunteered in Scouts, at my son’s school, and at church for a total of about 20 hours a week. I was freelance writing for a newspaper, too. The last thing I wanted to do – let’s be honest, the last thing I still want to do – is clean the bathrooms, mop the floor, and put away clean laundry.
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My Mom made raising three children, keeping a clean house, cooking three homemade meals a day, and volunteering 20-plus hours a week look easy. Very, very rarely did she ever lose her cool. She did not drink wine except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. For real. To this day, I do not know how she did it all.
On the other hand, I always seemed to have clean laundry piled on the living room chair, toys scattered about the house, and a wet towel or two on the bathroom floor. One day, my friend at story-time at the library said something about getting home in time for the housekeeper. I was intrigued. I thought only rich people had housekeepers.
My friend, Lisa, was a home-schooling stay-at-home mom of a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old, and an 8-year-old. “I was gifted four housekeeping visits when I had my first child,” she said. “It was the best gift I ever received.”
“I continue to hire a housekeeper as a gift to myself. It is the best money I spend on myself,” she added.
How to Hire a Housekeeper
To hire a housekeeper you want to research the amount of experience the housekeeper has and seek referrals from friends. A number of websites like Angi and Care.com can match you with a house cleaner to fit your needs. Be sure to check out reviews. Interview the housecleaner to learn what kind of cleaning supplies they use and if they bring their own vacuum, mops, etc.
When asking about the rates, ask if they use your cleaning products and cleaning supplies and if you can receive a discounted rate. Discuss the schedule and learn if there will be one housekeeper or two at a time. Other questions to ask when you hire a housekeeper are what extra services are offered (for example inside and outside windows), background checks, and liabilities.
Why Should You Hire a Housekeeper
When my husband came home from work the first day the housekeeper came, I took all of the credit. “Wow. The house looks great. You sure did a lot today,” he said. I did not tell him I had made the choice to hire a housekeeper for about two months, but I felt like I was cheating on him by keeping it a secret. It felt so good for him to come home to a super clean house.
I wasn’t exhausted and I had not taken time away from my toddler. I finally broke down and told him when he questioned the new way the socks were folded in the drawers. He responded matter-of-factly, “if it takes stress off you and we can afford it, let’s keep the housekeeper.” My husband assured me I should not feel guilty about hiring a housekeeper.
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So, for the past 11 years, we have had a housekeeper sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly, and sometimes quarterly depending on how our finances are doing at the time. Sometimes we don’t have the money for a housekeeper because we have to buy a new refrigerator or pay for multiple doctor visits in a row, but for me, I definitely would rather have two to three hours of housecleaning services than a manicure and pedicure.
If it’s in your budget to hire a housekeeper weekly – go for it. If not, figure out what benefits you and your family – monthly, quarterly, or occasionally. Hire a housekeeper to do the jobs you do not like to do – the bathrooms, the refrigerator, the baseboards, folding clean laundry, etc. Hiring a professional housecleaner before and/or after hosting company for a party or holiday can alleviate work and stress on you as you focus on food preparation, decorating, and planning.
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Hire a housekeeper so you have more time on the weekends. Rather than making Saturday morning the day to catch up on laundry and cleaning, Saturday can be the time for a family bike ride, homemade pancakes, and trips to the zoo.
The Gift of a Housekeeper
My best friend and my sister balance full-time jobs, and children. Their homes are always immaculately clean. Turns out they have had a housekeeper for years, but did not tell me either. Each of them received the gift of a housekeeper right after the birth of their first child and decided to continue to hire a housekeeper going forward as well. Needless to say, I now give a gift certificate to hire a housekeeper to new moms.
Hire a housekeeper to give yourself more free time with your family. Hire a housekeeper to alleviate stress before and after a holiday party. Hire a housekeeper so you can take joy in National Professional Housecleaners Day on Sept. 17. And, most importantly, if you are a housekeeper, thank you for making the lives of myself and other women and families just a little bit easier as you clean and tidy up their homes.
Sources: National ToDay, Angi, Care.com, and American House Cleaners Association.
Photo Credits: Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out Daily Mom’s article How to Downsize to a Smaller Home: The Painless Way to Live a Minimalist Lifestyle for more tips for an organized home.
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