cant seem to retain a cleaner - why??

[bacon]

Petty easy 2 bed bungalow. tidy and clean - nothing difficult, 3hrs @ £10.

Why is it that after a few months they seem to go AWAL? I also do clean but because its a busy home the timber floors get so gritty and the place needs some TLC.

This rate is very good, we usually have a chat and laugh. The cleaners seem happy but after a while they start texting with sickness and falls. (this was my 3rd cleaner in 1.5yrs).

Should be working today but now have to clean.

Is this typical - is this a sign that I should start going through agencies??? Anyone have positive feedback on agencies???

I thought people were desperate for additional money???? I'm in SE Wales.

Hi Bacon. I really sympathise. My friend and I went through 4 cleaners (agency and private) in less that a year. One only came one time and then faked sickness for three weeks before dropping off the face of the earth apparently - with my door key.

Like you we were nice, accomodating, paid well, have clean houses (although they are both big). We had more or less given up when we saw a lady starting her own business and we were her first customers and touch wood it is all OK. still going strong 1 year later.

So don't despair. My advice - interview them throughly and grill on reliability etc. Look for someone with good references that have stayed put. Ask them up front if they have any issues with your house having seen it. If it is really impossible up your hourly rate slightly might encourage them to stay. We pay £12 in the South West. Good luck and happy cleaning

This has happened to us too. Some of them just disappeared. Hope the latest one stays!

Do you mean £10 per hour? That's a good rate. Perhaps it is best not to be too friendly at the beginning, perhaps they just want to do the work and go home.

Maybe you've just been unlucky.

Would always suggest going through an agency. That way, they are responsible for all the checking etc. And can get rid of the useless cleaners for you. And get holiday cover.

It costs (a bit) more but I think it's worth it.

(although I'm only paying £9/ hour to the cleaner herself - home counties.)

perhaps the cleaners perfer you to not be there when they are working

Good point. I think cleaners like to have their own space.

Most of the time i am out and about. When in I'm usually running in front of her putting things away. I hardly think this is a reason for going AWAL.

I'm defo not over friendly, just make small talk, I dont follow them around either!

£10 in this area is excellent. Most charge £7.50 - £8.50.

Do you give her a list and check up on her - that might put a cleaner off?

I used to clean about 10 yrs ago and did 3hrs a day 5 days a week and it was a lovely job because she would leave me a list of what needed doing every morning for my arrival which really suited us both. I liked to know what was expected of me and having a list to cross off as you go made the hours go by a bit more quickly! So I would suggest that rather than put her off, a list might be a good thing for your next cleaner. BTW I was in that job for over 2 yrs so it is poss to find someone reliable!!

It might just be because quite lot of people do cleaning because it pays relatively well and normally fits in with young children etc, and so they do it because it is convenient. However being a cleaner can be a really shitty demoralising way to earn a living for some so it could just be that your past cleaners have thought 'yeah I can do that - easy money' - and then realised it actually is hard work and not for them? It could be more about them not liking cleaning rather than cleaning your particular house iyswim. Just a thought....

Good luck and don't give up!!

I think its just bad luck. No.1 prob found full time employment - I found her very rude she seemed to have an excuse nearly ever other week but didnt phone - I would have to text her and she went on holiday and never turned up again, No.2 was undercharging and wasnt making enough money to be self employed so prob went off to also find employment, she was pretty reliable but never let me know she was giving up just ignorned my contact and No.3 Didnt really need the money - she only did 2 cleans per week however she seemed to like to do the work and it was ideal and £30 for a mornings work untaxed isnt bad. Really nice lady but the excuses started two weeks ago and I sort of knew then!

There has never been a list - nor me checking up. Like I said its a nice home and we just wanted a clean through.

Agree with you squashedfly, its a hard job - but £10ph for a bit of cash is very good.

Shame. But its hard finding anyone around here. I have left a messsage on netmums local board.

It does just sound like bad luck.

I've had my current (lovely) cleaner for several years and she's the most reliable thing on earth. 12 quid an hour tho (I'm in south east)!

My previous cleaner was cheaper, less reliable and not as lovely but still kept her for a couple of years.

Both private rather than agencies so they do exist.

We had this problem too, I got totally fed up and used an agency instead. We still had cleaners not turn up every so often, so it was great having the agency send someone else the next day. I changed my cleaning day from a Thursday to a Friday as it happened so often and I was fed up as it always seemed to happen only when my MIL was coming or I was having 20 people for dinner!!!

I always felt sorry for the agency women as I think she had a few core dependables and a high turn over of the rest.

We have now had the same cleaners for a couple of years, it just took a while to find some good ones. I'm sure I could bypass the agency if I asked the cleaners, but the agency women has been so good over the years I wouldn't do that to her.

Sorry that was a bit of a ramble, in short agencies cost more but are much less stressful as they deal with the crap excuses and find someone else for you.

Im a cleaner! I charge 8 pounds an hour. I actually move things, take pride in what i do and I do whatever is asked, oven cleaning, ironing, babysitting and even watering/mowing lawns etc.

Big turn off for me: Being followed about, people being overly chatty, Working you too hard and then moaning about something not being clean enough...

Sounds like bad luck for you OP tbh. You sound like someone I would work for. Im quite choosy. I've had people treat me like something from the victorian times or that Im just a scummer for doing this job.

Facts are: Im a normal lady who likes nice clothes, I live in a nice house and Im not a single parent like a lot of people presume (?) how rude!

I used to work for an agency. 6 squids and hour whilst my boy ran me ragged whilst always earning her money on top. She charged 12 pounds an hour. I hated it, really did. I told her to poke it and have gone on my own. I like to provide references and show my enhanced CRB's etc. Ive seen some right old herberts that rip people of and take advantage. Im not like that!
Wow, I have gone off on one! SORRY!

That should say BOSS not BOY!