What EXACTLY does your cleaner do???

[Meggymoo777]

Have engaged a cleaner for the first time. Full time working single Mum and sick of spending my free time with DS trying to catch up on house jobs.

The lady seems lovely and is due to start next week... we've agreed a deep clean next week, 6hours or so, and then maybe 2/3 hours weekly or fortnightly.

But!... what does a cleaner do??? 🤣 For those of you who have cleaners, what does yours do? I'm expecting that she won't do laundry/make beds etc.? Which is totally fine, just want to get a gauge of what to expect.

Also, want to get the house in order before she come next week - assume nothing on floors, rubbish taken out etc but is general 'life clutter' okay?

I'm aware I sound dim but I'm honestly very excited and want to make the relationship work!

Ours does the basic cleaning:

Hoover whole house
Mop hard floors
Clean kitchen surface, sink and hob
Clean bathrooms
Dust
Empties bins
Ours also irons a few bits (there isn't much at the moment due to lockdown casual dressing)

A previous cleaner used to put on new bed clothes (I preferred to strip it myself - asking her to deal with shagged on sheets didn't seem fair) and do things like clean the windows if she had time left over.

We have 3hr a week, 5 bedroom house (reasonably modern and easy layout). Agency cleaner does:

Upstairs - 3 X bathroom clean, Inc mop floors. Put sheets on 2 beds (we strip them before she arrives) dusts and Hoover's upstairs.

Downstairs, clean loo, dust, mop and hoover.

Same every week and it is fantastic. They also clean the kitchen cabinets etc if they have time.

Before they arrive we strip the allocated beds and do a massive tidy up. No crap anywhere. I want them to clean.

When you think about what to give them think about what will get done anyway? Laundry should sort itself eventually as you will need clothes etc, washing up will get done. I'm always motivated to strip a bed because someone will make it for me, so all those things are worthwhile.

It is honestly life changing. We just didn't do enough cleaning before, we have never been slaves to it.

We pay for 4 hrs a week although she usually dies around three and a half, which is fine. She comes weekly. It's a 6 bed, 4 bath house but with only three of us in it some rooms get little use from one week to the next so don't need much cleaning.

Three bed house, 3 baths, dining room, kitchen, office. Quite big rooms. Cleaner does 4 hours a week, including:

Cleaning and tidying kitchen and all bathrooms
Dusting and wiping down surfaces, doors, skirting, lamps, cupboards, picture frames
Sweeping up, vacuuming, cleaning floors, shaking out rugs
Making beds (she doesn't change them unless specifically asked, just tidies them)
She usually hangs out or folds the laundry if there is any, and washes the dog's blanket
She'll tidy things away although I try and have a sort before she comes otherwise things end up in odd places!

Then she'll alternate occasional jobs, including:
Cleaning oven
Cleaning extractor fan
Cleaning out fridge
Cleaning curtains
Interior windows

She's brilliant and makes such a difference to our lives.

She does wonderful magical things, she also sometimes comes early to give the cat a good fuss.
Wet dusting
Kitchen surface cleaning
Bathroom cleaning
Mops floors
Laundry
Bedding changes

She doesn’t vacuum as we have a robot vacuum

Mine does 2 hours a week. She cleans:

kitchen
2 x bathrooms
Dusts bedroom, offices x2, living room, hall, conservatory
Mops floors
Cleans inside windows
If kids bother tidying their rooms she will do those as well

I love her.

My cleaners are amazing, but they won't strip beds at the moment due to Covid. So I strip beds and leave clean linen out for them. (To be honest, you should always do this anyway, you don't want them to waste time hunting down the one missing pillowcase!)

If we're on hols over 2 cleans they'll do stuff like clean out the fridge etc.

Their basic routine is all surfaces, skirting boards, hoover and mop. Clean bathroom and kitchen, inside windows, beds as above. Give dog a biscuit. They're self isolating this week and I'm going to have to get my finger out and do all that tomorrow, sigh...

Cleaner here.. Over the years I have..
Put Xmas trees up.
Taken Xmas trees down.
Bathed a dog.
Caught an escaped pony.
Cleaned out a chicken shed.
Organised carpet fitters.
Overseen decorators.
Hung new curtains.
Arranged new soft furnishings.
Packed for a family holiday.
Cleaned every corner of dozens of homes..

