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Original poster

What is acceptable to ask a cleaner to do?

66 replies

ZippyBlueViper · 10/05/2025 21:13

Moved to a bigger house and first time I've ever needed to employ a cleaner.

Found a lovely lass, really like her, comes across polite with good work ethic.

Did a clean for me and some bits were fantastic, other things weren't done how i wanted them but think this is because I wasn't clear in what i asked for, so was my poor communication not due to a fault of the cleaner.

I asked for deep clean of bathrooms, hoover and dust everywhere else. Bathrooms were immaculate, hoovering was done. Dusting in my eyes would include taking things of shelves wiping shelf putting things back on, wiping fronts of wardrobes, tops of door frames etc. This wasn't done. But think I was too vague.

She said to me to let her know what i was pleased with and what i would like doing differently next time, if anything. Which i think is brilliant because sounds like we'll be able to communicate well together.

I text her saying bathrooms are amazing show home standard really impressed with her work, that next time i would like inside of windows doing (they didn't need doing this time so never mentioned it) and fronts of wardrobes shelves etc.

She text back saying great write me an exact list for next time and she'll crack through it.

So if i was cleaning at home in our smaller house then obviously i do daily maintenance cleaning but once a week i would do the weekly clean which was

Every room:
Take everything off shelves clean shelves, wipe items and put back
Clean any marks off walls
Clean any surfaces in rooms desks fronts of wardrobes etc
Clean inside of widows
Clean light switches door handles touch points
Clean top of skirting boards and round door frames
Hoover and or mop floor depending on flooring in that room.

Bathroom
Everything that i do in general rooms plus deep clean disinfect and polish everything

Kitchen
Everything that i do in a general room plus appliances, oven, fridge, freezer, de scale kettle, toaster etc.

In the property we've moved into i will still be doing my daily maintenance cleaning. I enjoy cleaning my home but the issue is because our new property is so much bigger i physically don't have time to do the weekly clean. The old house weekly clean only took 4 hours so wasn't too time consuming.

Do you think my above list is asking too much of a cleaner? Or do you think it's fine?

With never hiring one before i don't want to come across as a cheeky cow!

YABU You're asking way too much
YANBU that's a normal list

OP posts:
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Jane143 · 23/02/2026 19:14

steff13 · 10/05/2025 22:18

Tops of the door frame...what are you a sergeant major?

What OP left out is that her husband is 8' tall and can see the tops of all the door frames. 😉

Well if her husband can see it he can also clean it!🤣

EvieBB · 20/12/2025 19:47

Wakemeupbe4yougogo · 10/05/2025 22:02

Our cleaner does 3 hours, large 4 bed detached. She does a very thorough clean of the 3 bathrooms, hoovers and dusts everywhere and then mops through the hard floors after cleaning the kitchen. She doesn't touch the fridge/cooker/microwave other than cleaning the fronts of them and the cooker top. I'm always amazed she acheives what she does tbh. I certainly don't expect walls cleaned or any appliances or windows!

Edited

Wow....she covers A LOT in 3hrs. I'd be giving her a big Christmas bonus

EvieBB · 20/12/2025 19:42

Jabberwok · 10/05/2025 21:39

Tops of the door frame...what are you a sergeant major?

Try doing all you are asking yourself and then employ her as a housekeeper. I used to have a financial interest in a cleaning company and helped write the initial list of what the cleaners would do per customer...you expect a lot for only 4 hours.

Yes, exactly this.
You are expecting A LOT for 4 hours
Try doing this (and timing) yourself and see what is a reasonable amount of cleaning within a specified time frame

UneAnneeSansLumiere · 20/12/2025 18:20

dontcomeatme · 10/05/2025 21:52

I think things like the windows and fronts of units are fine to ask. But cleaning your fridge freezer and descaling the kettle? I think that's a you job x

Why? As long as the cleaner is paid for her time, then anything is reasonable. The only exception I would say would be a deep clean of an oven as that is more specialised.

oldmoaner · 20/12/2025 18:13

Oven cleaning? That's not what a cleaner normally does, book an oven cleaning company your talking of £50 just for oven cleaning. It sounds like you want a deep clean every day not a normal hoover, polish, tidy up. Descale kettle not what a cleaner would do for you normally. I think you want a servant to keep your home like a showhome
Not a normal cleaner.

