Discover the benefits of hiring a house cleaner. Save time and energy for the things that matter most.
If you’ve ever debated hiring a house cleaner, cleaning service or housekeeper, you might have come up with a list of reasons why you shouldn’t: it’s a luxury you can’t afford or you’re just being lazy. But have you ever thought about why you should?
Outsourcing your house cleaning is a way to manage your time more efficiently and it can be affordable, even for those on a tight budget.
Whether you’re busy with a family and career or just want some occasional help around the house, hiring a cleaner is not only practical — it can also be beneficial in many aspects of your life. Here are some great benefits of hiring a house cleaner.
1. Gain valuable hours outside work
After a busy 9-5, using your time off from work to clean the house depletes your energy and limits your availability to enjoy other activities. You might not need a daily housekeeper but having a house cleaner or cleaning service come once or twice a month can give you more time to do the things you enjoy or need to get done.
A study by the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School has found that outsourcing tasks to buy extra time for yourself can significantly contribute to people’s happiness. Study author Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor at UBC, stresses that paying to have someone clean your home, or take care of other unwanted chores, makes a big difference. By hiring a house cleaner, you’ll have more time to spend with your loved ones and take care of yourself.
2. Enjoy more free time with your family
It’s hard to find time or energy for family outings and date nights when you spend your time cleaning, cooking and taking care of kids. If your schedule is already overwhelming, keeping the house in order becomes a daunting task that can take a toll on your partnership, as well as your health. Some couples end up fighting a lot over the housework, and when one person in the relationship bears the brunt of cleaning, it can lead to partners resenting each other. Hiring a house cleaner has the potential to help lower your stress levels and keep your relationship intact.
3. Reduce (some of) the stress of new parenthood
A new baby in the house means lots of extra cleaning and laundry — more than exhausted new parents may be able to handle. A house cleaner or cleaning service can help pick up the slack while you get used to your new routine.
Family or friends want to pitch in and get you a new parent gift? Instead of flowers, suggest they chip in for a cleaning service to help you out for a few weeks.
4. Entertain when you want with less hassle
Whether you’re putting on a larger event or just having company over, you don’t need to add cleaning to your to-do list. Save your time — and energy — for the party by hiring someone to clean your home before and after the event. Even if you’re just having people over for dinner or to spend the weekend, knowing the house cleaning is taken care of takes the load off you, leaving you time to prepare for your guests’ arrival and enjoy their visit.
5. Spend more time doing what you like
Just because cleaning isn’t something you enjoy doing doesn’t mean you’re lazy. Why waste precious free time doing something you don’t always enjoy when you can have someone else do it? If you’re always finding yourself pressed for time, hire a house cleaner or cleaning service and devote that extra time to something more productive or restorative. If hiring someone to clean weekly strains your budget, find someone to deep clean once a month. That way, you’ll be better equipped to keep the house tidy the rest of the time on your own.
6. Help older loved ones who need it
You might not want or need a cleaning service, but your ageing parents or other relatives might need help with cleaning their home. As people get older, it becomes harder to take care of daily chores and housekeeping tasks. A disorderly home can be a health hazard for older adults. A cluttered floor can cause them to fall and eating off of dirty dishes can make them ill.
Especially when you already have your hands full taking care of your own home, you might not have the time or energy to help your ageing loved one out with their household chores. This can be another reason to hire a house cleaner for them — or yourself.
If your ageing parents need more help than just cleaning, consider hiring a senior care aide who can care for them, run errands and provide light cleaning around the home.
7. Boost your mental and physical health
You probably won’t find it hard to believe that a clean home is good for both the mind and the body — that euphoric feeling of an empty, freshly scrubbed kitchen sink — but here’s some expert-backed science to detail the benefits:
- Practising good environmental hygiene — keeping a clean, sanitary home — is critical in preventing the spread of diseases, according to Health Canada.
- A cluttered living space was linked to procrastination, feeling overwhelmed and other negative emotions in young adults, according to a 2017 study published in Current Psychology.
- Women in dual-income households who described their homes as cluttered and unfinished were found to have higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), which is associated with adverse health outcomes, than those who described their home environment as more restful and organized, according to a 2009 study.
- Regular cleaning helps improve a home’s air quality, according to Health Canada. Doing so can reduce allergy symptoms related to dander and dust.
In other words, hiring a house cleaner or cleaning service is good for your health in plenty of ways.
8. Give yourself a break
Sometimes you just need a restful pause in your busy life. Manicures and massages are great, but you can also pamper yourself by hiring someone to clean occasionally. It’s a nice luxury that will give you some extra time to yourself. Go ahead — you’ve earned it!
