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By Family Clean, July 08, 2019 12:00 am

“It’s like the fairies have been!” How hiring a cleaner has helped Kristen reclaim family time

When Kristen first returned to work after having children, there was a tiny piece of her that wondered why she wasn’t able to “fit it all in”. And it wasn’t until she hired a cleaner that she began to realise just how long cleaning tasks were taking out of her week. 

Have you ever timed how long it takes you to scrub the shower? Or clean out the fridge? You might be surprised how long certain things take (especially if you face constant interruptions from little ones)! 

Kristen is married with a young family and she also works full time in the design industry. Once she and her husband said goodbye to the cleaning jobs that were taking up the few free hours they had after work, they felt a shift in their quality of life. 

Now with more time to enjoy her family and look after her well-being, she feels as though she has as much balance as she can, but is quick to add that “being a parent, you’re always short of time”. 

Kristen is lovely and pragmatic in equal measure, explaining she doesn’t feel any guilt about getting help at home, especially now she realises how much more time she has for the things that are important to her. 

During our chat with Kristen, it was clear that she genuinely wants to help other people overcome any concerns they have about getting a hand at home – whether that be using a cleaner, having the groceries delivered or anything else. That’s because when parents have the time to take better care of themselves, they have more energy and focus to give their children. 

Here is Kristen’s story, as told by her. And we have to say, gosh we’re grateful to have such wonderful customers! 

 

When I was off work having babies without an income, I kind of thought ‘well I should do cleaning and that sort of thing myself’…

But then returning to work, there’s just no time in the day. And what little time you do have, you just can’t spend it cleaning. There are just so many other more important things to be doing, like spending time with each other and with the kids. Because once you’re working, there are only a couple of hours every day that you’ve got left and you need a bit of time for yourself. So that is why we decided to hire a cleaner. 

It was really difficult to find cleaners who were flexible and willing to work with us… 

They just wanted to do what they wanted to do in terms of cleaning and not what we wanted to hire them for. So that’s when I found Family Clean, and that was two years ago now. Being able to book online was magnificent because I always think of these things at night-time once the kids have gone to bed and you can’t call a lot of places then, so having that form online just made it so easy.

The feeling of coming home to a clean house is so lovely; it’s just so nice…

It’s like the fairies have been! It’s like when you’re a kid again and the cleaning fairy comes in and cleans your room, except when you’re a kid you think that’s normal. 

We had a spring clean first with Family Clean, which was a massive clean and that was really good. Now we have a regular monthly service, and I was excited to say goodbye to cleaning the bathrooms. We also get the floors cleaned and pretty much anything that needs to be done. 

One thing that has surprised me is how long it takes to do certain cleaning jobs – I guess because you never really time yourself when you do it. 

Having a cleaner has given us more time as parents and as individuals… 

We can prioritise our life basically. With that extra time, I go to the gym, do stuff with the kids, and my husband and I can do stuff with each other, which gives us a bit more freedom overall. 

We would sometimes think ‘it can’t be that hard; why can’t we just get it in ourselves?’ For me personally I’ve always believed more in outsourcing cleaners, but my husband didn’t as much. I suppose it’s really how you grow up and how your family manages to do it themselves. But I don’t really feel guilty.  

 

If people are wondering whether hiring a cleaner is worth the investment, I always encourage them to hire cleaners…

I always tell people that it’s easy and the best way to spend your time and money, because you get some time back in your life. I mean, people get the groceries delivered nowadays rather than going and getting it themselves, so I don’t see why cleaning is so different in theory for getting help. 

I do think it’s important to look after my own balance…

Like they say on airlines, you’ve got to put your own oxygen mask on first before you do anybody else’s. You’ve got to make sure you eat properly and exercise and have a bit of downtime – you know, all those things that are really important for your overall wellbeing – so that you’re okay first.

My main priority at the moment is the kids and making sure they’re happy, healthy and well adjusted…

Then there are the other goals in life we want to tick off, work-wise and personally with travelling and those things. 

 

A big thanks to Kristen for sharing her story! If you’re wondering how hiring a cleaner actually works, you’ll find a four-step guide here. –  The Mother Ducks 

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