Do you have a house cleaner? Tell me about them!

fro9etb8j5qsl2

With a breastfeeding newborn on top of 2 rambunctious toddlers and a messy husband, I am fighting a losing battle against housework :rolleyes: I can just about keep on top of the daily surface cleaning but do not have the time or energy for anything deeper than that. I know people say lower your standards etc and I wish I could but I actually cannot relax in a mess.

So, tell me about your cleaners please! How much do they charge, how long do they stay and what exactly do they do? Oh and where is the best place to find someone decent? The last time the topic came up here I decided to guve it a go and hire someone but was very disappointed with the results so didn't ask the lady to come back a second time. Would like to avoid that happening again. Tia

m'lady

Lilyana Polite Pilgrim wrote: »

With a breastfeeding newborn on top of 2 rambunctious toddlers and a messy husband, I am fighting a losing battle against housework :rolleyes: I can just about keep on top of the daily surface cleaning but do not have the time or energy for anything deeper than that. I know people say lower your standards etc and I wish I could but I actually cannot relax in a mess.

So, tell me about your cleaners please! How much do they charge, how long do they stay and what exactly do they do? Oh and where is the best place to find someone decent? The last time the topic came up here I decided to guve it a go and hire someone but was very disappointed with the results so didn't ask the lady to come back a second time. Would like to avoid that happening again. Tia

I think cleaners can be hit and miss, some are excellent and others are not so good!
Unsure where you are based but where I am the price per hour is €10-€12.
They can stay as long as you want them to, it really depends what you are wanting them to do.
I have a lady that comes every 2 weeks, as I know there wouldn't be enough to do weekly.
I just ask her to do the things that I have let slide, for example last week I asked her to clean the windows downstairs alongside cleaning the bathrooms, and cleaning down the cabinets in the kitchen (hi gloss so need it regularly), then as she had another 45 minutes left I asked her to vacuum the house and wash the floors (I do that every day anyway but it saved me doing it that day) .. this all took her 2 hours.
I find it difficult to work out how long things will take a person to do as we all work at a different pace!
Next week, I'll possibly ask her to give the oven a quick clean (it's not that bad so not a big job), and the windows, and maybe clean our wooden blinds which I tend to do fortnightly myself anyway..

mrsmags16

We pay 60 euro fortnightly and two ladies from a cleaning company come and do the full house, it's small (about 70 sqm 2 bed) but they do a good job, I have a feeling it is a bit over the odds in terms of hourly rate but they are so reliable and professional that I am not going to mess with the arrangement - first baby due soon and while it was a bit of a luxury for me and husband (we both work FT) til now, I will definitely need them after the baby comes. I have to admit I do zero cleaning in between the visits unless say something spills.
They are Dublin based and can pass on details via PM if anyone is interested.

beertons

We got one as herself went on maternity with the second. That was 4 years ago. 2 hours, hoover, wash floors, change bed sheets and clean toilets. Counter top and window cills get a wet wipe. The play room might get a bit of a tidy, I try get the kids to tidy their room before she comes. And if the dish washer finishes when she's there, she'll empty it. 25 quid a week.

Things to get used to. Where did that thing go? Cleaner might have moved it. If the place was tidy, she wouldn't have needed to move it. We clear out of the house before she gets there, and don't return till she's gone.

shesty

I'm impressed at the poster who hoovers and washes floors everyday!!Full time working mum of two under 3 years here-local lady cleans every fortnight.She's 12 eur an hour and worth every penny of it!Leaves the house spotless once a week (It's a four bed) and does hoovering, mopping, dusting, bathroom cleaning.Admittedly the bathrooms aren't quite as clean as I'd do it but at this point I've accepted that whoever comes in will do something not quite as I would have done it and that's just life.We had an agency person who was 16eur an hour too at one point.I just want the house to get a good clean all in one go at least once a fortnight and I'll tip over it in between, doing the bits here and there.I have accepted that I am not superwoman and we are lucky enough to be able to afford it......this gives me back hours of my weekend, which is invaluable to me.

