Always enjoy the anonymity of Monzo community to ask random questions.
So I live in a small flat with my partner. We both hate cleaning and neither of really bother with it. I’ve suggested getting a cleaner (I’m happy to pay for one) but he thinks it’s lazy given we don’t have kids or even pets… It doesn’t seem to bother him that much, but when people come over I’m a bit embarrassed. Do you think I should just get one without telling him while we are both at work?
Had a cleaner for 5+ years now, they’ve become part of the family, they are in my eyes 100% worth it and also saves arguments with your respective partner about who is going to clean next
By all means get a cleaner if you can afford one, but don’t do it behind your partner’s back as it might cause arguments.
This is exactly the way I see it. Happily work many more hours than I need to work day to day - and i just can’t understand the logic of doing a task I’d do less well, don’t enjoy, when you can pay someone else who will be twice as fast for not a huge amount of money. Personally I see it as the same a paying a decorator, gardener or whatever…. Not really sure why people think of cleaning as any different. I asked some colleagues about this and they all raised their eyebrows and agreed with my partner that it was lazy.
I think it’s lazy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t okay to get one if you can afford it (and I’m not judging you!).
I don’t particularly enjoy gardening. Whilst I do the lawn and hedges, I get a gardener once or twice a year to deal with all the weeds and other little jobs I just don’t want to do.
It’s up to you how you spend your money!
It’s not lazy, it’s a choice about how you spend your time and money.
Cleaning the flat would probably take about four hours a week? If that’s something you can only do on your weekend as you don’t work from home, and your free time is limited it makes total sense to get a cleaner and buy yourself some extra free time.
I begrudge a cleaner, as it’s all stuff I could really do myself,
Being in a one bed apartment I forced myself to the mental habit telling myself if it’s less than a 5 minute job just do it.
Dishes, hoovering, floors, bathroom (more than 5 but I just tell myself oh it’s only the shower… and it progresses from there cuz the next is only 5 mins too).
I think it’s more a case younger generation have no cash to afford a cleaner so it’s a moot point.
I would say if you have the cash then it’s well worth getting a cleaner and ironing service.
Same goes for gardening unless you obviously enjoy it.
If you had the money would you get a personal chef, I would.
Ironing service! I honestly haven’t ironed anything at all for over ten years 
. I just dry it and fold it.
I’d just eat out for most meals!
Just to hikack the thread further I’ve recently moved almost next to a laundrette and it’s a game changer. They have huge washers and dryers (and I mean huge - I could easily sit in the big tumble dryer), I can get all my laundry from the week including my sheets and towels done in about 1 1/2 hours (most of which is spent at home between washes or sitting in the nearby cafe).
£1300 a year doesn’t sound particularly cheap to me, but obviously people value things differently.
That seems a bit low 
. How long did it take them?
I live in London and would never pay less than the London living wage, usually a bit more as they have to travel too.
Similar view - outsource the things other people can do better, faster, and what leaves me more free time for myself.
We’ve started getting a cleaner once a week for 2 hours. The house is always cleaner than when we spend a good chunk of saturday doing the same stuff.
I get weekend time back.
win
I think it’s smart. We don’t currently need one but I am considering it for the future so that half of Saturday morning isn’t spent catching up. I think people scoff at it because they can’t afford it, generalisation I know.
I used to pay to have my shirts ironed, pre Covid when I was a smart 5 days a week office bod. It was about £1 a shirt and I’d do it every other week. The time taken for me to iron shirts to a lower standard made her hourly rate very good value.
“You waste your money” says the person buying their fifth lunch out during the week.
I’ve been persuaded by all your replies. Thank you. I’m in London, so it’s £17 per hour, which honestly doesn’t seem that bad considering the price of things around here.
Booked for a 5 hour starting clean for Monday. If all good, will make it regular. My partner rolled his eyes when I told him, but who cares haha
Been thinking about getting a cleaner in to do a big deep clean, and then maybe get them in twice a month to keep on top of things, beyond the usual hoovering etc. Also could do with getting window cleaners and bin cleaners too I think.
Gardening I’m quite happy to do myself in the summer, doesn’t take too long and is good exercise.
If it helps for future we’ve had good experiences in London using WeCasa platform.
If you use an ‘agency’ or get cleaners via ‘someone who sorts cleaners’ make sure to check with the person that they are getting paid at least minimum wage, if they refuse to confirm they are getting at least that at the end it’s a big red flag for modern slavery.
It’s quite sad bringing it up to people and them saying it’s not their issue they just get an invoice from a company for services at suspiciously close to minimum wage rates or it’s ok because they are probably asylum seekers who can’t work so are happy with just £5-6 ph from the invoicing company.
Agreed, although also if they are good generally I just offer to pay them the same amount in cash after the first clean and cut the agency out altogether. I much prefer the same regular cleaner anyway.