About to hire a cleaner

[Peachyscream]

I have anxiety, and the thought of hiring someone is stressing me out. However, a messy and untidy house also stresses me out. When I was pregnant I considered it but I couldn't being myself to do it. Dc3 is now 2 and I'm still trying to build up the courage! I have messaged someone on the next door app.
I need help in making a schedule, and I don't know if I'm asking too much. It'll be 2-3 hours a week. I think a deep clean of one room every week and then general tidying also. Obviously the messier rooms won't allow for that. I'm not used to asking for help and I'm scared I'll get taken advantage of laughed at.
I know I overthink but this is really overwhelming to me. I can't even start a list. Hence this post.

Depending on the size of your house and how tidy it is when your cleaner arrives will dictate how much they can get done

My cleaner used to come for 3 hours, live in a 4 bed but she only did 2 rooms as one was an office and the other a dumping ground, kitchen, dining room, lounge, utility, hall, bathroom, En-suite and downstairs loo but I would have it tidy so she didn’t have to put anything away surfaces were as clear as possible and she would do all the above rooms and something specific (windows upstairs, skirting boards downstairs etc something like that every week) I’ve since had another baby and she now only comes for 2 hours and does an extra bedroom but no time now for deep cleans or extras

Thanks for your reply.
I have a 5 bed. 3 bathrooms. One bedroom is an office/ which has rotation toys/bits that need taking to charity shop/ironing board etc.. its always full of things that need sorting out.
I think I need a tidy-upper more than anything!

Instead of making a list before meeting the person why don’t you do it together. You tell them what you want and they tell you if it’s doable?
Get a friend or family member to be there if you are worried that they may laugh or take advantage of you.

That's a good idea. I've started communicating with someone else now, so let's see how it goes. The original person stopped replying after she said she was available

Hi! I am a cleaner. You should have fortnightly cleans for your house

if the house is in good condition (cleaned in the past month) I would say do this:

Week 1 - clean whole house
Week 2 - general tidy of whole house, bleach bottom of toilets and clean floors only.

If you are concerned about budget, see if you can do the toilets and the floors after she has been to tidy. That will save you paying her to do it and keep you in budget.

Getting half the house done weekly will make it feel inconsistent and the house will never ‘feel clean.’ Having everything an equal level of clean will feel a lot better trust me haha!!

These are my timings:

5 bedrooms - 15 mins each. 1 hour 15 mins
Kitchen - 45min-1 hour depending on size and if you have a range cooker with lots of different bits 😂
W/C - 20 mins
Bathroom - 50 mins
shower room - 40 mins
hallway - 15 mins
landing - 15 mins
dining room - 20 mins
living room - 30 mins
playroom - 30 mins

about 6 hours total to do a proper clean. Hope this is helpful, that includes floors too! Obviously if you don’t want any doing you can just tell her to leave them.

Bear in mind I’m quite young and speedy but also very much a perfectionist. Should be good time estimates, depends on your cleaner. If you’re near Stansted I can help xx

However if the house is really bad, do this:
I had one lady whose house was in complete disrepair as in the stainless steel sink was brown, cupboards and fridge covered in stains. It hadn’t ever been cleaned. I started by deep cleaning 2 rooms each week and doing a general house tidy/floor clean each time. I then moved onto organising/cleaning out cupboards and drawers. After about 6 weeks the house was completely transformed and I was able to take up weekly maintenance cleans.
however, she was still quite overwhelmed with mess etc so I now go for an hour every morning instead after the kids have gone to school.

communicate with them, pm me if you want advice xx

@Rosebud98
That is SO helpful. Thank you so much! I wish I could hire you but the 3 hour commute may be a problem 😂
I made a schedule for myself and I try to keep to it but it's impossible with a toddler- and I agree doing bits at a time doesn't feel satisfying as the whole house is never clean.
I used to do it all on Saturday and it felt lovely and calming.

@Rosebud98

I’m being thick and can’t understand this bit

”You should have fortnightly cleans for your house

if the house is in good condition (cleaned in the past month) I would say do this:

Week 1 - clean whole house
Week 2 - general tidy of whole house, bleach bottom of toilets and clean floors only. “

Can you PM me your location? I'm a professional housekeeper (but different to a cleaner - i do laundry, organise groceries, book "household" appointments and so on) and depending where are you may be able to recommend someone.

A good cleaner will help you to prioritise and do some of the thinking for you. A deep clean can take ages initially. If a bathroom hasn't been cleaned for a long time, you could feasibly spend 30 minutes just tackling the loo. However, once a deep clean is done, things speed up considerably. My very rough rule of thumb is 20 to 30 minutes per room. This can vary depending on size, tidiness, amount of toys or ornaments etc but it gives you a guide.