What's your opinion ?

[LyndsayLoLoSWLondon]

Hi
I currently employ a cleaner for 25 hours a week 5 hours on a Monday- Friday. (especially before and after the weekend!). The trouble is I don't know if I am being unrealistic about what I'm expecting her to do and not giving her enough hours or if she just isn't as good as my last amazing cleaner who sadly retired 4 months ago after working for me for 12 years prior to me having kids (just cleaning my apartment) and the last 10 years with an ever expanding family! So here's the jobs I ask. I pay £12 p/hr so £300 a week.

1. Change my bed and all 4 kids beds once a week on a Friday and nanny's bed. All sheets are sent to the dry cleaners to be washed and pressed every week so all she needs to do is strip he beds and bag up and leave in the utility. All clean sheets are left in airing cupboards. Sometimes there's the guest bedroom to change also. I don't think this is difficult I just don't have the time to do It myself.

1. Clean kitchen 'generally' Hoover and mop tiles, clean skirting boards, wipe over splash backs clean gas hob. Wipe over ovens and dust over the AGA, clean microwave. Empty the dishwasher if finished. Empty bin, Clean the dining table. Clean bi fold doors. I ask all this to be done on a Friday and then again on the Monday because everything marks easily. Clean out fridge empty out of date things and clean with anti bac spray.

1. Clean and dust the best lounge - not much mess in there.

1. Clean and dust the main lounge and Hoover.

1. Dust and Hoover the kids rooms.

1. Dust and Hoover my bedroom and dust and Hoover my office.

1. Clean 4 bathrooms and 3 separate loos.

1. Clean guest bedroom if it's been used and their bathroom.

1. Hoover all stairs and dust banisters.

10. Hoover sofas.

Note: there is never Outside doors or windows to clean. Never and deep thorough clean of ovens as I have someone in every 3 months to clean the ovens professionally.
There is no ironing or washing to put on or hang out, I have someone collect and drop of ironing and nanny puts it away.

What do you think ?

Thanks in advance.

I think you need a proper housekeeper. You're spending 850/week, it's within budget.

Is your nanny capable of more? I feel torn over whether she is likely to have large chunks of free time during the day, and whether this time should remain hers. Is your youngest at nursery? Does she work weekends?

My point here was that I think you need to deputise your nanny so that she is responsible for managing the cleaner, so she needs to be promoted to a 'housekeeper' role.

Treat this arrangement like a managed service.

Morning
A lot of you kind mums on netmums took the time to reply to my post yesterday to which I am very grateful of.

I agreed to speak with our cleaning lady this morning and I have done so. She arrived at 8 so the usual start time for her!
From day 1 there was a (albeit vague) list of main jobs for each room which I left for her, when I mentioned a few things I'd noticed that possibly she hadn't even done since she started the job she agreed with me and said she hadn't done them - for example shutters at every window, every now again they need more than a quick dust over as they are dreadful dust collectors. Time consuming task I know but more than do able in the time.

I have decided it's best to let her go and I've agreed to pay for Monday and Tuesday's work this week. I said that after reviewing the situation I don't think our working partnership is right and I have decided I need someone with more initiative that will just do things that look like they need doing so to speak including tidying and so forth.

After weighing up options I've decided my plan going forward:

1. I'm going to call in a temp agency cleaner for the time being.
2. Create a Gumtree add for a role of 'Housekeeper' with the possibility of it being with live in accommodation for the right candidate.

£70 food wastege, £300 cleaner, £110 sheets - £480. A good wage for a housekeeper, why not even a butler? I would ask around your friends/neighbours for someone with recommendations as well as gumtree. Also, you can register interest in agencies. I am sure there are specialised ones.

And well done on your decision.

You mentioned dog beds. Presumably you have a dog walker too.

Also, in my opinion, the nanny has lots on her plate with 4 kids. You should bear this in mind.

A lot of you kind mums on netmums took the time to reply to my post yesterday to which I am very grateful of.

What?!! Is this net mums?? I forgot to put my pearls on and stop swearing!

Sorry apologies Mumsnet ..

seriously, good luck with making changes op. At least you've got obvious areas where you can save money so hopefully budgeting will be fairly straightforward.

Thank you

Fully aware that Nanny has her hands full with managing 4 children so I'm hoping that I can relieve some pressure by having a Housekeeper that is capable of taking over food shopping and organisation of meals etc. That's what I'm thinking is the best solution here.

A cook would also be a sensible option, to reduce the food waste you mentioned, rather than a butler. Assume you are sorted for dog walking already.

I meant if you are already paying for a dog walker separately, this may be taken over by the housekeeper too?...

What OP needs, and no one is saying, is a "traditional" wife!

Isn't it interesting she's having to employ two people, at least, to do the job?

Sprink you are a genius.

OP scrap all other advice and get yourself a traditional wife.

Totally hit the nail on the head there Sprink

OP are you sure Gumtree's likely to be a good source of a reputable housekeeper rather than advertising in The Lady?

I've been in touch with an agency called Happy Home Staff who a friend of mine has used and I have registered all requirements and someone is going to get in touch with me tomorrow to proceed further.

Trying to cover all options really although I do know many people who have employed successful nannies/mothers helps/housekeepers via Gumtree and the like.

Have you discovered the Fly Lady website? You can print out very detailed cleaning plan for every room.
A large busy house (5 bedrooms) with some laundry and ironing duties should take about 12 - 15 hours and no more. This includes cleaning bathrooms and toilets several times a week. Also rotating kitchen cupboard stocks and cleaning fridges and ovens. This 12 hours includes rotating a deep clean in a specific room once a week too. I use the fly lady print outs they are helpful and little things don't get overlooked by cleaners.

Purplebaglady - thank you that's helpful I will definitely look at the site.

Not only does OP need a wife, she also places value on what a wife does.

We've had a housekeeper for a large house before and if you find the right person he/she should be able to do a lot more than your current cleaner. A proactive, flexible person can manage general cleaning on a weekly basis, rotate the deep cleaning jobs, sort out laundry, do online shopping, organise minor repairs (e.g. plumber for broken washing machine) and do very minor maintenance (e.g. change light bulbs).

I've always placed an advert, usually received a lot of replies which can be time consuming but worth working through as you can arrive at a good short list and chose the right person in the end. The more time you can spend on the selection process the better chance you have of finding the right person. Asking the best candidate to do a paid week's trial is also a good option if they are not currently employed.

Lyndsay in my previous pre-divorce life in Palm Beach with 3 stepkids, I had a housekeeper full time for 40 hours a week. It was a complete disaster, and the house was never clean! We tried two more housekeepers until finally switching to an agency who sent 4 very efficient ladies three times a week for 3 or 4 hours each time. I know what you mean about the weekends - we had them on a Friday so house was lovely for the weekend, on a Monday to tidy up afterward and a shorter midweek clean on a Wednesday. It was perfect. And, I sent my sheets out too :)

Please don't everyone that says the cleaners can do it it such and such time of course they if most things are put away but if cleaner 1st has to put away ( which will take time to find the right place) and they tidy up ( fold up blanket on top of sofas) take breakfast things off table put in dishwasher ( or even empty dishwasher 1st) this can take up a lot of time a good sometimes hours sometimes even 2or 3 remembering that no one in house tides at all. So that 5 bedroom to tidy 2 sitting room and kitchen, that is a lot . Tidying up after messy bugger is time consuming boring work. That is with making the beds
Think toddler mess over a large house

Are you Madonba

25 hours a week? Staggering