We’re choosing to keep paying our cleaners but not having them come. Aside from the cross-infection issue, a lot of these women have kids at home and not all have another parent to watch them, meaning they either have to leave them alone or pool babysitting resources. My kids have discovered we’re fully capable of cleaning our own house. 
We aren’t having our housekeeper clean while our state is on stay at home orders. The last time she was here, she had visited a relative in another state the day before, and said relative had been coughing! That really got us to thinking about all the places and contacts she might have that could compromise us. Also, I don’t wasn’t to disinfect all the light switches, buckets, mops, and numerous items she would touch when she dusts.
Ten years ago when I was still working but my husband was home, she left abruptly after an hour and a half. No explanation. A week later I became deathly sick. On her next visit she noticed all the hand sanitizer we had around the house, and when she learned I was sick, told me that’s why she left early the last time. I wouldn’t have entered the house for at least six hours after she left, and I picked up her germs! That scared me.
Nope, not taking the chance with the housekeeper. My husband is very high risk.
We won’t have house cleaners over. It was a real wake up call when my Dad’s caregiver fell ill while at his house. It turned out to be strep but ack! From my time in Austin I know she is fastidious about hygiene and cleanliness. I can’t take a chance on anyone coming in our house.
I’m starting to think about having our cleaner come in for a session. Frankly, I just can’t keep up with the house and now that it’s spring, spider webs and dog hair have taken over.
H and I would leave the house for a couple of days and stay at our cabin. I’m thinking 3-4 days post cleaning session will be enough to have all the bad coronie particles settle. (there’s storm damage at the cabin which needs to be addressed anyway). Upon our return I’d don a mask, open all the windows and doors while disinfecting the door handles and counter tops with disinfectant wipes.
I’ve been making masks so I’d give one to each of the cleaning crew. And, I’d insist they use a new bag for the Miele HEPA vacuum.
We can keep several rooms of the house closed for many more days to give even more time to let things settle and ‘die’.
We have cleaners that come every other week and have paid them since early March (we live in PA) for their services when they have not been able to come. As long as we are still working we will continue to pay them. Our family cleans the house now…my teenage daughters have to make their brothers beds (new sheets) while the boys are in the yard helping their dad pick up dog poop and do the yard work. And all the other fun chores. I don’t really mind it so much, it is nice to do SOMETHING together as a family. I honestly could not live with myself for not paying the cleaners just because they could not come if I lost no income. When the weather gets warmer and the stay at home orders are lifted the cleaning people can come back and clean and we will leave the house while they are here.
Checking in to see where you all are standing now - a month+ into no professional cleaning?
As for me, I have a new appreciation for what it takes to keep my house clean and running. - I’m not loving the kitchen cleaning / laundry / changing the beds / cleaning the bathrooms / walking the dog etc. etc., and now I know, I definitely don’t do it as well as somebody who is a professional!
My lady comes twice a month and does the bulk of the big cleaning. I have always been particular about my linens and laundry, so do my own laundry and changing the beds. Back in the olden days when we made more money and I had two little ones, I let my housekeeper fold the clean sheets and towels I had already washed, but that was it!
I am thinking about letting her come this week, but need to talk to her first and see what she has been doing. I let her come last month with a mask and gloves and I went to a different part of the house. I was hoping to hang out outside, but it was raining. After she left I wiped down door knobs and faucets, but nothing else.
We have not paid her yet for the missed visit, but will do so when she comes.
I did the same as @snowball last month. I got a text from my cleaning person a few days ago that she’s working and will come clean if I feel comfortable with that. I told her I was comfortable because I know she needs the money, but I’ve decided I’m not really comfortable and plan to pay her when she comes but not have her clean.
My cleaning lady would be scheduled to come back the first week of May. I left her $ this month (no cleaning, just $) and havent decided yet about May. PRoblem is, she wants to bring a helper (I’d initially agreed before all this hit) and now I don’t want 2 people in the house. So… will decide… probably wait, but DH wants them to come 
We’ve kept our cleaning lady come the whole time. The service she works is monitoring her health and she is wearing a mask and gloves.
The only issue has been getting out of her way. Since everything is closed/take-out only we can’t do out usual “go out for breakfast” while she cleans,
That’s hilarious
We haven’t skipped having our cleaning person. She works for herself and comes every 3 weeks. We’ve had her come twice. We’re comfortable with it.
Our cleaning service has suspended operations for now. We will use them when the governor gives the OK for non-essential businesses to start up again. Yes, it’s a sacrifice with five people living in the house.
This is not a judgement, but take it for what’s worth…One of the reason there was a huge outbreak of the virus at the nursing homes was workers were working at multiple facilities. They caught the virus at one place and then they spread it to other places even if they were asymptomatic. No matter how clean a person is how could you be sure if the person has not come into contact with an infected person while working in another home? This is especially the case at an hot spot area.
I no longer have someone clean for me (since D2 moved out 2 years ago), so no issue for me. D1 has a regular cleaning person. D1 no longer has the person come because is still paying her. D2 used to do weekly babysitting for a lawyer she interned for before, but she voluntarily told them she would no longer be doing it (for her own safety) and she didn’t expect them to continue to pay her. In her case, the money was just a bit of spending money.
My cleaning lady comes every other week. My puppy likes her, so I can leave them together. She’s only doing one house, at most, daily. She comes with gloves and mask. I don’t have her change sheets nor do laundry.
This is my only time to do errands that take more than an hour.
My housekeeper and helper clean weekly. She texted me right after the stay at home order to say she wasn’t going to clean. I sent her a check for two weeks. I am not comfortable having her clean during this time. I will wait until she texts that she wants to return. I checked in with her the other day—she is in FL staying with with her mother.
Mine comes Monday morning (every 3 weeks and only does our house that day. No laundry or dishes. We can stay out of her way and she uses our vacuum. She isn’t through an agency. We are not a hard hit area and I’m quite comfortable with her in the house but keep my distance.
We have been paying our cleaner but not having her come. This would be her week, but I’m not going to risk it yet.
In reading above, I agree that even if she uses my supplies and comes alone, I can’t control where else she has been , what might be on the seat of her car, etc, ans she would be wlking/working mit just in one area but all over the house. Why risk it?
Nothing is going to jump from the seat of her car into my mouth or nose if I’m careful to wash my hands and not touch my face. For us, the risk is so small and we are willing to take that chance.