Employing a cleaner - and difficulties thereof

I did not want to use an agency as they took more than they paid the cleaner, little incentive to put heart snd soul into it.

Years ago I had cleaners from an agency - not a happy memory- expensive and the people just wanted to do the minimum and be gone- probably the pay wasn’t good.
Our cleaner cleans for other family members and is good and we know her well now - however she’s trained to do nails- so I wonder if she’ll move over to that!
I agree with the people advising to look on next door group for recommendations.

I have an amazing cleaner called Ally, she is friendly, efficient and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, she comes every other Wednesday and apart from if she is ill never lets me down. She has her own key so if we are out she lets herself in. My daughter arranged for her to come to me as she also cleans my daughters house.

I tried Age UK for some DIY jobs, £35 per hour, this was about 3 yesrs ago and the man who turned up said the jobs couldn’t be done.
Stud wall , mirror too heavy, second rail on the stairs not possible.
Got a handyman from a personal recommendation and he did them with absolutely no,problem.
I have heard similar stories.
May just be in our area.

Alway use personal recommendation:

Our local AgeUK offers a help service, amongst which is cleaning. The price - £28 per hour, minimum £42 for 1.5 hours!

Try Age UK many of them offer a "Help in the home scheme"

Several members of my family use an excellent cleaning company near Norwich.

We have a ‘team’ who come every week - 3 lovely women. Used to be 4 but one ‘retired’. They come for 40 minutes which amounts to two hours and charge £38, They are so reliable and efficient and don’t waste any time chatting or need cups of tea. I always clear clutter before they come - it’s a good routine to have.

Ask around local whatsapp groups, neighbours for recommendations, be flexible about days, times and timekeeping. Lean over backwards, pay double on Christmas Eve. Give them first refusal if getting rid of stuff.

Gay men are very good at cleaning and non judgemental

Might get my son round here then. Sadly he is not the first and sometimes the second. Fancy that.

My first cleaner worked no hours contract with an industrial cleaning company so fitted me in in between. she was great but then she was offered full time work with them, so I lost her. Then I saw on our village Facebook page someone I knew had said she had a space to fit in another client, she too was perfect but let me know at the beginning of the year that she was moving to Wales so I thought I was back on the treadmill of finding someone else. I told my eldest daughter in passing that I was looking for someone else to clean for me and she suggested cleaning for me, yet again she's perfect, well she would be wouldn't she . So moral of the story, no large company cleaners where the cleaners actually don't get everything you pay them as it goes into business profits.

I'd never reply to agencies.

Lots of ladies, and I believe a few men set up a Facebook page and call it a business.
I've had a cleaner several years it's much better to employ a single person offering her services.

I'm definitely going to need a cleaner soon or else have a TKR op. Really can't get down on hands and knees anymore to do certain necessary jobs properly.
My question is what do you do about security? Lockup valuables and paperwork etc. I also wonder how you explain or show cleaner how exactly you want things doing or do you just have to leave it to them.?

I have seen people ask on local FB pages for cleaners, asking how to much to clean ..... No-one ever responds with a price, always just "I can help, message me". I don't know about other areas, but I am in the midlands, and the going rate seems to be from £20ph! For most of them that's cash in hand too - I have a degree and was never paid that sort of money!!! Sorry if I sound like a grinch

Gran22boys

If you have a big floor space you could invest in a robot floor cleaner. My relative has one. It’s brilliant and can distinguish between hard floors and carpet. When it’s finished it parks itself back in its housing. No days off or phoning in sick.

I’ve got a robot vacuum cleaner which is great and we can program to clean in the middle of the night.
Sadly he doesn’t dust or clean the bathroom 😟

Elrel

How many of us tidy up before the cleaner comes? In my case things end up in strange places and some times don’t re-emerge for weeks!

Exactly the same for us. 😀 I wouldn’t expect my lovely cleaner to tidy up I just want to ‘clear the decks’ and make it easier for her.
I had our previous cleaner for over 10 years but sadly she moved to Scotland. I was recommended to our current cleaner on Nextdoor 2 years ago and we are more than pleased.

It's a very familiar situation for me.
I have a very nice lady at the moment but it's taken me ages - two years - and going through agencies, individuals, one or two extremely judgemental, some almost con-people.
I think you just have to keep going and sieve through the chaff till you find a good one.
If the people feel you need help, they can, with good intentions, try to take over and give advice that you should do this or that ...
Keep going, good ones are out there.

That was amusing Esmay. There can be many inauspicious astrological days. I'm surprised she made a living. It reminded me of my late DS, a bit of a bohemian, who astrologically was somewhat unreliable.

We were Very lucky, got my aunt a cleaner who goes the extra mile.
Takes her to hospital appointments, dentist, paid of course. She stops for a cup of tea so that’s a little extra company for my aunt.
Shes worth her weight in gold imo.
It’s not just cleaners though with excuses it seems to be all trades people I find with their BS excuses.

My last cleaner I had was not very thorough but was reliable, or so I thought. My grandson (14) came to stay and while I was at work the cleaner arrived 45 minutes late and left an hour early. So she only cleaned for 1 hour 15mins, in spite of being paid for 3 hours. She knew he was in the house so should have realised he might report her timings.
She was dismissed that week.

If you have a big floor space you could invest in a robot floor cleaner. My relative has one. It’s brilliant and can distinguish between hard floors and carpet. When it’s finished it parks itself back in its housing. No days off or phoning in sick.

My cleaner is absolutely great (apart from the time she locked me out but we had a good laugh about that). She does everything low down and high up and all surfaces in-between, floors, vacuums actual furniture and does under it too, light switches, door edges and handles, lampshades, mirrors, frames, surfaces, bathroom and kitchen and leaves everything absolutely sparkling clean. I am in Scotland and got her through recommendations from the local Facebook page. She is so in demand, there is a waiting list. She gave me a breakdown of what she does, when she will do it, how long it will take and the cost, and it's always spot on. I am very lucky! Good luck to you too, I hope you find The One.

Your experiences don’t surprise me ww2 .
When I was working 4 days a week , we had a cleaner from a company, they’d work in twos but didn’t do a decent job . They’d clean around things like the dog bowl or the tea , coffee sugar container . Even when I mentioned it , the cleaning didn’t change .
Then I tried cleaners recommended by friends . One was very chatty and didn’t get it done in the two hours . One was unreliable, would cancel at short notice or just not turn up and another kept changing her days . I finally found a mother and daughter team who would iron as well . They were both excellent and friendly. Sadly the mother became ill and the daughter was caring for her.
I’ve been retired for 4 years now and do my own cleaning , luckily I’m fit and healthy. And our robot cleaner does a good job on the ground floor . He works daily and is reliable, except when he gets stuck under one of the sofas .

I have cleaner but he is a man - a gay friend of my nephew. Gay men are very good at cleaning and non judgemental. I pay him cash in hand. or via bank Same the gardener. Don't bother with agencies.