What does your cleaning person do?

[doodlydooo]

I've recently, for the first time in my life, hired a cleaner to come once a week. It's been such a lovely thing for me to always have a clean home. I never grew up with a cleaner and so I wanted to ask what is "normal" to ask your cleaner to do.

So far, as a standard 4 hours she will:
Clean the kitchen
Clean 2 bathrooms
Sweep/mop/vacuum all floors
Dusting
Take.out bins, add new.bin bags
Empty vacuum cleaner, clean mop bucket after using

I wanted to ask, is it typical for cleaners to also:
Do ironing
Put dirty clothes in washing machine, hang up wet clothes, fold laundry
Change bed sheets

Many thanks in advance!

You say she’ll do all the floors - is that just the rooms you list or does that also include bedrooms, living areas, hallway, etc. (if so how many?)

When we had cleaners, they never did anything from your extras list. They’d occasionally make up the beds if I stripped them and left out clean linen (and specifically asked them to), but I think things like laundry and ironing are tasks for a housekeeper (unless you have a specific agreement with your cleaner that they’ll also do, eg. Ironing).

We have two cleaners who come every four weeks, before them we had a different company, they always make the bed, I strip it and leave out the clean sheets etc. They have said that they will strip the bed if I want.

I would say change bed sheets.

Washing and ironing is more for a housekeeper

If she is taking 4 hours (you must have a large house?) to do the above, the washing and ironing would be more cost effective for you to outsource it

Our cleaner does all that yours does. She will also do ironing, bring washing in from line/take off radiators and iron it and put clean bedlinen on. But she’s here for longer than your cleaner is at yours for. Shes been coming for about three years now.

My cleaner doesnt do anything on your extras list. He does clean the entire house in 3 hours, including kitchen cupboard fronts and radiators etc

Our cleaner comes twice a week for four hours at a time. Does everything on both your lists over the 8 hours. Don’t know if your cleaner would be able to do everything to a high standards in just 4 hours.

My cleaner will hang out clean washing that's in the machine, or get it in if it's hung up and there's time. Strip the bed and change the sheets. Occasionally iron the odd thing but not very often. They're here for 2 hours a week but it's a small house so they have a bit more time than if it was a big house.

Ours changes bed linen, irons and puts on/hangs out a wash.

My cleaner comes twice a week (2 x 2 hours). General cleaning (but a small house, just one bathroom), plus she loads the washing machine and does the ironing.
She doesn't change beds - we do that, and send the dirty sheets etc to the laundry.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

It isn't a large house. I did wonder if she was being slow too.. and hearing what you're saying it does sound like she's a bit slow.

Ours come fortnight and hoovers and dusts throughout (4 bedrooms hallway and stairs carpeted ) cleans two bathrooms and downstairs toilet , cleans kitchen surfaces , hob and sink also same in utility room then dusts the lounge finishes by mopping through downstairs - takes her about 2.5 hours

Wow.. yep mine is taking too long.

We have a kitchen, living/dining room, downstairs toilet, small wooden floor downstairs corridor, carpeted stairs and .upstairs hallway, one bathroom, two big bedrooms (she doesn't go into the office).

Just ask them! I had a cleaner once who used to hang my washing out and she once cut the grass! I didn't ask her but she would see what needed to be done and get on with it. I loved her <3

Our house is probably about half the size of yours (3 bed semi) my cleaner does 2hrs a fortnight.

From your list she does not do bins, ironing or laundry. She would change sheets for £3 per bed but I do those myself.

She also cleans interior windows.

your Cleaner may be pacing herself to do what you’ve agreed she will do. You could try saying have you got time to do such and such?
Having said that, some cleaners are quicker than others and I think if you’re basically happy with what she’s doing, it may not matter too much that she’s doing less than somebody else’s Cleaner.
We have 3 hours fortnightly for the kitchen utility room hall stairs and one reception. All large rooms. He added the porch without being asked and sometimes does a kitchen drawer or cupboard. Slowish but thorough.

Our cleaner does all the things on your extras list. Tbh I think we value those more than the actual cleaning!

We have a cleaner in twice a week for 4 hours each day.

We live in a 8 bedroom house, we have Karndean flooring throughout, apart from the stairs.

Our cleaner does
Hoover/mop all floors upstairs and down, and the stairs.

They clean 4 ensuites, and 2 family bathrooms.

Lounge, dining room, dust, and do mirrors.

Clean kitchen/ surfaces and utility

Downstairs loo

They do windows, and they will do doors every other week.

We don't have beds changed or any laundry/ ironing done. I prefer to do that myself.

We have a small (I think) three bedroomed house with one bathroom. Our cleaner does what yours does plus strip and remake one bed every week in two hours.

Same as yours but also bed making.
We strip the beds and leave clean linen on them
Doesn't take long for them to he made (but she does it much better than I ever could!)

She's unusually speedy I would say!!

Our cleaner cleans:
Bathroom

Kitchen

Dusts
Living room
Lounge
Mops kitchen and hall
Hoovers bathroom and downstairs rooms

We also have 2 bedrooms and a music room but we don't ask her to do them. We occasionally ask her to change our bedding which she will do.

Takes her 2 hours
£25

I think I will tell her that we need her for a set amount of time as what happens right now is that she comes and I'll give her a list of stuff I need doing and she takes as long as she takes (usually 4-5 hours) and then leaves.

She's a bit slow, yes. As a rough order of magnitude, I allow 20 minutes per room. Some end up being 10, if surfaces are clear etc and some end up being 30 (big bathrooms with huge shower screens, double sinks etc). 20 mins is a good rule of thumb though and in that time, an efficient cleaner should be able to clean windows, dust all surfaces, swipe over the skirting boards, hoover etc in a standard bedroom.

Yes I'd say yours is too slow- set some hours i.e 3 and a list of what you'd like doing.

Mine does 3 hours a fortnight.

This includes a clean of the whole house (3 bedrooms), 3 bathrooms, every floor everywhere, plus change the beds (I strip them beforehand).

£50

Oh and empty all bins and put new bags in and take them all out to the right bins out the back.