Do you have a cleaner?

I'd love a cleaner, as I'm partially sighted and worry that I don't see dust and dirt which may be obvious to others!
I worry about cost, and also about employment law, properly accounting for wages etc.

We had cleaners on and off for years when we both worked. Partly health issues, I have CFS and and fibromyalgia so energy can be limited, partly time pressures. When his hours of work reduced Mr C took it over and did an excellent job. Once I finished work we shared the cleaning and still do.

Looking ahead we’ll be searching for a cleaner as health and mobility deteriorate. Mr C has been referred for major surgery, once we know a date finding a cleaner will be top of my list of things to do as I know I’ll not manage it all myself along with the garden. I love gardening, it’s my relaxation time, so no plans to give that up until I can no longer do it. Gardners do cut the grass, a bonus.

Cost-wise around here I think it averages £16/hour if paid direct to the cleaner, more if through an agency.

We had a cleaner when I was working but GraffaC decided he could do what she did and stopped going out to work on Mondays & did the cleaning instead. He was far more thorough than she was! I'd like to have a cleaner now as his enthusiasm has wained as he's aged and I hate housework but, if I dare say it - I don't think anyone else has - as things are at the moment, we can't afford it. We probably could if we gave other things up, but we'll carry on muddling along with the cleaning, each doing our own specialities. I don't hoover and he won't do worktops & sinks!

My cleaner is Polish and she’s fantastic, Two hours a fortnight . She says she loves cleaning. Rarely chats and leaves the flat sparkling. Economical with products and always punctual. A great help to have.

Pammie1

Gwenisgreat1

I am coming to the conclusion that I need a cleaner, my mobility is in decline, but there is no way I could afford £40 per hour!!

Do you have a health condition for which you can claim a benefit like PIP or Attendance Allowance ? These are benefits intended to cover the extra costs incurred by disability - one of which is someone to clean, if you are no longer able.

It’s not £40 an hour. It’s 2 cleaners so you have to divide it by 2.

Sarah74

Larsonsmum

Have never had a cleaner - even when we lived overseas in the 70s and 80s and everyone had House Boys and Amahs. We entertained a lot then too. We are all different, but can’t imagine waiting 1 or 2 weeks to have a toilet cleaned!! This year I have had a Total Hip Replacement and Cataract surgery, but still did everything myself - keeps me moving!

That’s the part I don’t understand. So someone comes in and very efficiently cleans your bathroom - floor, shower, bath, loo, etc. And doesn’t come back for 2 weeks? So obviously you clean in the interim. I think I’d need a cleaner every other day! My DH is like a teenage boy - toothpaste blobs, wet towels left scrunched up, mirror never wiped, etc etc. But I like him

So is mine so I have to keep on top of things in between. My cleaner is so thorough, she even dusts the tops of the doors, pictures, mirrors . I do clean my own kitchen😀.
It’s a very large house, I couldn’t possibly clean it all myself, it’s even bigger than Paddyann54s.

We have someone to cut lawns, hedges etc. He is excellent and much in demand round here.

We also occasionally employ a 'jobbing gardener' to weed and yes, he does know the difference between a weed and a plant, he does a good job and whether or not he has a pension is his business. I assume he has enough common sense to sort that out for himself. He is much in demand too.

Gwenisgreat1

I am coming to the conclusion that I need a cleaner, my mobility is in decline, but there is no way I could afford £40 per hour!!

Do you have a health condition for which you can claim a benefit like PIP or Attendance Allowance ? These are benefits intended to cover the extra costs incurred by disability - one of which is someone to clean, if you are no longer able.

My cleaner comes once a fortnight for 2 hours, I have a small bungalow, she's marvellous and I wouldn't be without her now.

kittylester

Baffled by why there is anything wrong with employing someone to help out with tasks one is unable to do, or dislikes doing, is wrong.

We have always had a cleaner and a gardener. We can afford it, it provides employment and gives us more time to volunteer, help with grandchildren etc.

Not entitled at all.

Of course you are correct. Ignore the critical posters.

Fleurpepper

For those who employ cleaners directly, how do you ensure this is done by the book, and not 'on the black' - so that they are covered for insurance, pension, etc.

I could never have a gardener (well, not as long as I am fit enough)- unless it was a real professional who knew about plants, pruning, etc. Most jobbing gardeners have NOT got a clue, and it would drive me mad.

My cleaner was recommended by word of mouth and is self employed. She’s also registered for Universal Credit as self employed and receives that benefit based on her earnings from self employment. Her clients pay by bank transfer as she has to declare earnings, and this provides transparency - so not cash in hand and I am not an employer.

Gwenisgreat1

I am coming to the conclusion that I need a cleaner, my mobility is in decline, but there is no way I could afford £40 per hour!!

I admit we pay £40 per hour, the fee covers 2 workers, supplies, equipment. They account for NI etc, it's their own cleaning business.

I only posted what we pay because it's a point of reference to those looking to hire. Not entitled, smug, or any other silly judgement. We need help, we pay accordingly. People are employed.

I have a health condition and have had a cleaner for some time now - I used to rely on help from family, but we’re all getting on a bit now !! She comes in once a week for three hours and does a clean down and the heavy jobs I can’t manage. I pay her £50 for each session - she’s self employed and was recommended by word of mouth. I gather the agencies are much more expensive, but I think a personal recommendation is better, as you know what you’re getting.

