What’s better- to hire a cleaning service or to do it yourself?
Life is full of so many demands, and we all need to prioritize what is best for ourselves in each season of life. This may lead you to consider hiring a cleaning service to help keep up the house. With families going so many different directions, it can be a challenge to have enough time and energy to make your home into the refuge you need for recharging. One of my friends recently used a cleaning service for a year, but then chose to discontinue. Here are a few questions we thought through in making the decision to hire a cleaning service:
Are you actually available for the task?
To me, the best kind of cleaning is the kind that actually gets done! To accomplish that, you have to be available to the task. With schedules in full swing, you may not have time to keep up with more than the daily chores at your house. My friend reached out for a cleaning service while she was in a busy season of caregiving for her 3 small children at home. Even though she was home, there wasn’t enough time or energy to get the big jobs done in a week. If hiring a cleaning service is going to help you hit “done” then it’s so worth it!
Is your house available for the job?
When you hire a cleaning service, you do have a commitment to tidy up your place before cleaning is performed. Make sure you have made time for tidying up the night or morning before. While you can still be at home, certain parts of your home will be unavailable to you. Of course you can schedule around it, but it is still something to consider in making the arrangements.
Do you like the products they use?
If you find an individual to clean for you, they may be up for using supplies provided to them. However, if you go through a company, they bring all their own supplies and are trained to use them. Unfortunately, many of the products they use are harsh chemical cleaners. They get the job done, but at what cost? This was the main reason my friend ended up discontinuing service. She preferred getting her home clean the Norwex way so there was no worry about residues or airborne toxins. Sometimes if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself.
Do you trust the person?
If this service is going to help you, you need to have peace of mind about it. Check to make sure the cleaning company does background checks. Even if they do background checks, you should be honest with yourself about the comfort level you have with it. Some people are not fans of having strangers in the house. Check with your spouse and any other housemates to make sure they would agree.
Do you have the budget for it?
A cleaning service is an added cost to the family budget. Some families find it serves their lifestyle well and is worth the recurring cost, but for some that could become a burden. If it’s something you wish you could afford, get creative. We all have things that recharge us or could consider our love language. If a cleaning service is more relaxing to you than ordering take out, then skip take out and eat in. Maybe grandparents would even be willing to chip in to ease the load on mom.
Is it worth it to you?
Once you’ve considered all these questions, you still need to ask if it’s worth it. For my friend, she appreciated the year of service, but went back to doing it herself after her baby was on a regular schedule. For her, the tidying up and keeping kids away from the cleaning service didn’t make sense beyond that year. You may be in a different life stage and it’s ok to reassess month to month if this still works for you.
I hope this helps as you make decisions! Even if you choose to use a cleaning service, you can still use your Norwex products for keeping up on chores and for deep cleaning projects. If you’re looking to save money when it comes to cleaning, consider opening a Norwex account to receive a 35% discount on supplies!
Which do you prefer- to hire a cleaning service or to do it yourself?
Leave a Reply