@30degreesandmeltinghere I once had to chance escapes dogs around the lane round the back of the house

The last few posts have me even more excited (is it weird to say borderline emotional? I'm such a knob, sorry!) I know I only have 1 DS but I can work 50+ hrs a week so having someone on my side helping with the house would be incredible!) I really liked this woman when I met her and reading how you love your cleaners and they make such a difference in your life is something I want so much!!!

And now I also know... strip the beds myself before she arrives! And leave the linen sets on them. It honestly makes so much sense but I just wouldn't have ever thought of it if ye hadn't said it! I could pop the linens in the wash and maybe she wouldn't mind putting them in the dryer for me?

Thanks ladies!

@30degreesandmeltinghere

Cleaner here.. Over the years I have.. Put Xmas trees up. Taken Xmas trees down. Bathed a dog. Caught an escaped pony. Cleaned out a chicken shed. Organised carpet fitters. Overseen decorators. Hung new curtains. Arranged new soft furnishings. Packed for a family holiday. Cleaned every corner of dozens of homes..

Oh my god... I admire you so much! But I swear I won't be even half as demanding with my lovely lady! Do you enjoy your job and the crazy variety?

I absolutely love my job!
Have some amazing customers..
Have lots of new ones - exciting times!!
Never a dull day and always come away feeling appreciated and respected. Not many jobs leave you feeling that way imo!!

@30degreesandmeltinghere

I absolutely love my job! Have some amazing customers.. Have lots of new ones - exciting times!! Never a dull day and always come away feeling appreciated and respected. Not many jobs leave you feeling that way imo!!

That's so nice to hear, I'm really glad! ☺️

Ours does 2.5 hours a week. She basically does what looks dirty. So I think she would almost always clean all floors, the hob, surfaces, sinks, toilets, do some dusting each time. But I don't think she does baths , shower screens, ceilings, kettle, microwave, windows every time. But nothing ever looks dirty so she clearly has it all under control. She puts a wash on before she leaves of all the cleaning cloths.

If your cleaner is self employed rather than with an agency, have her every week if you can, because its a long gap to go a fortnight and then find she's sick or on holiday.

Cleans 4 bathrooms, hoovers carpets sweeps and washes floors
2 hours a fortnight

My cleaner does 2 hrs a week, 4 bed , 3 bathrooms.
I try to tidy before she comes so she can focus on cleaning, she does
Kitchen surfaces and mops floor
Hoovers and dusts all through
Cleans and mops bathrooms

I couldn’t be without her and our dog loves her

• Clean inside windows
• Clean all the hardwood floors
• Hoover carpets upstairs and stairs
• Clean bathrooms
• Dust and clean all surfaces
• Clean skirtings
• Clean mirrors

Sometimes I think these sort of threads turn into a competition about who has the best cleaner

I've worked a few years as a cleaner, I'm fit and able but I don't think I could clean a 4 bed house, 3 bathrooms, hoover, dust everywhere, clean the kitchen and mop all floors in 2 hours as some posters are saying? Not to a good standard anyway.

It's important to be realistic with your expectations. For example, if you want beds changed, put in the machine and then dryer, is that possible in 2 hours? My wash cycle is 1 and half hours on my machine.

I think it takes a couple of weeks to get used to the cleaner (and vice versa) and to establish what can be done, and how long it takes. You should fall into a routine soon enough that suits you.

Don't spend too long cleaning and tidying before she comes. I don't mind putting washing up away, picking up a few things off the floor and putting them in a pile, or putting toys back in a toy box before I start.

I think we all have different ideas of what a phrase like "clean the kitchen" entails, too. I have been on MN a long time, and every now and then you'll get a thread that pops up asking how often you {insert some random job}, and I usually think "What fresh hell is this? I've been living in my own homes over 30 years and this is a 'thing' I've never done".
Then some people have a galley kitchen and others have kitchens the size of a ballroom.
When I put the vacuum round I vac the places I can see, but I hear there are those that expect furniture to be moved on a twice weekly basis.
So it goes on.

OP I think the key is, to say that you really want bathroom and downstairs toilet cleaned each time, and then the hall stairs and landing vacuumed, and you main living area. The you decide your priorities after that - obviously I know nothing about the layout of your house or what you use your rooms for, but I'm going to guess a spare bedroom doesn't need cleaning every week?

Establish a list (with your cleaner) of things that might need doing on rotation, and ask her if you can leave a list or a note sometimes (maybe if you've had guests and want the beds changed as a one off).

The key is, communicating what is more important to you - a really deep clean of one room, or a more superficial clean of two or a quick flick round in 3, sort of thing.

How did you get on with your cleaner OP?