bp

Every two weeks for three hours and it's great. Mops the floors and a good Hoover - I do the visible bits only! As above I would prefer the bathrooms to be a bit cleaner but then again I use an old tooth brush to clean around my taps so I think the cleanliness is a me issue

Love her! Oven gets cleaned, bed sheets changed. I empty the dishwasher myself as things aren't put where I put them

m'lady

@ shesty lol, I know it's just one of the things I have always had a thing for, but trust me, I'll avoid other things at all costs- like the windows!


I agree with the bathroom comments, my bathrooms never seem as clean unless I do them, can't figure out why!
I actually had a different woman come to clean last year, and I discovered all she was doing was literally throwing bleach down the toilet and in the toilet brush base- and a very quick wipe over, it smelled really clean but on inspection it wasn't! I didn't get her again..

sullivk

Would love if anyone in Dublin could pm me details for their cleaners?

We've just moved from a 2 bed into a 4 bed and I completely underestimated the increased cleaning time involved... throw a newborn, toddler and teenager into the mix and i can use all the help i can get! Thanks

sillysocks

We've one every week for 3 hours. Love it and wouldn't be without it!
She charges 10 eur an hour so 30 per week. She hoovers the house, washes floors, cleans two bathrooms, kitchen, dusts the house and then does any the ironing. She used to do 2 hours when it was just cleaning and now one extra for ironing.

My husband laughs because I spend about half an hour tidying before she comes. As a previous poster says she wouldn't know where to put some things and say in the playroom she couldn't even get to the floor to hoover if I didn't tidy a bit first. Same for stuff on kitchen counters etc so I find it makes me keep on top of things like putting washing away, sorting post etc when I know she's coming!

I just found mine from a friend of a friend. I don't think she's an amazing cleaner but she does a fairly decent job, I once tried someone else who ended up being way worse and arrived with her child and let him play around the house while she cleaned which I wasn't too keen on so went back to my original girl.

dball

a few years back when myself and my wife had had our first child we hired a girl to help with house work.

we couldn't afford her for more than a few hours per week - She was very pleasant and didn't have a lot of English, i think she was form Poland - in fact we couldn't afford her at all - it was a luxury we should not have taken as money was very tight!

In fairness to her she was very willing to help and my wife developed a good friendly relationship with her.

id say to was about week 3 or 4 when my wife asked her to help in changing the baby's nappy - How we laughed and still do :
She picked up our little bundle of joy and was about to wipe her little bottom with a domestos wipe.

that was her last day!

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Thanks for all the replies sillysocks I'm impressed with the amount your cleaner gets done, I wish I could find someone that good! It's jobs like floor washing, hoovering, bathroom and dusting I would be looking to get done. And all those niggly long-finger jobs like the oven and windows etc. No ironing or laundry or bed changing.

I would probably be looking for someone for 2 hours a week. The woman that did come a few times charged ?13 per hour which I thought was reasonable (if she had actually done a good job). It's funny a few of you mentioned bathrooms because I think she just chucked some bleach down the loo and gave the sink a quick wipe, even though our bathroom is tiny (6ft by 6ft) and only takes 15 minutes to deep clean.

I checked a local agency who quoted me ?15 per hour. I wonder if it's better to go through an agency?

beertons

Lilyana Polite Pilgrim wrote: »

I checked a local agency who quoted me ?15 per hour. I wonder if it's better to go through an agency?

See if they have the same person coming. If you like them, swap numbers and offer them 25.

shesty

I did a good bit of research....I think the agency option is good because if you have a problem you can always ring the agency and deal with it that way, rather than having to speak to the cleaner yourself (I'm not great at confrontation!). And they generally have to provide a service so standard can be quite good.On the other hand,they do charge more and they can be very specific in what they will and won't do, and will charge extra for ironing and the likes.On the other hand if you get someone local, they are often cheaper, more flexible in when they can or can't come and more open to doing different jobs from weeke to week (my impression).The downside being firstly, how do you know if you can trust them alone in your house if you're out during the day, amd that you have to deal with them directly if you have problems!

