To ask about your cleaner?

[Greatoutdoors]

I’m not your typical demographic to have a cleaner so it’s a bit new to me, but honestly I feel like I’m drowning. Single parent, FT (and full on) job, two teens with SEN, and my house is a tip. It really stresses me out but I’m so worn out I don’t have the energy to keep on top of it. I’ve always been quite houseproud and of the mindset that it’s a bit wrong to pay someone to do a job you can do yourself.

Anyway, doing my budget I think I could stretch to a cleaner once a week/fortnight. But I’m wondering what/how much they do?

My house isn’t huge - 3 bed terrace but I wouldn’t inflict the kids rooms on a cleaner.

So my question is, if you have a cleaner, what do they do and how long does it take? And how big is your house for that?

Just trying to work out if I can pay someone to take some of the pressure off me, because right now I feel broken.

If you can afford it then please do, there is a huge difference between value and cost and in you case getting the time back definitely sounds worth it. I have a 3 bed detached (but relatively small rooms) which takes my cleaner 2 hours per week. If you think 1 hour would be more affordable you can make a list of the things you would like to be done and speak to a cleaner and see if they think its realistic. Maybe split it so every week they do the hoovering etc but one week do windows and another week do another task that doesnt need to be done every week.

Our house was a three bed terrace until we had the loft done. We paid for 3 hours and she dusted and hoovered every room and mopped the hard floors. Cleaned kitchen and bathroom thoroughly, emptied bins and occasionally did the oven, skirting or windows a clean when she had time. She also straightened up but we did the bulk of tidying and clearing the night before. She also ironed 5 shirts.

We did our loft last year and added an extra bedroom and bathroom. She does those too in three hours but we dropped the ironing.

Oh wow, that is loads Dorothea! I was basing my thoughts on my own cleaning rate, which is snail’s pace because I’m so bloody knackered all the time!

I should also say, I quit smoking six months ago so I reckon I can justify the cost. The idea of a magically clean house definitely appeals more.

Mine does about what that pp listed (but without the ironing) in 2.5 hours theoretically although it usually takes her less. For context what she does in just over two hours would take me about eight, no exaggeration. Best money we spend. You do have to be committed to being tidy for her coming for it to be worth it.

Well done on quitting! This a great reward for a real achievement! Yes, our cleaner whizzes through. But we do really tidy before she comes which helps I think.

3 bed house, 1 bathroom, 1 cloakroom. My cleaner changes 1 or 2 beds and cleans every room except 1 bedroom in about 1.5 hours. She doesn't clean the oven or inside the fridge but I'm sure she would do fridge if asked. For oven its probably best to use a specialist oven cleaning company. For other customers she does tidying up and ironing. Don't expect a cleaner to get down on hands and knees to scrub your kitchen floor or do outside work such as window cleaning.

Also, she’s weekly so it doesn’t get too awful in between. And we hoover the kitchen daily (3 young kids and a cat).

Don't forget you need to tidy before they clean though! Might be worth getting some storage boxes you can sling everything that's lying around into. At least if it's clean when you get home you'll be motivated to put the stuff away!

I haven’t ironed for years, bar the occasional frock for a special occasion, so that’s one thing I don’t need!!

4 bed house and fortnightly our cleaner comes for 2 hours - cleans bathrooms x2, hoovers through and bath ashes kitchen floor, wipes surfaces down and dusts. It’s not an I’m depth clean but it’s enough and it prompts me to tidy up before which is part of the benefits

We have a 4 bed, 3 bath, 2 reception rooms and ours does 5 hours a week. We tidy up and everything in its place, so that she can get down to deep cleaning without wasting time. Why not do a big declutter before starting out with a cleaner, so that you can also maximize her service. Ours usually has about 30 min to spare so she does ironing in that time. It would never occur to me to feel guilty about having a cleaner, you are paying for a service and it makes life easier.

I've got a medium size 4 bed. My cleaner does 2 hours a week and does 2 bathrooms and downstairs toilet, hoovers all rooms, mops all downstairs apart from the lounge (carpet) and dusts. She wipes down the kitchen too.
It's well worth the money spent and time saved. I love coming home on Tuesday too find the house so clean.

We have quite a large house but don’t use all of it so it so cleaner does the following. She comes for three hours, once a week.

Very large kitchen/diner/livingroom- mops and vacuums hardwood floor, washes down countertops, polishes sink, wipes table, dusts side tables/credenza, dusts skirting/lamps/paintings/mantle, vacuums couches (we have pets) etc.

Utility- mops and hoovers, cleans sink and counter tops.

Sitting- mops and vacuums hardwood floor, dusts cabinets, skirting, paintings, and lamps. Dusts mantle. Vacuums couches.

Large hall- mops and vacuums high-shine porcelain tiles. Dusts skirting, cleans hall table, vacuums stairs.

Downstairs W/C- mops and vacuums floor, cleans sink and toilet, cleans glass shelf and dusts bathroom cabinet.

Upstairs landing- vacuums, dust/clean hall table, dusts painting, skirting, and lampshades.

Master bedroom- vacuums carpet, dusts/cleans bedside lockers, dusts dressing table, cleans mirrors, dusts lampshades, vacuums walk-in-wardrobe/dusts shelves.

En-suite and main bathroom- mops and vacuums floors, cleans baths, showers, shower doors, sinks, shelves, toilets, cabinets, dusts skirting.

In general, she dusts window sills in all the rooms she cleans, wipes glass on cabinets etc.

She tends to get it all done in about 2hrs 45mins. She doesn’t change or make beds, take out bins, or do any laundry- this was all agreed beforehand and works for us.

If you’re getting a cleaner, you do need to put some time in to ensure surfaces are tidy so they can spend their time actually cleaning and not trying to move stuff around.

You deserve whatever you want for doing this.

Bloody well done - get yourself a cleaner, this is a bloody brilliant use of that cash 💕💕💕💕

4 bed Victorian semi. Our cleaner does 2 hours a week, upstairs one week and downstairs the next, both toilets every week. In the SE and we pay £12.50 an hour.
She hoovers, mops where needed, dusts the cobwebs!, cleans down surfaces.

We have a cleaner 4 hours a week to clean our 4 bed/3 baths house. She gets everything done including cleaning all rooms esp bathrooms, mopping tiles, vacuuming, changing the beds, dusting, wiping down kitchen. However, our house is really tidy (me, DH and 2 twenty year old DS) so she doesn't tidy at all and has a clean run at it.

3 bed flat with 2 reception rooms and one bathroom
Cleaner does between 90 mins to 2 hrs depending if she stops for a coffee

wipes kitchen worktops
cleans hob
Hoovers all rooms

mops wooden floors in kitchen and hall dusts lounge
cleans bathroom

Financial Cost £25
Wellbeing benefit priceless

This is really promising. I thought I’d need hours and hours. Sounds like a couple of hours a week would do it - and still leave change for a Friday night takeaway in my nice clean house.

I’ve been so overwhelmed recently, I think I’m going to bite the bullet.

For me, it’s money well spent. It just means that the house is always close to tidy, and I don’t feel guilty at the weekend doing something fun instead of fretting about having to do intensive cleaning.