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Original poster

Cost of cleaner…

116 replies

PeonyPatch · 06/10/2025 19:34

I live in the SE of England in a home county. I had a cleaner who used to come once per month and would clean kitchen/living room, hallway downstairs & upstairs plus downstairs loo and upstairs bathroom. She would charge £120 a month (only come once a month) she claimed to do a deep clean (as in would move all appliances out of the way in kitchen and clean underneath). Besides this, I’m unclear as to what differentiated this from your standard clean. I also found that skirting boards still had dust on so I would clean these myself.

I’ve made the decision to cancel her service, and I’m now wondering what the going rate is. She would be here for 3 hours.

OP posts:
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Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 16:44

Frankblackwife · 07/10/2025 16:21

Think she saw you coming

What do you mean?

OP posts:
Frankblackwife · 07/10/2025 16:21

Think she saw you coming

Obeseandashamed · 07/10/2025 16:08

I pay £15 per hour but she does 5 hours a week across 2 days. Sometimes this is 2.5 each day or 3/2 etc etc. it depends on what needs doing each visit. We are Yorkshire based so likely to be a lot cheaper than the SE

Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 16:04

friendlyflicka · 07/10/2025 15:09

@PeonyPatch all that is unrelated to your original post. It was in response to the comments about paying off student loans and unskilled etc. Cleaners in many parts of the country, are in demand and can turn down work

I do think you are being totally overcharged though

Fair enough. I agree with you. I’m always very friendly with cleaners, waiting staff etc. I think it’s only polite and they’re hard working too. I would always ask how my cleaner was, offer her a drink (though she’d always decline) and do a bit of small talk. When she’d leave I’d ask if she had a busy day etc etc.

OP posts:
Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 16:02

Foolsgold74 · 07/10/2025 15:59

Are you willfully misunderstanding me. That's exactly what I meant.

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No, I’m not willfully misunderstanding… I apologise if I got you wrong

OP posts:
Foolsgold74 · 07/10/2025 15:59

PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 11:53

And what’s wrong with this exactly? If the cleaner has chosen to do that, that is absolutely fine… meanwhile some of have studied long and hard and work in a very challenging professions and are limited with time to do things like clean.

It doesn’t make one better than the other, or less intelligent, it is just different circumstances.

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Are you willfully misunderstanding me. That's exactly what I meant.

friendlyflicka · 07/10/2025 15:09

@PeonyPatch all that is unrelated to your original post. It was in response to the comments about paying off student loans and unskilled etc. Cleaners in many parts of the country, are in demand and can turn down work

I do think you are being totally overcharged though

friendlyflicka · 07/10/2025 15:04

It's not a question of friendship. It's a question of someone treating you considerately and not just like 'unskilled'. There are plenty of people who do themselves no favours in the way they treat those who they pay. And as a result they might ultimately get less good service from many people. I think that is poetic justice

Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 14:46

friendlyflicka · 07/10/2025 13:35

I didn't say I gave bad service to those who treat me less well. I give good service. I am professional. what I said was that I gave out of the ordinary service for those who treat me well. I would think most self employed manual workers would and do

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That’s fair enough and you’re only being honest I guess, but you’re being paid for a service, not to be someone’s friend. If I had my own cleaning business, I’d just focus on the actual job and less on the interpersonal side of things, but that’s me!

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friendlyflicka · 07/10/2025 13:35

PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 13:08

That’s interesting. I’m not sure it’s professional though. I work a client-facing job and I’m not able to give bad service to those that treat me less well. It’s part and parcel of the job.

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I didn't say I gave bad service to those who treat me less well. I give good service. I am professional. what I said was that I gave out of the ordinary service for those who treat me well. I would think most self employed manual workers would and do

Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 13:08

friendlyflicka · 07/10/2025 12:11

I am a cleaner and very educated. Not as any contribution to an argument - just a point of interest,

Yes, it is a low skilled job. However, given the amount of negative threads on this site, it is clear that it is a low skilled job that it is possible to do badly.

At the same hourly rate, I do a far better job for the customers who treat me well - I will tidy up, clean under furniture etc, than the ones who are less nice and considerate.

That’s interesting. I’m not sure it’s professional though. I work a client-facing job and I’m not able to give bad service to those that treat me less well. It’s part and parcel of the job.

OP posts:
friendlyflicka · 07/10/2025 12:11

I am a cleaner and very educated. Not as any contribution to an argument - just a point of interest,

Yes, it is a low skilled job. However, given the amount of negative threads on this site, it is clear that it is a low skilled job that it is possible to do badly.

At the same hourly rate, I do a far better job for the customers who treat me well - I will tidy up, clean under furniture etc, than the ones who are less nice and considerate.

Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 11:54

ByQuaintAzureWasp · 07/10/2025 10:45

You need somebody to do 3 hours every other week at £20 per hour.

This is exactly what I’m looking for.

