Question about cleaners - am new to it all

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I am considering getting a cleaner, as I currently work 2.5 days a work but am due to go up to 4 days very soon. I have a 19m ds and am pregnant with no 2. I am starting to worry that I am not going to be able to do it all, as my dh works really long hours etc etc.

I want a cleaner to come in one day a week, and do all the big jobs, such as the bathrooms, kitchen, ironing. Just so I can keep up with the hoovering, dusting etc on a daily basis.

How many hours would be reasonable, I have a 3 bedroomed house, pretty average, and what is average wage for a cleaner? I am in hertfordshire, so will be fairly simialr to London I suppose?

Thanks

Bumping for you.

Best way to estimate hours is to time yourself doing what you'd want done - are you too pregnant for that though?

We have 2 4-hour sessions a week - covers: proper clean of kitchen, 2 bathrooms & 2 loos; hoovering whole thing (three & a half steep floors, like a treehouse - living-room, 3 bedrooms & a study - but lots of stairs to do too of course), & a bout of ironing (maybe an hour's worth). NOTE: time on ironing is enormously variable by ironer - some people will whizz through, others will inch meticulously. Has an effect on finished product too - so all of that you have to balance out just as variables.

I found our cleaner by asking round all our neighbours, and finding out what they paid too, and it seemed that £10/hr was going rate. But really that seems steep to me - we're very central London though. I am sure £7.50-8.50 would be fine.