What is the best way to convince my husband we should hire a maid?

Question

I desperately want to hire a maid service to dust, vacuum and mop, clean our 2 bathrooms, and wash our dishes--twice a week...but I can't get my husband to agree that it is a good idea. He is convinced that it is a bad idea! He thinks that someone will steal our things, go through our drawers and other paranoid things of such.

I know there is a small chance that it could happen, but I cannot think of any strong points other than the free time we will gain from not having to do these things ourselves. Do you know of any strong points that I can bring up or a way to convince him that this is a great idea?

He wanted me to add to my details that we have guns in our home. Does this change your mind or our situtation? I believe they should be locked in a safe but he is stubborn. (They are all unloaded/hidden with their ammo on a top shelf in our closet and there no children in our home.)

Please help!

we both work full time jobs and both put in more than 40 hours a week

some of you are really looking at this the wrong way. we desperately need some help. i could give you many reasons why but you wouldn't read them all....just please help me with a kind heart.

"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." Anne Frank

Answer 1

Having a maid for the first time can be unnerving for sure, but you do become more comfortable with it, especially after walking into your home after a day at work and finding it clean and smelling good.

Perhaps you could agree to hire the maid for a trial period, say 2 months, and decide at the end of that if it is worth it for you.

I think your husband has a valid concern about the guns. I would have them locked up if someone was in my home alone.

Answer 2

Sorry this is so long, but...

You might not need someone in twice a week.

Think about compromising with him on that. Do your own dishes and have someone come in once a week to do the heavy cleaning, if you have pets, or if you don't - maybe have someone come in once every two weeks. Once you are relieved of having all the heavy cleaning to do the dishes won't seem so bad. Your husband should also be helping with fixing dinners and cleaning them up at least a couple nights a week.

If he continues to balk at getting someone to clean the house - then give him a list of weekly chores that he needs to do. If you are both working - then you should both be sharing the housework. If he's like my husband then the idea of having a cleaning lady come in won't seem so bad compared to scrubbing toilets himself.

We have a very nice woman and her little crew come in every two weeks to do the dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, etc... and the week in between I do a quick cleaning of the kitchen floors & bathrooms. We have never ever had anything at all go missing. Try asking around to people you know about who they use for cleaning - a friend of mine recommended the woman who does our cleaning and we've had no problems. I also stay at the hosue while they are here cleaning.

As for the guns - they have to be locked up, period. If you can afford a maid then you can afford a relatively inexpensive gun safe to put in the basement or wherever. Tell him - it's not the maid who's going to steal the gun - it's some crackhead who's going to break in looking for drug money and is going to end up using it on you or selling it to some scumbag who's going to use it on some other innocent person. When you aren't in the house - all guns need to be locked up! All of our guns are locked up - because we are responsible gun owners.

PS - the top of the closet (or under the bed) is where everyone hides things and thinks that noone is going to find it - burglars know this - and they always find whatever is up there. That's the word from my uncle - the cop.

Good luck!!!

EDIT - Hi pAg! - I am really astonished at some of the mean spirited and close-minded responses you have recieved! My goodness - some people act as though cleaning house is some sort of moral imperative that only women have to follow.

I wonder how many of these folks consider themselves good religious folks - they're not very forgiving about a simple well meant question!

I wish you the best of luck - in dealing with this issue and the others in your life. The Anne Frank quote is very nice - too bad not everyone can be as kind and optimistic as you!

Ps - If you feel you need someone in twice a week - go for it!

Answer 3

If you really put your mind to it, you could get ALL that done in less than 5 hours a week. It shouldn't take you more than 2 hours a day, twice a week to do general house cleaning and dishes. Maybe you get carried away watching T.V. in between doing your chores. Try setting aside a time twice a week to concentrate on just cleaning. Shut off the T.V. and the phone, and put on some good dancing music and see how fast you really can move. For the dishes, you should be doing those daily. If you don't let them pile up, it only takes 15 minutes at the most. Get off your butt and enjoy the disco/dance music! It also helps if you had a cordless phone with a belt clip/headphones so you can do dishes while you are having a telephone conversation. It sounds like you could use some Time Management skills! If you are at Level 3 on Yahoo answers and have earned 237 points this week, then you can see where a lot of your time is going! Doing your housework should be priority number one and playing on Yahoo Answers should come after the housework is done. Get off the computer and do your housework.

Answer 4

regrettably for you; your husband has an somewhat valid factor; They did a piece on television a pair of years lower back the place that they had hidden cameras in homes of individuals utilising maid service and it replaced into like 7 out of 10 that confirmed people taking issues. Even somebody you think of may well be respected ought to help themselves to some thing, my daughter had this ensue to her, the cleansing lady she had introduced her daughter alongside to help and the female took a number of products of rings, and another issues, which my daughter by no skill have been given lower back. Be on the risk-free section, do it your self.

Answer 5

You only work 40 hours a week and can't find time to do house chores. My wife and I work 50-60 hours per week and we can find time to clean our house once a week, also wash clothes and iron and cook evening meals. If you clean and put things away each time you use an item, the clatters will be less. If you must have a maid service have it done when your are home. Never trust a maid with your house keys.

Answer 6

Do both of you work outside the home? If you do, and the money it would cost would not be a hardship...you could tell your husband that if he will not hire a maid then he can do the housework by himself. I do not think the guns matter as long as they are locked up.

Answer 7

If you ask me, hiring a maid or a household help is not a practical thing to do especially that it's just only the two of you who's in the house.

To us guys, aside from it being an unpractical idea it would also mean that our housewives are being selfish. Why would we hire a household help? Are you not capable of doing these things? Can you not take care of the house alone?

But to be fair with you, if you have a job and doing household chores after your work could be very tiring on your part, to say the least, getting some extra hand would do just fine.

However, if still he won't budge in his decision of not getting one, tell him that if he won't get you one ask him to help you out with the chores. Tell him also that you basically do know the duties of being a housewife, but doing all of it alone could be very tiring and that you would "appreciate it if I could get some help from you, but if you don't want to help me out, get me one instead". I think this would work out, because believe me...guys hate doing chores. :)

I hope I have helped you out. Goodluck.

Answer 8

We had a maid from a certified co with bonded personnel etc. Our maid stole from us. She took things that we wouldn't notice right away such as good silverware and candle holders, slide projector, our son's tennis Raquel and equipment (he had broken leg so couldn't use it) Things in closets that we only use several times per year. The cleaning co didn't do anything because we had no proof that we owned that stuff, no receipts. A lot was handed down from our parents and grand parents. Only proof we had was holiday pictures where the silver was on the table. I'm with your husband on this one.

Answer 9

I would give him the reasons you said and then just have a maid come when you are at home, so you can check on her/him if anything is suspicious. I would definitely lock the gun and ammo, specially if someone else is going to be in your home. You can even put your valuables with the gun, just in case.

Answer 10

Well i see 2 flip sides to this
1. it would lessen the burden on you and help you out make life more pleasant for you

2. i see this as bring trouble to the marriage need to talk more about it could bring on cheating.
depending on who you get in the house see if you can pay a relative or some thing to come in and help out

my dad had guns in the house not loaded but my mom bought him a beautiful gun cabinet that has glass so he could look at them