We went local mostly because I wamted a bit of flexibility and geographically, we aren't located near too many agencies....they just don't come out to where we are.That said, our lady is a friend of a friend and if we ever have problems, it could get awkward!But I'll deal with that if it happens!

And I'm glad it's not just me with bathroom issues!!!

Lollipops23

dball wrote: »

id say to was about week 3 or 4 when my wife asked her to help in changing the baby's nappy - How we laughed and still do :
She picked up our little bundle of joy and was about to wipe her little bottom with a domestos wipe.

that was her last day!

Surely that's not normally within a cleaner's remit?

uck51js9zml2yt

My wife has a cleaner....ME....a blitz is due over the weekend!

Strange thing is she cleans other peoples houses

Dial Hard

Mathew Mammoth Threat wrote:

Strange thing is she cleans other peoples houses

You know what they say about the shoemaker's children.

Where does one find a cleaner? What agencies do people use?

Dial Hard

Deleted User wrote:

Where does one find a cleaner? What agencies do people use?

We got ours through personal recommendation but it took a while. Turns out good cleaners are a) incredibly busy and b) can afford to pick and choose how far they want to travel/what days they want to work, etc.

I know a few people who've started out going through the likes of hassle.ie and then if they like/trust the cleaner will offer to do a direct arrangement with them.

Millem

Mrspostman I would love a cleaner but don't have one. My sister does well she actually has 2 cleaners that come at the same time as do lots of neighbours and friends. None of them have cut it for me......I can do a better job myself!!! This may change as new baby coming in sept!

There was poster who posted an unbelievably amazing cleaning schedule. It was amazing! I have not even 1% that organised! I find we don't have clutter so cleaning is not too bad. I need to Hoover every day due to 2 big dogs
I only mop once a week though unless it has been raining and then I need to mop everyday!

foodaholic

I have a cleaner that comes once a week for 5 hours
We both work shift work and where always fighting over chores

She is a godsend
Changes all the bedlinen once a week
Cleans the house top to bottom and does ironing

she never has to be told what to do
At this stage I dont think I could mange without her

Millem

I send my husband's ironing out....?1.20 a shirt well worth it I wash and dry them though. I iron all our son's clothes and I don't think any of my clothes need to be ironed!!!

pwurple

Yes, both of us working full time, and beyond. Think i'm putting down 80 hour weeks and this stage.

Anyway, we have had the same cleaner for about 9 years. She is awesome, and won't clean any surface that is not clear, so it MAKES us tidy up.

She does:
Bathroom,
hoovers and mops floors
Wipes skirting boards, window cills, shelves.
Kitchen surfaces
Dust and cobwebs.

And if any time left over in the 2 hrs per week, will iron some shirts.

It doesn't keep the place immaculate. We still need to do windows and the odd spring clean inside all cupboards, tops of mirror, photo frames etc.

scaryfairy

we also have somebody coming to our home. We pay 36 eur per week, for what I thought a 3-hour stint but I think I might be paying for a 2-hour job (it's a 70sqm apt, and the job is less than perfect) - she gave away this info without meaning to. I found this person through a facebook group.

We had 2 other people before, who couldn't continue as they got full time jobs, and I paid the same amounts but they were much more thorough...

