Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
What do you expect your cleaner to do?
I have a cleaner (found on HOL and highly recommended here) who comes each week for three hours and receives £10 per hour.
Often, I feel that she could have done more in the three hours than gets done. Now, I don't know whether this is because I am:
a) unrealistic about cleaning time, as I am a slapdash cleaner myself!
b) really not getting the best for my money from her work.
c) not asking her for the right things or expecting her to read my mind about what I want cleaned.
I know that often the cleaner does not stay for the full three hours (because I have come home early unexpectedly and she has told me when she has arrived; or because my mum has actually been staying while she cleans and she has only stayed just over two hours), which actually wouldn't bother me if the jobs were done so well that I was really satisfied.
So, what would you expect to be done in a three-bed terrace for £10 an hour for three hours? And should I be leaving lists of extra bigger jobs to do if she has lots of time left over? Is it just that she thinks I am happy with that level of cleaning and don't want any more?
Help me. I seem to have no idea what to expect from a cleaner!!!
Tags for Forum Posts: cleaner
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RNM on
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Yes I have a child and no way are we are clean as you! I'll digest your suggestions and work out the
most tactful way to handle this so I can be clearer about what I want her to do. Thank you Jessica.
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Personally, I blame HOL Management. They should have set up a Finishing School for HOL Residents years ago,
to help us all towards a shared and uniform approach to Downstairs. Better still, HOL Management have a duty
to vet all new residents in these matters, but particularly those aspiring to Ladder Residency. HOL would not
have got away with this slipshod negligence back in 1897. Have we learnt nothing from the Raj since our
Empress's Diamond Jubilee? RNM, please learn a few useful phrases in the imperative mood. Such slackness
may lose us our Empire.
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Frankly a bit of finishing school would have done me good. Then maybe I'd be accomplished enough to hold down a full time job, manage a toddler and still have time to keep a beautiful home.....alas my parents clearly did a shoddy job. I'm not sure I'm the right woman for this mission to develop the imperative thrust of the Empire. I just want to sleep more.
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Permalink Reply by Isabelle on
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I used to be a cleaner. Although what people want to be cleaned is pretty standard and common sense, you should brief your cleaner at hiring - just like with any job description. There were things I didn't do, like washing up or ironing, I'd also expect the house to be reasonable tidy so that I could clean; of course if you do need the ironing or other odd job done, you must make that clear at the beginning. My view is that it's not a good idea to include tasks that can vary in quantity from one time to another, or to add or change tasks from one week to another - I guess it's the same in most jobs, people get used to a workload. Being hired to do a specific job isn't the same as being hired to work by the hour.
As for the variation in time... Sometimes one is focused and can work fast, other times it's slow. And also, typically, a job that would initially take me three hours (or would have taken my client three hours) could be brought down to two and a half hours after a few weeks of establishing a routine. You cut time by being more efficient, not by being lazy. It is a skilled job after all and everything, up to where you plug the hoover, or a sequence of moves to clean a worktop, contributes to productivity. Of course clients rarely see it that way. They think ten minutes is ten minutes. But should a cleaner be given a bigger workload just because s/he's hardworking and fast, or should it be her/his bonus to finish the shift earlier?
Anyway, this was just to help you see things from a cleaner's perspective... At your end, perhaps you could have a go yourself at cleaning your house for three hours (a time which I don't think is unrealistic btw), just to see what it's like timewise and to make a thorough list of what you need doing in each room. Then use that list to re-brief your cleaner, take your time to describe it all. And if you do want extra odd jobs done now and then, check with the cleaner first (for instance, would s/he be happy to do some spring cleaning once a month instead of regular cleaning?) and beware that these usually take longer than you'd think. S/he might be ok about it, or not be interested at all (in which case maybe hire someone else on those days), but at least you'll both be clear about your needs and expectations. All the best.
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Thanks Isabelle. This is very helpful. I'll read through and digest your points - thank you again.
