Cleaner etiquette

[proseccoaficionado]

Hi everyone,

We've recently discussed with a cleaner and she'll do her first clean in a few days (wohoo!). We never had a cleaner before, but we decided we'll have ours over twice a month.

How am I supposed to prep the house for her? It will obviously be tidy, no objects randomly lying around, no dishes, etc. I wonder if she'll do the beds herself or if I need to change them before.

What else do we need to do? Any tips?

Cleaners will usually do anything you expect. My advice would be to be clear what you want doing (I leave lists) but also be clear that you'd appreciate feedback to ensure you're not asking too much in the time allocated. I leave a list with "if you've got time" bits at the end

@Georgiemcgeorgeface Could you please help me with an example of your list?

How big is your home and how many hours does it take?

Also, is it rude to ask for the fridge/oven to be cleaned?

I usually do some pre cleaning prep around the house. So my place will be tidy with nothing lying around, my bins will be emptied, and the beds done.
This is so she's free to get on with the cleaning. It's also a respect thing, as I don't want to make her job harder.
Good luck! It's nice to come home to a clean and fresh smelling home

I have them come once a fortnight and it's a small 2 bed house. My list is:
Sweep and mop kitchen floor
Clean kitchen surfaces
Dust living room
Hoover living room
Hoover stairs and bedrooms
Clean bathroom ( which is sink shower bath loo and floor)

I'd expect oven and fridge to be 'extras' so I'd drop something off he usual list for those. I ensure it's tidy and beds are made but on occasions when I've left the beds they've done that for me anyway even if it's not on the list. Mine are really good they do other stuff if they've time leftover but I've had previous cleaners who do the bare minimum and weren't doing their full hours.

They won't clean the oven, that's a specialist job because of the chemicals involved. Seems daft, I know. They'll clean the fridge if you ask them to but it will be at the expense of something else probably.

@Dieu I was actually wondering about the beds, thank you!

Yes, I want her to feel respected and valued for her work, definitely.

Can't wait to come home to a clean house!❤️

@Georgiemcgeorgeface that's amazing thank you! We also have a small 2 bed house!

I think the fridge would be a one off task, not a weekly one. I try and tidy up beforehand.

Mine don't change the beds so I think you would have to ask for that to be done.

Mine do the following:
Hoover kids rooms / wipe round kids bathroom
Hoover stairs
Hoover sitting room / plump sofa / dust
Dust our bedroom / hoover / our bathroom
Dust hall table
Wipe all kitchen surfaces
Mop all of downstairs

If they have time they will do windows or something. And they always ask is there anything I want done.

Oh, and mine cleans the bathroom and kitchen (inc hob), hoovers and mops the floors, and polishes.
It's not rude to ask them to do the oven, but you should allow extra time if you want it done in addition to the regular stuff. And give some advance warning so they can bring the appropriate cleaning equipment next time. I maybe wouldn't ask her to do that on her first visit though! Let her familiarise herself with the house, and getting that done, first.

I was thinking (please tell me if I'm crazy)
Dust everywhere- one living room, 2 bedrooms
Cleaning the bathroom
Cleaning the kitchen
Windows (we decided she'll do them this first time)
Hoover
Mop

She said she usually needs 4-5 hours (price per clean not per hour)

Does this sound okay?

We didn't yet discuss the products (if mine or hers). Is it normal for them to come with their own and only use hoover+ mop?

Four to five hours??? Each time??? We have a big five bedroom house and only get three hours per week.

Mine come with their own cleaning products and cloths, and use my mop and hoover.
I hope she's charging enough if she intends to stay 4 hours, for your size of place! It seems like an awfully long time.

My cleaner has turned into my man Friday. She takes my kids to school and babysits!! I love her to bits!!

4-5 hours to do what you've listed above? She's taking the piss! I'm a cleaner and unless I was doing a deep clean I'd be looking at 2.5 hours once I'd got into a routine to do that!

@hopeishere 4-5 hours once every 2 weeks.

We jus leave everything tidy for our cleaner to get on with it. So surface clear of junk and toys tidy. She changes our bed every week and then extra jobs might be to clean the fridge, the oven or the kitchen windows. She will also do ironing.

I will say if the extra jobs they are never as good as doing it yourself. So the fridge with be wiped but if I do it all the shelves and drawers will be taken out and cleaned thoroughly so it does for a little too up in between the deep cleans

4-5 hours for that in a 2 bed seems like loads of time, if the windows aren’t a weekly job. Mine manages most of that (not windows or dusting) plus changing at least 1 double bed, in a 4 bed, in 2 hours!

But she's not charging by the hour, so I can't see how she's taking the piss.

@Moondancer73 it will definitely be a deep clean the first time. She charges €70 per clean (not in the UK)

@Dieu exactly!

We have a large 5 bed house too and have 4 hours a week cleaning - seems massive overkill for a 2 bed but if she charges per clean rather than per hour, maybe it works? How much is she charging?

@WoollyFoolly €70/clean. Not in the uk

I'm a cleaner so here is my take on it.

Clients - 2 x pensioners, very tidy two bed flat with two shower only bathrooms. In a usual two hour visit I clean both bathrooms, the kitchen worktops (strip and clean, wipe everything on the tops), cupboard fronts, wipe down bin and fridge. Dust the front room and their bedroom. Once a fortnight I change their bed and we leave the dusting apart from coffe and side tables and the dining table. Every couple of months I will do the fridge or oven leaving an an hour so to quickly wipe bathrooms and run the hoover round.

Two adults two teenagers, again two hours - Kitchen usually more messy. I will unload DW and reload. Strip kitchen worktops and wipe down everything & cupboard fronts. Two shower only bathrooms. Dust dining room. Hoover the large kitchen and dining, hoover living room & 3 bedrooms. Mop the K & DR.

My other client I am there 3 times a week for 3 hours each. She does me a list as it is a larger country life house, dogs, horses etc so takes a lot longer to get through things.

I am very flexible and helpful and pretty much happy to do anything as long as the time is balanced. I'm really really looking forward to wrapping all her Christmas presents and doing her Christmas tree this year

I am happy to do inside beds, windows, fridges, ovens etc but they have to realise this all takes time away from cleaning so something has to give

Ah, cross-posted. €70 per clean seems massively expensive to me for a 2-bed but it does depend on what a standard rate would be where you are. We pay £12.50 an hour so £50 a week for a 5 bed house.