Do you have a cleaner?

[Wigeon]

We are fortunate enough to be able to afford a cleaner, but I just don't know how we'd manage to get the house tidy enough the night before she came. DH and I both work, there's often stuff going on in the evenings (our stuff or stuff the DC are doing), it's a constant effort keeping the house even reasonably tidy in parts, let alone tidy enough throughout for someone else to clean it. And evenings often feel fairly frantic as it is. How do you manage to do this?

Also, is it better to have them there when you're there, or when you're out? I partly work from home and partly work in an office away from home; DH works entirely outside the home. So we could schedule the cleaner either when we're both out, or when I'm working at home.

It would also be really useful to know the going rate - we're in Hertfordshire. Four bed house (one is a box room), bathroom plus ensuite plus downstairs loo.

Thank you for any advice!

I mean it’s stressful but it’s better than having to tidy AND clean! Ours comes fortnightly now which helps the stress I think but I’ve got the kids trained in the sense of “x is coming” so they know bedroom floors need to be clear. And I wonder if they are coming regularly whether you’ll find it’s easier to keep on top of the tidiness as the tidying and cleaning is happening weekly?
I pay £70 a fortnight but that includes some travel.

I'm in a very similar position (and location!).

I think that I'll be asking for a cleaner to do kitchen, bathroom, communal areas for the time being. I'm quite good at keeping those areas clear.

I'll then make a concerted effort to declutter bedrooms so that they can slot into the rotation maybe once a month.

I'd rather be around for the first few visits, until I get to know the person. Then i'll probably switch to being out when they visit.

As I've never had a cleaner before, I'm tempted to use an agency to have better expectations.

Tidying before the clean becomes a habit you just get into. A bit like when you have visitors....can focus your attention quite a bit and you can get a lot done quickly.

If you're at the overwhelming stage, it might be helpful to focus your pre tidy on the worst areas like the kitchen and bathroom?

Failing that chuck it all into a big tub to deal with when you have time?

Agree with getting kids into tidy habits. Don't leave things out as X is coming etc.

Yes, after much wrangling. We use a local firm. Two cleaners come for an hour and a half once a fortnight and do the hall, the landing, the kitchen, the dining room, the downstairs loo and the 2 upstairs bathrooms. They probably don't need the full 3 hours but we're relatively new to it so seeing how it goes. We are in a county adjacent to Herts and pay £19 per hour. It might be cheaper to pay a sole trader, I don't know, but I wanted to be able to change personnel without hassle and be sure of insurance etc.

Tidying those rooms before the clean isn't that complicated (if all else fails we can shove stuff into a room that they don't clean, but we haven't had to so far!)

If you are going to be home, make sure you are well and truly out of the way. I WFH a fair bit so it varies. I pay £17ph in the SW

Ours comes once a fortnight. Makes us stay way tidier than we were to avoid an hours mad tidy

Now we change the beds and do 20 minutes the night before she comes.

Best thing we've done! Took us 2 shite ones to find a decent cleaner mind

Yes, the thought of getting the DC to tidy on a schedule is a bit 😲. I'm mean, they're 12 and 15, so they are definitely capable, it's more that the 15 yr old is singularly uninterested in having a tidy room and seems to have chosen that as something to resist at all costs with us...! But we could say that if her room wasn't tidy on time, she had to do it herself.

Potentially getting a cleaner would be about reducing stress, not adding to it!

Ha, I could have written all that exactly myself! Also thinking agency might be easier on all fronts.

100% tell the 15 year old their room won't get cleaned unless it's tidy and if that's the case they'll be cleaning it at the weekend

Ds is 11 and he's only spent the 1 Saturday cleaning his room after this rule was put in place!

I love ours! £15 an hour SW, 2.5 hours a fortnight. She comes when we are at work and blitzes the house

I WFH in the box bedroom, only emerging to go to the loo/get food/drink, so I'd be out of the way.

I think you just get used to the pre-cleaner blitz of all the rooms and a clear up, and get all the family to do their bit. It’s both a blessing and a curse that the day is set in stone- eg weds nights at 9pm you’ll be knackered and running round clearing up all the rooms and cursing why you scheduled a cleaner, then the next day you’ll be walking round marvelling at how amazing it is to have your house cleaned again. The hardest bit to sort for me was the kitchen but I had small children at the time and it was constantly in use.

