To think £14 an hour for a cleaner is too much??

[LucieLucie]

Booked a regular 2 hour cleaning slot with a local business on the understanding it was £14 an hour and work in pairs.

Discovered today that 2 hours actually means 1 hour with 2 people.

I turned up mid clean last week to find just one person doing the cleaning - I was charged for 3 hours.

Challenged her today after coming home to a half hearted attempt at cleaning, beds not made, bins not emptied, glass & mirrors not polished, only floors mopped.

Owner went mental at me on the phone for , only questioned how I can be charged for 3 hours when I was only out for 2 hours and it was some time during this time the clean was done.

When I asked for key back she hung up.

If she'd explained her terms and conditions properly and calmly rather than acting like a loon I may have given them another chance.

AIBU? Is it really the norm to pay a cleaner £14 an hour EACH??

I will never use these dual cleaners again. I did it once and they end up kind of out nmbering you, doing not quite 2 people's work and chatting. I don't like it at all. I went back to one cleaner I hire direct and no agency which has worked well.

littlefrog you have to look after your husband? is he a toddler?

littlefrog everyone I know has a cleaner - we all work professional jobs and have young children. I want to spend my time with kids having fun at weekend not cleaning, plus I'm crap at it. Also I earn 3 times as much an hour working than we pay our cleaner so makes more sense economically for me to work than spend my time cleaning. PS our cleaner is £12 per hour, we've paid anything from £10-15.

Soooo glad I found this as I've been calling cleaning companies all day. I've found one where the price is right- what are my main things I need to ask when i meet them? And what do cleaners not do?????

The cleaner i am looking at is £11 per hour in the South Wales 'valleys' and is one on the cheap end. Was quoted by another for £20 per hour!!

Sunnysky2016 insured cleaner's won't typically do anything that requires climbing- i.e. On a ladder, they won't clean electronics (such as tv screens, computer monitors,) or oil paintings.

They don't usually tidy up, load / unload dishwasher, do laundry, change linens, that type of thing.

They shouldn't be lifting heavy items, climbing, over-reaching etc

They shouldn't do washing up (can cause nasty cuts and not a usual part of a service unless it's more of a housekeeping service than cleaning service)

They are often not covered to run appliances (unless it's a housekeeping service)

They don't usually deal with pet excrement, san pro, body fluids etc unless they are trauma cleaners with specific training and qualifications in bio-hazard cleaning (that service would cost an arm and a leg and is usually for specialist circumstances only, so best not all round really for a standard domestic clean)

You should store away valuables and fragile ornaments of any value.

Best to clear surfaces/floors as much as possible so they have access to the areas to be cleaned and will do a better job within the time booked.

By the way 'limited mobility' hence a cleaner!

I'd love a cleaner- can't get one for love nor money round here- going rate 12.50 hr
I work ft, so does husband, big commute, 2 kids in childcare, hectic weekends
It would mean more time playing in lovely calm environment not stressed about my shit hole of a house I'm trying to keep up with cleaning whilst a toddler hangs off my leg...

I first said to my husband that we needed a cleaner when I was suffering from hyoeremesis and literally couldn't move without vomiting. Then I said we needed her for the first 6 weeks after my dd was born so i could get free established and deal with the early weeks. We still have a cleaner and my daughter is 3! I love it. I hate cleaning and to have someone do the dusting, hoovering and kitchen/bathroom thoroughly is a luxury that I cannot do without!
My cleaners have all been £10-£12 an hour. I've had one cleaner do two hours and two cleaners do 1 hour and it's worked out the same.

Oh and I work 2 days a week and have my daughter 3 days and my son is at school so him after 3. I still have a cleaner as I'd rather be spending time playing with my daughter than cleaning. I still do dishwasher, laundry (and my kids are really fecking messy!) and tidying and changing beds etc etc so I just don't want to do more than that. Couldn't give a shit if I'm judged for it.

I have a cleaner once a week which is fantastic; however I spend at least 3 hours before she comes stressing and tidying up

OP, re your last post with photo, I personally don't think it's a cleaner's job to tidy, I always ensure I do that myself the day before, so she just needs to come in and concentrate on the priority which is cleaning.

Oh the whole I agree with you Rorty but I do feel it's not very labour intensive to pull the bed straight.

Also I do think the bin should be emptied. Personally I don't think that level of presentation is good enough for a professional service.

Rorty

As long as you are clear when you are hiring a cleaner then I think it's fine to ask them to do whatever it is you want them too. We are a fairly tidy family but my cleaner sometimes tidies for us too. Obviously if she has spent time tidying then I wouldn't expect her to have done a much cleaning. She also does things like watering the plants or changing light bulbs. It's never been an issue and she has worked for us for years and years.

I had a cleaning service for a while. They'd come and there was a lot of chatting as there were a few of them. They'd hammer the house but not give it any love. They were in and out leaving it cleaned but not straight.

My fab cleaner now gives that extra bit that makes it nicer to come home to. Straightens beds and plumps cushions. Empties the bins and the dishwasher. Just little touches that don't take long but adds a certain something.

I hate cleaning! I work long hours, my husband works away all week so Friday when he comes home and the house is clean as she comes in on a Friday, it's a luxury to sit down and not think that we have to spend some of the weekend cleaning instead of enjoying ourselves.

Your son should straighten his own bed! You seem to confuse a cleaner with a servant!

Your son should straighten his own bed! You seem to confuse a cleaner with a servant!

If they've agreed the cleaner will straighten the beds, there's nothing wrong with leaving then for them to do.

I try and empty bins, straighten beds and tidy up as much as possible so she doesn't waste time on those things and gets moe cleaning done but the only person who loses out if I haven't don't those things is me. My cleaner isn't offended if the house is a mess and it certainly isn't me treating her like a servant. That's what she gets paid to do and she knows how much I appreciate her hard work.

I always tidy up before my cleaner comes on the basis I pay her to clean things not move things. I think if you want someone to tidy AND clean you are moving into housekeeper territory which takes a lot more hours, is a bigger responsibility and would cost more per hour. Hotel maids can do that very easily as things go in the same place in room after room. For someone to learn where everything belongs in a private house Is a very big job and difficult if you are doing several different houses a week.

My cleaner once got a housekeeper job 4 hours a day, 5 days a week in a very big posh house She saw it as a real step up and warned all her regular clients she would probably leave them soon. In fact she hated it and resigned after 2 months. The constant stop/start of tidying bored her and she got no satisfaction from cleaning things that were not dirty as she had already cleaned them a day or two before.

busyboysmum your current cleaner is exactly the type I'm looking for and is the expectation I had in my head.

Clean & tidy is what I expected from a cleaner.

Not just clean surfaces but fail to make the place look nice.

Cleaners at any work places do bins, I thought that was basics.

And I'm still waiting for my door key back

I really don't like their presentation, it's just shoddy work. It's not like OP left things all over the floor to pick up or clutter around so they couldn't manage, it's just a few quick things that would have made all the difference!

As for the key, I would send an email over to them (so you have a record) saying you require the return of your key within 7 days (by xxxx date).

Thanks for the tips. I'm making my list for our meeting on Monday before she starts. That was really helpful thank you

Wow I pay £10 an hour to my cleaner/ironer in zone 3, not an agency though - if she finishes early I just pay her for the full amount of hours I hire her for, so i guess sometimes she gets more than £10 an hour. Didn't realise how lucky I was.