Noodles1234 · 20/12/2025 18:11

My first reaction was to laugh, now I’m a bit concerned. More to try and pass this off as hers “tired mum of three”, I mean do any of her friends actually comment to say this isn’t your home? Sorry, I think I’d be collecting my keys and finding a new cleaner, just a little weird.

Poodlelove · 17/08/2025 14:45

I think it is a little too much .
Are you paying her well ?

thrive25 · 03/08/2025 16:14

SallyDraperGetInHere · 10/05/2025 21:49

You need a short list of ‘every week’ and then a rotating list of other jovs
eg W1 all door frames, window frames, woodwork, banisters, skirting boards to be wiped down with Cif
W2 all cushions to be lifted from sofas, deep vacuum
W3 oven, microwave, kettle, dishwasher clean

^ this. I find cleaning relaxing but your list is v v time consuming

I stopped having a cleaner as felt I was paying them to clean what wasn’t dirty! You may start to feel the same …

RoseaPlena · 03/08/2025 13:10

This is all fine, OP. You are allowed whatever standards you want as long as you are willing to pay for her time and have a realistic view of what's doable in the hours she has available.

My cleaner does all of this but not every week- lots of things on your list would be fortnightly or monthly jobs. As you go along, you may find it makes more sense to allow her to use her own judgement- no point eg cleaning the door frames if they're spotless already and her time would be better spent on something else. But obviously this means that there will be times when she makes different judgements to those you would have made.

MrsSlocombesCat · 03/08/2025 13:02

Cleaners shouldn't be expected to clean appliances or windows. There are specialist cleaners for those. If you'd given me a list like that I wouldn't come back. Your standards are batshit.

PinkTonic · 15/05/2025 19:15

I made a list with columns for weekly, monthly, and ad hoc to share with one new cleaner and that worked fine. The lady I have now does wipe over the hob and clean the microwave inside and out and last week she did wipe inside the fridge. Some just do what needs doing and some need more direction.

Unvoiceinvoice · 15/05/2025 18:16

Ignore the comments from those who didn’t read properly (re 4 hours) or are just jealous of you. Ask her! You sound pretty generous about the hours since you said you’re willing to have her over the full day/however long she takes, with paid breaks. As a freelancer myself, she may be happy to get the business/those hours. I have clients who give me an insane amount of work (but they always ask first) but they pay very well and I’m pleased to get so much business. Or she may feel it’s all too tiring for a day, so ask her.

ruethewhirl · 15/05/2025 09:55

Missey85 · 15/05/2025 03:30

Maybe because a lot of you seem to treat them like slaves 🙁

Show quote history

Well, I don’t, and I suspect most people who have a cleaner don’t.

Init4thecatz · 15/05/2025 05:53

Provide a list, ask what is standard, ask how much the extras would be and how long they would take. Simple .

arcticpandas · 15/05/2025 05:37

ZippyBlueViper · 10/05/2025 22:01

Bedding and things like that I've time to do myself. I've 2 young children, pregnant with 3rd, run my own business full time from home as well as helping out with my oh business. I would love to continue cleaning my own because like i said i really enjoy cleaning but due to new property being a lot larger than our old home i just physically won't have time

What? Do you ever sleep?

Notsosure1 · 15/05/2025 05:22

Jabberwok · 10/05/2025 21:39

Tops of the door frame...what are you a sergeant major?

Try doing all you are asking yourself and then employ her as a housekeeper. I used to have a financial interest in a cleaning company and helped write the initial list of what the cleaners would do per customer...you expect a lot for only 4 hours.

I think this is a good idea.

If you can do it within the time frame at a reasonable pace then it’s not u reasonable to expect it from your cleaner - but make sure it is doable.

