How Do You Keep Up?

[sahm1225]

What do you hire the cleaning lady to do? I am very curious and have talked about doing this for a LONG time! But, honestly I can see myself cleaning my house before she comes! LOL Funny, but so true! I feel so burnt out with the constant cleaning that takes place with always being home! I feel like a day off, like a saturday - what is that - the only thing it means for me is twice the work the next day! Yes I have weekends off with no kids, but no really because all I do on those weekends, is clean, sanitize, organize, laundry, cook and shop for groceries and supplies! Daycare is really a never ending job, it never leaves my mind and it never leaves my life! It isn't just a normal job you can leave and shut the door behind you and it will all be waiting for you Monday morning! It is in my house and I live in it! Please let me know what you have set up with your cleaning lady, as far as her duties and how you prepare for her to come and if this has really benefitted you! Also please let me know if you don't have a cleaning lady what you are looking at having her all do!! : D

I actually made a cleaning list of what I wanted done in each room, so that made me realize how much there was to do and that made me decide to hire a cleaning lady. Here is what I dO:

Preparing for her to come: I pick up the house (get things off the floor, pull out the cleaning supplies), I set out the clean bedsheets & towels. For example the bathroom - I clean up the toiletries, set out new towels, and fill up the soap container. She goes and scrubs the toilet, sink & tub and floors.

Bedroom - I set out new bedsheets. She makes the beds, dusts all the furniture, vacuums, cleans the windows.

Kitchen - This is my favorite room because I basically just leave it and she does the dishes, puts them away, cleans the tables & chairs, etc.

[DanceMom]

A few times it has been during daycare hours, but I actually prefer it on the weekends. It gives me time to do the pick up before she gets here and then we can stay out of her way.

Someone asked what do I have her do - and she does the deep cleaning (she scrubs the bathrooms, floors, cleans the windows, sanitizes the counters and toys, etc.) On a daily basis I have to still sweep and mop and clean the bathrooms and do lots of cleaning, but it is so nice to have someone come in every two weeks and scrub the stuff... Specially the bathrooms!

I have the daycare in the basement and I usually do the cleaning down there (sanitizing toys, vacuum, etc.), but lately the cleaning lady has been running out of things to do so she comes down to the daycare and helps me pick up/clean up.

For those who have never had a cleaning lady - You HAVE to try it. Find a reputable company and do it once. You might feel a little bit guilty at first, but there is nothing like having the house clean how you want it (and you not being exhausted getting it that way!)

I agree..having a cleaning lady , if you can afford it, it WONDERFUL..I had one when I worked outside of the home and those days she came to clean and I came home from work..it was HEAVEN walking into my house !!

I am also hiring one to do the deep cleaning..windows, tubs, blinds, toilets, mop floors, scrub sinks, dust really good etc.. I am always cleaning and always will but to have her here to know that stuff is getting a good once a month DEEP clean..it will reduce my stress significantly !!!!

[Unregistered]

Every morning before daycare I get up wash a load of clothes, sweep and mop hardwood floors, vaccum whole house, clean the 2 bathrooms, and clean the kitchen. Then I clean the kitchen after every meal, and the play area after every free play, and clean up the play pens after nap. I do my BIG wash on Thursday I wash and dry in the mornings and put everything away during nap time, Fridays I do the big clean durning nap time.

[Lucy]

I agree..having a cleaning lady , if you can afford it, it WONDERFUL..I had one when I worked outside of the home and those days she came to clean and I came home from work..it was HEAVEN walking into my house !!

I am also hiring one to do the deep cleaning..windows, tubs, blinds, toilets, mop floors, scrub sinks, dust really good etc.. I am always cleaning and always will but to have her here to know that stuff is getting a good once a month DEEP clean..it will reduce my stress significantly !!!!

How much does that cost for once a month? And how long does it take her? Thanks!!

