If you have a cleaner / are a cleaner, please could you tell me how it works for you?

[detachablehoof]

I'm a SAHM and struggling to keep on top of everything (pregnant and not feeling well), not sure whether I can get my house where I want it by being more disciplined or whether I should get a cleaner to help.

How do cleaners usually work? The only ones I've ever experienced were non-English speaking and they charged £100 for a full house clean (my previous house, was approx 1500sqf), brought all their own tools / products and did the whole house top to bottom without speaking to me at all. (they are my MIL's cleaners and she got them to do my house as a one off gift a few years ago)

Whilst that was lovely it's not something I would want on a weekly basis (too inflexible and expensive) - I am wondering if I could get someone to come for say three hours per week or fortnight and just give them a list to work to of what I want doing most? Eg if I had someone coming right now I'd get my windows cleaned, family room dusted, and two bathrooms cleaned. Then if they had time left they could start on the kitchen floor and cupboard fronts...

We live in a big ish house (5 bed / 4 bath / 3 recep) so i am assuming it would be too expensive to have the whole house cleaned every week plus it doesn't all need doing that often.

Does that sort of cleaner exist or do they typically come and do the whole house?

I don't love the thought of a stranger in my house but do need to do something to get our home in a better state! I seem to spend so much time doing laundry and picking up toys and cleaning little bits but am never on top of it 😥

Would also be interested to know what the typical hourly rate is. (I'm in w Yorkshire)

My cleaner is entirely flexible. She does 3 hours one week and 2 the next. We also have a fairly big house, so she does what I decide needs doing most week to week. She has young children so the flexibility works both ways - sometimes she has to change her day, etc. She charges £15 per hour which is standard around here in Worcestershire.

What your MIL got you was a deep clean.

A regularly weekly clean is usually the same thing every week with some jobs rotated. Some cleaners would be happy with a list others won’t so just ask them.

From £15ph is normal.

Consider investing in a eufy. They are cleaning changing.

I have a fortnightly cleaner for my 4 bed house; when she started i asked her to just do bathrooms and the kitchen and paid for 2 hours then once they’d kind of got on top of that she said she had more time left in the two hours and it became that she does an all over clean in the two hours and I keep on top of it in between

our house is half the size and our cleaner comes for 2 hours.

In that time she hoovers and mops everywhere, cleans the bathroom and cloakroom, empties all the bins, wipes down surfaces in the kitchen.

If we go away so don’t need general cleaning then she spends that time doing less frequent things like dusting bookshelves, cleaning behind furniture, wiping skirting boards, etc.

Every so often I pay her for another block of time and we work together on deep cleaning one room at a time, taking everything out of cupboards and off shelves, and sorting/binning/charity shopping stuff. I take stuff off and sort it, she cleans the units and then puts back what’s left. We have a good chat. Works brilliantly for me.

I have a cleaner, she sets her own rate and charges £13.50 ph. House is around 4000sqft but she doesn’t clean all of it, as it isn’t all used all of the time. The house is always kept tidy so she can literally just come in and clean. She comes for 3hrs a week and in that time cleans,

kitchen - wipes surfaces, cupboard fronts & table top, vacuums floor & mops

utility room - wipes surfaces, cupboard fronts, vacuums floor & mops

downstairs loo - cleans all ‘furniture’, vacuums & mops

main reception room - dusts surfaces, vacuum

My bedroom - dusts surfaces, vacuum

Dressing room - Vaccuumed

My bathroom (shower quadrant, freestanding bath, loo, vanity basin) - cleans all ‘furniture’, vacuum, mops

Study - Vacuum

stairs and landings - Vacuum

Hall & porch/vestibule - Vacuum & mop

Monthly jobs cycled weekly - skirtings/inside of windows/high dusting

There are also rooms done ad-hoc or cycled back into regular rotation when they are in use (like guest bedroom & bathroom, DD’s bedroom & bathroom when she’s back from university, other reception rooms when used).

Sometimes she is done in 2.5hrs, sometimes she takes 3.5hrs, I pay an invoice at the end of the month, so it doesn’t really matter and usually average out at about 3hrs pw. She’s very reliable and trustworthy.

Go on your local Facebook page and either do a post of your own ie. Recommendations for a cleaner happy to come ...
Or search the local Facebook page for cleaners and message a couple.
I know a cleaner and they are happy to help as long as they can fit the work in the time given. One customer even does cleaning at the same time so between the cleaner and the customer the customer has a completely clean house at the end.

You had a deep clean or spring clean. Just book a cleaner for a couple of hours a week. They will do you what you prioritise within their allocated time. I'm SE and £13-15 p/h is going rate.

My cleaner would do that, but I suspect a lot would prefer 'set' jobs, and some might not clean windows as it involves climbing on to things.
However, getting someone in for a couple of hours a week would make a big impact. You would know your bathrooms and kitchen (for example) were being cleaned properly each week, your living rooms dusted and vacuumed, and whatever else you wanted making a priority.
Here in the Midlands, my cleaner chargers £10ph, which I suspect is on the cheaper side.
I think you have to "click" with a cleaner - it seems you didn't like the fact they didn't talk to you, whereas others would much prefer they got on and didn't chat when you were busy. I suspect some people would prefer someone to come in and know what they were doing and get on with it rather than have to to the thinking for them, with different jobs each week. I'm sure there are other things.

You could probably have someone come in and do some 'standard' jobs each week and then a list of "If you have time, can you....." jobs.

I would start asking about people you know, to get a personal recommendation.