I'm interviewing a cleaner this weekend, what should I ask/look for? How much can I expect her to manage? What do pay? How many hours do you have a cleaner for? Aargh!!!!

[sorky]

She advertised on Gumtree, I answered and she is coming to my house on Saturday to talk about what I want doing and make some recommendtions about what can be done when.
I have offered £7ph, which she seems pleased with. I think this will be cash in hand and I thought maybe ironing dusting and hoovering, with some help with the beds (5).

What do you pay, what does s/he do for that and how long do they come for?

I know she has 2 other jobs (one domestic, one pub) so should I fit in around those or state the best days for me?
She is bringing refs with her.

My cleaner comes for 4 hours a week, and in that she cleans 4 beds, 2 offices, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room and downstairs toilet. Includes doing dishwasher if necessary and ironing. She does the beds if we are having visitors, but not usually by my choice

I let her choose when she comes, although she normally comes on a Wednesday.

Blimey that seems like a lot!

Do you mind telling me how much you pay her? I don't want to pay her too little and do you review this amount?

She asks for 7.50 an hour, but I pay her 10 an hour (we argue about this, but she frequently takes ironing home that I know full well takes her more than the time she has left to do iyswim, and this compensates).

She gets an amazing amount done and is very thorough - I am very blessed to have her !

i pay £8 an hour, 3 hours a week, cleans kitchen surfaces, floor, and cupboard fronts, cooker hob. living room, dusts, wipes down couch washes floor.does windows and glass doors
hoovers stairs, cleans bathroom.

i love my cleaner everything else is much easier because i come home to a sparkling house once a week.

I have someone for 24 hours a week - more like a housekeeper who does everything from housework, to laundry, cleaning silver etc.

I would fix a time that suits both of you, not just her other employer. If you work M-F its nice to have the house cleaned Friday for the weekend.

Ours comes for 8 hours a week. During this time she:

Strips and changes the beds
Washes the bedlinen
Irons (we don't have a lot of ironing)
Cleans every room - meaning dusting, polishing and hoovering (4/5 beds, 5 baths, kitchen, dining, study, living, family and hall)

She comes for 4 hours on Thursday and 4 on Fridays

So if I ask her to come for 5 hours a week, 2 hours for a general clean and some ironing, then 3 hours for a thorough cleaning of one room, does that sound reasonable?