to hire a cleaner to clean my minging house?

[MrsABrown72]

I work a 35 hour week, drop DC at childminder at 8 each morning but do pick up myself. I manage to do some housework, cook dinner, take to swimming and gymnastics and homework etc and keep on top of the day to day stuff. I also have to fit in five hours work from home. I could drop this according to my boss but I know I would end up doing it anyway but just not getting paid for it!

I am disgusted by my floors!!

So, I suppose my question is would I be unreasonable to get a cleaner in to get my house up to scratch (including an oven clean company) and then someone in maybe on a Friday? So the house is clean for the weekend....or maybe a Monday so it is clean for the week? How much should this cost? I am in London.

[5OBalesofHay]

Get someone Friday and Monday. Pay should be about 10 quid an hour

[MrsABrown72]

How do I find a good one?

[Ravenblack]

If you wanna hire one, hire one.

Try an agency???

[Brighteyes27]

If you can afford it no yanbu I would ask around for recommendations first maybe get food shopping delivered too anything to save time. I have one at the end of the week it's lovely coming home to a clean home (I spend part of the evening before she comes round each week picking up and putting away so she can just clean. It's lovely coming home to a clean house.

[Catinthecorner]

Ask for local recommendations- I'd probably start with the local area Facebook page or my neighbours and the local pub landlords.

[SunEgg]

Yes yes. I get a cleaner to come only 1 hour a week but it changed my life. I hate mopping floors, & she does that, as well as bathroom and kitchen units. I ask her to di the fridge too once a month.

[avamiah]

Hi MrsABrown72,
If you can afford a cleaner a couple of days a week then get one.
I'm in London also and usually you find a cleaner through recommendation from a neighbour or call a agency.
I believe the going rate is £10/£12 a hour to clean.
As for oven cleaning, you need to get a oven cleaning company in and they usually charge about £90/£120 to clean it fully.
Hope this helps.

[kaytee87]

Why would you be unreasonable? I'm not even at work just now (mat leave) and I have a cleaner.
£10-£14 an hour probably.

[Starlighter]

I got a cleaner when I was on bed rest for the first pregnancy - and I've still got one now 5 years later!!

I pay £10 ph, 2hrs a week, it's through a company so all insured and she brings all her own stuff.

I see it as just the cost of a takeaway and I don't mind cooking but hate cleaning, so well worth it imo.

Look at your local boards (I found one through netmums) or cards in the newsagents, Facebook, etc.

[Wreckingball25]

I used to pay £10 an hour direct in south London two years ago... now in Manchester and using an agency instead so it's £13 ph

[MacarenaFerreiro]

Ask around for recommendations. We've had three cleaners over the years, all found through friends or things like a PTA facebook page. We pay ours £10 per hour and she is fabulous.

[mayhew]

We did this for 15 years. Bliss! It made a massive difference.
Take time to find the right person. Nowadays my neighbours use local Facebook as well as personal recommendations.
Agree a months trial so that you can exit with less embarrassment if it's not working.
My top tip. We tidied the night before so she spent her precious two hours cleaning surfaces rather than just putting stuff away.

[glenthebattleostrich]

I'd get rid of my husband before I got rid of my cleaner and ironing lady.

My cleaner is amazing. I'm a childminder and have 11 kids through the house each week (lots of part timers and wrap around). She makes my house all lovely and clean and tidy. I love Fridays now!

I always say, if you can afford it, outsource.

[missDori]

Definitely get a cleaner! Don't feel bad about it.
It has saved me on so many levels. I would go for once a week, before the weekend. That's the time when you're home during the day to enjoy the feeling :)

[Seeeeriously]

Yes, yes, yes. Get a cleaner.

Ours does every other week - we do a bit during the week. It keeps us sane. It also means we keep on top of clutter as we do a big tidy before she comes.

If you're on Facebook, ask for recommendations on a local group page.

[CaveMum]

I have a cleaner starting next week for 2 hours. I'm currently on mat leave with DC2 (6 weeks) and also have a 3yo. DH works away Mon-Fri and I just can't keep on top of it all, plus don't went to spend our weekend quality family time cleaning.

We pay £8 per hour direct to the cleaner and £2 per hour to the agency. They matched us up according to our needs/requirements and cover all the insurance aspects. The added bonus is that if we don't get on with the cleaner or don't like her work, we just phone the agency and they will deal with it and find us a new one.

