To want these tasks completed by the cleaners?

[streamee]

Genuine question. Please let me know if I'm reasonable to expect these tasks to be completed?

I have cleaners for 3 hours every fortnight. (Team of 3 Molly maid cleaners for 1 hour. £84 a clean)

All hard floors vacuumed and mopped (kitchen, dining room, loo, bathroom and hallway)

All carpets vacuumed (this does generally get completed) Should they be doing under the sofa?

Dusting/polishing - the hallway mirror never gets cleaned, nor the TV. They should surely be doing this?

Kitchen - should they be doing behind stuff? Like behind the toaster and microwave? At the moment the kitchen gets a cursory wipe over.

I overheard one of the team saying she didn't know what to be getting on with to another member of the team while sat on my stairs on her phone... surely she should be busy during the hour I'm paying for?

Thanks

when I had cleaners, 9 hours (3h x 3 people) used to clean the whole house except my craft room, window interiors all outsides of kitchen cinboards (not cooker or cooker top) all ornaments lifted and dusted, odd bits of brass cleaned, all floors cleaned as appropriate but 3 piece not moved, two bathrooms and downstairs loo left spotless, mirrors, Tv etc cleaned, stairs and bannisters and they had time for a cuppa and I left them biscuits. They used to come every 4 weeks and I did have dogs so while the house wasn't filthy, it did need doing. If I wanted them to do something special, like move the 3 piece I would ask, but they would skip something else.

oh pS 4 bed house (big) but they only cleaned 3 as the 4th was my craft room

Jesus! My cleaner is independent. 30 pounds for a 2hr weekly clean, she does beneath/behind, in the fridge, both bathrooms, the place is spotless when she's done. Mops, hoovers, dusts, then checks for things like skirting board and window in case they need. She foes such a good job that most things are on rotation and easy to maintain between her visits.

@Plumedenom

I find nearly all cleaners do a pretty superficial job and the best thing to do is to get a cleaner to do that superficial job as regularly as you can afford. So instead of 33 hrs on one day a fortnight, I'd get 14 hrs every week using an independent. I'd then task manage that person and make a short and very specific list of what you want in your hour four. There's a reason people used to have cleaners and also a housekeeper. Most people need a boss. If there isn't one, then you're it.

I agree with this. I came to this conclusion by trial and error. We had a private small two (wom)man firm and they charged £100 plus VAT for 4 hours. They did a reasonably good job but I felt they were overcharging.

Then we had the same set up with another small firm and they charged £70, but with an extra £10 if you wanted windows cleaning. They were ok at first but then became very unreliable due to various issues, but they didn't even let us know they weren't coming 3 times.

Now, we have a cleaner who does the whole house and charges £12ph. It generally takes 5/6 hours but we always pay her more and she is reliable. I am very clear on what jobs need doing.

If one of them is playing on their phone wondering what to do then yes they absolutely have time and should be moving toasters/couches

That hourly rate is mad. I pay 39 for 3 hours in a expensive home counties location.

[quote streamee]@BitOutOfPractice didn't feel like that to me.

People are allowed big houses [/quote]
I know they are! It's fine. I just loved the attention to detail

I was just trying to show how much is done for more or less the same money

We had a similar experience with Molly Maid. I got rid after two cleans. And they may pay the cleaners well (although I find that particular claim slightly dubious given the other corners they cut), but they really have to work for their money. The poor things practically had to run through my house to try and complete the huge volume of work that the owner had decided they could manage in a very limited time period.