Good Morning. So, DH and I are having a stand-off

I hate cleaning house and he doesn't want to do it and Son#2 is definitely not going to, so I'm not and he's not.    (RaggetyAnn, prepare yourself for a dirty messy house when you arrive tonight. There's a point being made here. A work in progress, so to speak.)

I want to hire a cleaning service and DH says he doesn't want strangers in the house when we're not there. So, now that Son#2 is home, I think I'm going to bring up the issue again. What do you guys think? Am I being unreasonable? We both work and we both enjoy our down time when we're not working. Cleaning house is not down time IMO.

--gina 

I have someone who comes in about 2x a month for a couple of hours.  She does the bathrooms, floors, dust, kitchen. Other than what she does, the daily dish and kitchen stuff is all that gets done inbetween.  My deal with DH is that I grocery shop and cook, he cleans the kitchen.  We both do our own laundry.  No kids at home now to add to the mix.  My front area is where I have craft class and see staff, clients if they come over but other than that, it isn't used except on the weekends by my son.  I might sweep sometime inbetween if I have tracked in mud or trash from the barn.  My house isn't "clean" but it passes.  There is way more important in life than having a spotless house.

Very early in our marriage (37 yrs ago) I remember realizing that we were both working 40 hr weeks and I was doing all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, you get the picture.  I told him he had to help.  He bought me a dishwasher.  It's taken a long time to train him.

HIRE SOMEONE

I would definitely bring it up again if your son will be around.   Your son may enjoy it also if she's a pretty young thing wearing a French maids uniform    lol.    Let us know how it goes.   Cindy

When I was married we had someone come clean every 2 weeks and I LOVED it.  Over the years I had several different companies/people do the cleaning. When I was single I had a hard time justifying it, as the house was half the size and I felt I was just being lazy if I did....

I've heard from my girlfriend the same thingy your DH says.  I guess I'm just trusting.  I've NEVER had anything missing (even though at one time I had a very clumsy person and she kept breaking my collectibles and got mad when I wanted her to pay for them). 

I say bring it up.  Your time is precious when you're not working.  Tell him that if the house is cleaned its something you guys won't have to fight about (or have standoffs on) and you will be MUCH more relaxed. 

I LOVED coming home on a Friday and walking in and smelling and seeing my clean house - it just put me in the BEST mood knowing that I didn't have to look forward to a weekend of cleaning! (except laundry). 

The cleaning companies are bonded now.  Interview them and the people that will be coming to clean.  Heck, I even hired someone off of Craigslist and we became close friends!!

 

Reapproach about it...
I have someone clean 2 times a month....once is paid by DH and I and the second time is on our adult son (he works!)...we all hate cleaning---so we do our own bedrooms for privacy and to keep costs down ---and the bathrooms get done between.  Cleaning person does the dusting, mopping, etc.  We do light stuff between sweeping vacuuming--only cause we have to with the amount of traffic.  Oh- and a clean house equals a content / happy mom---otherwise there is h-e-double hockey sticks to pay.  I hate clutter and dirt.

I definitely would bring it up again!!! 

We all work and with everyone running in and out we are lucky if the dishwasher gets run every couple of days. I hate spending my weekends cleaning while everyone else is out having fun so most of the times it doesn't get done.  My DD hired someone to clean her's and it has been a huge help to her. We have most of the parties at her house now....LOL

DD's got me Bathroom stuff for Mother's Day and last night DH painted the bathroom.  I decided it was my job to clean the bathtub (since no one else volunteered) and it took me 2 days of hard scrubbing.  I can barely lift my arms today they are aching so bad.    Now that the tub is clean...I wish I could hire someone to keep it that way....LOL

The biggest fights DH and I ever had were about housework!  I finally ended all the fighting by hiring a cleaning lady.  She came in twice a week. We both worked full time and had 3 boys ages 4-12 at home.

Fast forward to today, it is just the two of us.  We still have a cleaning service every other week.  Cleaning Lady Day is always a day of joy for both of us! 

Make sure you hire someone who is bonded and insured.

Kay

Sounds like finding the right, trustworthy person is the issue. 

Put out an e-mail to your friends to find out who is cleaning their houses.  Then it's a friend of a friend, instead of a stranger.  That might satisfy DH. 

Life is too short to spend it behind a vacuum.  

Krista S.

This has been an on going battle between DH and I.  He, like your DH, did not want anyone in our house when we were not there.  While my DD was at home, I paid her to clean.  Every Saturday morning, we used to get up and clean the house from top to bottom.....  not anymore.  We stopped that years ago.

I have hired cleaners on and off in the past and it is great to come home to a clean house and get to enjoy the weekends without cleaning, but it is not worth the fight with DH.  Now that he is retired - he does it all except washing clothes.  I do that on the weekends.  He does not clean like I want it cleaned so about every 2 months I do a good cleaning, but I just don't worry about it like I used to!!  Life is too short have fun...

Maybe you can hire someone to come while Son#2 is at home.

You deserve it!!! Go for it!!! Nothing like the smell of a house cleaned by somebody else. We are always home when they are there -- my DH has days off during the week.

Good luck!!!
Meg