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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

I'm looking for a cleaning service but they are so expensive!

50 replies

Dobrynya · 30/12/2022 15:20

Hello mums and dads.
I'm a mom of 2 little ones and work 3 days a week from home. Needless to say to have and keep a clean house is impacting my health really badly.
I'm looking to get some cleaning help once a week. Mainly for my bathroom, living room floor and kitchen stovetop. But they are all so expensive! Most of them are £15 + !
Can someone please suggest more affordable maids and cleaning services? If they do a good job the first time round I'll book them for every week.
Please, I'm really losing my mind with every free moment going in cleaning and still never achieving a clean house when I step into a room. I've lost 9 kgs in 6 months even though I eat a lot and never exercise. My health is deteriorating badly and I'm never in a good mood. I really need some help to get a clean house.
Thank you.

OP posts:
thesandwich · 30/12/2022 15:22

That’s the going rate for most places…. More in some.

kerosene20 · 30/12/2022 15:22

You will struggle to find anything cheaper unless it is someone working for cash without insurance etc. cheaper would mean that person isn’t earning a living wage.

MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel · 30/12/2022 15:22

£15 an hour is pretty cheap to be fair, its £20‐£22 an hour in my area.

thesandwich · 30/12/2022 15:22

And finding someone good isn’t easy. Local fb a good bet

TheaBrandt · 30/12/2022 15:23

People need to be paid decently for their work. Sorry to say but your cleaning obsession sounds a little troubling. Do you have to live in a show home?

PopUpMoon · 30/12/2022 15:23

I’m in the Midlands and pay £15. She’s worth every penny. They’re doing serious grunt work ffs.

ApolloandDaphne · 30/12/2022 15:23

That's just how much it costs. Would you work for less?

MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel · 30/12/2022 15:25

I'd say a better solution would be to lower your expectations of a perfect, clean house.

You dont say if you have a husband or partner at home but if you do surely they should be helping?

Newwardrobe · 30/12/2022 15:25

I don't understand why people seem to begrudge paying a cleaner a decent hourly rate , especially when like the Op it seems so important to them .

Original poster
Dobrynya · 30/12/2022 15:26

No but in a small home with a toddler and an infant, my house can get dirty multiple times a day! Are you not a parent? Surely you wouldn't ask this if you were a stay at home parent cooking and feeding for the family as well.

OP posts:
kerosene20 · 30/12/2022 15:27

I understand OP. I am disabled and can’t clean but I can’t afford cleaners all the time so I can’t have them. It’s a luxury, they’re not doing it because they want to clean your house!

Newwardrobe · 30/12/2022 15:27

Dobrynya · 30/12/2022 15:26

No but in a small home with a toddler and an infant, my house can get dirty multiple times a day! Are you not a parent? Surely you wouldn't ask this if you were a stay at home parent cooking and feeding for the family as well.

I'll probably get flamed for this but I'm sure there are many like me , who as a single parent did absolutely everything myself.

SummerSazz · 30/12/2022 15:28

Your best bet is asking on a local fb site for a cleaner as companies usually charge more. Having said that, my cleaner is a one lady band and she is £15ph (was £12 before inflation went mad so may be some people still at this kind of rate)

theswoot · 30/12/2022 15:28

I pay 14.50 + VAT per hour which totals 17.40 and that was at the lower end for my area, am South West England.

Newwardrobe · 30/12/2022 15:29

Maybe have someone come once a fortnight, to keep costs down.

trampoline123 · 30/12/2022 15:30

Do it yourself then

PopUpMoon · 30/12/2022 15:30

Dobrynya · 30/12/2022 15:26

No but in a small home with a toddler and an infant, my house can get dirty multiple times a day! Are you not a parent? Surely you wouldn't ask this if you were a stay at home parent cooking and feeding for the family as well.

I’m a single parent with 3DC, I work full time. I have a cleaner for 3 hours a week because I like to spend my evenings/weekends with my children, not breaking my mental/emotional well-being trying to do it ALL.

I was a SAHM single parent for around 3 years, didn’t have a cleaner.

troppibambini6 · 30/12/2022 15:31

Mine are 2 cleaners for around 2 hours (basically til it's done) for £50.
That's really cheap.

DeadDonkey · 30/12/2022 15:31

£15 would be very cheap where we are. What were you hoping to pay?

rubyslippers · 30/12/2022 15:31

Your weight loss needs looking at and your general low mood (yes I know not the point of the thread)
re a cleaner - £15 PH is about the going rate
if you want someone decent with insurance etc
life with toddlers, work etc is going to be messy

DontFeatureMeOnSocialMedia · 30/12/2022 15:33

I work three days a week, have two kids into very messy crafts and my house is clean. I don't have a cleaner.

Most cleaners are self employed so they charge well above minimum wage to cover things like insurance, their own sick / holiday pay etc etc. £15 is pretty reasonable!

It sounds like you have anxiety over the state of your house. Maybe some CBT SOA help?

NotEnoughMud · 30/12/2022 15:35

I mean this kindly, but are you originally not from the UK? I've lived internationally in many countries where household help is the norm and is exceptionally cheap. In Britain that is not the case and £15 per hour is the norm. Having help isn't a given and many families don't.

Whee · 30/12/2022 15:35

If it were £11 per hour or whatever NMW is, would that £4 a week really make any difference? Can you find a way to save that £4 difference if it matters that much? Self employed cleaners need to charge more than NMW though as they get no annual leave and have costs.

2bazookas · 30/12/2022 15:43

£15 an hour is what we pay our (excellent ) cleaner. Its pretty standard.

Remember, that "hourly rate" also covers time and cost of travel between jobs.

I'd recommemd you get one regular person, not a different agency person every time. A regular person knows your home, what you want done, where the stuff is kept; you won;t waste time explaining it over and over. You build up a rapport and your kids feel comfortable with a familiar person.

Yesthatismychildsigh · 30/12/2022 15:43

You sound like you’re not from the UK. Do you realise we have a minimum wage here? The cleaners have to account for holidays, insurance, travel time etc. £15 is cheap.

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