if you had a cleaner for 3.5 hours...

[4littleones]

what would you want her to do? in a 3 bed house?

We have had one for a few weeks but not sure we are getting maximum benefit.

[Edenviolet]

Hoover everywhere/mop floors
Dust
Make beds/possibly change sheets as and when
Clean bathroom
Wipe over everything in kitchen
Clean inside of windows

I can't think of anything else at the moment!

[wowfudge]

Empty bins. Put some washing on.

[Raskova]

If you have a three bed house you shouldn't need that long and if you feel you do then you should feel like you're stepping into a brand new house each time she's been.

I used to run my own cleaning business and I did 3 beds in two hours. One were scumbags and I got it spotless in two hours. Only house I had four hours in was 7 bedrooms and 5 baths...

[Cahu5]

Wow, I have been a bit at my cleaner failing to do more than 1 bathroom and a shower room and a quick Hoover in 4 hours....

[gamerchick]

For that long you should go back to a show home. I have a big 4 bed and it takes 2 hours to do up and downstairs. Add another hour on for deep cleans of kitchen.

I think your cleaner is taking the piss Cahu

[PluggyMug]

Our 3 bed takes our cleaner 2 hours to do all floors, Hoover and mop, bathroom, downstairs loo and kitchen surfaces. Sometimes she will spend a bit more time on eg the windows or soft furnishings or fridge. 3.5 hours of expect a very very clean house!

[Georgina1975]

We have a 3-bed. She usually goes through the whole house and will deep-clean the fridge/cupboards out if she has time left over. She quite often gets ironing left. When she has done that - if she has time - she will give the heavily used areas a clean (bathroom, toilet, kitchen).

We have her for 3hrs. We don't ask her to do stuff anymore...she kind of has her own rhythm week to week.

[douchbag]

I think the cleaner I hired ripped me off. 4 hrs in an empty. Yes totally empty sml 3 bed house, she did kitchen and the cupboards (not the oven) skirts mop hovered the stairs and clean the bathroom. I had to go in and Hoover the bedrooms.

[Cahu5]

Me too, Gamerchick! Not easy to find a good one though...after reading this thread I am going to do it myself until I can get a recommendation. €40 for a clean bathroom and a crumb free rug!

[bigbadbarry]

I strip the beds and leave out the clean sheets - my lovely cleaner makes the beds, my most-hated job :)

[4littleones]

I think we need a better cleaner. We have only had her a few weeks though so maybe she just needs to get used to it. She left my bath dirty this week and that's the job I really struggle with as I have a bad back. TBH the bath is one of the main things that made me get a cleaner.
It literally had visible dirt.

She also has damaged a couple of things in the house by using inappropriate cleaning products. luckily it's not been things I'm bothered about but it worries me what else she may do.

I feel bad though as she is young and clearly just learning as she goes. She is lovely and I would feel awful replacing her with somebody else.

[Raskova]

Is she there when you are? Perhaps have a quick chat about what you expect or leave a note. If no improvement then change her

[4littleones]

yeah I'm there when she is. But I'm rubbish at this sort of thing and I don't want to make things akward.

[Raskova]

If you do it nicely it'll be fine. Des she have a key?

It'll be less awkward than the feeling you get when you've sacked her to avoid that talk

[4littleones]

yeah she has a key. which is annoying as we don't actually have a set arrangement and do it more on and "as and when" basis. so if she didn't have a key then it would just be a matter of not booking again.

[Raskova]

Ha! Change all the locks and never call her again

On a serious note, you can change the barrel only for £8 with new set of keys.

[ForeskinHyena]

In two hours I dust all horizontal surfaces in a 4 bed house, clean bathroom, ensuite and wc, including mirrors, plump up sofa cushions, Hoover, mop floors, clean worktops, table and hob in kitchen.

In an extra 1.5-2 hours I also cobweb, clean cupboard fronts in kitchen, wash up, clean windows inside, wipe down grubby doors and make sure everything else is done super thoroughly.

[ForeskinHyena]

If it's too awkward to sack her for doing it badly, just say that you've looked at finances and can't afford her, please can she drop your key in.

[bigTillyMint]

I pay my lovely cleaner for 4 hours, but she probably does less than 3.5 which is fine as she does a good job. We have a 4 bedroomed house. She

• cleans the kitchen thoroughly, including cooker doors if necessary
  

-cleans the bathroom thoroughly

• hoovers throughout the house (including the DC's rooms!!!) and makes the rooms (other than the DC's!) look tidy. Admittedly it's not usually too bad
  
• empties all bins
  
• dusts on a rotational basis (not too dusty in our house despite it being Victorian!)
  
• cleans windows on a rotational basis.
  

Changes at least one bed a week, often 2

[dinkystinky]

Ours does 4.5 hours - he
-hoovers everywhere (including down backs and under sofas, blinds etc)- mops hardwood and tiled floors

• wipes down all doors, banisters, skirting boards
• dusts everwhere (including lights, photos, mirrors etc)
• cleans all bathrooms thoroughly
• empties and cleans out bins
• cleans kitchen (including oven, hob, sink)
• cleans inside of windows
• cleans all bedrooms (don't get him to change bedding as we deal with that)

Our is a 4 bed house with lots of surfaces

[Raskova]

Foreskin hyena, I need you in my life