To think 3 hours isn’t a long time to clean 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.

[user1488481370]

I am a self employed cleaner with my own business and a couple of employees. We recently took on a B&B, it was agreed that we would charge the owner an hourly rate. There are usually one night stays through the week and 2 night stays during the weekend so we’re there quite a lot throughout the week.

This morning the owner has contacted me to say she isn’t happy about the time it’s taking for us to do the rooms. I’ve done most of the cleans myself and one of my employees did the others.

The B&B has 5 rooms, total capacity of 10 guests max. The beds are king sized beds but can be split into twins if needed. Each has its own en suite/private bathroom. So we strip beds, make beds, dust and polish, clean all glass and buff chrome, clean toilets, baths/showers/sinks, hoover and mop bathroom floors and hoover bedroom floors, wash used cups, refill tea and coffee tray and deal with all laundry for the laundry company. Every so often we’ll do the windows and skirting boards and under furniture.

I don’t think 3 hours is at all excessive but she says that her old cleaner did it in 2.

This is why you should never just use the cups in hotel rooms without washing them again ... very thoroughly. You don't even want to know what they dry them with.
20-25 minutes per ensuite is doable but is it worth it to you? There are easier ways to earn money cleaning.

It is doable but that is why you wash cups and glasses again before using them. And it is why hotel rooms are designed to be easy to clean.

She should get her old cleaner back.

And the reason she can't is the reason it that takes you three hours not two.

Used to work at a big hotel, we had 20 minutes per room including en suite! 3 HOURS to do 5 rooms seems very excessive IMO

YANBU. That’s a lot to do. I have large house, probably similar size to the b&b, if I wanted it all cleaned weekly inc beds it would take a minimum of 4hrs.

Our cleaner does our 3 bed, 2 bath in 2hrs but she doesnt change beds or do any laundry and quite frankly shes amazing as it takes me at least 4hrs to do the whole house so id say 3hrs for you sounds fine.

Plus the bathroom -1 to each room and corridors, stairs and communal spaces. So minimum 10 rooms plus the comminal
areas. That’s less than 20 mins per room without including the other areas.

Tell her she's welcome to find a faster team if she wants. Couldn't be arsed with the quibbling over shit like that me.

If she does it herself, how long does it take? Has she tried it?!

You used to be a chambermaid and if you needed to fully change a double en-suite we’d allow 45 mins. I do a bit of cleaning on the side now and I have two hours to do a four bed house with two bathrooms, but the house is always pretty much immaculate so it’s a very easy clean

I 🙄

@viques theres a kitchen where i wash them

Perhaps the last cleaner died of exhaustion after 'doing it in two'?

That’s good to hear!

When I was Duty Manager at a 10 bed hotel we allocated 45 mins per room and 20 for a layover. There would then be a deep clean rota where the room got a 1.5hr clean. But, our hygiene standards were high and what you expect at a high end hotel. When we opened we hired a few housekeepers who had been at a local hotel (mid range budget type found in every town) who were used to half that time. However, some of the practices that they used to do that were frankly disgusting - washing cups in the sink and drying with an old pillowcase, using used towels to dry bathroom, one cloth for the room, not hoovering unless it looked dirty, just rinsing the bathroom unless it looked dirty.

If the previous cleaner employed those techniques it would explain the quick turnaround.

Definitely don’t cut corners as it’s your professional reputation on the line. If she’s not happy, she can find a new cleaner.

Christ I disagree with most: I think that is asking a lot. I ran hotels years ago, not high end, so in 3 hours, it is a lot.

I'm with the majority - you're doing just fine. I imagine that IF the previous one did it in two (and I'm giving that some serious side eye - I bet she said that to the last cleaner too!) they didn't touch rooms that weren't slept in, didn't dust every day, etc. In a post-covid (or still covid!) world I'm very glad that you ARE cleaning properly.

I've 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and my cleaner does it in 4hrs

If her old cleaner did it in two hours then she wasn't doing it properly.

Owner is unreasonable!

My cleaner cleans for 3 hours.
4 bedrooms, over 3 floors, bed changes, mopping and vacuuming included. As well as 2 bathrooms and 1 downstairs toilet. She's amazing and worth every penny.

God help you in all the branded chain rooms

I can't see how you can do it any faster really! If her old cleaner did it in 2 hours then how come shes not there anymore?? I work for myself as a cleaner and in spite of people struggling with bills etc there are always a lot of people who would rather get rid of other luxuries before their cleaner! My point being I'm sure you'll find a replacement client/s no problem. People like this are not worth working for.

I have a six bedroom holiday let, with 4 bathrooms, sitting room and large kitchen. The bare minimum is 5 hours, and that’s when guests have stripped beds and left the house immaculate. Usually it’s 6 - 8 hours. When I’ve done the cleaning myself, I’ve found it takes 13 minutes to make the beds up in each bedroom (down from 20 mins at the start, I’ve got more efficient), never mind dusting, vacuuming, polishing etc. So 3 hours sounds about right. I cannot believe it was done to a high standard in 2.