Do you have a cleaner?

[Lovemy3kids]

Does anyone have a cleaner? Would you be without them? Are they expensive? Do you feel comfortable that they are in your house when you are not there? How much cleaning do they do (do they clean windows and things like that).

I am a full time single mum with 3DC and I try to do a bit of cleaning each night (if I can), or I seem to spend the whole weekend trying to get the house up together, so am seriously contemplating working the cost of a cleaner into my budget, but would just like some feedback from those of you that already have a cleaner. Is a cleaner considered a bit of a 'luxury'?

Yes we have one for two hours a week, we pay her £10 an hour (we are in North London and I think that's about standard here). We inherited her from the previous owners of the flat (she still goes to them too as they only moved down the road). At the moment she cleans but doesn't do ironing, but we're expecting a baby at the end of November and I think we may ask her to do three hours after that and do some ironing as well.

I good cleaner is worth her/his weight in gold. I am a single mum and work FT so really need a cleaner as God knows how it would get done otherwise. My previous cleaner was crap, insisted it took her 2.5 hours to clean my house, but clearly never stayed more than 1.5 hours and only cleaned "around" things. Wouldn't pull out sofa, beds etc to hoover under. And wouldn't empty the bin! Said "I don't DO bins!" Her idea of cleaning the loo was to just spray the Toilet Duck stuff round and then leave it so it had set hard by the time I got home at end of day. (And I clean our loos every morning anyway so it's not as though they were some sort of horror site).

Got rid of her after a while and am blessed now with the most amazing cleaner. She comes 4 hours once a week, I pay her £40. In that time she does absolutely everything, including all our ironing. Frequently I come home to a note from her saying she had some time left over so cleaned the oven/fridge/kitchen drawers. On occasion she has removed all the clothes from DD or DS' wardrobes and drawers (which are chaos), neatly folded all in Benetton-style and replaced. I love her.

Oooo Ariadne78 she sounds wonderful....can I borrow her :)

Will be having a chat with my mum on friday further about her doing my cleaning for me - will set some boundaries and go from there.

I just don't find the time to fit housework in with everything else I need to do on daily basis!

I would advise to be very clear with any cleaner you get about what you expect them to do, room by room. For instance, I tell my cleaner that loos and bathrooms always take priority, then walk through each room with them and discuss what needs to be done. If you're not sure, ask them to tell you what they will be doing in each room. It's a very personal arrangement and the more you agree up front the easier the whole thing is. Also if you're not happy with something say straight away, in a nice way. I've always found that it takes a few weeks to get a new cleaner settled in to my requirements, and I still after 3 years ask her to pick up the odd thing - for instance for some reason she stopped emptying bins, so we talked about it straight away. Don't let yourself get wound up by different standards, communication is the key!

I have loads of years experience due to always having been a lazy cow. I couldn't think of anything better to spend a few quid on that someone taking all those chores away so I can do nice things with my family :)

I just started with The pink ladies Cleaning Company
I was worried about the cost and felt and still do feel guilty about the mouney but I guess you get what you pay for and my cleaners really do go the extra mile and there's no way im giving them up..BEST THING IVE EVER DONE ♥♥♥♥

Yes
Two hours twice a week (so 4 hours a week)
Pay her £10/hr standard (as this is what she asked for) but frequently pay her a bit extra as she is very good (works out £12/hr factoring that in) and will pull out beds and get really stuck in.
We are usually in when she comes round and I usually clean at the same time (she doesn't want more hours and I couldn't really justify it either) but she has a set of keys and I am more than happy for her to be here when we aren't.
One of the reasons I love having a cleaner is that I am motivated to do more and keep on top of things so her real impact is more than 4 hrs/week.

Yes, we have two amazing ladies who do 2 hours each per week. £10 per hour each so £40. Cumbria.

They are fantastic and I don't know what I'd do without them. Had them about 6 months now. DH and I both work full time with a lot of travelling. 1 DC (4) and 2 dogs so the house gets pretty messy.

Sometimes we're in when they're here, sometimes not. It felt weird at first but I'm used to it now.

They clean all surfaces, dust, mop floors, do bathrooms and Hoover. They also try to find time to do something 'extra' each time, whether that's hanging out a load of washing on the line or de-moulding the bathroom tiles.

They don't do the cooker top or windows usually unless I ask and then I'll swap for another job instead. They bring their own equipment but use ours too (wooden floor cleaner etc.) as needed.

The feeling when you finish work on a Friday and can plan what to do as a family for the weekend, while sitting in a sparkling house, rather than considering the prospect of half a day's cleaning first, is indescribable. They have given us our lives back.

I would economise elsewhere before giving them up.

If anyone had told me I'd be posting this a year ago, I wouldn't have believed them!