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Permalink Reply by Maddy on
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I do think if you pay for three hours, she should work for more or less that amount of time. But cleaning is hard physical work, and she probably does two houses in a day, every day. So I don't think you can expect her to clean at the same speed/intensity that you would do your own house - after all you'd probably put your feet up afterwards. I think you'd know if she really wasn't doing a good enough job.
There are other things that are as important as cleaning skills: reliability (does she always stick to the day and times agreed?); trustworthiness (do you feel happy giving her a set of keys and leaving her alone in the house?); commitment (will she stay in the job for a reasonable time?)
Also remember that cleaners get no paid holiday. If you go away and cancel them, that is their livelihood. I usually pay even if I am going to be away and it's not worth the cleaner coming in.
By the way, I see nothing wrong in paying someone to clean your house (despite a couple of the comments on this post). I suspect part of the issue is that cleaning is regarded as women's work: no-one seems to have a problem with the idea of hiring a gardener, or someone to mend the car...
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Thanks Maddy.
I also see nothing wrong with paying someone to clean your house either, which is why I asked for insight into what other people expect their cleaners to do. I simply haven't had one before and given that I work full-time and a lot of evenings, it makes more sense to employ someone. I am sure that some people can both work long hours, look after their young kids and clean, but we can't accomplish that. I'd rather pass some of my wages to someone else to do a professional job. I actually had a cleaning job when I was younger and took great pride in it, so I definitely don't undervalue it or dismiss it as a job, despite the jokes on this post about empires and butlers.
I do actually pay when I'm away as well. I just realised after employing her that perhaps I wasn't communicating as well as I could, or she didn't know what I wanted done and sometimes I think she doesn't stay as long as we agreed. Although I employ lots of people in my professional career with clear expectations, I'm not so clear on what to expect from a cleaner.
So I thought I would ask! Thanks for the comment.
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I've had the same cleaner working for me for about seven years - she comes every other week for four hours. Before that I had a friend of hers for three years. I would hate to do without now - I've almost forgotten how to work the hoover:). It does make you tidy the house up regularly, which is quite good except when you have a teenager to battle with.
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Permalink Reply by Bethany Burrow Atherton on
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We have a cleaner for all the reasons people state above (apart from kids, none of those yet). We'd be lost without her. She does two hours a week for us, which sometimes isn't enough, and that is directly proportional to how messy we've been in a particular week! We also find we're more likely to tidy up because we know she's coming and she actually refused to clean the flat of the friend who recommended her to us because it was too messy every time she went (and that sorted him out!) She's reliable, trustworthy and the cat loves her. She's capable of seeing which areas need extra attention and spending more time on those, but woe betide us if we leave anything in a strange place - we then have to find where she's put it. In answer to the original question, she focuses on cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, hoovers and dusts everywhere, loads and/or unloads the dishwasher if it needs doing and cleans the hard floors, and takes out the rubbish if needed. If we want any ironing doing, she'll do it if we leave it in a certain place, but the time she spends on it means that some other tasks get left.
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Permalink Reply by Duguneek on
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There's no reason why you should pay a cleaner for three hours to clean your house, it's too vague and there's no incentive to do a good job.
Work out what you want done in your home and how often, make a list and then do it yourself when you have a decent level of energy. Multiply the number of hours it takes you by what you feel is a reasonable hourly rate plus another half hour to cover travel time for anyone living within fifteen minutes walk.
London living wage is currently £8.30 per hour btw but I'm not saying cleaners should be paid LLW!
Then you can work out the FEE you are prepared to pay for the task. Don't feel concerned if the person takes more or less time than you would, it doesn't matter. Allow for flexibility and ensure the person knows this is self-employed work. Ensure your home is a safe environment and obtain receipts. Expect the person to declare their pay! Your money will get reused in the economic system and you won't have any embarrassing moments if you become a government minister. Advertise in local newsagents or find through HOL and if you don't find anyone then the pay rate is too low.
Always obtain references and take a pic of the persons ID - you're letting them into your home after all.
Err now for getting a builder from outside Wickes!
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