What's your opinion ?

[LyndsayLoLoSWLondon]

Hi
I currently employ a cleaner for 25 hours a week 5 hours on a Monday- Friday. (especially before and after the weekend!). The trouble is I don't know if I am being unrealistic about what I'm expecting her to do and not giving her enough hours or if she just isn't as good as my last amazing cleaner who sadly retired 4 months ago after working for me for 12 years prior to me having kids (just cleaning my apartment) and the last 10 years with an ever expanding family! So here's the jobs I ask. I pay £12 p/hr so £300 a week.

1. Change my bed and all 4 kids beds once a week on a Friday and nanny's bed. All sheets are sent to the dry cleaners to be washed and pressed every week so all she needs to do is strip he beds and bag up and leave in the utility. All clean sheets are left in airing cupboards. Sometimes there's the guest bedroom to change also. I don't think this is difficult I just don't have the time to do It myself.
   

1. Clean kitchen 'generally' Hoover and mop tiles, clean skirting boards, wipe over splash backs clean gas hob. Wipe over ovens and dust over the AGA, clean microwave. Empty the dishwasher if finished. Empty bin, Clean the dining table. Clean bi fold doors. I ask all this to be done on a Friday and then again on the Monday because everything marks easily. Clean out fridge empty out of date things and clean with anti bac spray.
   

1. Clean and dust the best lounge - not much mess in there.
   

1. Clean and dust the main lounge and Hoover.
   

1. Dust and Hoover the kids rooms.
   

1. Dust and Hoover my bedroom and dust and Hoover my office.
   

1. Clean 4 bathrooms and 3 separate loos.
   

1. Clean guest bedroom if it's been used and their bathroom.
   

1. Hoover all stairs and dust banisters.
   

10. Hoover sofas.

Note: there is never Outside doors or windows to clean. Never and deep thorough clean of ovens as I have someone in every 3 months to clean the ovens professionally.
There is no ironing or washing to put on or hang out, I have someone collect and drop of ironing and nanny puts it away.

What do you think ?

Thanks in advance.

[bumbleymummy]

I can't see how that would take 25 hours a week tbh. Presumably most of those things are only get done 1/2/3 times a week rather than every day?

[pollyblack]

My cleaner does all that in two hours a week. Though I only have three bedrooms and one bathroom.

[HeyMacWey]

Easily done in 25 hours I'd say.

[GloGirl]

I think that sounds reasonable and unless you lived in a massive stately home someone who is a full time cleaner should be able to keep a big house looking lovely.

Some things are a work in progress, if you had someone you loved before and worked well with I'd try and look for someone knew. Could your old cleaner not recommend someone?

PS it sounds like a lovely job I'm sure you could find a good fit.

[NewNameNotTheSame]

5 hours a day Monday to Friday? Do you all absolutely wreck the place nightly?

[PastaPrincess]

That seems like a lot of hours for the work you've listed.

[LagunaBubbles]

Is she doing all that within 25 hours or are there some things not being done?

[ViewingEnded]

I think your cleaner is onto a VERY good thing if that all she's got to do for £300 a week!!

[FeliciaJollygoodfellow]

I agree with others. I'm a total slattern but five hours a day I would expect most of that to be done on a daily basis.

[LagunaBubbles]

And all the jobs listed from number 3-10 - is that once a day, or once a week?

[LyndsayLoLoSWLondon]

Every day she vacuums the halls stairs and landing, and the main sitting room. General clean of the kitchen prob takes 45 mins a day (well I can do it in that time). My last lady had 15 hours a week and some weeks I would pay her Extra hours if it was particularly messy or dirty or for example we had had visitors/staying guests. Thing is I knew i could trust her to say if she had worked an extra 5 hours or whatever! I've had the new lady just over 3 months and not even all those jobs get done I think that's my gripe. She didn't change the beds last Friday for example and didn't empty the fridge of out of date things and this may seem like a little thing but then Friday night when I got home and had a big online shop be delivered I then had to spend ages sorting it all out instead of just putting it away!

She isn't particularly good at cleaning the bathrooms either and I just don't know what to say or how to broach the subject as I never had to with the last lady but maybe I shouldn't compare i did employ her for 22 years!

[Sprink]

If your cleaner isn't getting that done in 25 hours you need to find a new cleaner. Unless you are The Who.

[nippey]

Our cleaner used to do all of that in 5hrs a week!

[FeliciaJollygoodfellow]

Your new lady is taking the absolute piss.

[luckiestgirlintheworld]

My cleaner does all that in four hours once a fortnight week. Plus ironing.

[ExtraHotLatteToGo]

Sounds perfectly fine to me, UNLESS, the rooms are very messy & there's lots of tidying & putting away to do before she can actually clean them.

[PurpleDaisies]

Just tell her what things you're unhappy with, what you want doing about it and when you'll be evaluating whether things have improved.

I'm amazed it takes 45minutes every day to keep the kitchen clean. What do you do in there?!

[nippey]

Opps posted too soon.

She would do everything on your list but we had a smaller house, only 2 bedrooms. I would think she has more than enough time to do it all to a really high standard!

[luckiestgirlintheworld]

I think you need a new cleaner. But maybe give this one a chance first. Have a conversation and tell her what you expect, and if she doesn't deliver in the next couple of weeks then get a new one.

[LyndsayLoLoSWLondon]

Jobs 3-10 are once a week yes. It's a big house and a well used well lived in house but as ever things are getting more and more costly and I'm examining what I'm paying out and trying to cut back....and I'm just not happy with the level of cleaning and the jobs I'm having to do that she hasn't! For example the fridge thing....may seem a little thing but when I've worked an 80 hour week it's the last thing I need, do I sound unfair ?

[BarbaraofSeville]

Considering that most people have a cleaner for 2 or 3 hours a week, of course it should be doable in 25 hours. You pay for 10 times the hours but it's nowhere near 10 times as big a house.

[Fedup21]

22 years, or 12?

Why did you up from 15 hours a week to 25 when you changed cleaner?

I can't believe you have a cleaner for 5 hours a day and your house still isn't cleaned properly?! She sounds either lazy, a terrible liar or your house is a palace?

I

[luckiestgirlintheworld]

Just a suggestion but if you are looking to cut back, you could get your sheets washed by your cleaner instead of sending them out.
She could iron them too I'm sure if you are really set on ironed sheets.

[ExtraHotLatteToGo]

Cross posted with your second message.

Give her notice, find someone else.

25 hours pw for that is plenty to keep it looking lovely. Not having the beds changed would have really pissed me off.

The only thing I'd say is to maybe look at doing the beds on another day so that the work is a bit more spread out if your next housekeeper finds it a bit much to do it all on one day.

But this one...she needs to go.

[puglife15]

That's an insane amount of time for those tasks, if she's cleaning regularly it should get quicker too. Unless your house is vast I would say 12 hours a week should cover it.

You need a new cleaner.