to think a cleaner should be able to clean 3 rooms in 2.5 hours

[deliverdaniel]

genuinely want to know if IABU here. i recently employed a cleaner. i could afford 2.5 hours a week so asked her to just do downstairs. its a smallish living room to be dusted and hoovered with some light tidying away of toys etc; a largish kitchen and a small bathroom with bath sink and toilet. the house is relatively tidy and clean when she starts although obv not perfect, hence the need for a cleaner in the first place. Ive tried two different people now and neither of them have been able to do these rooms in the time. i have done this amount of cleaning in much less time, often (not trying to be smug here as im probably doing a terrible job or something) and not quite sure what is taking so long. Do you think my expectations are reasonable and i've just had bad luck so far, or do i need to wise up? thank you!

YANBU.

DP and I live in a flat. I can clean (properly) our room, the kitchen, the bathroom and the hallway in less than two hours. That incudes vacuuming, putting on laundry, making the bed, changing the cat litter tray/food bowls and doing the dishes. If we're both doing it, it takes just over an hour.

But why wouldn't you give a list of jobs you expected done to a cleaner? You wouldn't walk into a different job/office and expect to be pointed in the general direction of some work & be told to get on with it?

They may well be pissing about but I really don't get this mindset of oh they should automatically be able to read my mind and know what I want done.

It takes me 10 mins to get my kids dressed & out the door but I'd assume it would take someone else longer the first few times they did it. Of course it takes someone who is used to cleaning a particular house less time - they know it, all the nooks and awkward crannies.

YANBU.

My fiance's cleaner does his 2 bed, 2 bath flat and irons in 3 hours. And that's a filthy bachelor pad with 2 men living there that only get cleaned once a fortnight!

wigglesrock the 3 hours for the 2 bed house I mentioned was on the basis of me giving them a list of jobs and them coming to see the house. It really is a tiny new build, with no real nooks and crannies and no build up of dirt.

Lovecat you've got me worried I'm OCD now about skirting boards! I don't think so though, dust builds up on them if you don't hoover or wipe them every couple of months at the very least, and then they have to be repainted.

My standards are based on doing holiday lets in the past, and what people complained about if it wasn't clean enough. I think they were a pretty reliable, neutral source. Not much point having a cleaner if they can't get a place clean!

Skirting boards?

My cleaner cleans & hoovers 3 bedrooms (makes beds), bathroom, lounge, kitchen/diner in 3 hours.

She also usually has time to fit in a "extra" task each week - e.g. cleaning inside windows, doing behind not easily moveable furniture etc

I think you need to go through it with them to see why it's taking so long & if still not happy get rid. I persisted with a less that great cleaner for ages and am pleased with my new one.

YANBU. Ours cleans the living room, including 4 litter trays and a rabbit cage, the hallway, stairs and landing and the bathroom in that time.

Our cleaner does our 3 bed house (2 living rooms/2 bathrooms/kitchen) in 2 hours. She does a good job, obviously not a thorough clean ie kitchen cupboards, inside fridge etc but good enough for a normal weekly clean.

It takes me that amount of time to clean my whole house (3 bed) but during that time I would also be tidying up toys, emptying bins, changing the bedding and folding and putting clothes away.

I would say she should be able to do your whole house in that time and have enough time to do an extra job each time like cleaning the fridge or insides of the windows.

My cleaner takes 2.5 hours to do a four bed house. It is normal for it to take longer the first few times as they get used to the house (and perhaps have to do a bit of a more through clean!). My cleaner is lot quicker than me though - I think I get too distracted on small jobs instead of seeing the bigger picture :)

Sorry that should be thorough not through.

does she have to tidy first? she should be able to clean the whole place in that time if it is just cleaning. I spend around 40 min tidying up our flat the night before our cleaner comes so that she can get straight into cleaning. My dp doesn't think there is a difference between tidying and cleaning.

thanks everyone. glad to hear AINBU!

I didn't write down a list of jobs, but i went through the house with her before she started, pointing out all the jobs as we went and pointed out where all the cleaning products/ hoover etc were. I used to have a cleaner in our old place who did a whole 3 bed house in 3 hours to a really good standard, including hoovering all stairs, hallways etc, but didnt know if she was just an unusual dynamo. The house is relatively clean and tidy when she starts although there are a few toys lying around, maybe a couple of magazines and bits and pieces to tidy away and perhaps a couple of plates left on teh side to put in the dishwasher, but I would really say nothing out of the ordinary.

Sorry but you are speaking about these women as though they are servants! Some are quicker than others, that's all. Sacking one and employing a quicker one to 'get your money's worth'. Gawd. Mercenary.
Thank fuck I'm not a cleaner

I had a cleaner for a couple of months whilst recovering from an op. I paid for 2 hours (actually 2 ladies for an hour) and they would do all downstairs - lounge, dining room, largish kitchen, hall, downstairs loo plus Hoover stairs and landing and do bathroom (small). Dusting, cleaning, hoovering, mopping. They were much more efficient than me!