What's the process of getting a cleaner?

[HarrySnotter]

I know this sounds ridiculous but I've never had one before!

Had a recommendation - she's free to do the day that I want, what happens now? Would the normally come round for a chat? Do you give them a key or have a key safe etc?

What would you expect a cleaner to do in 2 hours? I have no idea of cleaner etiquette!

Bump!
I wanna know too!

She needs to come round for a chat. Be very very clear about what you want her to do. 2 hours isn’t a lot of time so she will need to be focussed .
I usually gave mine a key but not the alarm code and I was quite often working upstairs when they were here.
Unfortunately I’ve had loads of them, they start well but then end up being unreliable or untrustworthy so if you get a good one treat her really well (but don’t put up with any crap either)

I remember a thread ages ago about 'cleaner etiquette' but I can't find it!

Yes have her round to see the house.
Before she comes decide what you want done and write it down. When she comes give her the least and ask her if she thinks it’s achievable in 2 hours.
WRT keys it’s whatever you’re comfortable with.

If it was from a personal recommendation, I’d invite them around for a discussion in which I sought their advice about what was manageable within two hours. They’d usually want to look around the house and see what equipment you had - although some prefer to bring their own.
I’d outline any house rules, tell them where tea making stuff was, show them any locks etc that needed a particular tweak to work etc.
I’d agree payment methods and a trial of a month to check you were suited to each other.
If I worked from home, I’d ask them to leave my study/do it last/do it first. I’d agree limits of role in relation to children’s rooms.
Then on first few visits I’d let them get on with it. I’d try and be out so they began to feel comfortable and could develop a routine. The trouble with being present when your new cleaner starts is a feeling you either want to check up on them, entertain them with inane chatter or keep telling them how you approach a particular task. All best avoided.
If you don’t trust them alone in your house, you shouldn’t be employing them. If they are good and you show trust then the relationship flourishes and they come into their own when times are busy - a hospital admission, guests for the weekend, a sick child, dropping off post etc.

@Hoppinggreen, is it usual to have 'every time' jobs i.e. kitchen, bathrooms and specifics for each visit?

We have a 3 bed house. In 2 hours (weekly), our cleaner:

• always does the two biggies (kitchen, bathroom) in full
• always does as a minimum a vaccuum of the other rooms (hall, lounge, dining room, bedrooms) - often mops these floors also
• has time to fit in a couple of the following on an ad hoc basis: dusting the smaller things, skirting boards, polishing banisters, vaccuuming furniture, polishing mirrors, cleaning windows, changing the bedding

Mine (from a recommendation) came round for a chat, she looked round and agreed what she'd do in the time she had. I took a photo of her driving licence and gave her a key. We communicate via messenger mainly, although I am sometimes WFH when she comes and we have a chat.

Over time it settled in to a great set up with flexibility on both sides. If she had a childcare emergency, she'd either reschedule or he'd come here and play on his Switch while she worked; and on the other hand, if I needed to cancel a week or change something, she was happy to accommodate.

I don't think I'd get such flexibility from an agency, so that is one thing to bear in mind. And similarly, because she was her own one-woman band, it was always her, not one of a roster of staff, which I definitely wouldn't be happy with.

is it usual to have 'every time' jobs i.e. kitchen, bathrooms and specifics for each visit?

It is (I’m a cleaner) all of my clients want their kitchen and bathrooms done every visit as well as hoovering and mopping. Then I usually also do dusting, mirrors, windows, skirting boards, woodwork, kitchen units etc on a rotating basis.

It's a 4 bed house and I wouldn't expect it to be done top to toe every week in such a short space of time, it's really just the big stuff like kitchen, bathrooms etc. I'm assuming any ironing is over and above the usual price?

Ironing isn’t something all cleaners do. You would need to discuss that with her. I do ironing and it’s just my hourly cleaning rate.

We have a 4 bed house with a large lounge, medium kitchen diner/ large hallway (another room really) and a dining room
I would be very surprised if a cleaner even got that done in 2 hours, let alone ventured upstairs. When I had a cleaner they did all of downstairs, hoovered stairs and landing and cleaned 1 bathroom upstairs in 3 hours

Really, I'm worried 2 hrs isn't going to be enough now. I'm kind of going by what I get done in that time. I can do the (large) kitchen, living room, stairs and both bathrooms and normally the hallway in that time. We don't have a lot of 'stuff' in the way iykwim, very few ornaments etc.

You could always have a fortnightly worklist instead?

That might work better buzz, would def want kitchen and bathrooms done weekly but there are other things that can be done less often and be done by us anyway.

If you are a cleaner, what things do you really hate to do? And what are your biggest bugbears that make cleaning a house a pain in the arse?

The only thing I hate doing is cleaning showers. (Which of course is unavoidable and needs done in every single house ) and the reason I hate doing them is because almost every single shower I clean has one or more if the following problems:

1. not sealed properly so when I rinse off the enclosure the water leaks out on the floor and sometimes it’s a massive puddle every time that requires a huge bath sheet to soak up!

2. the shower is not powerful enough to spray the water high enough unless I stand right in the tray to hold the shower head right on the wall/glass and get myself soaked.

3. the shower head is cracked and water sprays out of the joins soaking me

4. the water always runs down my arms and soaks my sleeve so I’m damp for the whole day.

5. the plug is clogged way deep down with hair and hair bobbles and soap and hair clips and the water is slow draining so rinsing it out properly is impossible because it takes ages to empty and leaves “bits” all over the shower tray.

Shower is quite new so that should be ok!!

I'm a self employed cleaner and when I have been contacted by a prospective client, I arrange to meet them at a mutually convenient time.
They then let me know what they want doing and in what time frame.
I will then have a look with them and give an estimate of how much time it will take.
The first clean is always longer as sometimes it can be very dirty and you need to get everything up to standard first.
Most will give me a spare key straight away, others will leave an elderly relative at home to let me in.
Some houses only have the pets for company.
Never have time for a cup of tea, so I can't get why people offer it.
I do two, three hour cleans a day and only have time for a quick sandwich in the car.
@ILoveMaxiBondi, lol! Hate showers as well. One has four full size walk in showers and the client still expects me to do the whole five bedroom house in two hours!

Never have time for a cup of tea, so I can't get why people offer it.

Same!!

I have one client who always pesters me to sit down and take a break, have a cuppa with her. Sorry I just don’t have time! I have another job straight after!

Is it weird if a client is in the house while you clean their home? I'll feel really awkward about that as I will probably be here most of the time she's here. I don't want her to think I'm a lazy cow!

She's coming round later this week and sounds lovely so I'm looking forward to meeting her now.

The worst houses are the ones with dogs. Had one, where two terrier dogs would follow me round the whole house. Try to eat the hoover when I was using it!
Then they'd bark like crazy at anything outside the window.
Used to make polishing delicate items a real test of nerves!
Glad I don't do that one now.

Only if they interfere tbh. I had one client who would stand at the doorways of rooms I was cleaning and say things like “oh don’t worry about that, just leave it” or try and chat the whole time which tbh I’m just not interested in while I work. I like to just get stuck in and concentrate on what I’m doing. I don’t need people asking me about toddler groups I went to 8 years ago!

Many clients will stay at home. Some are home with ill kids, but still want you to clean.

I'll probably just hide away upstairs when she's here, I don't want to interfere with her work. We do have a dog and he'll be excited when he sees her then just go to sleep.