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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

is this normal for a cleaner?

70 replies

Starrycolors23 · 27/09/2021 11:01

I think I’ve found the most amazing woman but I need to know if this is normal and I’ve wasted many years of my life by not having a cleaner. DH thinks it’s expensive though so I want to know your opinion…

Cleaner charges £13 an hour but if she gets distracted stroking my dogs or something takes longer she will stay longer than her time and won’t take extra for it.

We have a 3 bed semi, all big bedrooms. 2 adults and 2 dogs in the house - no kids. One bedroom used as a study, the other is a guest room so barely touched.

Every week she:

  • changes our bed, washes all the sheets, irons them and returns them to cupboard
  • does any other washing I haven’t done and puts my clothes away (she asked permission first)
  • typical cleaning so always mops the floors, vacuums, dusts
  • does any washing up from food I’m eating or drinking during her time (I’m wfh)
  • she loves cooking so brings me something every week, I’ve had brownies, muffins, cheesecake
  • she cleans all the tops of my cupboards in the kitchen, all my tall ceilings etc because spiders like to hide there.

So is this typical of all cleaners? I think she is a gift.

I am in South East if that’s relevant.

OP posts:
Kuachui · 27/09/2021 11:35

My cleaner was £15 per hour and didn't do laundry so I think she sounds great

DeepaBeesKit · 27/09/2021 11:36

She sounds great. Mine is like a watered down version of this.

FatAnneTheDealer · 27/09/2021 11:36

That doesn’t sound expensive to me at all! It sounds cheap and wonderful. Keep her for sure!

Etinox · 27/09/2021 11:37

She sounds amazing! She's not in SE London by chance is she?

SweetBabyCheeses99 · 27/09/2021 11:38

She sounds great. But mostly because she works in a way that suits you. I personally wouldn’t want anyone doing laundry and washing up and I already do that myself every day.

If this were a regular job then she wouldn’t get a break if she worked for four hours, and it wouldn’t be paid anyway, so I think it’s fair that she doesn’t expect this.

WellTidy · 27/09/2021 11:41

@Starrycolors23 cleaners like this are worth their weight in gold. You’ve been lucky to find one straightaway. I’ve only ever had four cleaners in 20 years, and they’ve all been good, but my latest is absolutely amazing. As a result, I give generous gifts on birthdays and Christmas, and pay over the requested hourly rate. She does 6 hours a week here which includes ironing. I really want to keep her and I am hoping that if I treat her really well, she will continue to look after my home well too.

Nanananani · 27/09/2021 11:42

Bargain! Look after her. Mine is equally amazing but £18:50ph

rookiemere · 27/09/2021 11:44

Your DH thinks she is expensive because cynically he's not the one who was trying to pick up all the cleaning. She sounds brilliant and I'd keep her for sure.

WoodchipNightmares · 27/09/2021 11:44

She sounds brilliant

jb7445 · 27/09/2021 11:48

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 27/09/2021 11:50

That's not expensive. Same leaners will do washing up , laundry and making beds if asked. Ive done it myself in the past

marykitty · 27/09/2021 11:50

Is she doing bathrooms as well?

Tlollj · 27/09/2021 11:54

I wouldn’t want any one doing laundry. Maybe it takes four hours because the sheets have to be washed dried and ironed in that time.
What about bathrooms?

TiredButDancing · 27/09/2021 11:59

£13 seems a perfectly reasonable amount. And as your house isn't massive, for 4 hours, you're getting some extras. Which again, seems perfectly reasonable to me as long as your'e willing to pay.

Certainly, our previous cleaner did all the things you're mentioning (except food) and my house was permanently clean. I did feel she was more like a housekeeper in that she would proactively do the extras such as windows/cupboards/fridge etc and I just didn't need to think about any of it. It just happened. But, like you, we paid for her to come for more hours, every week, at a good hourly rate and we always felt we got what we paid for.

I have an agency now and they're okay, but I have to spell everything out and they only come fortnightly so there isn't really time to do the extras as the house is dirtier between visits.

Allmyarseandpeggymartin · 27/09/2021 11:59

Cleaner stealth boast!

She sounds like an angel op

Covidiom · 27/09/2021 12:09

What is her number?!

Tooembarrassingtomention · 27/09/2021 12:21

£13 is about equal to minimum wage as she doesn’t get paid for holidays etc

crj123 · 27/09/2021 12:23

JFC if you don't want her, can I employ her?

MakkaPakkas · 27/09/2021 13:23

She sounds amazing

StayAGhost · 27/09/2021 13:45

I'm guessing your DH thinks it's expensive because he thinks you should be doing it?
Does he also things "men's work" is expensive? Car servicing etc?

Goldbar · 27/09/2021 14:22

A lot of men seem to routinely undervalue what they see as "women's work" Hmm. But they don't want to do it themselves either.

TiredButDancing · 27/09/2021 14:43

@StayAGhost

I'm guessing your DH thinks it's expensive because he thinks you should be doing it? Does he also things "men's work" is expensive? Car servicing etc?
haha. Yes, this. My DH kept insisting that as he works fewer hours, he would do the cleaning and we don't need a cleaner. Except....
  1. He kept NOT doing the cleaning. So the bathrooms would go for two weeks between cleaning, bedding the same etc.
  2. He only did the big obvious jobs - bathroom (but never mopping in there!?), bedding, vacuuming etc. He honestly had no idea that the day to day cleaning of the kitchen after dinner wasn't enough. He has never wiped down a bannister/door handle/door/picture top/radiator in his life. He would do skirtings, but never thought about cobwebs in the corners. If the fridge isn't cleaned inside by me, it just gets dirtier and dirtier.

This isn't to say that he doesn't do plenty - he does. But he genuinely has no idea what is involved in actual cleaning vs day-to-day household tasks.

FWBNC · 27/09/2021 14:50

Have I missed where you've said how long she's there for?

£13ph isn't expensive, no.

I'm SE too, but if I got her in the house I might lock the door behind her & keep her!! 🤪 so best I don't get her contact details from you.

Amaya89 · 27/09/2021 15:00

I wish I could get my cleaner to do the ironing. I wash and dry everything as it needs it through the week but by Sunday my ironing pile is enormous Blush

ittakes2 · 27/09/2021 15:06

We are in the SE and pay £14 for an amazing cleaner. The most important thing is you are both happy. But to be honest I would expect more from 4hrs of work unless she is doing other ironing which eats away time. My cleaner is coming for 4 hours tomorrow and during that time she will wash dishes, tidy, vacuum 4 bed house, clean 2 bathrooms and a separate toilet, change two beds, fold 2-3 loads of washing and reorganise my fridge. So she can do this I spend time before she comes making sure the floors are clear so she can whizz the vacuum around and I strip the beds and change the bathroom bins (she changes the kitchen bins). I am home when she is whizzing around and if she finishes all that she will ask me if I have anything else.