Do it!

[Seeeeriously]

Also - ours comes on Thursdays. We aren't in the house Fridays and I love having a clean house every other Friday night.

[DeidreInaQuandry]

DH wants us to get a cleaner when I return to work. This is what I don't get: don't you have to do a fair bit of cleaning in between your cleaner's visit?

God knows I've got low standards, but there's no way this house could be vacuumed just once a week. Ditto floors mopped, sides wiped. Toilets need a cursory clean more than once a week too.

So do you clean in between your cleaner's visit?

[SnickersWasAHorse]

Get one. Honestly, it's life changing.
Don't feel guilty and don't listen to anyone who bleats on about taking advantage of someone. You are providing employment to someone. I know how much it means to our cleaner. She is on a 0 hours contract in her main job but she knows that she always has a couple hours work here.

When I had my first cleaner she did 4 hours on her first day to get the house to her standard. After that it was just 2 hours a week. I pay £10 an hour. I found my first cleaner through an agency but then my current one is a friend's mum who does it for a bit of extra cash on the side.

[SafeToCross]

Just to put the other point of view, it was nice having a cleaner, but you need to have clear expectations up front, we used a company and after a while they just took us for granted - the first time, not all the jobs were getting done regularly, and it was the company that realised when someone else came to do it and noticed cobwebs on some skirting; the next time the boss cleaned ours, but would do 45 minutes instead of two hours. TBF I think she was struggling becasue her Mum was ill, but if she had talked to us we probably would not have minded. We were not demanding enough. And you have to tidy so they can clean. (I do think you should try it though).

[PrimalLass]

I want this too but need to tidy/sort/declutter first. That's my incentive to do it.

[Needanewaura]

I give my cleaner £11 an hour. She's wonderful and been with me for about ten years. It's not that you never have to do anything between cleans but it just means that once a week, everything looks good. It raises the spirits and also I find everybody makes more effort to keep it looking nice for a few days. Plus the kids have to tidy up their rooms the night before she comes .

I'm fair with my cleaner - pay her for hols, give her Christmas present etc (and yes I know she's self employed, so I don't HAVE to!) and she needs the work, so I don't feel guilty about it. There's lots of other things I outsource - diy, gardening, etc, so why feel guilty about having a cleaner. I'd try and find a recommendation though, as I've previously had pretty rubbish cleaners!

[Manijo]

YANBU. We have a cleaner coming in for a couple of hours on a Friday. Coming home in a Friday evening is bliss and we do not waste time at the weekend cleaning and have more family time. We always have a quick tidy up on a Thursday evening. Floors, kitchen and bathrooms are the most important for me. You can add another hour if you want to have the ironing done too. Money well spent.

[N0tNowBernard]

I keep thinking I'd like a cleaner for an hour or so too but not sure I can get over the idea of a stranger being in my house

[DanglyEarOrnaments]

Cleaners charge anywhere between around £10 for a cash in hander to mid-range £12-£16 per hour for a more professional set up with the required insurances and likely to be a legitimate tax paying business at those rates which is important in case something ever went wrong.

Some larger franchises can come in a fair bit more per hour around £20-£25 per hour ish, they usually charge out a flat rate per job and send in a team not to name names but within the cleaning industry we call these the MM's

I think if you are lucky enough to find a good solo cleaner (or smallish family run outfit) who are operating professionally and legitimately and have all the legalities in place for you then snap them up if they have a place.

if it were me hiring a cleaner for myself (given I have a lot of industry knowledge) I would avoid a cash in hander like the plague. I wouldn't go for an 'agency' model as the cleaners are usually not managed within an agency and then I think the cost and the impersonal nature of the larger private companies like the MM's would put me off.

A small to mid-sized business can offer a more personal service and better customer service than a large franchise in my opinion but it's each to their own. There's good and bad points to every model and the main point is making sure they are well-run and have public liablity insurance in place for you, it's scary how often you need it as a business owner.

It's a good idea to make sure that after your first meeting with them for a quote they should ideally provide an agreement in writing which includes the service list you both have agreed to within the price or it can be very difficult and a little unfair to adjust expectations after the event of them pricing up the job. It also shows you they are operating professionally and is clear what is and is not included from the outset.

It should make a world of difference to your situation. Good Luck!