To want a cleaner that will pick my clothes up off the floor?

[Zamphina]

Dp and I work very long hours during the week. We’re out of the house 9-10 minimum. We eat dinner in the office. When we get home we’re exhausted and just want to sleep. So often the kitchen has our breakfast stuff. We’ve left clothes on the floor. There might be sunday’s dishes on the table. The laundry has been left out drying.

We earn an OK salary and have a tiny flat to save money, so a cleaner coming 2-3 times a week for two hours a time won’t be an issue.

But obviously I’m slightly embarrassed for someone to see my home in such a mess. Are there any cleaners who will sort all of this? Pick up the clothes, put them on to wash, load the dishwasher, and clean the bathroom etc?

Both out of the house from 9am to 10pm, eating dinner in the office, for a salary that is merely ‘ok’?

I think you need to stop running yourselves into the ground, and reevaluate your work/life balance.

It's a job description. You recruit based on your needs. Candidates are free to say no.

So if you go to an agency and give them your brief - they'll match you with someone who agrees to it.

You say you have a small flat to save money, yet you want to employ someone who will do the basic tasks that could be done around your work.
Confused dot com

Agree with a PP it’s something you’d have to get them to agree to at interview.

would opt to clean myself for the saving.

Well I understood from the original post that they were out from 9am-10pm. It said 9-10 not 9/10.

Yes it doesn’t make sense that the salary for this is just “ok”. There are plenty of jobs which generally have 11 - 12 hour days (plus commuting on top) but why would anyone do this unless the money was good.

@00100001 I used to do it. Because not everybody can live off £20 000 I wanted to save a lot of money, actually not be homeless and needed to send money to my mother. I have no regrets. I wouldn't do it all my life, but I went from £2000 savings to £50 000 less than 2 years and I am so proud of myself. I slowly reduced my hours after that though, it was exhausting.

I wouldn't live a life on £20 000 a year if I didn't have serious saving and investments as a back up plan. To each their own I guess.

Our cleaner is amazing. It I wouldn't ask her to do that, if a room has got particularly neglected or bad for whatever reason I'll message her and say just ignore <the room> this week! She'll do whatever els she usually would.

I 100% though tidy for her coming. She's paid to clean not tidy and sort.

Gah, can't edit. I will book our cleaner sometime to come extra and help declutter a space or force me to be brutal with an area.

Exactly.

I don't know.

My cleaner is great, she often offers to do things for me, such as clear out the cupboards. Always does the breakfast dishes from the morning she comes.
She's even folded, sorted and put all my washing away before, because she knows I struggle with that, as I have ADHD.

From this thread it seems I'm very lucky.

I used to work shifts that had me out the door at 6.30 and back for 9.30 - so a 15 hour day. I managed to pick my clothes up. Having a cleaner, fine - but you do not need someone to pick your clothes up off the floor.

I was a cleaner for several years at school and as a student. Afterwards, I lived with people who had cleaners.

It's normal to ask someone to tidy up. However, if there are personal items (any kind of underwear, anything sweaty like gym clothing) on the floor, then you need to be willing to pay extra. You also need to provide an easy solution, like putting everything in a laundry basket.

There is a worker shortage so you are likely to find that workers will keep moving on if things are too disgusting or you pay too little. And you don't want a succession of people coming into the house. It's a security risk and they'll each have little quirks you'll have to get used to.

It does sound like you're expecting a lot. Make a list of what you want and go through it yourselves to find out how feasible it is to get everything on it done. If you want someone to clean the bathroom and kitchen and vacuum, there won't be much time left.

To be honest, I probably would run a mile from any house where there were Sunday dishes lying around days later or underwear on the floor. Offer high enough pay and someone will do it though. Good luck.

Why would you throw your clothes on the floor? 🤓🤔

You say you're both out of the house for 9-10 hours a day minimum.

But to be honest, so are most people in a full time job.

And people who do 12 hours shift work can be out of the house for 13-14 hours a day, including commuting time.

Are you men?

WTF - no smileys to indicate this is a joke / ironic / trying to appear cool post.

I can't understand how there will be enough for a cleaner to do for a couple of hours 2 -3 times a week when you're out for 13+ hours a day, and can eat a maximum of 1 meal (breakfast) at home?
Picking up clothes surely doesn't take more than a few minutes?

All these people getting after you for not doing it yourself… bah!

if you pay someone well and are nice to them - I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding someone to help. Probably advertise it on care.com as a housekeeper rather than a cleaner!

Our house keeper is brill - she gets paid to keep the place clean + orderly for us. If we are tidy, she gets more cleaning done. If we’re busy and stuff is chaotic - she spends more of her time tidying. We trust her judgement about what needs doing. She knows are grateful + we value her + that we’ll pay on time. Win win.

Hod on you’re out 9-10 hours? So 8am to 6pm. Or 7am to 5pm? Really? Including your commute? That’s not long. Pick your own pants up.

If the cleaner spends too much time tidying they can't do a good job cleaning, so you might have to pay for more time.
Alternatively throw anything dirty in the wash and make a pile somewhere of the stuff that needs putting away so the cleaner can get a hoover round.
The tidying bit can be daunting when you first get a cleaner but you get into the habit and it really is worthwhile when you get back and everything is clean and tidy.

Some cleaners will. I think you might need a housekeeper. Housekeepers also tidy and do organisational stuff. More expensive but worth it if that's what you need.
I don't know why everyone is being mean to you on here.. if that's a service you need and are willing to pay for there's no issue.
Wish I had the money for a housekeeper I'm shite at it!!

So, if I now understand correctly, you meant you're at work from approx. 0900-2200...? (Not out of the house for 9-10 hours as some of us misinterpreted!)

You say you live in a tiny flat and you're both doing this for a salary that is "OK".

So, I hope this doesn't sound prying, but could you give me a rough idea of this combined "OK" salary?

Because to work this many hours every day, the salary would have to be more than "OK" , it would have to be absolutely bloody amazing!

Of course you can. I was a cleaner, I just followed the employer's instructions

You sounds incredibly lazy.

No, I get you work all the hours god gives you - Why for fucks sake? Life is for living - but throwing your clothes around on the floor for the cleaner to pick up smacks of disrespect.

Or how much you pay them.

I was a cleaner

Me too, as a solo mum for 7 years, till I got back into the work force. (His dad disappeared).

I would have kicked those clothes under the bed lol, or in a corner. I wasn't employed as a house keeper.