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We have someone come every other week. Realistically, it's a 2-3 hr job but our cleaner generally brings help so it takes them only 1-1.5 hrs. They are great, they really get everything including cleaning our windows and all the nooks and crannies.

We could probably benefit from having them come every week but at least it never feels super gross in our house anymore.

Maybe we are very dirty people or maybe we aren't good at "spot cleaning" after ourselves (or maybe I am more of a neat freak than I thought?), but we clean our house every weekend and it's still pretty disgusting by Thursday-Friday. Half the time, I end up vacuuming mid week. And if we have a weekend where we are busy so I only vacuum the hardwood floors and don't wash them (with wood safe cleaner) after, our floors looks totally awful by the next weekend.

We agreed that next school year, if we are saving money on childcare (we are switching from nanny to daycare/preschool), then we will get a cleaning service 2x a month, but I always assumed we would still have to clean the other 2 weekends.

How do you all make it without cleaning between? Do you vacuum/wash during the week? Spot clean bathroom mirrors after each use?

We're actually having cleaners come tomorrow, because my inlaws are coming for a visit and suddenly changed their arrival from Saturday evening to tomorrow right when I get home from work. SO I have no time to organize.

I didn't think about if there's anything in particular I want them to focus on---I'll have to think.

My lady usually comes once a week and cleans everything (kitchen, baths, floors, windows). The apartment is generally tidy, so she's really just scrubbing, not putting away toys or doing laundry tasks. I also spot clean during the week, I vacuum, clean but not scrub the kitchen and baths, and tidy up. I hate clutter and messes.

@Anagram: Our cleaning lady comes on Friday. I usually sweep the floor in the kitchen after every meal we eat in there, and if something spills, I wash the floor. I typically run the vacuum on the off Friday, but we don't wear shoes in the house so that helps a ton.

I wipe down the toilets in between as well, given them a good scrub down a few times and I do clean the mirrors, I did last night as a matter of fact, after my son managed to splatter toothpaste everywhere. I keep cleaning supplies in the bathroom specifically for that!

It's just DH and I, so our lady comes once a month. She tried to convince us she should come weekly (because she does our friends' house weekly...but the friend also has two kids, three dogs, and a lot more money than us!

Things usually aren't looking too dingy until right before she comes back. With no pets and a tendency to not wear shoes inside, our floors don't get very gross. I'll wipe down tables and DH will sweep up floors about once a week.

I use those gel things in the toilets so they stay cleaner for longer. And DH and I have separate bathrooms so only one person is using each shower, so they don't really get that gross either.

Sometimes the hair I shed accumulates to a gross amount, so I'll spot vacuum the bathroom

@Anagram: I'm with you. I don't have a cleaner and I vacuum like everyday (granted I shed and my dog sheds), and mop twice a week, and clean my bathrooms every week! I clean up after ourselves every night so living areas/kitchen don't need a deep cleaning. But I have also never gotten around to cleaning baseboards, etc.

Every other week works for us. I'd kind of prefer weekly (what we used to have), but now that we're in a house rather than an apartment, getting super organized for the cleaner to do a deep clean every other week, then cleaning around some of my kids stuff on an "off" week makes more sense for me. It's more work than some people realize (IMO) to get "ready" for a cleaner.

I'd also STRONGLY urge you to find a person rather than a service, if $$ is a concern at all. We were paying more than double (almost triple) to have a service clean our home vs. a person working for a small family run LLC.

@Anagram: some stuff, like mirrors, just stay spotty until the cleaner comes unless we have someone stopping by and then I'll do a once over of theguest bath. . We have a dyson stick vac that I run around the house a few times. I only clean a toilet if I have someone coming over. I'm a pretty clean person but not a maniac. I also have learned just to care a little less because I don't have the time nor the energy.
We also don't have a ton of crap around our apartment. It makes cleaning a lot easier. Toys are pretty corralled and minimal tchotchkes
Of course I wipe down the kitchen and stuff. I also run the laundry typically on Sundays (our nanny folds it on mondays)
If i were you I'd maybe start at 1x/week. If you are anything like me, i do a little run though the house before the cleaner comes to pick up stuff I don't want her to see, and organize stuff so she doesn't have to (plus she doesn't know where a lot of stuff "lives"). If she were coming that often I'd lose my mind.

@2PeasinaPod: haha, I mean 2x a MONTH!

We do every two weeks and it's great! She cleans the whole house in 2-3 hours with a helper. She doesn't do dishes (and we don't have a dishwasher) and she doesn't put away laundry or start a load with the dirty sheets, so I know that's on me. I obviously pick up but when my older daughters room is a disaster, she does a least put things into piles which is awesome. We've lived in 3 totally different places and used cleaners and I always find independent people
Because I feel like they do a better job, are a lower price for the same work because the money goes straight to them. I've gone through 2-3 people at each house before we found one that stuck which I think a lot is expectations and nailing down exactly what they're gonna do each time. When I assumed something was covered and then asked why it wasn't done, suddenly one option ended up costing more for no apparent reason but I didn't ask so that was on me.

I used to think it was a frivolous expense but we all have to oitsource something and I hate deep cleaning (aka, won't do it) but it bothers me enough that I want it done. And I'd rather pay someone to clean while I get to go play with my kids or do something for myself. The best feeling is walking into the house when they're all done and everything is clean at once!

@Anagram: I think I'm just super crazy anal about our floors haha. We didn't pick the best hardwood looking back so smudges show!

We have a cleaner come once a month. We could really benefit from every other week but are trying to be conscious of costs, while also no losing my mind. We have pretty big house and she is usually here about 4 hours. It's an independent woman, not a service, who came recommended by a friend and who now cleans I think four of my friends houses!

@Anagram: I actually think living in a smaller space makes it more obvious as the messes build up. Like in a bigger house the dust or dirt is more spread out so it doesn't look as gross- but still is just as gross I'm sure. And having an extra bathroom now I do notice each one looks gross a little less often than when we were all using the same bathtub/ shower. I wipe down counters and toilets in between cleanings but don't usually do a full scrub down - but I think I'm probably kind of gross.

ETA: and I have to sweep the kitchen almost every day, and spot mop (with a bona spray mop thing) under the table a couple of times a week, but the rest of the floors are ok. We have a lot more carpeting than we would like though.

@Anagram: Ah...that makes far more sense. I was going to say...holy cow!

Ours comes every three weeks. That is what they actually suggested when they gave us the original quote. We were going to do every 2 weeks but they said 3 would be ok. It works out well. They do all three floors (main level, upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms and finished basement which rarely gets used). It takes them about 3 hours with 2 girls

We have two women that come once a month. I wish I could do 2x a month, but for now even just the one time a month is a HUGE help. They are here for about 3 hours, and deep clean the whole house (except for the basement, which is finished, but I only have them do it a couple times a year)... i don't have them do any laundry. I LOVE THEM.

For all those that have a cleaner, are you home while they work? Do you stay but go to a different part of the house? Do they have a key and come while you're at work or are you home to let them in? So many questions!

@Pancakes: Usually we're not at home (she comes on Fridays). On the off chance that we're home during say, summer vacation or whatnot, we make a point to leave the house. I prefer not to be around, not for nothing, my son bothers her a ton and basically wants to show her all of his toys and stuff.

We have keyless entry and she has a code that works only on Friday.