How to choose best house cleaner?

[kath]

Anyone got a cleaner?
So me and my fiancé bought a house together two years ago, and we’ve come to the conclusion…. we’re both terrible at cleaning!

We’ve got no kids and work shifts, so like to make the most of our time together and that doesn’t involve cleaning.

So we’re going to hire in a cleaner.
Ideally we’d want them to clean and hoover the bedrooms, lounge and kitchen. Then clean the bathroom, ensuite and downstairs toilet…

However, we’re not sure on what the going rate is, what to expect from them, what they can do in the time frames and what frequency to have them?

If anyone can help with any of the above, that’d be great thanks ????

[kerry]

Put an advert in the local shop window. Talk to any applicants about what they think they can do in a certain time frame and how much they might charge.

(We have a cleaner. Its me!)

[karen]

I have a cleaner and it’s a massive expense.
Cost me an engagement and wedding ring, food, holidays, clothes, presents, more shoes than one person can wear in a lifetime, jewelry.

A couple of friends of mine had a cleaner but they were that scruffy they actually cleaned up before the cleaner came round because they didn’t want anyone thinking they lived that slovenly.

[blurty]

I live on my own, and I don’t enjoy housework, although I love cooking, so I took on a cleaner about 4 years ago who comes once a week. She cleans and dusts throughout my 2 floor, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom flat. She cleans the bathroom fittings (bath, shower, wasbasins and toilets, and hoovers the carpets and washes the bathroom and kitchen floors. She cleans the kitchen work surfaces, hob and splash backs. My desk and other flat surfaces in my study, and dusts my numerous book shelves. In all it takes her about 2 hours once a week, for which I pay her £20.

Hope that helps?

[adam]

We’ve tried 3 different cleaners. This is in NW England, village near a town. My wife has EDS and is often not well. We have two kids and the level of tidiness varied quite a lot. Sometimes we needed a help with basic tidying, putting stuff away and quick hoover. Deeper cleaning got done when we were more on top of things or on holiday. 2-3hrs a week.

1. Local woman out of work with kids at school. £10 cash an hour, did a good job. She became unreliable whilst separating from her husband and just disappeared one day.

2. Woman running her own private cleaning/home-help/dog walking business. Branded car, proper invoices etc. £25 for 2 hours. Brought her own materials and could get a lot done in the time. After a couple of months the time on the job just drifted shorter and shorter. Ended up effectively paying £25 for an hour and stuff was just getting left. We let her go.

3. Local mum from school looking for a few hours a week. £10 an hour cash. Did a really good job and was really practical at picking up whatever needed doing. She would put washing in the dryer and put the dishwasher on before she left without being asked. A great help and good at cleaning. Faster than us by far. She had to stop when she got a part-time cleaning job at a local school and her total working hours exceeded some limit which would affect some income support/tax credits.

Well worth it if you can find the right person.

[fi]

I’d say if you don’t have kids as long as you don’t have fur shedding pets 2 hours once a fortnight would probably be about right. 2 hours once a week if leaving the hoovering for 2 weeks would bother you.

Could you try asking your cleaner at work if they want an extra little job?

You need to decide if you are happy for someone to have a key or not.

[sarah]

My parents used to use a cleaner because Dad has a long commute and Mum had some health issues. The costs above sound about on a par with what they were paying. They thought it was well worth it but they did describe a couple of quirks about it.

One cleaner they had was very short. She worked under some kind of outfit and her contract didn’t allow her to climb on things, so after a couple of months it was noticeable with the kitchen cupboards particularly that they were clean from where she could reach down but that grease was building up above that.

Another cleaner they had was really thorough about dusting all their art work, but always left all of it slightly squint.

They also commented that every cleaner they used had one blind spot – but at least that means you only have to clean that one thing yourself!

In the end, their cleaner moved back to S Africa at about the same time as Mum retired so they didn’t hire another one, but they seemed happy if slightly amused with the experience.

[el]

We give ours a bit over the going rate – £10 an hour for three hours. Also write down what you want done, don’t expect the cleaner to be a mind reader.

[janey]

Our cleaner is great. She visits twice a month for 2hrs at a time to keep on top of the bigger jobs and does a great job. Definitely makes keeping on top of it easier in between her visits.

We pay £15 per hour.

In our experience, getting a cleaner is easy. Getting a good one you can trust isn’t. As such, if you have friends or family that use a cleaner could be worth getting one through them.

[katykaty]

My mother was a cleaner all her adult life, mainly in offices, but also in “posh people’s houses”.

She was bloody good at it too, most of our Xmas presents came out of her “Xmas box” tips.

She was horrified when, as a “DINKY” couple, we got a cleaner in.

[don]

I hire a lady who runs a cleaning company, to help Mum with her flat. Kitchen, 3 living rooms, bathroom and bedroom. Vaccuums, washes tiled floors, dusts, cleans bathroom and kitchen. Two hours a fortnight, £12.50 per hour. Best cleaner ever; she admits to being OCD with cleaning and loves doing a good job of it.

[mooncat]

Mine comes in twice a week, about 6 hours total, I pay her £50 pw.

[notherngal]

Mine comes in twice a week, about 6 hours total, I pay her £50 pw.

@mooncat 6 hours a week? Do you live in a mansion or literally just drop muck everywhere you go?