To get a cleaner to give the house a good clean once a week or once a fortnight?

[BunnytheFriendlyDragon]

I've never had a cleaner but struggle to get everything done so I am wondering whether it would be worthwhile to get a cleaner in once a week or once a fortnight to give everything a good clean,

May I ask how often you have your cleaner in?
What do they do?
What does it cost?

Oh. And she does 4 hours each week. At £12.50 an hour.

Best best thing I ever did. I had to get my husband onto it. Took over a year. But then I got really sick and we needed it.

She’s also my best friend xx

How does it work if you have a dog? Does the dog need to be out of the house when the cleaner is in?

My cats retreat to the garden and glare at her....

Some dogs are fine when I’m in, they just snooze on their beds or stay with their owner. Other dogs need to be kept in one room otherwise they steal my cloths and try and kill my Hoover

4 hours a week for £60. She doesn't do the kids rooms (kids don't want her to) or dh's office but we have a large house with 3 full bathrooms plus downstairs loo, and a bigger than average kitchen. She mops and hoovers throughout.

2.5hrs every fortnight, £30. I'd call it a 'maintenance clean' just keeps things ticking over and I'll sometimes do deeper cleaning where it's needed. She also changes sheets on 2 beds. I found it really helpful to get my partner to actually tidy up without me having to nag him to do individual bits. I just say it's cleaning day tomorrow and he knows that he has no choice but to pitch in to get it tidy before the next morning.

£10 an hour, 3 hours every fortnight. She cleans through - bathrooms, kitchens, dusts. We have 4 double rooms, 4 bathrooms, 5 other reception rooms Inc playroom etc. Plus kitchen.
When she doesn't come I feel berift.
The best bit is when she comes when we're on holiday and I come back to a clean house.
She doesn't do bedding but would if I asked, but we'd miss out on other stuff.
I could do with someone coming in to help me tidy and declutter too. I cannot be arsed.

All working women should have a cleaner if they can afford one.

Imo it works better to do a weekly clean and keep on top of everything than deep cleaning every 2 weeks.

Otherwise dust, laundry builds up.

In fact, if I’m honest I have a cleaner twice a week 5 hours each time, but it’s a big house.

@TatianaBis

All working women should have a cleaner if they can afford one.

Imo it works better to do a weekly clean and keep on top of everything than deep cleaning every 2 weeks.

Otherwise dust, laundry builds up.

I think most people would do their own laundry, it isn't generally the job of a cleaner. Putting things in the washing machine and drying them is not arduous and ironing can go to an ironing shop.

Other than that I agree with you, everyone should have a cleaner if they can afford it. Fortnightly was sufficient for me (and what I could afford), I don't care about a bit of dust. If I had one now it might be weekly though, being on my own, there is less mess.

I hate housework.

An ironing shop sounds inconvenient. It’s much easier to pay the cleaner to do the ironing.

I used an ironing shop before the pandemic. They picked up the ironing and then brought it back the next day. It was very expensive. Sometimes £100 a week. In lockdown I realised that the only thing that actually needs ironing is DS's school trousers. Everything else is good enough if hung on hangers to dry (I WFH exclusively now and DH works in a job which does not require ironed clothes). Have saved a lot of money (DH does the school trousers, I cannot iron to save my life).

Our cleaner does ironing too. It is brilliant - I make sure that I keep on top of the laundry so that whatever needs ironing ios ready for the day she comes. She folds or hangs it all, and I just take it upstairs. Works out much cheaper and more convenient than an ironing service, but not all cleaners are willing to do ironing.

Easier to pay your cleaner to do it, yes. But not all cleaners offer ironing too.
A couple of doors down from me is a woman who runs her own ironing company, so I drop it on her doorstep and she drops it back when she’s done. Only really iron work shirts etc though so due to the fucking everlasting working from home we haven’t needed it for a very long time.

I don't iron very much to be honest and DH does his own!

Do they do washing up?

I do if I’m doing the kitchen because I’m not leaving a spotless kitchen with a pile of scruddy dishes I’d rather not do them though- they take up quite a chunk of time.

4 hours per fortnight. 60 quid. Thinking of upping it to weekly because we love it so much. I don’t get them to change beds or do laundry/ironing. I do the washing and change our beds and we take the ironing to a wee local shop. I love that too. All returned wrapped in tissue. Night before the cleaners come my husband abd I run about tidying up so not only is the house lovely and clean. It’s tidy too x

@BunnytheFriendlyDragon

Do they do washing up?

I tried to always clear the kitchen, but if I hadn’t managed it, my cleaner would unload and reload the dishwasher. Some things would end up put away in the wrong places then though

Do it!
It’s called delegating a household task whilst managing the house
Nothing wrong with it and everything right

@BunnytheFriendlyDragon

Do they do washing up?

Yes they do, I sometimes left washing up when I went to work (not great piles of it), and the cleaner washed it. That was before we had a dishwasher.

I'm definitely sold on getting a cleaner. I mentioned to a friend who is thinking of setting up a cleaning business and she said she'd clean for us whether she does that or not, I said I'd pay the going rate, but since thinking that would be awkward?!

If she was here for say 2 hours paid to clean and we were doing our on thing while she cleaned but if we were paying her then we'd expect her to clean!

I'd trust her to do a good job but just think it might affect the friendship!

Maybe this is a new thread

3 hours a week, £35.

She's fab and I love her. She has been with us about 7 years and is super reliable, trust her implicitly and she doesn't need to be told what to do, she just gets on with it.

Yorkshire, £15 an hour
3 hours every other week. They absolutely blitz the house! I think I have tided before they come but they make it “hotel” standard!
Best money we spend on anything. Please do it!

Weekly, four hours for £50. Does the whole house (4 bed, 2 bath)