Don’t know how to employ a cleaner

[Itwasntme1]

So finally contacted a cleaning company to arrange a cleaner.

I described my house size and said I wanted a deep clean first (three hours), then an hour of cleaning a week.

Response was they would come to my house and tell me what I needed. Said usually takes three hours a week to clean a house.

I’m a little concerned, my friends with bigger houses, kids etc get a clean done every other week. I would be prepared to ask for two hours every other week, but three hours a week seems a bit to much. And would cost £180 a month which is too much for me to spend on cleaning.

So advice needed! Am I being unrealistic?

I have a cleaner for an hour a week.

I'm aware that for some cleaners it wouldn't be worth their while, but it's what I need, so I kept looking until I found someone for whom it was suitable. She has other clients nearby, so does us all in one trip.

I would expect any cleaner or agency to come round and take a look at your house and discussing your expectations before taking on any job. Only when they’ve done that with you will you and they know what to expect.

My mums cleaner does two hours a fortnight - kitchen, main bathroom and then alternates dusting/hoovering etc in different zones around the house. Works for my mum.

Re: products mine gave me a list, so you can always ask!

I found my cleaner on a local FB group and she's great. I only pay £12 an hour. You can probably find a cheaper one if you don't use an agency. I have a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house and have 4 hours fortnightly. So less than £100 a month and she really does a fantastic job. It does help having the place properly cleaned a couple of times a month and me doing quick cleans in between.
I think you need 3 hours fortnightly so maybe find someone cheaper. Most cleaners won't clean for just an hour.

I made a mistake the first time I hired a cleaner in agreeing a price for the whole house. The first time she did it it took more than 4 hours and the price was therefore reasonable. In time she was rushing through, doing a half-arsed job just to get out as quick as possible and finishing in just over 2 hours. The price I was paying for 2 hours cleaning was extortionate so I sacked her and was sure to pay by the hour with the new one.

Oh and mine brings her own vacuum, mop, cloths and products.

*Lots and lots of people make the mistake of being too 'grateful' - bending over backwards etc and you can't go back from the that so don't start.

It's true that good cleaners are like gold dust, and it's also true that many cleaners are mediocre, at best*

Pay a better rate then you won't end up with a crap cleaner. Or maybe you're ok with getting a vulnerable foreign woman to clean your house for a pittance?

Cleaning is hard work (physically) and a lot of people who get cleaners have never cleaned themselves so they're very unrealistic about what can be achieved in a certain time frame.

All my cleaners have brought their own stuff. It's far easier.

If you only want an hour, you are prob better looking for a self-employed cleaner on Facebook or a personal recommendation. Even then, the cleaner may tell youthat what you want, can't be done in an hour.

It is cheaper not to use an agency/cleaning company.

However with a first visit from any cleaner, they size up your house and tell you what they think is realistic.

You might do better to find an independent self employed cleaner who will tailor what they do to what you want as opposed to a cleaning company who will do things their way and possibly send a different person each week.

We have a cleaner who comes for 3 hours every fortnight, she is fab! Our house is 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a WC. We have kids and pets. Both of us work full time and have health conditions. The aim is to take the pressure off us, not for that to be all the cleaning that ever gets done.
In the time she is here she dusts, vacuums, mops floors, cleans the bathrooms etc. All the basics really. Obviously we have to clean ourselves in between visits, but we know that every couple of weeks she will make the place all shiny again in a way that we never can (if we could afford it she could come every day!)

I'd suggest those things could be done in your house in a couple of hours. How often is up to you. Decide what you want done and ask them to visit and assess how long it will take. Don't let them tell you anything ridiculous though; you know how long it takes to clean your house and how much you want to spend. Maybe get another agency in too. Be aware that some will send a different person every visit, which isn't great as they don't get to know your house and what you want. It's better to have the same person come each time if you can

My stepdaughter is a cleaner for me, and also runs a small company managing domestic cleaners.

She does 3-4 hours a week, have a 4 bed house but only the 2 of us.... but what she does do is all the stuff you forget, high dusting, balustrades, tiles, skirtings etc. Every week she ‘bottoms’ a room, so on rotation each room gets a deep clean every few weeks. She has a strict rota, I can’t pretend to understand it, but I would eat off any of my surfaces!

We provide materials but only because I want to use Eco-products.

As I love her dearly, I pay 5 weeks holiday pay, though I don’t think this is normal. She takes care of her own tax etc.

Hope that helps.

Could you ask the neighbour , who you said has a cleaner come for an hour per week ? Would probably suit the cleaner very well to do both houses at the same time .

Cleaner here. I personally won't take on hourly jobs as it takes space where I could fit in a two hour job and it's not worth my time but I have a lot of every other week.

Don't worry if your house is a little dated, oven dirty etc we/ I don't judge, but I don't oven clean either. Buy a mop, don't have your poor cleaner on her hands and knees like one of my clients used to
I get a lot of jobs through word of mouth so I've always been given a key no problems, people know me so know I'm trustworthy.

And just to add I have never been given holiday pay in ten years!

*Lots and lots of people make the mistake of being too 'grateful' - bending over backwards etc and you can't go back from the that so don't start.

It's true that good cleaners are like gold dust, and it's also true that many cleaners are mediocre, at best*

Where are these people

I'd not go down the agency route.
If I needed a cleaner I'd be asking around locally and checking out Facebook/Gumtree type sites.
My friend's cleaner is her friends DD who had a free morning a week while her little one was in playschool and happily went round for an hour a week.
I'd definitely ask around.

We used to have a cleaner for 2 hours once a fortnight (2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom).

It was enough, and the cleaner was happy to come at that frequency. helped us keep on top of things, we varied some of the smaller tasks depending on what needed doing.

Get what you can afford!

We had a small baby and worked long hours but made lots of mess. We had two hours a week and the house was immaculate (3 bedrooms and one bathroom). Now I have to do it all on a Saturday morning and how much I miss them!! Even once a fortnight means no cleaning that weekend. Well worth it. Ask your neighbour if they have a cleaner (you know they do!) and use them. That cleaner will be much more productive if she has two houses side by side and less likely to swap and change the hours.

So house is cleared and lady is coming tomorrow for deep clean. She is telling me how long it will take, but I don’t think I will go for more than five hours.

I have cleared everything into the small bedroom and will declare it a no go area. House is relatively new, and is now clutter free. I think four to five hours should bring it up to a good standard. Two bedrooms need cleaned, en-suite, bathroom (never used), wc, living room, kitchen and dining room. Biggest job will be windows and blinds (although only sox blinds).

Once that it is done, I will see about a regular clean. I still think two hours a fortnight is my max.

Feeling nervous for some reason😬

Just enjoy it

An agency takes a massive cut of pay, will be much much cheaper to find a cleaner yourself and pay them direct.

Work out what you want to spend and pay that but don’t expect then to be able to get whole house spotless in a couple of hrs - if that was possible my place would look very different!

Work out your priorities and tell them what you want. A deep clean but just kitchen and bathroom and floors? Or lots of tidying up?