EnhancedVampireEyeballs · 15/05/2025 03:42

Can you stop calling her a 'lass', please? Presumably she's an adult woman. It's so patronising.

Missey85 · 15/05/2025 03:30

ruethewhirl · 11/05/2025 07:13

How obnoxious. Why is there always at least one of these replies on threads against having a cleaner? What have you got against women (because let’s face it, no one ever says this to men) outsourcing some of the domestic chores? And also, ‘bone idle’? Did you actually read OP’s list of what she’s been doing herself?

Show quote history

Maybe because a lot of you seem to treat them like slaves 🙁

Missey85 · 15/05/2025 03:27

So your wanting a deep clean everywhere! But your hoping you can charge this poor girl for a light dusting? She's not a slave or something 😆

caringcarer · 15/05/2025 02:38

I gave my cleaner a list of jobs I'd like doing twice a week when she came including vacuuming sitting room, dining room, and hall. Then Steam mopping kitchen, sitting room, dining room and hall as all wooden floors and I have 2 dogs and 2 cats so a few paw marks, cleaning kitchen worktops and any marks on fronts of kitchen cupboards or doors. Then a Tuesday only list with a few extra jobs on it mostly cleaning bathrooms, and a Friday only list with a few different jobs for Fridays which was mainly changing bedding. I have her 3 hours on both Tuesday and Fridays, so 6 hours a week. She spends first 2 hours general cleaning then on Tuesdays moves on to bathrooms and Fridays changes bedding. Occasionally I will ask her to do an extra job like a good clean in the conservatory, which is not urgent so she will fit in on another day when she has time. I do general cleaning of bedrooms, dusting, cleaning mirrors and light switches and general tidying so it it clutter free for her to clean. DH cleans inside of windows as I can't reach and sills. I'm home now so do more bits myself but when I worked full time my cleaner then would hang out washing, peel vegetables and iron 5 shirts for DH too. She did 3 hours 3 times a week. My cleaner wipes off top of cooker but I get a specialist cleaner to deep clean my oven. I wouldn't expect a general cleaner to do ovens or windows.

JudgeyJudie · 14/05/2025 23:04

I would charge £165 to do that job. Its a monthly deep clean that you would maintain the other 3 weeks - and an oven clean is a specialist job
I charge by job not by the hour

Hocuspocus99 · 11/05/2025 15:06

I think as your not expecting her to cram everything in 4 hours is acceptable.

You sound as if your fair and willing to pay not for a rushed job.
What most people don't understand is it's entirely un realistic to expect everything done within a 3 hour period to a high standard , if there's only one cleaner.

Original poster
ZippyBlueViper · 11/05/2025 12:23

Ah no, 4 hours was how long it took me to do all that in my older smaller property. I've not put a limit on the lasses hours in the new property but because it's bigger i had in mind a days work. If it was still 4 hours i could fit it in myself i just don't physically have time

OP posts:
MyOliveHelper · 11/05/2025 08:59

The 4 hours i mentioned came from the OP. I wasn't clear if you were saying that's how long you hired her for based on how long it used to take you.

Original poster
ZippyBlueViper · 11/05/2025 08:56

@BakelikeBertha that is defo too far to ask a cleaner to do, glad you didn't do it!

I love my house clean and tidy but at the same time I'm not at the kids for making a mess because they're obviously kids and majority of mess can be cleaned so although I'm wanting a lot doing we don't live in fear of messing up the house lol maybe if we did they'd be less to clean 🤣

I'll make a list for weekly and fortnightly and then when the lass comes next I'll sit with her and get her thoughts on what she's happy with. So we're on the same page. I don't want to upset or offend her because like i said I'm very impressed with her work ethic and really like her.

Points I've taken on board are oven, windows and kettle probably best to carry on doing myself.

I have also told her because she's here for the full day i expect her to have half hour lunch and then 10 mins morning 10 mins afternoon break and will pay her breaks as well.

OP posts:
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