[DBug]

My cleaning lady recently quit . I still have to find another one, and I'm really missing having her here! She is a friend of mine though, and I didn't really mind her seeing my messy rooms (ie the master bedroom, where everything gets tossed!). She did my 3 bathrooms and all of the vaccuuming once a week. I disinfect the 2 bathrooms we use for daycare on an almost-daily basis with Lysol wipes, but she did all the scrubbing .

I've been working towards getting the cleaning done during daycare hours. I'm not a big fan of my husband taking excess time away from family time to work overtime, and I realized that's exactly what I was doing just to get the house clean for daycare. Now I clean the kitchen immediately after every snack and meal, with a mopping done after lunch, before quiet time. One bathroom gets done during our final potty time of the day, and the other gets done right after pm snack (it's right beside the play area, so I can see/hear the kids). I've been trying to do the weekly deep-clean during Friday's quiet time, but that's hit or miss because I usually really need that down time! My other issue is finding the right time to clean the toys. At the center I worked at, we did it during daycare hours, so I know it's possible.

But if you're thinking of having someone come in and clean -- do it! It's totally worth the money (and your husband and kids will appreciate having that much more of you to themselves, as well!).

[Jewels]

With cleaning toys, I always have a container I set in the playroom during cleanup time, and everything thats not battery operated, and smaller, the toys that always get put in mouths, (only the ones on the floor, cause those are the only ones played with) I have them throw in the container, and I dump them in a sink full of hot bleach water for 10 minutes, Then I rinse them and set them on the other side of the sink..........and all the toys that can't be mouthed, I spray with lysol or clorox anywhere hard surface, And Then I also periodically wipe them all down with a wrag and water with a cleaner in it, But for daily I do that,. But I have since this post was put up, put in for a couple quotes for a house cleaner for 1-2 times per month, depending on the price.

[DanceMom]

How much does that cost for once a month? And how long does it take her? Thanks!!

When I had my last lady - I wasnt home when she cleaned but I believe she was here for approx 3-4 hours and she charged me $80. I have a three level home but didnt have her do the basement since Im never down there so she did two levels for that price. Worth every penny !!!!

[misol]

Jealous and so wish I could afford a cleaning lady! Cleaning is soooooo exhausting. My daycare is on the main level so I try to keep that in order but the rest of the house is anybody's guess. So that I don't spend my entire weekend cleaning, I just focus on one room/area per weekend. Each room gets deep cleaned about once a month with this rotation. The only problem is that my entire house is never clean at once. If the master bedroom is clean then the kids' rooms are a mess. If the kids' rooms are clean then the guest room is a mess. If the all the dishes are done then the laundry is piled to the ceiling. It never ends. My MIL got me a cleaning lady as a Christmas gift last year. That was one of the best gifts I ever received and i am forever grateful. if she asks, I am going to tell her I want the same thing this year.

Melskids and I absolutely L-O-V-E that peom. I am going hang a copy in my house too. These are my sentiments exactly!

[DancingQueen]

so until I was re-licensed this past January I worked full time out of the house. I have 4 children of my own and I could NOT keep up with my house. It was always a disaster

I am a big fan of making the entire family help - but it was still just way too much. After working full time days I had to come home and deal with Cross country, soccer, dance, 4-H and everything else.

Now? My house is NEAT (not spotless) all week long. So I guess I'm just the opposite now that I'm doing daycare I actually have a handle on things. I don't deep clean as much as I'd like and would LOVE to hire out for that - but I dont' have all my spots filled and we're barely paying our mortgage so I'm just going to have to make this work for now.

Every morning I wake up and pick up anything that has been left out that shouldn't be (usually by my own 4 year old). then I quickly sweep the kitchen, livingroom, playroom, hallway and bathroom. this takes about 10 minutes (the ONLY plus side to having a small house). then I have the world's greatest new mop EVER and I very quickly mop over the floor using just scalding hot water. It does the trick. My floors pass the white sock test after that.
My son (8 years old) does the dishwasher at night before bed time so I don't have to worry about that. My daughter (14) does the bathroom at night before bed so that is usually fine (and luckily all my daycare kids are too young for the bathroom right now hahaha).
My son (16 leaves me with an empty garbage can and recycling can every mornign so that makes it easy to clean as I go.