Yammy

Fleurpepper

For those who employ cleaners directly, how do you ensure this is done by the book, and not 'on the black' - so that they are covered for insurance, pension, etc.

I could never have a gardener (well, not as long as I am fit enough)- unless it was a real professional who knew about plants, pruning, etc. Most jobbing gardeners have NOT got a clue, and it would drive me mad.

What does it matter as long as they do a good job,clean as you want and your house is as you want it. If you go through an agency, you check they are covered by their insurance.
Do you ask the window cleaner if he is insured? Or realise that if the postman/deliveryman or anyone else slips on your drive you are liable.

because it leaves them so vulnerable in so many ways, and without any rights or protection.

Yes, we have a cleaner who comes once a week for three hours. We have quite a large house, three stories, seven bedrooms (not all used as bedrooms!) so she only manages to get around the ground floor. The rest we sort of manage ourselves or on odd weeks ask her to help with particular tasks. Cost is now £15 ph: she uses my cleaning products etc which I prefer.
I've had a cleaning lady for a number of years: pre 2000 I had help for a couple of hours a week because I was doing a new job plus training and had three young children. Since 2000, when I had a hysterectomy I have had help always. Clearly I'm over my op but have osteoarthritis (one hip done, one to go) so frankly just can't get down kneeling or get up on stepladders to reach up high so I'm very happy to provide employment for someone to help me.

Many years ago, I was a self employed artist and for some extra money, did some cleaning once a week for an elderly couple who lived nearby. We became good friends and they insisted I stop for a coffee break after an hour and I think they enjoyed the company and chat! A neighbour of theirs heard about me and asked if I would clean for her as she recently had an illness so I started for her as well. Then a neighbour of hers heard about me and asked if I would come once a week to do cleaning in their big house. Then came another person requesting my services! I stoped after a while as I never planned to have a cleaning business! It shows how powerful word of mouth is for someone trustworthy. I still kept on my elderly friends on as they missed me.

Semi-retired and do volunteer work on some of my free days, so yes have a cleaner once a fortnight. They do the main part of the house and stop DH and myself squabbling over whose turn it is to clean the loos! Small local business so I know the team get paid holidays, sick leave and have a pension - and yes, that’s important to me.

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We have a cleaner here. It’s a definite “we have” not “I have” as when she’s on holiday, as this week, then everyone in the house (DH, adult DCx2, me) pitches in to keep it clean. During lockdowns when she couldn’t come at all for weeks, everyone became even more appreciative of her work. All of us work full time, so adding in another person’s job — cleaning the house — isn’t something any of us want to do.
Our cleaner loves cleaning. She and I (this is where I diverge from my household, as the rest have what I think as a ‘normal’ approach to mess) have conversations about how much we like to see e.g. the grout between the bathroom wall tiles restored to its correct white shade. The difference between me and the rest of the house is they don’t notice what colour it is. The difference between me and our cleaner is that she really enjoys the process of getting it clean. I just love it to be clean but am usually too knackered to get it to that state!
Our cleaner is wonderful, hard working, gets on and does what needs doing, will spot additional stuff like windows, inside of fridge etc. alongside dusting, vacuuming, washing floors, bathrooms. She used to do ironing (she loves it even more than cleaning, she tells me) but we’ve had to cut her hours a bit to save money. (As I write, DH who is not back at work yet (I’m on lunch break WFH) has just wandered past and said “I might even do some ironing” and is now getting out the ironing board ).
I love our cleaner, both as a person, and for the work she does. Am hugely appreciative of all of it. When we retire we are planning to move to a different city, and I’m trying to work out how to take her with me.

I am coming to the conclusion that I need a cleaner, my mobility is in decline, but there is no way I could afford £40 per hour!!

When I worked I had a cleaner but since partner retired he does all the heavy stuff like stairs and windows that I find hard. I don't mind housework, beats being an academic tbh

We have a cleaner who comes once a week for 4 hours, her husband does gardening for us too. I couldn't manage without her! I work 4 days a week and my daughter is a student nurse on placements and with three children. We live in a 5 bedroomed house and there are two bathrooms and dining and sitting room to tidy and a mountain of ironing! She will do oven and fridge cleaning (which I hate) and some ironing (mainly uniforms) and mop the floors and clean the bath rooms I dont ask her to strip beds but thats not too bad. When we are away I ask her to still come and then she can do the jobs like cleaning cupboards out for us which is a God send. She is lovely and worth every penny. Like others I economise in other areas so that I can prioritise these expenses which I class as priority! I have always had cleaners even when I was a lone parent on a part time salary I hate housework and am not very good at it so it makes sense.

Never had a cleaner. Now on the brink of 80 I'm beginning to struggle to cope with the housework in large-ish house. Don't like the idea of having a cleaner and would feel awkward about telling her/him what to do and uncomfortable about them having the run of the house. DD (single professional living on her own) has a cleaner and thinks we are mad not to have one. DH thinks we are managing ok though in all honesty his contribution to housework is pretty minimal. However he does help with change of bedding which I don't think I could manage on my own now.

We do not have a cleaner at present but have invested in a robovac robot hoover which does the whole flat which is quite a large area. It is excellent.
We still do our own dusting and clean bathroom and kitchen. The robovac is a hybrid and can mop the floors also which we are about to try.

No cleaner here and I don't think I'll have one unless I'm desperate. I really don't like the idea of someone else going through my stuff.