Desperately need a cleaner but am I expecting too much?

[Gertrudethechicken]

I am struggling to recruit a cleaner/ housekeeper for my house. I’ve had afew replies to my adverts online but they end up ghosting me once I explain what’s involved, which got me thinking I might be scaring people off.

i am looking for someone to come in for three houses twice a week to hoover and mop the home (twice weekly), clean bathrooms (once weekly), change beds, iron, put clothes and toys away. My home is 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms plus a w/c, utility, living room, play room, dining room, kitchen, ect. I know it’s a large house so happy to negotiate. I can put my headphones on and blitz through my home in afew hours but I recognise this may not be the case for someone coming into a brand new house.

I think your request is totally fine!

This thread has helped me to realise why I’m so tired trying to do my cleaning myself while working so much in an NHS job. If I had help 3 hours, twice a week my house would be beautiful. It takes me three hours to just do the ground floor on my non-working day. This has been a nice reality check for me. You’ve inspired me to get a cleaner too. I want one who will work with me though so I can make sure they’re not killing my spiders. We have three floors and it’s utterly exhausting. Cleaning the staircases alone is a full time job! Bigger is definitely NOT better.

Good luck!

My cleaner is happy to hang washing out/iron/do washing up/change bed sheets. So it's not necessarily that cleaners won't do that. But they also have 2 hours a week to clean a two up two down house, and don't have to hoover/mop it twice. So I think it's probably the amount of time being allowed.

My cleaner does my big house in two hours. But we strip the beds and they get a chance to air before she remakes. We also put away - my first cleaner said: ‘I don’t mess with people’s stuff’
So clothes, toiletries etc are gone and she just cleans.

It's not the wording you need to change its the expectation. I was a cleaner 3 hours twice a weeks and even in my young, fit days I wouldn't have managed all that . Try doing it yourself to see how much of all that is possible in the time .

I agree it’s housekeeper you need not cleaner. It seems a lot of work for 6 hours. I think the unquantifiable aspect of ironing, put clothes and toys away isn’t helpful either.

Do you offer much more than the going rate, I do this becauss of needing the tidying up role. Also only some companies quote without seeing the place.