I unload the dishwasher in the morning b4 the kids come so that as we're eating I can just put things right intot he dishwasher - which saves on the mess. But if I have enough to fill the sink I leave it for my 8 year old. it is his chore. Not mine So he even does the daycare dishes.
Before we can go outside during the day the daycare play room has to be cleaned. this is THE best policy I have ever come up with. Now all my dck are really young so a lot of it is me wiith them - but everything has a place and the kids know where everything goes and they do sort of help - and I'm setting the stage for them getting older. so by 9:30 the play room (and toys anywhere) are clean. Then we come inside while I prep lunch and change diapers -
Before we eat lunch the play room has to be cleaned again.
then we eat lunch (then we drop my dd off at preschool and I put everyone down for naps) When I lay them down for naps at 12:15 I clean up after lunch - it takes me 5 minutes.
After nap time if we either go right outside for hte rest of the day - or we stay indoors but I make everyone start cleaning before afternoon snack (3:30). Most of hte kids are picked up between 4-4:30 so the only mess I'm left with at the end of the day really is the mess they make in an hour - which isn't too bad at all.

the stuff I struggle with is our families bedrooms, our laundry room, our laundry (worst) and our family room downstairs (all off limits to daycare). Our family lets those areas get really bad.

the other thing is by 6pm on a Friday my family has trashed my entire house. We are horrible during the weekend. But at 5pm on Sunday EVERYONE is responsible for busting their butts to get the house back into "daycare condition" since EVERYONE took part in messign it up.

[PAMommy1228]

I have my family help. They live here too, Im not the maid. Husband & girls do dishes, laundry, sweeps and mops if it needs done, clean bathroom, help with toy control, put away things outside. We are a family child care home, The whole family benefits from my income, the whole family benefits from me working at home, the whole family helps keep things flowing.

My husband says that the home is my job, and at his job he has to do cleaning.

I can get him to help sometimes, but not as much as I need him too. Drives me insane because he has 3 full days off and does nothing. I get 2 and I still have to take care of my 2 children. And my 7 yr old, I have a hard time even getting her to keep up with her room, never mind anything else.

I am tired of the fights, and I am tired of being overwhelmed.

[melskids]

My husband says that the home is my job, and at his job he has to do cleaning.

I can get him to help sometimes, but not as much as I need him too. Drives me insane because he has 3 full days off and does nothing. I get 2 and I still have to take care of my 2 children. And my 7 yr old, I have a hard time even getting her to keep up with her room, never mind anything else.

I am tired of the fights, and I am tired of being overwhelmed.

oh, i go through this with my husband as well. (and my 2 boys) i told them that yes, i work from home, and yes, some of the mess is daycare related. but the DC kids dont fill the hamper, dirty the showers, walk through the house with greasy workboots on, hide stinky socks in the couch cushions, put the milk carton back empty, leave newspapers on the bathroom floor, cause the grass to grow, or eat supper here. no way am i gonna clean the family's mess all by myself. not gonna happen....

[DancingQueen]

same argument here. He says "I don't ask you to come and clean my desk at work"
<insert eye rolling here>

So I make him do even more of the NON daycare related stuff. Now he does all of the bath times for our kids. He handles my son's home work and getting him ready for school the next day - I even started making him do the grocery shopping.

If he can't assist with anything daycare related - and I can't assist with anything related to his job well then every single thing that has NOTHING to do with our jobs will be split 50/50

and the best part? I refuse.. flat out REFUSE to do any housework that isn't direcly related to my daycare kids during MY work day. whey he mentioned once that I should be able to get laundry done during the day I simply said "I don't ask you to do your laundry during your work day do I?"