There was a bit of a debate with friends the other day about who empties all the bins, cleans the loo, sinks, has a hoover of the worst bit etc before the cleaner arrives. I would always do this as felt self conscious about these things but others thought I was ridiculous

(To answer your question, it’s fine to work from home and just stay in your office, but the hoover might be loud if on calls! That way you also know they are arriving and finishing when they say they will and you can help answer any questions)

I had my own cleaning business for years and there were two types those who tidied got way more cleaning done those who didn't tidy got tidied but less cleaning!
I would recommend going round if you have time emptying bins and clearing bedrooms of glasses dirty washing etc.
I was fine doing washing etc when I was at a house, change beds etc.
But sometimes I used to think how much more people would get done if they all tidied first.

I definitely want to believe that it will significantly improve my life! The house never feels clean (we squeeze in cleaning individual bits as an when, so even when the bathrooms are clean there is dust on other surfaces/the hallway needs mopping/the inside windows haven't been done for months. Etc. So the thought of having everything regularly clean...aaaaah!

As I've never had a cleaner before, I'm tempted to use an agency to have better expectations

My experience has been the opposite. I'd never use an agency again. In my experience the agency cleaners are just doing a job. The cleaners who are self employed have been far more thorough and have had a better work ethic. It's their reputation on the line.

I'd go for a recommended self employed person every time

Love our cleaners. We pay £40 for 2.5 hours each week. We also do a mad panic clean before!

That's interesting. Think I've read too many threads of people having some kind of issue with their cleaner and all the angsting about how to address it with them. I'm absolutely fine in a work context with any kind of difficult conversation (am a manager so regularly have to have them) but totally rubbish with tradesmen in my home!

This was the biggest benefit for us- it was all done at once. No more doing the bathrooms for an hour, then the dusting gets done another day at some point, then the mirrors when dire etc! There is so much joy to be gained from a whole house being clean! (We have a big house and it’s just not something I can ever achieve unless we have visitors and it’s forced upon me)

just I add though, you do need to have realistic expectations on how much can be done in the time they are there and how thorough your Cleaner is going to be, this varies hugely

The best cleaners I've had have been recommendations on the local Facebook page. Agencies & anyone who advertises themselves I ignore. You'll find there'll be one or 2 who get mentioned repeatedly.

You know they're actual customers who've used them which is always good.

My cleaner is an angel. She doesn’t mind tidying up a little - obviously we don’t leave dirty clothes and plates all over the place but she will happily sort out the children’s rooms and make the beds, do a few dishes, etc.

Similar sized house but in Wiltshire. Tidying the night before is a real pain but definitely better than cleaning. She comes for 2.5 hours at £14 ph using our equipment (was £16 ph using hers). We pay cash. 2.5 hours is just about enough. She could do with longer really but we didn't want to pay more. She doesn't do the best clean I've ever seen but better than I would do in such a short time.

We have a cleaner who comes every week for 5 hours but she also changes the bedsheets and iron the bedsheets and some of our clothes which we agreed upon. Honestly she is an angel and it makes our lives so much easier, especially since I’ve been pregnant and just haven’t had as much energy for cleaning.

I got my cleaner to view my house when it wasn't tidy so she knew that this can happen & if it does, she tidied and cleans which is brilliant. Have an open chat with your prospective cleaner what might be the state of your house.

Ours is kind, compassionate, lovely. I wouldn't want to live without her.

I'm a self employed cleaner and been with all my clients over four years. One for ten.

All the houses are different, some bedrooms have clothes and jewellery all over the place where I will tidy up and some less cluttered where I just clean.

I've just taken on a house keeping role on another day where I'll be doing all sorts,tidying kitchen cupboards and sorting wardrobes as well as cooking and helping with baby and dog.
I charge 16.50 for cleaning and any new jobs will be 18 an hour.

Oh,its always best to get the first thing morning slot! I'm thorough in all my jobs but more energetic in the morning. Once I've done a three hour and on to my next I'll often pull over in the car to just eat and have a quick rest.