I'm thinking of getting a cleaner, anyone else have one? are they expensive????

[LuckyUnderpants]

I just cant seem to keep on top of housework! i'm a single mum, i work full time so out of the house weekdays from 7.30 till 5.30 then i have ds (18mths) to look after when i get home, by the time he goes to bed im exhaused. I seem to spend all weekend cleaning and still dont feel like i'm on top of it.

How much does a cleaner charge and what can i expect of them?

[jennifersofia]

One of our better decisions - ours comes 1x week for 2.5 hrs and it costs £20. She sorts out bathroom, hoovers everywhere, cleans kitchen and irons about 4 shirts. We are in London.

[digitalgirl]

Depends where you live. I'm in North London and have had a local cleaner (i.e. lives 5 minutes round the corner) do 3 hours a week for £7.50 an hour.

We have a small two bedroom house and she would vacuum, mop, clean all kitchen (including wiping down cupboard doors, kettle and toaster), blitz bathroom, dust/polish, tidy up, make the beds and change the sheets and stick them in the washing machine.

[Artichokes]

I could not cope without our cleaner. Like you I work and have a 17 month old. Our cleaner comes twice a week for two hours a time. We pay £7.50 an hour and are in London.

She hoovers all our carpets, mops our floors, cleans kitchen and bathrooms, changes the beds and does a bit of ironing.

[merryberry]

we pay our cleaner 9.50 an hour in north london, including 4 paid weeks holiday a year. She does 6 hours a week, cleaning our 3 bed house from top to toe, plus irons a few shirts. she is very efficient, careful and conscientious. She has a good 10-20 minute break depending on the weather (goes out to smoke and have a cuppa).

she is also in charge of telling me when cleaning materials run out, reports bits and pieces i don't notice around the house to me, uses her initiative about stuff she somes across and holds our house keys. We have chosen iron, hoover, pails, mops together over the years as she does most of the work and she really knows her appliances.

she comes to ds1's birthday parties, teases him till he wets himself laughing, is a very funny lady and i hope stays with us for many years.

[LuckyUnderpants]

Thanks, do you pay them cash? do they give you a reciept? do you give them a key to your house? do they come with some sort of certificate to say they are trustworthy?

(Not that i have anything worth stealing)

[MrsFlora]

we pay £9 per hour to our amazing cleaner.

45 per week

over 2K per annum

she starts at the top of the house, hoovering, cleaning bathrooms, dusting, stairs, cleaning windows, changes all bedding, mops dowstairs, once a month deep cleaning of ktichen, irons a few items.

she doesn't have keys as nanny lets her in.

worth every penny!

[Spoo]

Have a cleaner in the midlands. £9 a hour for 4 hours for 4 bed house once a week. I work part time and have to toddlers. Am a bit of a cleaniness freak but have trouble trying to do it with kids around intefering. I pay cash as shw prefers it. She has a key. I suppose there is an element of trust that need sto be developed. If you are bothered about security why not try a company rather than an individual but I find them not as good.

[Quattrocento]

we pay £9 per hour to our amazing cleaner too.

She works 7 hours a week over two days.

She starts with ironing, then does upstairs on one day. This involves changing all the beds, washing the sheets and drying them, hoovering, cleaning bathrooms, dusting, stairs etc.

Downstairs she hoovers and cleans, and wipes

She does have keys.

She has been with us for ten years and is a godsend.

[glassofwhite]

Im in manchester,and iv not got a cleaner, but i know someone who is. She works for herself and charges £12.50ph. I nearly fell on the floor when she told me her rates!