Our latest argument is in the mornings. I have to pick up and get all the kids out the door WHILE getting ready for dck. He wakes up, showers and walks out the door. I told him from now on he is going to get his own kids up and ready for the day and get out the door - or we'll atleast split it 50/50 but there is NO reason that I have to handle all of it in the mornings .

[AmandasFCC]

3 full days off and does nothing

UUUUUUUUUGHHHH!!!!! And when do YOU get a day off????

That's my argument to my hubby. Although truth be told, he's fantastic about helping me clean and never expects me to do it all. Actually, every Sunday night he's down in the playroom helping me sanitize my toys <3

The arguments come on his Wednesdays off when he wants to veg out, watch TV and do nothing, and our daughter wants his attention. "It's my day off, I just want to relax" he says. :: Yeah right, bud. Get your butt in the car and take her grocery shopping!

[MommyMuffin]

This has been an ongoing argument with my husband as well. There is just too much for 1 person to do. He hates the "nagging" as he says, but otherwise he will just sit on his butt. When he comes home I let him unwind and then I ask him to do things...most of the time it works. He knows that I am serious about it because I have made it clear to him in the past that it is a big deal! He told me he thought I liked doing it all. Ha..sometimes you just need to draw it out for them. If you have to make a chores chart for him and give him stickers then thats what is gonna happen. haha

[MarinaVanessa]

I have to say that yes I feel extremely lucky to have the fiance that I have. Yes he works and has 3 jobs actually. He has his real job (IT department Mon-Fri 7-4 for the DA, his PT job after his DA job (also IT work with 2 businesses once a week and whatever other work he can find) and an every other weekend job at a paintball field (runs the field for his buddy) AND HE STILL COMES HOME TO HELP ME COOK DINNER, WASH DISHES, and DO LAUNDRY!!

We are a family here and yes daycare makes a lot mess but like someone said previously ... daycare kids don't use towels, fill up the laundry hamper, etc. My 5yo hangs up her backpack when she comes home and puts her things away on her own every evening. Her room is cleaned each evening and she makes her own bed in the morning by herself (it's not perfect but she tries). My fiance takes his work things upstairs to our room each evening and if he leaves something like shoes, his jacket, work shirt etc. it gets tossed in the garage (not kidding, I scoop everything up and literally just throw it into the garage). His 2 brothers rent from us so they keep their things in their areas only or the same thing happens to their stuff. Everyone here contributes in one way or another. His bro's don't clean but they buy the shampoo, soap, laundry detergent (they do their own laundry) etc. and I get up very early in the AM to sweep, mop, vacuum and dust before waking up my daughter and getting her ready for school.

During the day I do the same (as needed) and deep clean one major thing/area a week (kitchen floors, bathroom floor, tub, etc.) after DC hours. Each evening I make the DC kids clean their toys before they go home and reserve the last 45 minutes of the day (5:45-6pm) for non-toy activities which vary (reading, outside play, sometimes we play a movie etc) so that the DC is cleaned up by closing. Throughout the day after acticities the DC kids clean up the messes. If we use paint they wash their brushes, wipe the table etc. If we use dough they pack it up, wipe the table etc. If we use scissors they pick up the trash etc. I also have a rule that they can only play with one thing at a time and if they want to do something else they have to clean their mess. If they want to play with blocks they can but they have to clean them up before going to another center etc. This helps so much. At the end of the day after DC closed I sweep, spot-mop/scrub the floors as needed, load/unload the dishwasher, start dinner, wash dishes as we use them, eat, clean up after dinner, load the dishwasher, run it etc.

I think we have it under control because we do it daily and because I inlcude the DC kids in the cleaning of their messes. If you do it little by little throughout the day it doesn't seem so overwhelming. Wipe the kitchen counters after lunch while the kids are eating, have them put their trash on their plates and line up in front of the trash can and hand each plate to you, scrape the plate and hand the plate back and have them load the plates in the dishwasher. My DC kids like to help out, they feel helpful. Our play-house center has play brooms, dusters and terry cloths and I often find them dusting my TV, bookshelves etc. .