OP posts:
Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 11:54

Foolsgold74 · 07/10/2025 11:35

No one referred to you as snobbish. It was another poster.

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Oh okay.

OP posts:
Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 11:53

Foolsgold74 · 07/10/2025 08:52

There is almost certainly an air of, I put myself through an education to better myself and now have debts to pay off, whereas cleaners left school straight after GCSEs to start earning straight away and therefore haven't acquired any such debts.

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And what’s wrong with this exactly? If the cleaner has chosen to do that, that is absolutely fine… meanwhile some of have studied long and hard and work in a very challenging professions and are limited with time to do things like clean.

It doesn’t make one better than the other, or less intelligent, it is just different circumstances.

OP posts:
Foolsgold74 · 07/10/2025 11:35

PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 10:41

thank you for your response! I agree with you. I can’t remember who referred to me as snobbish, but it offended me as I work hard and I have a health condition as well which means I’m often fatigued and too tired to do a lot of cleaning, that’s why I was after help but with cost of living I can’t justify £40 per hour

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No one referred to you as snobbish. It was another poster.

ifyoulikealotofchocolateonyour · 07/10/2025 11:20

@XenoBitchu ok hun? You seem to have got yourself awfully worked up.

ByQuaintAzureWasp · 07/10/2025 10:45

You need somebody to do 3 hours every other week at £20 per hour.

Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 10:43

Fiftyandme · 07/10/2025 09:05

To answer your question though OP - she is overcharging. By a fair bit. £18-20 per hour is fair.

If you got her to do a specific task likd cleaning your oven, I’d expect to pay what you would pay for an oven cleaning service.

Thank you, this was my original question :)

OP posts:
Original poster
PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 10:41

SixtySomething · 07/10/2025 08:54

If she's self-employed, then , sorry, but you are definitely over paying . Iagree with otheres that $17 -$18 (sorry, my laptop only does dollarsigns!) is definitely over the top, particularly if she's not offering a premium service.
You coul try asking her if her rate comes down if she does a weekly/fortnightly service.
Do you mean me re snobbish"? I don't think you're snobbish.

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thank you for your response! I agree with you. I can’t remember who referred to me as snobbish, but it offended me as I work hard and I have a health condition as well which means I’m often fatigued and too tired to do a lot of cleaning, that’s why I was after help but with cost of living I can’t justify £40 per hour

OP posts:
CatsorDogsrule · 07/10/2025 10:01

Dresdan · 06/10/2025 23:51

£18ph for 2 cleaners is not £36ph. It's getting 2 hours worth of cleaning done for £36. Yes the elapsed time is only 1 hour but you are getting 2 hours worth of graft with less inconvenience.

Why not just take this option? Book them for 2 or 3 hours (combined) per fortnight, paying them £36 - £54 per clean.

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I agree with this. I'm not sure why you think it is £36 per hour and dismissed it. It is exactly what you are looking for, at a reasonable £18 per hour of work.

Dresdan · 07/10/2025 09:38

so take the quote you've already got at £18ph....

Billybean1 · 07/10/2025 09:16

Fiftyandme · 07/10/2025 08:52

Tell me you know nothing about self-employment without telling me you know nothing about self-employment. You pay your cleaner less than £18 and it’s fucking shameful because they are earning less than minimum wage and you probably know that. They have to cover their running costs their business insurancetheir sickness, their holiday and the pension or with that as well that comes out to Wallander £12 an hour or you’re incredibly naive. In any case, it’s shameful.

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So every consumer out there is supposed to assume they're being grossly undercharged by anyone self employed, and therefore insist they are allowed to pay more than the advertised price?

I assume you are adamant on paying double the price tag for a pint of milk at your local independent corner shop?

Fiftyandme · 07/10/2025 09:05

To answer your question though OP - she is overcharging. By a fair bit. £18-20 per hour is fair.

If you got her to do a specific task likd cleaning your oven, I’d expect to pay what you would pay for an oven cleaning service.

SixtySomething · 07/10/2025 08:54

PeonyPatch · 07/10/2025 02:56

No - it’s not agency. She has her own business. She leafleted our area a few months ago and that is how I hired her.

Also I don’t think I’m being snobbish at all. I’ve been to uni 3 times and I work in the healthcare industry. I have a student loan. It’s not the same as being a cleaner and required hard graft in a different way. Cleaning doesn’t require such extra education - anyone can do it, and like pp have said, you can leave school at 16 to do it. I also believe in paying people fairly, but £40 an hour and not even emptying bins?

Show quote history

If she's self-employed, then , sorry, but you are definitely over paying . Iagree with otheres that $17 -$18 (sorry, my laptop only does dollarsigns!) is definitely over the top, particularly if she's not offering a premium service.
You coul try asking her if her rate comes down if she does a weekly/fortnightly service.
Do you mean me re snobbish"? I don't think you're snobbish.

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