To expect my cleaner to manage more than this...

[pamplem0usse]

£10 /hr in two hours she's managed the following in an average sized 3 bed 1930a house: cleaned the bathroom, hoovered three beds, stairs and landing, swept and mopped the kitchen floor. I'd tidied in advance so it wasn't like she had to move anything. And we're not slatterns!!
She's been cleaning for us for a while but DH usually sorts. Now I'm on maternity leave......

Mine does that in three hours... whatever shall we do??

Sounds pretty average to me. Why don't you do all that and time how long it takes you? See if there's much of a difference.

I think that sounds reasonable but I agree with Starry: do the same jobs, a t a reasonable speed and see how long it takes you.

Then you will be able to make a decision about whether she is too slow or not.

Work expands to fit the time allocated ;) Perhaps just give her a few more tasks next time and see what happens?

My cleaner doesn't manage much more, but she does it so much better than I do, her hoovering skills are just at another level, and she can use bleach without spilling it on her clothes or the carpet, unlike me.

I would want the kitchen sides to be wiped down tbh but I don't have a cleaner so no idea if that would be a reasonable expectation.

I'd reckon on three hours for a three bed to be completely dusted, hoovered, kitchen and bathroom cleaned and floors mopped. Is she just doing two hours or is she staying until she's finished? She might manage the rest in an hour?

Mine do more, clean kitchen etc.

Depends on how thoroughly bathroom is cleaned. If you do it properly it takes ages! I think sounds reasonable.

The most time consuming bit on that list would be cleaning the bathroom, and if it's getting cleaned weekly then it shouldn't be particularly manky. Hoovering - 10 -15 mins tops? Sweeping and mopping kitchen floor - 10mins unless you have a vast kitchen?

Yeah, I think she's pretty slow tbh. Does she not clean the kitchen itself?

Sounds about right. Did she do a good job? You can get faster cleaners, but details can be overlooked.

How long does it take you, for the same standard of work? Or your partner? That would be your benchmark.

Have you given her anything else to do, or is she working slowly so that the jobs fit the time she's paid for?

Just give her more jobs to do.

But remember - this is mumsnet; YABU for having a cleaner at all.

But remember - this is mumsnet; YABU for having a cleaner at all.

Margot - hoovering 3 beds, stairs and landing - 10-15mins. Are you kidding ? At least double that. And that's excluding the time to get the hoover out of the cupboard, pulling out the cord, winding it back it and put in back in the cupboard. Its easy to say mopping a floor will take 10mins, but its the preparation and tidying up time that can take at least as long to achieve as the task itself.

OP - I think you cleaner is a little on the slow side, depending on the thoroughness of her work. Give her one smallish extra next time and see how it goes. FWIW I dropped our cleaner when I was on ML - someone else doing the housework irritated me when I was in the house at the same time.

Ours is £14.50 an hour!

Why don't you do it yourself. You're at home on maternity leave and you have a cleaner??

Mine does 2 hours a week, cleans the kitchen and all other rooms, hoovers and mops. Your cleaner is either slow or very thorough.

Wow - you sound like a nightmare. If you are on mat leave, why not do some hoovering yourself and save a bit of cash?

I paid £10 an hour and the English very hard working cleaner cleaned, 4 beds, only stairs had carpets, so that was mopping floors, and cleaned 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms, tiny kitchen.... 3.5 hours.

The polish cleaner also moved furniture and made beds in 3 hours.

Sounds OK ish to me, mine does 2 1/2 hours, same size house, and in that time she hovers upstairs and down (no carpet down though) cleans the bathroom, mops the floors and dusts, and leaves my kitchen sparkling, but we pick up all the crap before she comes, so she is just cleaning and can whip though without obstacle.

And fuck being on maternity and cleaning yourself, enjoy it!! Maybe go out when she's there!

Don't give up your cleaner, you'll never get another if you do.

I was very thorough but I got more done then that and it was a bigger house.
It does sound a bit slow.

I'd also expect dusting and to wipe kitchen counters in that time (as that's what I'd mange in that time).

*when I did a cleaning job for a bit