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.

I think the best way to work it out is to do it yourself, starting from the house being how you'd expect to leave it for her....tidy is best. I was a cleaner for ten years. The biggest house I cleaned took three hours, it was four bedrooms, but only one occupied regularly. That was a very large room, with a large ensuite (two basins, bath, toilet, bidet, separate shower. It took about an hour to clean those two rooms, then a further half hour to clean the large landing and the family bathroom, which comprised toilet bath, basin and large shower. Let's say the bathrooms were well used in between. Downstairs I had to clean the sitting room, HUGE kitchen/diner, a utility room that was bigger than my kitchen, a very large conservatory, study, and a huge hallway. The sitting room was carpeted, the rest of downstairs was laminate, that I hoovered and washed. They had a calendar in the kitchen. I always wrote the time I arrived and the time I left, she worked out how much she owed and paid me monthly. I was always thorough, cleaning skirting boards and windowsills, and if a window had marks on it (usually the kitchen) I'd clean that as well. I never took a break, and I was always exhausted when I finished, but it was worth it. I took a pride in my work. Two of her neighbours asked me if I could take on their houses, so I think she'd recommended me. She didn't clean in between. I reckon you not only need to take into account how many rooms you have, but actually how large the rooms are.. It takes me two minutes to mop my kitchen floor, it took 20 minutes to wash the client's kitchen floor!

We have a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house . Cleaner vacuums and dusts the whole house, empties bins and does basic bathroom and kitchen cleans in 2 hours. 3 hours at yours should do a superficial clean; 4 hours would mean getting round skirtings/ inside windows etc over a month or so.

My cleaner does mine weekly in less than 2 hours. Standard sized 3 bedroom house. She doesn't do the kids rooms.

Theee hours does not sound enough to me but depends on how clean you like it.

Do it yourself and see how long it takes is great advice.

My two bedroom takes 3 hours to clean fortnightly but it’s 1000 sq ft

6 bed house here but not all rooms used so does 3 beds/baths, bed changes, downstairs and 1.5 hrs ironing in 7-8 hours which I know is a lot, slow but thorough.

I think what your cleaner is asking sounds about right, but you’re within your rights to tell her how many hours you want, and she does whatever she can in the time.

You could do the cleaning yourself if you didn't spend so much time watching Jeremy Kyle.

Lol Jupiter

I don't watch Jeremy Kyle, but as I said up thread, I have SPD so am not able to do the cleaning without it causing me pain, so paying a cleaner seems the best solution.

I'm glad you found it funny lol. I think 3 hours should be more than enough time. Good luck.

Three bed detached with 2 reception rooms and we have 2 hours a week here which is enough

We have 4 bedrooms (one very large, 2 average sized and one box room) 2 bathrooms 2 receptions rooms, kitchen, hall and landing. First clean was 6 hours, subsequent cleans have been 3 hours, but we do try to keep the house tidy before the cleaner comes. Our cleaner works at a reasonable pace.

I think generally people haven’t a clue how long it takes to clean a house and have way to great an expectation of cleaners. Yes they are professionals but cleaning is time consuming and the speed is mostly dependent on the original state of the house. Moving knick knacks and working around heavy objects is time consuming.

There’s a reason the OP hasn’t attempted to clean her house in one go, it would take longer than three hours and she knows she wasn’t about that life. Op you’ve hired a cleaner, not the bloddy flash.

Ive read it all now! I think it's fairly insulting to professional cleaners, they are human and all the ones I've met take a huge pride in their work. You're expecting way too much and it's been searingly hot recently so that will slow people down even more unless you have a fully air conditioned home.
I hope you're paying them a fair wage.

Yabu - 3 hours is enough for a 3 bed house.

I'm a cleaner and I think you are asking a bit much especially as its a fortnightly clean. The 1st few cleans always take longer until the cleaner gets into a routine and gets used to where plugs are etc.

We have a 5 bedroom house and it takes our cleaner 3 hours to do two bathrooms, my office, the stairs and then the open plan kitchen, dining and living room

I really think a full day of
6 hours maybe is more reasonable.
3 hours is just a top surface rough tidy up. Mopping floors, scrubbing, changing bedding etc takes time.
And wouldnt you prefer a deep clean of the bathrooms and kitchen each time?
So if this is done weekly then it's just tidying up during the remainder of the week.

Hmm. I'm not sure why there is a need for so many insults, I have said more than once why I am not doing all the cleaning, and that I am happy to pay currently for a weekly clean. 5 hours a week is more than I. Am able to pay though. I am paying this clean a good hourly rate.

I understand the first clean takes longer, but I am wondering about a regular weekly clean. If more hours is reasonable then that is fine, the best suggestions have been to alternate rooms to fit in with the number of hours I can afford.

Yes if you can only afford 3 then stick to that and each time she comes tell her what to prioritise and what to leave.
I think you’ve had the nasty comments because you need to see the cleaners as human and low paid for the hard work - not someone who you can squeeze an unreasonable amount of work out of. Your 3 hours will be part of the 8+ hours they may be cleaning. Yes they could maybe clean your whole house in 3 but it would be exhausting for them. An hour per bedroom is a good guide for cleaning times eg 3 hours for a 3 bed, 4 hours for a 4 bed.

I have a small 3 bed and my cleaner comes for 3 hours a week £12 an hour
She does a great job, not sure if she could do another 2 bedrooms

5 bed, 3 reception house, 2 bathroom and a downstairs loo. Our cleaner manages a good job in 2.5 hours per week.

I thoroughly tidy beforehand though, and we're not really that messy. 4 people and 1 cat.

redteapot I haven't said I don't see cleaners as human. I think I'm aibu people just like to be nasty, it gives them a kick. I posted here for traffic.

Our house is effectively a four bed, as fifth doesn't need regular cleaning.

@hibble.....I didn't insult you. I just suggested that you had a crack a doing it yourself against the clock....to see what's possible and realistic. I have a cleaner myself and this is what I've done. So I confidently now know what can and cannot be done within a given timeframe. I adjust the workload on this basis.

Does your SPD stop you cleaning the house even once as a research exercise?! I've just had a fibroid resection and I can clean a house.

So that's 9 rooms op, 10 if you're wanting the Hall vacuumed/dusted. I take it you're looking for the bathrooms and kitchen to be cleaned too? I think for one person 3 hours is really ambitious tbh I'm shocked your last cleaner managed.

I'm in a 4 bed with three bathrooms and 2 toilets and I couldn't clean it myself in 3 hours. It takes me an hour just to clean the kitchen and mop downstairs!