I leave home every morning at around 7.15am and get home after 6pm, so I feel it is worth paying for somebody to do it as I don't have to worry about it over the weekend.

painauchocolat

We have a married couple who come for two hrs once a week (ie 4 hrs total, 40euro). I feel less guilty about asking a big lump of a man (I mean this in the nicest way!!!) to lug a hoover about the place. We have two small kids and both work full time. We tidy; the cleaners clean. They do all the bathrooms, hoover and wash floors, dust and polish (previous owners put in massive mirrored sliderobes). I particularly love having the shower glass sparkling.
Technically we could do it all ourselves, but it would take half the day on Saturday and we'd much rather spend that time doing anything else! Some of the best money we spend, in my opinion.
(Also, such a relief to hear that it's such a common thing. I had thought I was being lazy/decadent!
Edited to add: the kitchen is left spotless too

contrary_mary

I have someone coming for 2 hours a week- €25. She has a key and lets herself in when we'reat work. We first got her when I went back to work full time after having my first - I'm now full time with a 2 year old and 1 year old so even busier.

She hoovers the whole house, mops floors, and cleans the kitchen and bathrooms. If the dishwasher or washing machine has finished a cycle she'll sort that too. She leaves the kitchen and bathrooms spotless but won't get under the beds with the hoover and misses out some of the higher shelves when dusting (in fairness she's quite small). I don't mind we just do that ourselves and I think she gets a lot done in the 2 hours as it is. We do extras like window cleaning and changing beds at the weekend. We always have the house very tidy for her on the day she comes so she can just get on with cleaning.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Congrats Millem! I was the poster with the amazing schedule, it was a colour co-ordinated excel sheet that I made up after my second baby was born and I was having trouble keeping up with the housework. How the mighty have fallen! :pac: I haven't used it in a while but might dig it out again and see if it can help me now.

Painauchocolat I love a sparkling shower screen too! The lady I hired told me that shower glass was her specialty so I was very disappointed to find mine still covered in water marks and streaks after her

It's interesting that people have mixed reviews. It would annoy the life out of me if I paid someone to come in and they didn't do a good job!

Big Bag of Chips

dball wrote: »

id say to was about week 3 or 4 when my wife asked her to help in changing the baby's nappy -

Why would she ask the cleaner to change your baby's nappy?

Millem

Lilyana Polite Pilgrim wrote: »

Congrats Millem! I was the poster with the amazing schedule, it was a colour co-ordinated excel sheet that I made up after my second baby was born and I was having trouble keeping up with the housework. How the mighty have fallen! :pac: I haven't used it in a while but might dig it out again and see if it can help me now.

Painauchocolat I love a sparkling shower screen too! The lady I hired told me that shower glass was her specialty so I was very disappointed to find mine still covered in water marks and streaks after her

It's interesting that people have mixed reviews. It would annoy the life out of me if I paid someone to come in and they didn't do a good job!

Thanks Mrspostman your schedule was amazing!!! Jeekers You could set up a cleaning business!! Soo super organised!!!
I am no where near as organised as you!!! I just do what needs to be done if that makes sense.

shesty

Lilyana Polite Pilgrim wrote: »

Painauchocolat I love a sparkling shower screen too! The lady I hired told me that shower glass was her specialty so I was very disappointed to find mine still covered in water marks and streaks after her

So funny, I thought of this thread today - I realised that the glass screen on our bath has been sparkling since our cleaner started a couple months ago, far cleaner than I ever had it. For all my saying that she hasn't quite got the bathrooms perfect, she's certainly doing other things that I was truly awful at!

Our lady gets it 98.5% right, which (If I'm honest and a bit mean!) is probably more than my husband would manage, so all in all, I'm very happy with her. And it's hours of my life back, which I could never put a price on. She would iron if I asked her to, I just haven't yet (also getting ironing sent out, especially in the weeks after a baby arrives is the most amazing thing ever....it truly is the little things!)

jester77

We've a really nice cleaner, comes in for 3-4 hours every week for ?13 an hour.
The 3 bathrooms and kitchen always get done, and she washes the floors. If she has time left she will do extra stuff without us asking, like cleaning the fridge, or cleaning out the drawers, or oven, etc.

matrim

Could anyone in Dublin could pm me details for their cleaners?

We've tried a few hassle.com cleaners and haven't really been happy with them so would prefer a recommendation the next time