I Have a Housecleaner and Zero Guilt About It

I have spring cleaning heavy on my mind lately. Maybe it is because I am trying to manifest nicer weather given the pacific northwest has not quite gotten the message the spring has sprung. We are having teasers of sunny weather but still chilly days.

I have always had a particular love for cleaning and having a clean house. For as long as I can remember. True story, when I was in 7^th grade I had a couple of neighbors who hired me to clean their houses. One was every day after school. I would spend about an hour cleaning their breakfast dishes up, vacuuming and whatever other couple of items they left for me to do that day. The other family had me clean once a week. Thinking back and now being the mom of a 12-year-old; the age I was when I had these jobs; it seems so funny to me. But I absolutely loved it.

In my early 20s I was very into hot yoga for exercise. I cleaned the yoga studio a couple of times a week in exchange for unlimited free hot yoga. Win-win for me.

These days, I use cleaning as a way to clear my head. I got out some of my favorite cleaning supplies the other day in effort to get a little cleaning therapy. As I was scrubbing away, I thought about how many moms are doing this exact same thing right now or how many have it on their never-ending to-do list. It is truly impossible to tackle all the things we need to do or think we need to do. The list literally just keeps growing. Even things we actually enjoy doing can end up feeling like just another thing piled onto the list.

iStock | Cn0ra

As that list grows, so does the unavoidable mom guilt. Those negative thoughts we put on ourselves. The ridiculous thing is that we can never win when it comes to this guilt. It could be over feeling like the house is too messy or maybe your house is clean but at the cost of missing something for your kids so that you could actually have time to clean. You can slice it a million ways and there is no way to ever avoid this guilt. Trust me, I have tried.

These are some of the thoughts that were buzzing through my head on this particular day as I was scrubbing the shower. It was then that I thought of one thing I do that may cause guilt for some moms but it causes zero for me. Something that allows me to still clear my head through cleaning therapy but that allows for it not to weigh over my head if I don’t get to it due to a busy schedule or just due to not feeling like it.

I have a housecleaner. And zero guilt about it.

That’s right. Every two weeks I have my house professionally cleaned. It is always my favorite day. Not only because I come home from work to a clean house that took no effort on my part but also because we typically order out those nights so I can have 24 hours of a clean kitchen.

It started slow. I had been dreaming of a house cleaner for a while from the time I became a mom almost 13 years ago. But financially I knew it was a silly thing to even think about. It was a want not a need.

Some time passed and as I continued the life of a full-time working mom, that want for a housecleaner only got stronger. I didn’t want to spend my Saturday’s cleaning after working all week.

My husband and I decided we would hire someone to clean the house once a month. Their focus was deep cleaning bathrooms and all our floors. Obviously, I still had to clean regularly in between but it was such a treat that one day a month knowing I could check any deep cleaning off my near term to-do list.

I never recall a twinge of guilt about making the decision.

In fact, as a bit more time went on and as I continued working full time with then a baby and a toddler, I found myself not only desiring to up our cleaning services but again not feeling any guilt about it.

iStock | Paul Bradbury

That brings us to the present where we have had a house cleaner every two weeks since our kids were small. Still not a twinge of guilt.

I have heard comments from moms that they would feel too guilty having a house cleaner. But to that I always reply that if financially it is something that is feasible, I would absolutely encourage it. For me, it was always around the fact that I am not home during the days to even do a quick wipe down of the bathroom counters. All of my cleaning has to be done during evening or weekends. I reached a point in my life where I was able to pay for a service that in my opinion is worth every penny.

If you are thinking about hiring a housecleaner but have any sort of guilt wrapped around it, I’d encourage you to envision coming home to a sparkling clean house that all happened without you lifting a finger. We do so much as moms and I truly believe there is nothing wrong with getting some assistance when we can.

I still clean. Both because I love it and because somehow the mess accumulates quicker than seems possible. But I don’t feel pressure like I used to. If a week goes by and I don’t clean the toilets, it doesn’t really matter because the following week our cleaners will be there.

I have a housecleaner and zero guilt and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon.