To expect a 5 bed to be cleaned in 3 hours?

[hibbledibble]

Genuinely not sure if this is reasonable or not.

The last cleaner managed this as a fortnightly clean, but I let her go as she was damaging a lot of things.

It's a small 5 bed (130-140m2), with 2 bathrooms. One bedroom is a guest room and tiny (and doesn't need cleaning regularly)

A new cleaner came and only managed the lounge, kitchen, one bathroom and 2 bedrooms in 4 hours. I understand the first clean can take longer, but she said she would want 5 hours a week for our house.

That's out of our budget price wise so wondering on opinions. I'm not expecting a deep clean, mainly just floors and kitchen/bathrooms.

My cleaner is quick and does our 4 bed town house in 3 hours minus both bathrooms. That's without moving big furniture, though.

We have a largish 4 bed, 3 bathroom house and a cleaner that does a surface clean of the whole house in 2.5 hours pw. We've had several over the years and all have managed it (no furniture moved, windows cleaned or 'deep dusting' tho).

Interesting range of replies. For those who think 3 hours is not enough (I was thinking weekly now actually), how long would you say is enough?

I'm not expecting a deep clean. Everything was tidied in readiness for the cleaner.

Deffo another one who thinks you should sack her. Either that or follow her around with a whip.

I would settle for the hours you can afford, but recognise that she cannot do it all in that time and will have to start at the other end of the house next time!

I used to have someone who would come in for 3 hours one morning and clean the downstairs and put the laundry through and out to dry. The next morning she would do another 3 hours and do the ironing and clean upstairs. Similar sized house to yours.

So....I think that 5 hours is a reasonable request. If you can't afford that then maybe try suggestion above.

Doesn't sound like long enough to me.

I couldn't clean a 5 bed house top to bottom in 3 hours, could you?

YABU. We have 3 beds, 1 bath and it's 4 hours weekly.

You are being v unrealistic.

I can't do my own cleaning in 3 hours. Wouldn't bother with a cleaner unless they were going to do more than superficial - pushing round the hoover and flicking the duster is no effort if a bit time consuming. Moving the furniture and tidying up the clutter is what properly cleans my house (oh and cleaning bath and shower, changing beds, windows inside and out, kitchen units and hob and extractor etc etc) and that takes family team effort or 2 person professional team for probably more than 3 hours but fortnightly would be enough.

I have 5 beds, 4 baths, 1 loo, 3 receptions, large kitchen and 2 staircases. My lovely lady takes 5 hours every week and still needs to alternate. It’s a large place though and she is very thorough. Doing a proper job takes time, no point having someone if they don’t do a proper job. I used to clean and chambermaid myself and I have high standards.

@hibbledibble.....if you're unsure whether it's a realistic expectation of a cleaner, roll up your sleeves, do it to the standard that you are satisfied with and see how long it takes you on the stop clock. Without seeing it, we've no idea what your place is like. If there's loads of clutter and tidying up to be done, this makes cleaning a home lengthier than normal. If you are able-bodied and capable and can't do it within the time frame, then why would you expect someone else to?

Our 5 bed 2 bath 1 loo is cleaned in 3 hours - hoover, mop, dust, polish, mirrors and extra job every week such as oven/windows/dust skirtings. Kitchen is large and this gets a thorough clean

It’s not unreasonable but depends on cleaner as our previous one couldn’t finish in 4 hours and declared it was a min 5 hr job. I do tidy before she comes

Thinking of getting another cleaner now, I would be interested in what it costs now. I'm in NE.

I'm in the NE. We have a large 4 bed with 3 bathrooms and 3 receptions and our cleaners take 4 hours a week (2 cleaners x 2h) and that costs us £46pw. They don't usually clean 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom but the rest of the house is done every week and they change and wash our bedsheets as well. We tidy for them but they do any washing up that is left in the morning. They'll also do extra jobs like washing the windows or cleaning the fridge in addition to their standard job. They are fab!

I have a similar floor area, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms plus downstairs loo. My cleaner does everything in 3 hours comfortably including washing all floors (hard floors everywhere). It did take her a couple of weeks to get to know the house. I tidy first but we have quite a lot of stuff. She is amazing and super-fast though. Her predecessor did about half the work in the same amount of time.

Surely you need your house cleaning every week? Or do you do it yourself alternate weeks? My house is a lot smaller but if I was paying a cleaner I'd say 2-3 hours each week rather than 5 hours a fortnight.

Our cleaner cleans three bathrooms, one cloakroom, hoover all floors excl three bedrooms, Surfaces in kitchen if time and mop all downstairs floors. This takes two hours every week. If I wanted her to dust all surfaces and hoover other bedrooms then I would expect her to take four hrs every week.

Mine is in for six hours a week. We have 5 beds, three bathrooms, downstairs loo and three receptions and kitchen. She does the floors in the three receptions, downstairs loo and kitchen, plus the hall, vacuums, then mops. Does sinks and sides in kitchen, the downstairs loo gets cleaned. She dusts.

Rinse and repeat upstairs in two of the bathrooms, and two of the bedrooms. Ds has to do his own. She also irons 5 work shirts for dh. She does the stairs as well.

She probably could be quicker, but she is honest, irons well, and cleans round my clutter. She's been working for us for 14 years.

Whenever we have had a new cleaner it always takes them longer to start with until they're used to our home. Now my current cleaner (who, I must add, is amazing) does our 4 bed, 3 bath house in 2 hours...BUT there are some things she doesn't do as she doesn't have time to do like taking the bin out and she doesn't clean my bin room/big under stars cupboard nor does she do the utility room. So actually I think your cleaner is about right.

How long does it take you to clean to the standard you are expecting her to clean?

I’m in ne. 3 beds workroom two bathrooms ensuite. Kitchen utility. Lounge. Only two of us cleaner does 2 hours a week kitchen every week and alternates other rooms unless I ask her. No way could anyone do ours in two hours totally.

Book her for three hours and then just prioritise what she does, eg kitchen living bathroom plus one bedroom then alternate

We have 5 beds, three bathrooms + loo and three reception rooms. We have a cleaner 3 hours a week and she does plenty in that time. Not everything gets done every week (e.g. window sills) but unless the house is a complete state that seems enough. She does some ironing in there too (just work shirts).

Interested to see how long it would take you to do it.

I don't do the whole house in one go myself, so I have no idea. I expect a professional cleaner would be faster than me anyway.

Right now I'm pregnant with SPD so trying to clean is causing me pain which is why I'm looking for help again. I'm just asking to guage what is reasonable with regards to expectations.

We have a five bed/3.5 bath and ours do four hours fortnightly but don't do the top floor (two beds and one bathroom), they need another hour for that so five. It's about 2,000sq ft total.

I have a one bedroom flat, and I have a cleaner who comes in for two hours once a fortnight. I would say five hours would be reasonable for a big house. If you can't afford it, you maybe should accept that and you/your DH do some of it yourself? I can only afford a cleaner once a fortnight, so I do bits and pieces myself during the other week. Being able to outsource absolutely everything so you don't have to lift a finger is always going to be more expensive.