AIBU to think three hours is an hour too long?

[dyslexicbrian]

Looking to hire a cleaner to clean our 3 bed detached, with a conservatory once a week. We’ve never had a cleaner before so thought that two hours per week would be plenty. Cleaner has given a quote (she has not seen our house) and thinks that it would take a minimum of three hours. AIBU to think she’s overestimating and should at least see the place first? Also, for independent cleaners, should I expect them to hold insurance / DBS - or is that too much?

My independent cleaner was DBS checked and had references and offered them to me before I had even asked. So yes insist on that. 3 hours sounds reasonable to me for that size house.

3 hours seems reasonable. Does it include ironing?

I cannot clean my house properly in two hours, so it depends how much you want done.

I’d say it’s too much.

I find they chance their luck. When I was looking I was quoted 4 hours. My cleaner I went with quoted two hours but only does an hour! (I’m stopping it next month anyway.) in her hour she does a fair job to be honest.

I’m in a 4 bed, 2 living room, 3 toilet, 1 kitchen 1 dining room. She does the basics - dust, Hoover, bathrooms, floors, etc.

It depends on what you expect to be done. I have a 3 beds, one bath, kitchen, living room and conservatory and it takes me nearer 4 hours than 2 to clean the place to a reasonable standard. I clean, change all bedding and do some ironing and it takes me a full 5 hours whilst dc are at school/pre school.

My three bed takes 3.

Maybe time yourself cleaning all the areas you want her to do first?

We've just got a new cleaner and she guessed it'd take 2 hrs to clean/mop kitchen-diner; mop hall; hoover stairs; clean 2 bathrooms; quick dust around main bedroom, and rotational weekly clean of 3 other bedrooms. Turns out it actually takes nearer 3 hours; I'm here the whole time and she never stops, so I know she's not stretching out the jobs. Once a month she does 4 hours and tackles windows as well. She's very thorough and does it all much faster and better than I would.

I’m in a 4 bed, 2 living room, 3 toilet, 1 kitchen 1 dining room. She does the basics - dust, Hoover, bathrooms, floors, etc.

If she does that in a hour she must be speedy. I have a similar sized house and it takes four hours.

Sounds like 3 hours is about right then. No point in timing my efforts. - I’m thorough but slow.

I would very much like someone to tackle my ironing - it is my nemesis!

Generally speaking, 3 hours is a minimum. Anything less is not worth their time.

3 hours is more than reasonable and why on earth would you want them to be dbs checked unless they're looking after your children?!

3 hours here. Mine does an amazing clean every time. Never cuts corners. Last one was terrible. And more expensive, oddly.

To check that they haven’t got a sting of convictions for burglary?

I have a fairly large 3 bed and 3 hours a week is perfect.

A DBS check only means that they are checked against offences that might make them a risk to children (or vulnerable adults depending which type of check). It doesn't cover dishonesty offences.

It takes me 2-3 hours to do a 4 bed detached. That includes two bathrooms and a downstairs loo. 2 hours for a 3 bed should be plenty.

3 hours for our 3-bed (no pets) but we only have her in fortnightly. I couldn’t bear the tidying/organising for her each week.
No pets is important imo. Pets make a huge difference.

My home has 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths, but we don’t have them enter 2 of the bedrooms that are used as home offices. We have an eat-in kitchens d two sitting rooms. There is one set of stairs. It takes a team of 4 about 80 minutes to clean my house. I work from home and see them working. They are not slacking off. I could not work at the pace they work.

I take up to two hours to TIDY my house, put washing away, return 'things' to cupboards/drawers. That's what takes the time. Actually cleaning (wiping down, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, toilets) is actually a very quick job when the house is tidy. One hr max.

3 hours is right providing you keep it reasonably clean in between her visits and also presuming it is tidy to start with. Houses that need tidying first before you can start cleaning or ones with a lot of clutter, take longer. (Self employed cleaner here.)

I think 3 hours is about right for that size.

They won’t need to have a DBS check and one would cost them money so if it’s important to you that they have one then also offer to pay for it.

They should have public liability insurance. I don’t think I would take on a cleaner (or cleaning company if not self employed) unless they had this.

Im a cleaner (well, i was until baby)...id say your expecting a lot in 2 hours. I normally do a 2bed in 2 hours. I could do bigger but it would be to the standard my clients expect.

Molly maid told me 3 hours minimum but they didn’t do ironing!
We just wanted hoovering and bathrooms cleaned and that definitely didn’t take 2 hours, never mind 3.

I used to be a cleaner. Did two hours at each house. It was more than enough at one house (4 beds and tidy, with one clean dog and tidy older child). However, two hours was a real neck-break at the other two houses. One was 3 bed and had two messy boys and a budgie that seemed to be able to fling seed and millet with the projectile skills of Fatima Whitbread, and the other was a 4 bed with no pets but what I would call a normal level of mess for a family home.

So it depends how much mess there is in the first place!

I would love MN to think in sq metres or feet. My house has huge rooms, just a normal number of them.