Do you have a cleaner and how much do they charge?

Take your own cloths, dont rely on your clients having decent clean ones for you to use. That way you can have new cloths for every house. We use cloths of 3 decent colours for different areas of the house, then wash at 90 degrees. These cloths are the ones used in professional kitchens and can be bought at your local Cash n Carry (Bookers in my case). If you Pm me, I will tell you the supplier of fantastic cloths for getting streaks off chrome, cleaning mirrors etc.

Do they take their shoes off?

(that was to annsixty)

We are trying to be supportive of biker who is trying to get off benefits and help herself to a better life jingl. Stop being so negative.

Yes, my staff do take their shoes off jings.

And I thought we were simply discussing cleaners.

I think I am negative at the thought of someone else cleaning for me. I need the movement cleaning entails, for one thing.

I have already wished biker good luck, and assured her that not everyone thinks as I do.

Thank you Gill57.

biker I worked with a lady who started her own business initially cleaning and had to leave work. She built up a huge client base who not only wanted a cleaner but also to do the jobs they couldn't handle, she covered light gardening, decorating, diy, curtains and then would also do a Sunday lunch service where she would cook and deliver a Pre ordered lunch. She was inundated with work. Good luck

biker, good luck to you - you should be very proud of yourself. I wish you could aim your old broomstick across this side of Cheshire and give my pigsty a good going over! xx

Good luck biker - I am sure you'll be brilliant. We have 3 cleaners and charge £39 for an hour so although it sounds expensive it is an hour's solid cleaning by 3 people. I tidy up as well before they arrive.
I love that feeling when they leave after an hour, to a clean, tidy house!!

Good luck biker My cleaning lady was a major 'facilitator'of my being able to work ft from when Dd2 was 5.I valued her so much .
I loved walking in on Thursday evenings (when I worked until 8pm) to a clean tidy house and ironed shirts ...I did my weekly grocery shopping before my12 noon start.And usually left a casserole to be put in oven by DH when he got home. It always felt so 'organised' IYKWIM . A moment of calm in the midst of the chaos that is family life. Before the whole circus started over for another week !

BIG thanks to you all for your support and good wishes

Yes I have started collecting suitable cloths/packs of 5 toothbrushes from our local £1 shop(to get round taps/toilet seats etc) and will be using diff ones for each house/business(providing I secure any)!

I also fold the end of the toilet paper nice! into a triangle

Gill57 I pm you last week but not sure of you have picked it up
Any info on the cleaning cloths would be appreciated

Obviously I am limited as to what I can carry on my scooter (or rucksack/trolley if I am to walk) but I have large underseat storage on scooter, plenty of room for cloths etc.

I have had so much support from GN and my friends, I just hope I can pull it off! and keep up with the physical side of it.( I always knew I had a rubber glove fetish)

Off to another group mentoring meeting tomorrow.

ano my broomstick is polished and ready!

thanks a bunch all Gnetters

A home help comes to me for an hour each week for £12.95p an hour from Age UK, so she has been vetted - she is honest etc and has 2 contact phone nos in case I am not well, or have a fall, etc. She is very helpful and friendly.

Biker

My friend gave up working 'part-time' at Morrison's approx 5 months ago. She decided to work for herself doing a little cleaning job.

She had set up with 5 friends and neighbours to do a couple of hours each a week.
at £10 an hour and she provides the cleaning material . She was more than happy with earning the £100. More people have asked her to go and do their homes, word of mouth was all that was required! She is now, after only 5 months, thinking she is doing too much and virtually doing a 'full time' job and thinking how to let some people know she can't go to them because of taking so much work on. as she feels she is letting them down. We do live in villages and I think the 'gossip' get's around, albeit in a nice way so she didn't have to advertise , we all did it for her

Basically I am saying well done you. I hope you succeed and I am sure if you get a couple of jobs under your belt more will ask you to help them out too.

I don't know what things are like these days but a word of caution. I had a market stall , moons ago, working one day a week selling second hand clothes and bric-brac, we all do what we can to earn a crust.. I didn't earn enough to pay tax but I did keep a little notebook to show me what I spent and earnt. I did it for about six years but one day I had a call from the tax office, somebody had reported me working!!!! I did not receive benefits or anything so I was OK. Fortunately I had a really nice chap and I told him what I did, could show him my fart ass books immediately, they were like the red cash books you can buy. He didn't want to go further into things but I distinctly remember him saying somebody had reported me to the tax office. So be aware there are some people who like to stick their nose into other peoples business , be prepared.

All the best.

Thats an interesting story pogs will take it all on board about the "little red book" I think we are discussing bookeeping/losses/organisation this morning at the meeting. I love stories like yours about people that have started with "0" and ended up having to turn work down (lets hope I go the same way) I do wish I had started a blog now if only to encourage others as I have had so much encouragement from GN

Thanks Maggie

ano you should know our "magic broomsticks" can work wonders!! just say the secret words (virtual party,a few and away you go )

£50- 4 girls for 1 hour every 2 weeks. Worth every penny, they supply everything and leave the house spotless. My husband does tidy up a bit before they come as I am very untidy.

I got an email from the website that people connect too, if they live in your area.
It mentioned that age uk is able to help you if you need a cleaner.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

I would suggest trying TidyChoice. TidyChoice is an online marketplace where you can browse and book fully vetted housekeepers and childcare professionals. They usually charge around £12.50 an hour and I always use the company for my own 4 bed home. The fee is well worth it as they always do a great job for me.

I've attached there link. Hope this helps.
www.tidychoice.com/

I am in a wheelchair and hubby is frail, so we have a local, professional firm - so always have cover - once a week: 2 hours for £29 on Thursdays. Grandchildren come on Wednesdays and stay for dinner, and often sleepover, so I don’t feel too overwhelmed! My home-help-carer comes each weekday morning: she is the treasured extension of my hands, legs and memory! She keeps me safe, helps cook main meals, deals with the laundry, tidying up, dog-walking and anything else I need; takes me shopping, out for coffee or lunch, to U3A, church things and various appointments. On Fridays she makes sure all is set for the weekend She’s paid £10ph for 15 hours per week, and I pay nearly half of it from my disability payments. I am so thankful to have found her!

If someone need can read this: www.bestadvisor.com/how-to/how-to-use-a-carpet-cleaner
I do everything myself

It's been so interesting reading of everyone's experiences Mine started coming to me abt.4 years ago during those halcyon days when I only needed a walking stick to steady myself My neuro.condition has now progressed and I can't now walk without a rollator,etc. and I had to give up my car. S. is an absolute star! She comes once a fortnight and for 25.00 she stays until everything I've asked has been done. She brings in cleaning stuff she thinks I need - last purchase was one of those fluffy things on an extending pole to get down cobwebs and make spiders homeless? When she's told me that she was meeting her friends for a catchup drink, I lob in an extra fiver towards a bottle. These days(I'm in lockdown for 12 wks) she'll phone one night to say she's going to S'burys the next day and do I need anything? So, from the cost of a card in the village shop, I really struck gold. This really isn't the life I'd envisioned for myself, but S. has really eased it for me

I had a cleaner for a time when I had a very bad back . My snobby neighbour commented one day " well your house does look better " . I thought it looked fine . I had great problems getting the cleaner to go home ( think she was not happy at home ) . I eventually found a couple of things missing from the house and she did not do a great job so I paid her a month's wages and let her go . I just hate a stranger in the house and it is such a waste to have to go out when they are there. I have given in and we now have a chap to help in the garden but no cleaner though DH would willingly have one.

It’s a while since this original post.
How much are your house cleaners charging per hour?