Those of you who have a cleaner - How long does yours take?!

[WinterAx]

I’ve recently moved house and have been searching for a new cleaner in the area. I have a 4 bed three storey house (3 double bedrooms, 1 single) including a small office, large kitchen, main bathroom, en suite and a small downstairs toilet. The house is totally clutter free and very minimalistic. Three of the bedrooms upstairs are practically empty as one is just built in wardrobes, the other an ironing room and the other I use for yoga. Cleaner says it’ll take 4 hours per week for a basic clean.

Am I being unreasonable in thinking this is too long?! Nosily hoping to find out how long yours takes and what sized property you have!

[MsJuniper]

All the cleaners round here want 3 hrs a week as a minimum. I guess most of us wouldn’t want to go and do a shift somewhere for a shorter time. In my old house I used to have a cleaner who did 3 hrs per fortnight which was fine for me.

I found my current cleaner via a facebook page for the local community. She was recommended by someone who lives a couple of streets away.

[IHATEPeppaPig]

I have a 4 bed house - all bedrooms used, 2 bathrooms and downstairs loo, large kitchen and large living room. My cleaner does this all in 2 hours and does an excellent job.

4 hours seems ridiculous considering not all the rooms are even used.

[MountainDweller]

Similar house to yours but more cluttered. Cleaner does 3 hours a week, sometimes she gets round faster but I always pay her for 3. She is fabulous and will always asses the state of the house and spend more time where it’s needed.

[DropZoneOne]

I have a small 3 bedroom house with kitchen/diner and lounge. One bathroom.

Cleaner comes for 2 hours and she's pretty thorough.

I'd say you only want 3 hours but explain you only need X rooms doing weekly and the unused rooms on rotation.

Time yourself doing it to see what's realistic. Bathrooms and kitchens take longest IMO as do surfaces that need clearing - I hide away my make up so my counter top is clear and put it all back afterwards.

[SmiledWithTheRisingSun]

Ours does 2 hours in a 2 bed flat. So sounds about right to me!

[GraciesMansion]

Ours is half the size of yours and takes 2 hours so 4 hours sounds about right.

[DontbeaDickaboutit]

3 bed semi - 2 hours a week. Everything’s cleaned including skirting boards, light fittings, behind doors etc - I love her!!

[Elphame]

5 hours for a large 6 bed house with 4 bathrooms. Only 2 of us here though so we don't make much mess.

[BuntyCollocks]

Large 4 bed, 2 ensuites, bathroom, wc, playroom, living room, utility and large kitchen diner. 2.5 hours and half an hour for my ironing.

[southeastastra]

do a time in motion study so you can show her how long it take you to do your house. perhaps you miss bits

[RefuseTheLies]

Large four bed with three bathrooms. Cleaner does 2.5 hours top to bottom and a little ironing too. She's great.

[MrTrebus]

This is interesting as we've just moved and I'm looking into a cleaner but I don't know where to start. Do you all use big companies or word of mouth or a cleaner you met down the pub? How does it work?!

[Crumbs1]

We have two cleaners for four hours twice a week now. They do the basics of keeping the house reasonably clean but we do day to day stuff. They do lavatories and bathrooms, kitchen and dust, hoover mop both visits. On top of that they give bedrooms that have been used a going over, do the dining room once a month or so, windows as necessary and other jobs by rotation.

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

When we had a house that size we paid for 4 hours but it included ironing and changing one bed.

[orecchietti]

The thing is, assuming your Hoover works well, it actually takes much the same amount of time to hoover a used room and an unused room. So if you don't want to pay her for the 4 hours it would take her to hoover the rooms whether they're used or not, why not make it such that weekly she only does the rooms you use frequently, and then say once a month you pay for the extra hour and she does the whole house?

[seesensepeople]

My house is same size as yours, we started with 4 hours but then it got to her using initiative with silly things to fill the time like taking the wine glasses off the shelf and polishing them all (not necessary they are used very regularly :))
So we moved to 3 hours and I put the bedrooms on a rota basis. This seems to work well.

[Beek84]

Ours is 4 bed, three bathroom. 2 hours a week and she does the whole house every time.

[WinterAx]

This is interesting as I always had 2.5 - 3hrs in mind initially. When I asked if 3 hours was feasible she wasn’t keen... as there is only one ‘lived in’ bedrooms I really don’t see how they’d take that long.

[BackforGood]

2 hours a week my cleaner does 2 of our bedrooms (usually pretty messy so she tidies first) and one we use as a study so just empties bin and vacuums; a largish kitchen/diner; a lounge; a dining room; 2 bathrooms; downstairs toilet; 2x stairs, 2 x landings and 1 hallway; this takes her about 1hr and 1/4. After that she does another job, which is different each week.

[CMOTDibbler]

5 bed house, takes 3 hours. I luffs my cleaner and she's been with us 7 years

[AccrualIntentions]

Similar size house to yours, a basic all over clean takes 3 hours. No ironing.

[Bodicea]

Ours does 2 hours a week.
Upstairs ( 4 beds two bathrooms) one week.
Downstairs the next week.
Works for us as I only have to get one floor tidy the night before.

[caperberries]

Mine takes 2.5 - 3 hours and she really does a very good job - 5 beds, 3 large receptions, large kitchen, utility and 4 bathrooms.

That said, I pay her a flat rate, rather than an hourly rate so she isn't motivated to drag her heels!