My cleaner means well and I am a poor manager

[WinkyWinkola]

What should I make sure she does beyond hoovering, cleaning bathroom and changing beds?

I've not been able to afford a cleaner before and now that I'm paying £10 an hour I want to make sure I get my money's worth! She stays for two hours by the way.

Help would be much appreciated.

[WhatFreshMistletoeIsThis]

Washing kitchen floor?
Dusting surfaces (mantelpieces, bookshelves, ornaments etc)
Polishing things like mirrors, picture frames, telly screen, any wooden furniture like coffee tables?
you could get her to blitz one room ever so often - i.e. take everything off the kitchen shelves and wipe them down?

[kittywise]

Make up a list immediately. Write down all the things you want doing, room by room if necessary.

Give the list to her saying something like "I thought this would help, now you won't have to keep it all in your head, it's so hard to remember sometimes isn't it"

Make sure you have a copy too, that way you can check what she is geting through. If she's still not doing want you ask you could have a team talk or find another cleaner!

It's true though that most people do need a lot of managing. You get a couple of gems that just get on with it but most need support!

Good luck

[Ronaldinhio]

I totally disagree kittywise

I think decent cleaners need a fairly straightforward chat at the beginning and then as you see fit going along.

Most people do not need a lot of managing and find those who do so a pain in the arse.

Winky think about what would really make a difference for you and what you don't want to do yourself tell your cleaner that and ask their advice about what else they could do...

[OhLITTLEFISHofBethlehem]

In 2 hours, my cleaner:

Cleans 2 bathrooms
Cleans the downstairs loo
Washes the kitchen floor
Cleans all the work surfaces
Hoovers 3 bedrooms, hall and stairs
Washes hall floor
Dusts the sittingroom
Hoovers/sweeps sitting room floor
Cleans the glass panes in 5 doors
Polishes the silver light switches
Polishes mirrors/pictures if they've got finger prints on.

If she doesn't need to do all of the above, she cleans the microwave or fridge, or wipes down the skirting boards.

Does that help?

[Othersideofthechannel]

Silver light switches! I obviously don't get out enough....

[OhLITTLEFISHofBethlehem]

They match our silver plug sockets Othersideofthechannel .

They're not as poncey as they sound! We just wanted our light switches and plug sockets to match our door handles and window latches, so when we extended/redecorated the house last year, we had them replaced.

Actually, that does sound really poncey

[tvfriend]

Olittlefish- is you vleaner the bionic woman or is mine just very slow?

[Othersideofthechannel]

But are they real silver or just silver coloured metal? I'm a bit confused about by your mention of polishing.

[Othersideofthechannel]

TV friend, I could do all that in 2 hours if the house was already tidy and the internet connection was down

[OhLITTLEFISHofBethlehem]

She works really hard when she's here. She says it keeps her fit and slim (which is why she's lovely and trim and I'm a lard arse!)

Silver colour, not solid silver - we're not millionaires! They show the fingerprints however, but look lovely when they're clean (she sprays them with polish to get them clean)

[Othersideofthechannel]

Phew!

Never heard of spray polish but I do have some silver polish for the family silver (plated cake slice).

[tvfriend]

I might be able to as well I suppose IF I didn't have a DH, a 17 month old who likes to pull everything off evey shelf and table and I wasn't 32 weeks pregnant- oh well

[Othersideofthechannel]

WinkyWinkola, you could ask her to do the windows.

[prideandprejudice]

Blimey otherside, I want your cleaner! I have mine for 4 hours and she does about the same as yours

[QueenFeeUntoUsAChildIsBorn]

In 2 hours my (6th and now wonderfull ) cleaner does:
Hovers all through house
Tidies where necessary
dusts all rooms
polishes all mirrors
cleans bathroom
Hoovers and mops bathroom floor
wipes sofas
puts away anything misplaced (for instance videos back in boxes and on shelfs)
Hovers and mops hall kitchen and dining room
Cleans kitchen
packs dishwasher
cleans window in doors
cleans other windows on a regular basis
pulls out sofas and tidies and hoovers underneath periodically

I have a 3 bed semi
She is wonderfull!! Like I say I did have to go through a few before I found one that worked for me. Of the 6 2 have been wonderfull 1 appalling and 3 average.
I have DH and 2 small children. Incidentally I find that she works best uninterupted i.e I go out with my 2 year old.
Hoping to help

[babyOcho]

omg, my cleaner is really slow... or lazy.

I think I'll have a word with her.

[pooka]

I have 3 cleaners who come along together once a week for a little over an hour (so might equate to 3 hours).

They alternate weeks, so week 1

clean utility room and kitchen floors
clean utility and kitchen surfaces
clean downstairs loo and sink
hoover downstairs (moving furniture every month or so)
polish/oil stainless steel surfaces (fridge, microwave, cooker, sink)
dust/clean/polish surfaces
"make" sofas and tidy where necessary
dust skirting boards
hoover stairs to first floor and to basement utility room

week 2

Hoover stairs to first floor and stairs to loft
hoover 4 bedrooms
dust in all bedrooms
mop bathroom and shower room floors
clean family bathroom, bath, loo and basin
clean shower room
clean mirrors
skirting boards

They don't change bed linen or clean inside windows.

It always smells nice and looks clean, but the thing I've realised is that initially I was expecting them to clean better than I would. When actually, what they do is clean as well as I would if I had the time or inclination, but not intrinsically better.

[OhLITTLEFISHofBethlehem]

I'm rubbish at cleaning Pooka, so my cleaner cleans so much better than I do!

I love that clean smell you get when you walk in the door. .

My cleaner has been coming for about 7 years now so the relationship obviously works for her as well.

I make a point of texting her most weeks to say thank you, and to comment on something that she's done. I couldn't bear it if she decided to leave. It would be too dreadful to contemplate.

[pooka]

See I'm actually quite good at cleaning. it's tidying that I loathe, and the advantage of having the cleaners is that before they come I tidy like crazy and it means the place never has the opportunity to turn into terribly untidy (but clean) house.

[OhLITTLEFISHofBethlehem]

I loathe both! . Like you, having a cleaner every week forces me to keep things slightly tidy. However, I still have to do a 2 hour tidying marathon the night before she comes!

[breaghsmum]

you know, i cant afford afford a cleaner but i certainly can manage 2 hours a week and your cleaners put me to shame. if they can mangage all that in two hours then my house should sparkle daily. i am soo lazy!!! i wonder if i should deprive myself of twenty pounds weekly to incentivise myself to clean. i am so ashamed, i really am. thats it, while ds is at nursery tomorrow i am going to clean like a cleaner and see how much i can manage without getting sidetracked by mumsnet tv

[breaghsmum]

and really i meant to say 'afford' twice!!! doh- babybrain!!!

[Othersideofthechannel]

Prideandprejudice, she's not mine, she's little fish's.

[OhLITTLEFISHofBethlehem]

And I'm keeping her! Hands off you lot

[WhatFreshMistletoeIsThis]

QueenFee your cleaner sounds amazing - how does she hover through the whole house?

You should alert the papers!