If you’ve ever debated hiring a house cleaner, cleaning service or housekeeper, you might have come up with a list of reasons why you shouldn’t: it’s a luxury you can’t afford or it’s a sign of laziness. But have you ever thought about why you should?
Outsourcing your house cleaning is a way to manage your time more efficiently and it can be affordable, even for those on a tight budget.
Whether you’re busy with a family and career or just want some occasional help around the house, hiring a cleaner is not only practical, it can be beneficial in many aspects of your life. Here are some valid benefits of hiring a house cleaner.
1. Gain valuable hours outside work
After a busy 9-5, using your time off from work to clean the house depletes your energy and limits your availability to enjoy other activities. You might not need a daily housekeeper, but having a house cleaner or cleaning service come once or twice a month will give you more time to do the things you enjoy or need to get done.
Jennifer Thomas, a clinical psychologist and single mom from Minneapolis, says that without the help of her housekeeper, she would get less done and get much less sleep: “I have a housekeeper to free up my limited time to do important activities with my son and also take care of myself: doing yoga, walking outside, reading and spending time with friends and family.”
2. Enjoy more free time with your family
It’s hard to find time or energy for family outings and date nights when you spend your time cleaning, cooking and taking care of kids. If your schedule is already overwhelming, keeping the house in order becomes a daunting task that can take a toll on your partnership, as well as your health.
Author Melanie Bowden from Davis, California, has her hands full between writing, teaching and being a mom of two. Housework was the main issue she and her husband fought over. “I felt very frazzled when I had to keep up with all of the cleaning without outside help,” she says, “and I grew resentful toward my husband that he wasn’t doing more.”.
Hiring a house cleaner not only lowered Bowden’s stress level but also kept her marriage intact. “I just love coming home to a clean house on those days — particularly when the bed sheets have been changed — that’s my favorite part,” she adds. Bowden notes that having a house cleaner has been a valuable time-management tool.
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3. Reduce (some of) the stress of new parenthood
A new baby in the house means lots of extra cleaning and laundry — more than exhausted new parents may be able to handle. A house cleaner or cleaning service can help pick up the slack while you get used to your new routine.
Family or friends want to pitch in and get you a new parent gift? Instead of flowers, suggest they chip in for a cleaning service to help you out for a few weeks.
4. Entertain when you want with less hassle
Whether you’re putting on a larger event or just having company over, you don’t need to add cleaning to your to-do list. Save your time — and your energy — for the party by hiring someone to clean your home before and after the event. Even if you’re just having people over for dinner or to spend the weekend, knowing the house cleaning is taken care of takes the load off of you and leaves time to prepare for your guests’ arrival and enjoy the visit.
5. Spend more time doing what you like
Just because cleaning isn’t something you enjoy doing doesn’t mean you’re lazy. Why waste the precious free time you have every week doing something you hate doing when you can have someone else do it? If cleaning takes you hours and you hate every minute of it, hire a house cleaner or cleaning service and devote that time to something more productive or restorative. If hiring someone to clean weekly strains your budget, find someone to deep clean once a month. That way, you’ll be better equipped to keep the house tidy the rest of the time on your own.
6. Help older loved ones who need it
You might not want or need a cleaning service, but your aging parents or other relatives might need help with cleaning their home. As people get older, it becomes harder to take care of daily chores and housekeeping tasks. A disorderly home is a health hazard for older adults. A cluttered floor can cause them to fall and eating from dirty dishes can make them ill.
Barbara Berta of Colorado Springs, Colorado, hired a housekeeper to tidy her father’s apartment once a week. “My dad had diabetes, so between his illness and his age, it was hard for him to keep his home as clean as he would have liked,” she says. “I already had my hands full with chores around my own home, so the housekeeper was a huge help when it came to making sure my dad had a comfortable and clean living space.”
If your aging parents need more help than just cleaning, hire a senior care aide who can care for them, run errands and provide light cleaning around the home.
7. Boost your mental and physical health
You probably won’t find it hard to believe that a clean home is good for both the mind and the body — ahh, the euphoric feeling of an empty, freshly scrubbed kitchen sink — but here’s some expert-backed science to back up the benefits:
- Practicing good environmental hygiene — aka keeping a clean, sanitary home — is “critical in preventing the spread of diseases,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- A cluttered living space was linked to procrastination, feeling overwhelmed and other negative emotions in young adults, according to a 2017 study published in Current Psychology.
- Women in dual-income households who described their homes as cluttered and unfinished were found to have higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), which is associated with adverse health outcomes, than those who described their home environment as more restful and organized, shows a 2009 study.
- Regular cleaning helps improve a home’s air quality, which can reduce allergy symptoms related to dander and dust, says Harvard Medical School.
In other words, hire a house cleaner or cleaning service because it’s good for your health in a number of ways.
8. Give yourself a break
Sometimes you just need a restful pause in your busy life. Manicures and massages are great, but you can also pamper yourself by hiring someone to clean every once in a while. It’s a nice luxury that will give you some extra time to yourself. Go ahead, you’ve earned it!