It may seem like a luxury, but the benefits of hiring a house cleaner will most likely outweigh the cost – which is probably less than you think. 26%* of people say they already have a cleaner. But if you’re still deciding whether it’s a good idea for you, here are seven reasons why hiring a cleaner will make you happier…
1. Have a guilt-free sleep-in on the weekend
If your cleaner has already visited, then those extra 30 minutes of shut-eye will have you more relaxed and refreshed for the week ahead. No scrubbing for you – unless you want to dream about it. You probably didn’t get your recommended eight hours during the week, so now’s the time to catch up. And we all know there are big health benefits to getting enough sleep: improving your memory and attention, cutting inflammation and lowering stress levels. And as any of our athletes in Rio will tell you right now, you can’t focus and achieve like a gold-medal winner without it.
2. Time to invest in your social life
58% of people* recently admitted to ServiceSeeking.com.au that they don’t spend enough time with their friends. But if those few hours you usually spend cleaning the house suddenly become free, then hey presto – you’ve got time for a real social life rather than just checking up on what your pals are doing via Facebook. You probably normally vacuum while checking Facebook simultaneously, doing neither well, so now you can reconnect with your friends face-to-face and get a decent vacuum.
3. You could even get fit
Sure, you can. While scrubbing the bath might be a mini workout in itself, wouldn’t it be nice to tone up those arms without inhaling the not-always-so-lovely aromas of cleaning products (sorry to the cleaner who is, though)? Instead, you could actually go for a jog or meet a friend at the gym – which would actually combine two reasons in one!
4. It’ll be cleaner if someone else does it, really
You might think you have high standards when it comes to cleaning, but in reality, you just want that job done so you can move on to something more interesting and less about, well, cleaning. More often than not, you’ll be halfway through cleaning the oven and think, ‘Close enough’ because, let’s face it, it is looking better than when you started. But your cleaner will push through those last five minutes of scrubbing, and you know why – because they want to do a good job for you because you’ve entrusted this job to them. It is their job, their livelihood, and they have pride in their work, just like you do. And the reality is, you won’t be happy to keep paying them if they don’t do a solid job. So, like the best Olympians pushing through the pain in striving for gold, your cleaner will, too.
5. And they’ll probably clean stuff you don’t normally
I once had a cleaner who whizzed through my flat and, with time still on the clock, decided to clean the windows. I think we’d lived there for four years at this time and they hadn’t been cleaned in at least two of those. It was so nice to see the sunrise clearly the next morning. And I’m sure there are nooks and crannies in your place that you forget about, but fresh eyes will identify them as a need-to-clean zone straight away. Bonus.
6. It’ll make you more organised
You might’ve heard some people whine about ‘cleaning up for the cleaner’. Which sounds ridiculous and is ridiculous if you actually do clean anything before the cleaner arrives. But in my house, at least, the day prior to our cleaning, we actually have a big tidy-up so the cleaner can actually get to the carpet to vacuum or dust the TV unit without 25 toys in the way. We all have the best intentions of putting away after ourselves, but often, a busy life gets in the way, and before you know it, you have five work outfits piled at the end of the bed, paperwork spilling from the office into the lounge room or a pile of random stuff you didn’t even know you owned overtaking the coffee table. But the day before the cleaner arrives, all of this stuff gets sorted, put back in its right home or discarded. So having a cleaner actually makes you more organised too.
7. Rediscover an old love or learn a new hobby
So cooking has become a chore, but you once really loved experimenting in the kitchen before your life was overrun with work and cleaning. If you don’t need to actually scrub the oven, you might not be so worried about how often you cook in it and reignite that passion. Or just take the extra time you now have and sit and read a book, watch a movie or enrol in a dancing class. It’ll make you much happier than cleaning, guaranteed!
To find a cleaner in your area, visit www.serviceseeking.com.au/cleaners
*from a recent customer survey conducted by ServiceSeeking.com.au