I am considering getting a cleaner to help me out. I'm about to go back full-time teaching. I don't know how to gauge what I can expect to get done. I do like the idea suggested of working out how long it takes me to get the jobs.

We have a four bedroom home. I just want the "basics" done weekly - dust and vacuum the family areas, mop the kitchen, family bathroom, ensuite, and downstairs loo, and wiping the banisters.

I would prefer to manage our bedrooms.
I'm guessing about two hours.... am I right or wildly out?

To offer another view, I've recently asked my cleaner to stop coming, as I was finding it more stressful than beneficial.

My circumstances are probably fairly unique, and I know most people will rave of the benefits of having a cleaner. My mother has been lucky enough to have some fantastic ones over the years, so I do appreciate what a great thing having one can be.

The crux of my problems came down to a language barrier, it was near impossible to get her to understand what you were saying, whether it be, " I only cleaned x yesterday so would you mind spending more time on y", or "can you please clean the bathrooms first and then I'll take the dog out" - she was terrified of the dog and wouldn't be in the same room as it, so that was quite the issue. Then there was timekeeping, historically there had been no one in the house during weekdays, so as long as she came on her set day, she could come whatever time she liked. Fast forward a couple of years with me and a dog in the house and it turned into a real pain when her start time could vary by hours, especially knowing you had to plan to take the dog out while she was there, and she even started showing up on a Saturday for a few weeks. Even more annoying was not being able to talk to her about it. She would nod and smile and then do exactly the same thing the next week. I always got the impression she never really understood what I was saying.

I felt bad letting her go,as she was a very nice lady and she was a decent enough cleaner, but for me, it just wasn't worth the stress (of that particular cleaner) and its jaded me somewhat so I don't think I'll be getting another anytime soon.

So my advice would be to make absolutely sure any potential cleaner has a good command of the language.

thanks Hercy. I'm sorry that you had to let your cleaner go. I can understand how important it would be to have someone who understands what it is that you want done.

I'm still contemplating. I've contacted one person so hopefully I will be able to negotiate what I need done. I've come home two nights beyond tired and know I won't be able to manage housework on top!

I have a "home care assistant" as I'm disabled. We pay £11 gross an hour and she's worth it.

Does the heavy housework I can't - hoovering, washing floors, cleaning bathrooms - but some sewing, admin etc too.

It's all of my DLA care - but really worth it. She's on holiday this week and I'm really missing her!!

how long is your assistant there helping you, Weegiemum.

That's what I am trying to gauge - what I can expect to get done. I would like to get the "basics" done weekly - dust and vacuum the family areas, mop the kitchen, family bathroom, ensuite, and downstairs loo, and wiping the banisters. We have a four bedroom home. It is not that large and I'm pretty sure that I could get those jobs done in a couple of hours.

Er, desdeelsur, how do you know whether the OP and you Gillian don't live 10,000 miles apart?!

OP, I am new to having a cleaner. She only comes once a fortnight for 2 hours (£10 per hour) and it's made such a difference to me. It's things like a proper clean of the toilets/kitchen which I really appreciate - I can keep things ticking over day-to-day, but it's having it done thoroughly which makes it possible to do the bare minimum.

Desdeelsur you can't give out someone's mobile number on a public forum!!
I would get your post deleted ASAP! Poor Gillian!

It's also a zombie thread from 2012

But yes, god bless Gillian and all the crank / real calls she'll now get, are you crazy desdeelsur??!

Good grief! Can the lady's number not be taken down?

I own a professional cleaning service and know the industry well professional rates are anything from £12 to £25 per hour. Once a company breaks through the VAT threshold they have to charge over £15/hr to afford to pay staff slightly above the minimum wage.

We charge flat rates per home but we have to come in at £12/man hour minimum to remain viable as a business. We are mega busy and growing all the time.

You can get an individual for cheaper but they may not be registered (which is illegal to hire!) or insured (which is dangerous to hire!). Check refs, self-employed tax status and see insurance docs before hiring these! Ver important!!!

Agencies are cheaper than private companies but they send self employed cleaners who they cannot legally train or have control over (by law) that is how they are so cheap. Not sure what they do for their cut really except match people up to cleaners then send invoices forever!

Franchises are at the most expensive end of the market usually the £25/hr end and cleaning can only be so so as staff turnover will be high, however you will have no personal liability everything is covered, not great at customer service though I believe.

Small independent companies are the best at customer service and value for money - I am biased but it is also common sense when you look at the other business models available at the very least the staff will all be employed and trained by the company and customer care should be imperative to a smaller outfit (not in every case but generally speaking!)

I’m looking for a cleaner for 4 hours a week. Can anyone recommend a good, reliable and honest cleaner? Thanks

Lovely103 this is an national board so my cleaners maybe 100s miles away frm where you live. Try posting in mumsnet local.

Thanks