Managing expectations with a cleaner

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

I am out of my depth.
I am fortunate enough to be able to pay a cleaner (well, i thought i could)
I have a four bedroom 1930s semi. One bedroom doesnt get cleaned (dh office, cant get in there). we have a bathroom with a separate bath and shower, a downstairs loo and a utility room.
Its early days with cleaner.
Before cleaner arrives its super tidy as i know its a pita to clean around mess.
Is four hours cleaning time enough to expect to not find a fair few surfaces still dusty? What is reasonable?

[Hellokittycat]

I have a 4 bed town house and in 3 hours my cleaner cleans kitchen and bathroom, hovers all round, mops hard floors, does a pile of ironing and changes all the bed sheets.
In 4 hours id def expect dusting too!
I've had several cleaners and all have managed the above in the time frame. Hth

[Hellokittycat]

I have 2 bathrooms plus separate loo which all get cleaned I should have said

[Ikeameatballs]

I have similar house to you, 4 bed 2 bath extended kitchen 1930's semi. My cleaner did the lot to a v high standard in 3 hours.

[CleanLinesSharpEdges]

Our cleaner takes 2 hours to clean our new build 4 bed, 2 living room house and spends the third hour ironing. There isn't a speck of dust to be seen when she's done and the kitchen (including gloss tiled floor) and both bathrooms are gleaming too.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Thanks hellokittycat
Maybe theyll speed up. There are two of them. Two hours each. Im wondering whether thats less efficient than one for four iyswim

[atticusclaw]

Four hours should be enough unless you're expecting her to change bedding, put a wash on, unload and load the dishwasher etc too.

Cleaners are very variable.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

No atticus. No laundry, no changing of bedlinen, no dishes.
I completely cleared the decks really.
Humph! Im a bit disappointed. I had conceded to three hours but then dh said they we here for four (well 2, but there were two of them iuswim)
Maybe it will improve. Im dreading next week tbh.

[FlatCapAndAWhippet]

Three hours should be good enough, four if you've lots of ornaments, bits and bobs to dust. I prefer to clean alone rather than in tandem. More thorough.
But please, talk about your expectations and requirements. If in a couple more weeks things haven't improved, ditch and move on.
Oh and good cleaning products and tons of good cloths and old towels to buff :)
....unless they bring their own.

[FlatCapAndAWhippet]

Three hours should be good enough, four if you've lots of ornaments, bits and bobs to dust. I prefer to clean alone rather than in tandem. More thorough.
But please, talk about your expectations and requirements. If in a couple more weeks things haven't improved, ditch and move on.
Oh and good cleaning products and tons of good cloths and old towels to buff :)
....unless they bring their own.

[FlatCapAndAWhippet]

Three hours should be good enough, four if you've lots of ornaments, bits and bobs to dust. I prefer to clean alone rather than in tandem. More thorough.
But please, talk about your expectations and requirements. If in a couple more weeks things haven't improved, ditch and move on.
Oh and good cleaning products and tons of good cloths and old towels to buff :)
....unless they bring their own.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Thanks flatcap
They bring their own stuff. I have very few ornaments but its only the second time.
I definiteky prefer it when its just one person.
Ill talk to them but im a bit scared.

[FunkyBoldRibena]

If you are scared of them coming again, then don't have them again.

My cleaner, and we have a 6 room house(2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen, dining and a front room), would come once a fortnight, for two hours. In that, she would clean the bathroom, do all the vertical surfaces inc vacuum the whole house, and clean the kitchen, and wash the floors (the whole downstairs is tiles or wooden floor). One hour upstairs, one hour down.

She did a trial clean, and I was more than happy ecstatic with her and so she came once a fortnight for years. I do miss her coming but since not having a permanent job, had to give her up.

[Pusspuss1]

Sack 'em and get a different one. Two reasons - first, if their initial clean was rubbish then when they're no longer trying as hard things will only deteriorate, and second, it sounds like you simply don't click with them. I sacked our last one, and the replacement is lovely, completely different. Ask friends to recommend someone.

[Pico2]

We had a pair of cleaners, always while we were at work. I suspect that they never did their full time and 10 min knocked off the time by 2 people makes quite a dent.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Oh shit.
I just found these ones by recommendation after sacking the last one for similar problems, plus other things.

[4littleones]

I have tried a few different cleaners now and haven't been happy with any of them. there was only one who did a good job but she didnt speak much English and therefore misunderstood everything I said to her. so she would do a fab job, but all the wrong jobs. but my main problem with her is even though we had set hours, she would turn up when she felt like it. which really caused problems as we would turn up with the children, expecting her to be long gone, and she would be there cleaning - wet floors etc and it drove me mad.

All the other cleaners I had, may as well of not bothered.

im seriously considering going to work as a cleaner when DS is old enough to be left as I know I could do a far better job and I could do hours to fit around DH. And the pay is pretty good for a job with no qualifications. I just worry that I wont want to clean my own house

[StrawberryMouse]

This is interesting as I was thinking of getting a cleaner but when I asked a friend who has a cleaning business what she thought, she told me I'd need four hours twice a week and it was pretty expensive!

My house is about the same size as a lot here, extended to five (well 4 1/2!) bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms. I'd like bathrooms, kitchen cleaned and floors and dusting throughout, I'd still do the laundry, ironing and maybe the beds myself.

Maybe I'll ask someone else! Or maybe she just thinks my house is really dirty?!

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

It does seem very expensive.
£13 an hour with this one.
If the finish was really good and i wasn't paying for four hours a week then i would be very happy. But that is £52 a week and then im having to dust.
But then, the rest looked good. I think i will just see how they go next time. Lots of ppl i know have someone in every two weeks.
strawberry that seems excessive.

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

You could give them a few more weeks and see if it improves, I think the first few times often take a bit longer until they know where everything is and have got a bit of a routine down.

Saying that our cleaner (who is amazing) manages our house in 2 hours, including changing our bed and that sounds only about one room smaller than yours...

[FlatCapAndAWhippet]

For £52 a week you're really going to have to man up and have words with them :)

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

flatcap omg. I know, i know!

[FlatCapAndAWhippet]

Come on, you can do this

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

I will let you know after wednesday.

[Notcontent]

I assume that this is through an agency, is that right?

A good, motivated cleaner should be able to make your house sparkle in four hours!!

[FlatCapAndAWhippet]

Come on, you can do this