Advice re cleaner

[creamcheeseandlox]

So I'm loosing the will to live with my cleaners. I've probably had a about 4 cleaners in the 6 years I've lived at my house. Every one always promised the earth and the first few weeks are always good but gradually the standards slip. I have a 4 bed house with a bathroom, en-suite and cloakroom loo. Two receptions rooms, kitchen and hall. My cleaner does it in 3 hrs for £36. I have her fortnightly. I don't think my standards are particularly unusual but expect the basics of dusting, cleaning the kitchen/bathroom, vacuuming, mopping. I even went and bought a new mop as she said she only had a steam mop and not a normal one. Today I get back from town and she hasn't mopped any floors. There's still muddy prints in the hall and toothpaste marks on the bathroom floor as well as the tiles. I have spoken to her before about it before and she apologies. Every week it's something else that I have to message her about. I work 3 days a week in a stressful job and so my treat is to have a cleaner twice a fortnight so I don't have to spend my days off cleaning and can use them for household errands etc. She doesn't do the shower or glass door so I do this myself. I only realised this when it wasn't done twice in a row and didn't bother bringing it up with her as it would just be something else she probably wouldn't do.

My last cleaners were also bad but I kept them longer than I should as I didn't want the hassle of finding new ones. This lady was recommended so went with her. She has long term customers so I don't get it. Am I being particularly fussy to expect the basics? It's not like I'm asking for a deep oven clean every week or all the windows to be done!!

I use a company rather then if I need extra time or to talk to someone it's easier- they do a 5 bed weekly in 2 hours (1 upstairs and 1 down) it's spotless when I get home

• rather than an individual

My house is similar size to the OP's but with an additional study and a tiny utility room.
I started out with a cleaning company. Two of them came for three hours at £88, once. a fortnight. The standard was ok, but not fantastic. What I found frustrating was that they did the same thing every time and never did things outside their schedule. Gradually the standards slipped and we decided it was very expensive for what it was.
Next cleaner only came once. She was £12.50 an hour, was here for three hours. Similar standard to cleaning company.
Next one was £10.50 an hour. She took 2 and a half hours (3 hours of she did the windows). We were happy with her, but she went off sick and never came back.
Current one took 5 hours on her first visit at £12 an hour. She did insides of windows as well as all the usual, but not kitchen as it is out of action. We can't afford five hours every week, so I think she will have to get as much done in three hours as she can. I like the idea of a task list, and am not bothered about windows being done too often.
What I have learnt is that some cleaners work faster than others. If the £10.50 one had stayed I had planned to put her money up at Christmas, as she was as good as the £12.50 one and the cleaning company.
It's a cleaner's market, and they know it.

Lady. Such a vary of standards and prices. It's so hard to pin a good cleaner down. I really want to find the 'one' who I love and have for ever. I have a new lady coming to see my on Wednesday. She had her own company and has emailed me references from customers...some she has cleaned for for 15 years!!!

The one who only came once brought a reference that said she was reliable. I emailed her referee to say she wasn't.

I agree, it is a minefield. Hope your Wednesday lady is good.

Definitely go with an agency where they can send a team in! The standards are usually high!

Definitely not enough time to fit in everything in that size house. My house is 2 up 2 down and my cleaner comes for 2 hours which is plenty of time for the size. I think you are expecting too much and maybe she was too shy to tell you otherwise.

It maybe why you have been through so many in such a short period of time .

Cstaff. That's the amount of they are saying they need. I don't demand they do everything in 2/3 hrs. They come and look and say how much time they will need.

and I'm proof that is feasible.

However, from reading a LOT of MN over the years, there are people who do cleaning jobs, that have never occurred to me that even are jobs . So it is going to depend on what the cleaner is doing in each room. Just a an example, I expect her to vacuum what she can see in my living room, not be shifting furniture and doing under furniture or behind it. I'd never heard of the idea of people vacuuming daily until I started reading MN . In the bedrooms my cleaner does, there is rarely anything to dust - certainly not on a weekly basis. I know this would horrify some MNers but what I want is to know my kitchen and bathrooms have a good clean every week and other rooms get vaccuumed. Other things she does are a bonus.

Sorry haven't read the whole thread but my house is exactly the same layout as yours and I also have 3 hours once a fortnight (and have been through a few cleaners for exactly the same reasons).

This time I have gone with a company rather than a person and they send 2 people round for an hour and a half. It can be done in that time (providing floors are clear and I tidy around a little in advance) but all mirrors, shower doors are done, floors mopped, hob cleaned etc. My DM has been here when they're here before and she said they did not stop and worked bloody hard.

Previous cleaners have taken the piss with time and I always made sure my house alarm was turned on. It is wireless and I can check time of entry / exit on my PC from my desk.

Think you need a new cleaner.