Getting a cleaner - what, where, how and who?

[thehockeyandtheivy]

Been advised by my doc to do nothing at home and really relax, hard enough with a 4 night a week job and a 3 1/2 year old, but my mum has suggested that I get a cleaner (which she will pay for!) so that DH isn't doing everything (he has a full time job, is doing a masters and has to look after dd 4 nights while I work so he's not lazy).

How do I go about it? I've never had one before and I feel a bit of a fraud, but at least I have the doctors excuse so dont need to feel to guilty. Has anyone got one? where did you get them from? What is the going rate (outside London, I'm in Cardiff) and how do you work out what they should do?

I'd start with asking some of your friends or family who have cleaners. If they employ someone they like/trust who does a good job, perhaps that person can fit you in.

Message withdrawn

bump as my bump needs a good lie down in a clean house!

oh yes and norm have a look at the tesco thread I got the response this morning -how crap is that!

Re cleaner .... I have had soo many problems ( ie: high turnover of people )

What tends to happen is that they are great for the first few weeks and then standards start to slip - and I am such a wuss that I cannot bring myself to complain to them.

My advice is :

a) Go for a personal recommendation
or
b) which is what I have finally done .... is go through an agency. Though this might be slightly more expensive .... you have the safety net that any problms will be taken care of by someone else .... and also - you know that they have been vetted ....

HTH

Do a quick check with your neighbours whether they use one and would recommend that person. My main concern, apart from a clean home, is honesty. They mustn't steal my stuff.

I didn't specify any requirements - like you, it was my first. But it worked out that cleaner would do the obvious things like clean kitchen, bathroom, hoover entire house, mop floors, wipe surfaces, empty bins. But ... she does not hoover under furniture or wipe any surface that is too cluttered eg mantlepiece, or dust corners and obscure parts of the room, no tidying beyond moving things out of the way, no making beds (we don't expect her to) or washing dishes (again, we don't expect her to) or cleaning inside appliances like microwave, oven. Definitely no laundry (but that is probably more housekeeper). Also depends on how much of her time you are paying for compared to the size of your place. Ironing, if offered, would add a lot to the time required.