OK, so you’ll invariably have to do a bit of cleaning. It’s not as though you’ll be able to consciously tear through your house without instinctively cleaning up after yourself, however there are ways that you can significantly cut down the workload, without having to compromise on having a tidy house.
Nobody wants to live in a messy pit, which is why cleaning is so important, though naturally, it’s our least favourite thing to do. Well, unless you’re my OCD father who absolutely loves hoovering the house every day. Perhaps that’s a little too much, but it all depends on how clean you like to live. So, how can you go about reducing your workload?
Delegate Some Chores to Your Children
Start ‘em young! You might be surprised to learn this, but 76% of children between the ages of 6 and 17 do not have any cleaning responsibilities at home. NONE! That is a staggering statistic. It’s hardly slave labour to teach a child about responsibility by having them wash and put away the dishes after you’ve been working hard making them dinner after a long day at work.
So, start to delegate jobs to your children. They don’t have to be huge tasks, it all depends on what age your children are. They’re not going to enjoy it, but who does? Instead, you can use you these chores as a means of negotiating with them. Reward them with extra time on their ipads or computers – the perfect way to teach your children about responsibility, whilst also freeing up more of your own time.
Hire a Domestic Cleaner to Help with the Big Cleans
So, now that you’ve got some of the little cleaning chores out of the way, how else can you cut down on your own workload? Have you ever considered hiring a cleaner to come in once a week to do a major clean throughout the house? They can go through every nook and cranny and keep your place looking absolutely spick and span.
Some people argue that hiring a cleaner to help with your chores is lazy, when in actuality; it’s a smart thing to do. If you’re a working parent, then you’ve already got a crazy amount of work to do! Between your job, feeding and clothing your children, making sure they stay alive and trying to have some small measure of a social life (if at all) – You’re left with very little time for you.
By hiring a cleaner you can save yourself an awful lot of time and if your children moan: “How come we have to tidy and you don’t”, well, I’m sure you’ll think of an appropriate response!
5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Cleaning Company
Do you want to hire a cleaner to help with chores around the house, though you’re not quite sure on which agency to roll with? It’s tough finding the perfect fit for you, especially given that there is so much choice! Though finding the right cleaning company doesn’t have to be all that difficult, provided you take these next 5 points into consideration:
1 – What Exactly Do You Need?
No two cleaning companies are the same and they each offer a variety of different services. In order to find the most suitable company for you and save yourself an awful lot of time, it is a great idea to lessen the scope and decide exactly what it is that you need help with/how often.
2 – How Often Will You Require Their Services?
Generally speaking, the more frequently you have a cleaner come out to help around the house, the better the value you’ll get for your money. So, rather than have a cleaner come in once a month, perhaps looking at weekly or once a fortnight. You’ll get better value for your money and you’ll have more time to focus on other important aspects of your life. Have a shop around and compare the various rates from cleaning companies in order to find the right combination of visits for cash.
3 – Always Opt for a Flat Rate
A flat rate is always a far better option because you know exactly what you’re paying for from the get go. You be surprised to find that some cleaning companies charge far less than some, though more often than not they underestimate the size of the job and how long it will take, invariably ending up with a much higher bill than anticipated. Don’t waste anytime on that nonsense and go for a cleaning company who lays their cards out on the table for you to see.
Hourly rates aren’t so bad, though do be mindful of how many cleaners you’ll actually be paying for! Too many times have people agreed to an hourly rate thinking that they’ll be paying $45 an hour, only to find that the cleaning company sends 3 maids to do the job! $45 x 3 doesn’t have quite the same ring to it does it?
4 – Recommendations and Testimonials
Any cleaning company worth their salt will have plenty of solid testimonials and recommendations. When browsing to find the perfect fit for you, look for those who have positive reviews and are happy to share and display them with you. Any company who acts a little shady or tries to skip showing you positive reviews, bin them off immediately.
5 – Go with Your Gut
As with all things in life, often the best thing to do is to go with your gut. If high-calibre cleaning is what you’re looking for, then rather than waste too much time comparing 20 different cleaning companies, you should narrow it down to a few that stand out to you.
Opt for those who are straightforward, honest and upfront about what they do, how well they do it and how much they charge. Just trust your judgement and you shouldn’t have too much trouble at all.
Summary
If you’re interested in exploring the idea further, get in touch with a reputable company for more information. It doesn’t even have to be a weekly thing, you could hire a cleaner fortnightly or once a month. They can do as little or as much as you’d like!
First things first, create a chore chart and delegate the lesser jobs to your little minions. Then hire a professional to do the rest! That way, you might actually be able to find a bit of quality time for you. Sorted.
