How do i find a decent cleaner?

[StrawberrySnowflakes]

want a cleaner for a couple of hours a week, just to do bigger things like bathroom and kitchen, maybe hoovering or windows, googled in my area, but only three cme up and they wern't even actually in my area?
was looking for a company rather than person as i thought this would be 'safer'?..any suggetions? and any idea of costs?

I just put an ad in the paper. Check their references and only hire someone who has them. I pay my cleaner 10 an hour but she has been with us for 3 years so you might want to start this person out at say 6. Insist they have their own transportation and state that clearly in the ad. Also make it clear that its only on a trial basis. Meet them the first time in a public place or at your home with a friend or DH. Make sure it is someone you like because they will be in your home a lot. Make sure they like children.

I'd go for an agency if reliability is your thing.

Its a bit more expensive, I pay #8.50 per hour but the cleaner only gets 6.00 which is a bit unfair for her, but if she is sick or at the start we had an unreliable one, then one call to the agency sorts it out rather than worrying about someone having your keys and never coming back.

Oh and be very clear about what you want her to do. Most cleaners start out really well but then tend to lapse, if you have a list then you can make sure she has done everything and congratulate her on a job well done. Oh and make sure you do christmas bonuses and paid holidays if you get a good one.

so were are you? and is that average wage through agency?, im in NE england.

SS, I would ask around and see if anyone will give you their cleaner's number.

I pay £20 for 3 hours and it's worth every penny.

I wouldn't agree with going for an agency for reliability ! I just sacked an agency for leaving my front door unlocked three times - and for incredibly variable cleaning !!

Agencies pay staff very badly because they are in business to make profit, they don't treat their staff very well and in my case (South East) most of the people they sent didn't speak English - I witnessed a traning session where the woman was drawing pictures to explain what the other should be doing !!

My recommendation would be to ask around for a personal recommendation ! If you can find someone through word of mouth you won't go far wrong !

Failing that - look at the notice boards at local shops or post office - but always check references !!

Be prepared though, most people won't give out their number if they have a good cleaner. They like to keep them to themselves.

Oh I haven't found that at all - people always been happy to give my number to their cleaner and if they have a vacancy they will call me. Have had two very good cleaners in this way - the best I have ever had actaully.

Lucky you. It took me forever to find mine. You wouldn't believe the weirdos I had to interview.

Oh I'm looking again - having sacked agency ! No one has any space at the mo - am on 3 waiting lists - just waiting for the call !

I only went through and agency once and they were useless. I prefer to have the same cleaner all the time. When my housekeeper is on holiday I use a cleaning company. I had a lot of responses when I put adds in the paper.

Maybe I'll try that - or I think WWW has put ads in Tesco with good success rate too !

Need to do something - I am drowning !

Just be prepared to get some weirdos calling. Interview them in public first, at a local coffee house or something or make sure your DH is at home.

so in NEengland, what am i looking at apying per hour?
i want bathroom/kitchen doing and just bits and bobs of other stuff, it seems ill have to make that clear when i take someone on, but for now i hadnt really thought about it?..was thinking an hour twice a week????say mon and thurs, so would prob have to be someone local?, would that work?

Somebody would probably want a bit more time than that.

so if i did it in one day instead? ie a 2hr session? or still too little?

Yes, I would imagine you want 5 hours a week minimun. I could be wrong, you might find someone.

We had one that only came once a week for 2 hrs. She was great, showed with everything she needed to do the job and left the house cleaner in those 2 hours than I have seen other cleaners doing in a week. She charged 10 per hour but that was many years ago.

See I told you I could be wrong.

I have agency doing 4 hours per week, but my cleaner does have clients that only do an hour. She moans about them, says you can't really get anything done.
My cleaner gets £6 per hour, I pay agency £8. If you do have isses with the cleaner or cleaning, surely the advantage of an agency is that they sort it out?

I thought that - but in my experience they said they would sort it out but did absolutely nothing ! They didn't really give a damn - just wanted the money.

The worst thing about agencies that you get a different person each week, sometimes I had one person for 4 hrs, sometimes 2 for 2, sometimes 4 for 1 and they had almost alwasy never been to my house before. they had scant written instructions and the qualkity of the cleaning was wildly variable !

I was very very disappointed in my agency expereinece.

Strangetown I love your name

thanks girls, so it seems maybe a local cleaner would be better, my friends mum(dd's godmother) does it but i couldnt ask her!..might put and ad in local newsagents or something, but TBH, round here, i think id get a long line of time wasters!

Thank you Quadrophenia - I must admit to a jealous moment when I first saw yours!

and Paulaplumpbottom, i keep reading your name as Paulapumplebottom for some strange reason??..are you knew or name changed?

Nope. Its the only name I have had. Not sure what a pumple would be.