Do you have a cleaner?

[PDR]

I am thinking of starting a domestic cleaning business as there is a real gap in the market here.

I would be really interested to know how many bedrooms/bathrooms/receptions you have and how many hours your cleaner comes for each week?

Also anything you love/hate about your cleaner/company and if you have stopped using a company in the past was there a specific reason?

we have had the same girl for 3 years and we adore her. I pay her £10P/H. She does 4 hours every week and cleans our fairly big 3 bed 2 recep house very thoroughly plus some ironing. I always pay her cash which she prefers. Like others I always gives her a nice xmas bonus,usually an extra week's cash plus a present. Sometimes she will babysit too.

I think we will put her wages up; we are in London so I guess we are looking at £12 p/h.

8 quid an hour, she brings cleaning materials, she is my next door neighbour. Comes once a week for 3 hours and does any washing up, scrubs the kitchen sink, wipes and scrubs 2 bathrooms, sweeps/vacuums or mops floors in bathrooms/hall/stairs/kitchen/2 lounge rooms. She sometimes vacuums in 2 of the bedrooms if floors are clear enough, but mostly stays out of them and the 2 utility rooms.

We are far out of London.

She sometimes offers to polish or use perfumed chemicals or iron, but I don't like all that. She does extras when I can think of them (cleaning windows, peeling vegies, laundry, dishwasher, etc.)

I hate cleaning!

We pay our cleaner £8 an hour (SW London) - we've been paying the same rate for years and I'm amazed we haven't been asked to increase it, to be honest.

She comes twice a week, 3 hours on Tuesday and 4 hours on Thursday. As well as the cleaning she does all our ironing.

We are on three floors. Downstairs is big through living room and small kitchen. First floor is bathroom and three bedrooms and second floor is large bedroom and bathroom (and my office, which doesn't get cleaned by her).

She's pretty good, but not fantastic - I would really like a cleaner who looks out for all the extra things to be done - but for what we're paying and the hours she does, she's fine. She is, most importantly, totally reliable and trustworthy. And I know that if I leave a note asking her to do something then it will get done.