Desperately need a cleaner but am I expecting too much?

To be fair it’s not quite clear what she is expecting - as in hoovering and bathrooms could be done in one of the 3 hour blocks and beds/window cleaning/ironing could be done in the other 3 hour block. This is why it is important to have an open and realistic conversation about expectations.

Yes but she’s expecting quite a lot of it (mopping and hoovering) to be done twice

Op is asking for 3 hours twice a week. More than enough time to properly clean a house and do extras.

My house is 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and it takes our cleaner 3 hours to hoover whole
house (three floors so includes two flights of stairs), mop (entire downstairs and bathrooms), clean the kitchen, clean the bathrooms and dust. No ironing, bed changing or putting anything away. You’re asking far too much in three hours.

I disagree about advertising for a housekeeper - there is nothing listed in those jobs that I have not had done by cleaners, its a matter of negotiation with the cleaner. You do need more hours for that list of tasks, especially if the tidying is extensive (most people tidy before the cleaner comes - better use of their time).

Housekeepers tend to direct their own tasks and jobs within parameters. Its more responsibility hence more pay. I had a nanny/housekeeper for a few hours a day when all the DC were at school but still young. She would sort out what was needed and do it each day in terms of pick ups, activities, children's tea and laundry, had a budget to work with and did not need a list of tasks from me - just responsibilities.
You are describing a cleaner to follow a set tasl list so you need one who is happy to agree hours/fee which includes ironing etc. (and more than six hours).

A good cleaner will be honest with you about what they can achieve in the hours you are willing to pay. Despite what you read on MN some cleaners genuinely take pride in their work and want you to come to a clean and tidy house and will often go over and above to make sure you have that.

Yeah you need 5 hours per session for this.
my cleaner comes 2 hours twice a week and I only have one bathroom, she doesn’t need to change the beds or tidy up anything.

Op is asking for 6 hours a week (unless i am mistaken) that’s plenty of time for a decent cleaner

It's possible the people enquiring know they won't manage. I have a 3 bed house, one bathroom upstairs and downstairs loo and mine does 3 hours a week. I tidy up before she arrives and she doesn't do any sheet changes or ironing

That’s not nearly enough time for all of that.

I have a big 3 bed and my cleaner needed 4 hours just to do the basics. No way you could add in all that tidying, additional rooms etc.

Yes! There is a genuine pride in knowing that the home owner will open their front door and breathe a sigh of relief that you have been there that day. It’s a good feeling!

My cleaners have all changed beds. Some do the ironing as well, if they don’t I have a separate ironer,

Toys are the children’s responsibility imo.

I agree with this

Agree! My cleaner is a cleaner but is very happy to do those additional tasks (for payment, obviously).

Really? I tidied up toys, emptied dishwashers, changed bed sheets, ironed etc etc I still called myself a cleaner. We both discussed what was needed and found a way that suited us both. Changing my work title wouldn’t stop me from doing what my client needed. The longer I worked there the quicker I could work and see any extra they needed. I genuinely enjoyed knowing they would come home to a clean and tidy house. I took pride in it.

@Gertrudethechicken we live in a large house. My cleaner comes twice a week for three hours. She vacuums throughout and mops the hard floor, cleans three bathrooms (only two used) and four bogs, polishes the mirrors. She also irons for three people, one of whom is only here for three nights. She is amazing.

She is not expected to tidy, put away clothes or change bed linen, or mop and hoo er twice a week.

Same. In fact the cleaners we have had have been delighted to do tasks like putting clothes away/tidying rather than cleaning and seem to view it as a bonus of working for us not a downside.

I do think the hours aren't enough though for everything the OP wants

It sounds like a lot of work for 6 hours a week. If you and your family could get the house tidy and organised before the cleaner comes, the job might look more manageable.
And 'putting clothes away' - do you mean clean washing, or is that a type of tidying?

As many have said, that’s a housekeeper you want rather than a cleaner.

The things that take it beyond cleaner territory are-

changing beds
ironing
putting toys etc away

They all involve a knowledge of the house, where things are kept and go, and a general level of familiarity that a cleaner wouldn’t normally require. Cleaners go in to a tidy house and clean it.

No reason it should be impossible to find a housekeeper they’re just much more expensive, and would often be an employee as they might not have time to work elsewhere even if it’s not a full
time role.

At the end of the day OP you can ask your cleaner to tidy/iron/clean and they will either say yes or no. I was always happy to do extra like that and was honest about the time it would take. Just have an open conversations

Or they learn that they need to earn enough to employ someone to tidy.

It might depend how you’re wording it rather than what you’re asking for, I have a friend who needs to control everything to the Nth degree so when she’s looking for a cleaner she wants to go into all the inns and outs of which rooms should be cleaned in what order and to what standard rather than just saying I need a cleaner for x hours per week, I can imagine she’s off putting to someone who just wants a job for a bit of extra money.

You’re looking for a house keeper and you’ll need to increase the hours for it, because tidying up before cleaning takes extra time so does changing by sheets and ironing. They’re not going to know how much ironing there is to do. So perhaps imagining a huge pile!

Why don't you find an ironing service and get your stuff picked up and sent back, folded and on hangers? I wouldn't expect a cleaner to do that, I use a professional ironing service.
I would expect children to put their own toys away. If too little to do that, surely you have storage boxes or something?
I have a 4 bed house and 2 bathrooms. I pay for 4 hours.
I think you are asking far too much in too short a time.

Fair enough, if you want to raise children who have no concept of tidying up after themselves. Might not make them too popular as flatmates or life partners. Or just responsible adults.