Should I Get a Maid? Tips on Making the Decision

Do you find that you don't have enough time in the day to fit in everything that you need to do? Getting ready for work, working, grocery shopping, cooking, taking the kids to their activities, paying bills, and going to sleep to start the day all over again can be exhausting, and leave very little time for cleaning.

You want to create a healthy and sanitary environment for your family that provides a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but who has the time?

You may have thought about hiring a cleaning service, but may have thought that it was too expensive or just not the right thing to do. How do you decide whether to hire a cleaning service?

For me, the decision was fairly easy. I don't like to clean, and my job was demanding a great deal of my time. As a single parent, I wanted to spend all of my spare moments with my daughter instead of stressing out about the way the house looked. I saw an offer for a very reasonable price for cleaning, and realized that it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be.

Cleaning services are not only for the very wealthy anymore.

If you are wondering whether you need a cleaning service, then my guess is that the answer is yes. Sure you are going to have to pay to have someone come into your home to clean, but the results are worth it. It is a great way to add extra time to your day.

Here are some factors to consider in making your decision. There is also a quiz at the end of this article to help you decide.

• A busy family
• A couple with a new baby
• Caregivers
• People with health issues
• Climbing the career ladder
• People who work long hours during seasonal work
• Someone with a job who is also going to school

Time

If you have the time to clean and like to clean, then doing it yourself makes the most sense. However, most busy professionals are pressed for time. In this case, I would recommend having a discussion with your family members and try to get them to pitch in to help. If that doesn't work, instead of getting frazzled, it is beneficial to hire someone to do the cleaning for you. You will have more time to do the activities you enjoy, and will be more pleasant to be around since you will not be as stressed.

While it will take some extra time to find a cleaning service you trust that does a good job, this time investment will be worth it in the long run.

Money

You will have to pay the cleaning service, of course, but you should consider the factors that offset the cost in making your analysis in whether to get a cleaning service. First, the service will bring their own supplies, so you will have to buy fewer cleaning products.

Second, when you have more time and are less stressed, you may be able to work longer hours which could result in more earnings, or be more productive at work, which could result in a promotion. Don't forget to factor in the intangible benefits as well such as the quality of your life, and time to spend with your family.

My personal rule of thumb is that the cost of the regular service should be the same or less than what I make at work. Otherwise, I should go into the cleaning service!

Cleanliness

Besides the extra time that you save, you will also enjoy coming home to a clean and sparkling home. You may feel a sense of peace and calm when everything is in order. It will save you the moment of panic when the doorbell rings and you wonder whether your place is presentable for company.

Health

You may see health benefits in yourself and your family members, as they don't have to deal with the dust, mold and other household allergens. In addition, since you have more time, you can spend it planning and preparing healthy foods instead of eating fast food on the run.

While you can certainly have a maid come to your house every day to clean, most people find it more affordable to have a less frequent schedule. Most companies will allow schedules that run twice a week, weekly, every other week. Some may even allow once a month.

This type of schedule requires you to put things away where they belong, and keep the clutter to a minimum. Having a maid also motivates you to clean up before he or she comes to your house. Your maid will then be able to vacuum all the floors, dust your knick-knacks, and wipe off counters and other surfaces.

I scheduled my cleaning service every other week. We discussed the plan to decide what service would be provided. They dusted the shelves, tops of the frames on the walls. They wiped off counter tops, cleaned the bathroom, and vacuumed the whole house. Every other time they came, they dusted the chandelier, and on the weeks they didn't do that, they cleaned the baseboards.

Many services provide offers for first time users as an incentive to try their service, so be sure to look for coupons. In addition, when you schedule a recurring service, the price of each cleaning is usually reduced.

Even if you don't hire a cleaning service to come regularly to your house, there may be times when having a maid come occasionally would be beneficial.

Clean when Moving

When you are moving into a new house or apartment, you could have them clean the new space to be ready for you while you are busy packing at your old place. After you have moved out, you may want to get them to clean your old place to get it ready for the new people. If you moved out of an apartment, your landlord will appreciate the effort and may return your security deposit in full.

Cleaning Service for Party or Wedding Guests

When there is a family reunion, wedding, holiday, or funeral, you may be expecting to receive visitors at your house. You can be ready for them by hiring someone to clean your place for you. At this time, you will be busy, and will want to spend more of your time with your family members. Leaving the work to the service will give you a peace of mind that there are fewer things on your to-do list.

Emergency Cleaning

Unexpected things can crop up that may require a service. If you had a flood in your basement, storm damage, or vandalism, you may want to hire someone to help bring your property back to its normal condition. Sometimes the work may be too much to handle by yourself, but other times it is just distressing to have to see your home in its damaged state. Getting help will help bring back your property and your life back on its regular track.

Special Projects

Occasional maid service is also good for when you have a special project that you want to get done, such as a basement, attic, or garage. You can get the junk room cleaned out so it can become a nursery. While you can enlist the help of friends and family, sometimes it can be fulfilling to simply get it done and surprise your family with a home makeover.

A few months after I had hired a cleaning service, I had a conversation with my manager, who made at least twice as much money as I did. She mentioned that she had recently hired a cleaning service for herself. She did not know that I had already done so.

She felt guilty for having hired out work she thought she should be doing herself. She also worried about what other people would think of her. Would they think she was a snooty rich person who thought she was above cleaning? As a busy professional woman who is trying to balance a career with the demands of a family, she needed to realize that she didn't have to do it all herself.

We can delegate and use the services that are available to us. This will free up our time to do activities that will earn more money, spend more time with our family. Since a clean house also reduces stress and keeps us healthier, it will improve the quality of our life overall.