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I've debated for months whether I needed some help but realized I would not open my door far when neighbors knocked. I was so embarrassed by the disorganization.
Then a friend of mine, whose mother does cleaning/organizing for a living needed a client & I said to myself, why not?
Today was our first day & although from here on out it will be less time, (today was $60 for three hours) she really made my dining area look great. Plus, we got along really well so it was a win/win.
We'll tackle the kitchen next week but I did tell her I couldn't afford three hours so we'll work with what I can afford. The kitchen will be a challenge as the cupboards are really designed wrong, I can't bend so that limits where I can place things and, since I love to cook, I have gadgets. Has been really difficult to cook here.
To top it off, my friend, who is her daughter, is both of our favorite person. So we started out with good attitudes, she knew my limitations & it was good for both of us.
Good for you. Sounds like she is helping more with organizing than cleaning. Once you have a place for everything and everything in its place, it will be easier to keep things straightened up.
For the kitchen, think about what you can hang on the walls. Or from hooks that you can screw into the ceiling. Also, go online to The Container Store or similar to get ideas for organizing things in the kitchen. I like using rectangular plastic baskets for various things (gadgets, small food packets , small cans, etc.) in the kitchen cabinets. Easy to pull out a basket onto the counter and look through it than to bend over looking in a cabinet. I also use baskets for storing things on high shelves.
As for actual cleaning, I have had a service for many years... just once a month is enough as long as I clean up messes when they happen. It's been a life saver.
i had cleaning help through at least half of the years I was married, and it prevented many arguments between my husband and me, as we had very different ideas about housework. I considered it money well spent.
I've had bi-weekly cleaners now for over 12 years, and it would be difficult now for me to adjust to having to do everything myself. actually, knowing what i'm like, i'd ignore a lot and take many shortcuts.
the truth is I don't like housework, am not good at it, and frankly, never tried very hard to become good.
so hiring help is a good alternative- no regrets.
I have never understood why so many self righteous people feel that it is so virtuous to do your own housecleaning. We have had housekeepers for the last 40 years and do not plan to stop using them now that we are retired. Lots of things that I would rather do than mop a floor. Think of it as giving a deserving person a means to make a living.
I've debated for months whether I needed some help but realized I would not open my door far when neighbors knocked. I was so embarrassed by the disorganization.
Then a friend of mine, whose mother does cleaning/organizing for a living needed a client & I said to myself, why not?
Today was our first day & although from here on out it will be less time, (today was $60 for three hours) she really made my dining area look great. Plus, we got along really well so it was a win/win.
We'll tackle the kitchen next week but I did tell her I couldn't afford three hours so we'll work with what I can afford. The kitchen will be a challenge as the cupboards are really designed wrong, I can't bend so that limits where I can place things and, since I love to cook, I have gadgets. Has been really difficult to cook here.
To top it off, my friend, who is her daughter, is both of our favorite person. So we started out with good attitudes, she knew my limitations & it was good for both of us.
Good for you! You deserve it, and it does sound like a win-win situation.
I have been tossing this idea around for a while. Like catsy girl, I have never liked housework, and frankly, it shows! As I work full time, it's a real PITA for me to clean house, especially in the spring and summer, when all I want to do is be outside in my garden/yard or walking my dog or doing interesting projects like painting an old dresser and chest of drawers that have been waiting so patiently for me to retire.
I will see how it goes with the cleaning/housekeeping on my own for a while after I retire, but I'm glad to see that other retired women have cleaning ladies/services, so I won't feel so guilty about it if I go that route.
My theory for many many years has been that since single men hire cleaning services, why shouldn't women?
This single man hasn't yet but needs to. The kitchen, dining room and living room all are part of one big space so it never gets completely done before I run out of steam. I'm thinking about shaving the cat.
I have been tossing this idea around for a while. Like catsy girl, I have never liked housework, and frankly, it shows! As I work full time, it's a real PITA for me to clean house, especially in the spring and summer, when all I want to do is be outside in my garden/yard or walking my dog or doing interesting projects like painting an old dresser and chest of drawers that have been waiting so patiently for me to retire.
I will see how it goes with the cleaning/housekeeping on my own for a while after I retire, but I'm glad to see that other retired women have cleaning ladies/services, so I won't feel so guilty about it if I go that route.
Housekeeping is a wonderful way to exercise. However so is going to a gym. Walking around a museum....anything but cleaning the house.....
As someone who cleans her own place, over half the battle is maintenance. It's far easier to maintain a place in a state of clean than wait for it to get wrecked and have to tear into it and and start over.
And, as someone who owns a janitorial company, there's nothing wrong with hiring out...
I think one of the reasons I like visiting timeshares is that the maid comes at the end of the week. When you think how much a cleaning service charges, last calls on the RCI.com website is almost like staying for free. I would be hiring someone at home but hubby does not like the idea. He says he will help me and he does but he does NOT know how to mop a floor. When he finished he left a mixture of water and dirt. I bought a steam cleaner but alas it does not run itself.
I wash clothes and he folds them. I used to put the dishes in the dishwasher and he put them up but he decided I wasn't putting them in to his satisfaction so now he loads the dishwasher and puts them up if I don't get to them first. I vacuum because he does not give the carpet vacuum time to suck up the dirt--he is just not a floor man. I had a vacuum that ran itself and my son did the powerful man act and broke the gears. It's a process but if I am ever on my own again I think much of the house maintenance will be professional.
Last edited by NCN; 03-10-2016 at 11:17 AM..
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As I work full time, it's a real PITA for me to clean house, especially in the spring and summer, when all I want to do is be outside in my garden/yard or walking my dog or doing interesting projects like painting an old dresser and chest of drawers that have been waiting so patiently for me to retire. 
