Cleaning Schedule-Help Needed!

Penny-Pincher!!

Hello Again

Sorry to keep pestering you all :rolleyes:

I have explained in my other thread that I have been awarded 2 hrs a week domestic cleaning as im disabled :j I think I will take peoples advice and see what the service is like from the council before I decide whether I want to do Direct Payments etc. We are grateful for any help at the moment :T

Anyway, can anyone help me with a cleaning schedule for 2 hrs a week? I am very fussy with my cleaning. How much cleaning can one do in 2 hrs?

I live in a 2 bed semi. Downstairs we have a large kitchen (with pain in the bum high shine worktops), average lounge and small toilet. All floors are wooden. I have glass units in the lounge. Wooden blinds at windows which are pain to keep clean. Carpet on the stairs and 2 bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. Downstairs is my priority as i spend most of my time down there including sleeping some nights when unable to get up the stairs :eek:

Do you think it would be ok to see how the cleaner gets on, and if she is only able to get half the house done, maybe ask for another hour or 2? Or is this being too cheeky? Obviously, if I do direct payments, I will be able to aquire more hours for my money, but want to see what their service is like first and give them the benefit of doubt.

Im really starting to feel uncomfortable about this as Im not very assertive at the moment as Im so tired and in pain all the time. Should I draw up a list of jobs and what should i include?

Thanks
Penny-Pincher
XXX

telly-addict

Two hours a week doesn't sound like very much to me, but I spend a lot of time hoovering up crumbs after a toddler so I may be out of touch with other people's cleaning needs!

My first thought is whether it is only cleaning, or cleaning and tidying up that you need/want. If you are able to keep your rooms relatively clutter free, that will release more time for actual cleaning, and you won't have to be telling the cleaner where stuff goes.

Then, I suppose I would prioritise the jobs that you just cannot do yourself and that have to be done. I would have the bathroom/toilet and kitchen as my priorities. The toilet and bathroom have to be cleaned each week, IMO. I'd have thought 30 mins tops for these, including the floor? Similarly the kitchen - I imagine you would want the floor cleaned each week, the worktops cleared and cleaned.

Then there are the jobs that aren't vital but will wind you up if they aren't done - hoovering is mine, sounds like the wooden blinds are yours! I would only have the stairs done every 2-3 weeks - they go longer than that in my house, whereas the lounge gets done almost daily! Similarly, the carpets upstairs don't seem to get as bad as downstairs, so they could be done less frequently. I can live with a reasonable amount of dust before I have to do it, if you don't mind it could be done less often, or you might want it done each week.

I've never had a cleaner so I don't know whether 2 hours is enough, perhaps other ppl can tell you if you have been awarded less than others in your position. I suppose you need to give it a go and if your vital jobs don't get done, you need more time!

MrsMW

I would have thought that if there is not a lot of tidying to do first, two hours would be long enough for cleaning the kitchen and bathroom and doing the floors. There would probably be time to do maybe one other job like the blinds or the units. Maybe these can be done on a rota basis? Then if you have any extra hours you could think about things like cleaning windows, tops of units etc.
Those high shine surfaces can be hard to keep clean, but I find that "Worktop Wonder" from Lakeland makes the job a lot easier and one can of it lasts me for ages. Just a thought.
Please don't take this wrong, but however grateful you feel for having the help don't keep plying your helper with cups of tea and biscuits or you won't get any work done. I had help after a serious illness a few years ago and I was so glad to have some company that the cleaner spent more time chatting than cleaning. My fault entirely.

MATH

I can clean a five bed house including bed linen changes in 3 hours. nothing fancy just a quick dust, polish, vac, tidy and mop. Obviously no-one will vlean your home as quickly or as well as you would yourself but 2 hours for a two bed isn't bad. IMO

My father-in-law has a cleaner and she 'does' his bathroom, kitchen, changes his bed, empties his bins and vacs/mops. She also dusts anything below waist level (he can't bend down). This leaves him to tidy and wipe/dust where he can reach.

Think about what you cant do yourself and consider this arrangement a partnership so that this person assists YOU in cleaning YOUR home and you kee[ your independence by continuing to do what you are able. Good Luck

Debt_Free_Chick

My cleaner does the whole house - 4 bedroomed detached - in 3 hours and generally finds time to fit in 20 mins ironing or window cleaning too! And I genuinely feel that the house is beautifully clean when she goes, so it's not just a "quick lick clean"

I think you need to be clear about "cleaning" and putting stuff away. My house is generally tidy, but I pay my cleaner to clean not to put stuff away, IYSWIM

Penny-Pincher!!

Hello Again

Thankyou all so much for your fab replies.

My house is not cluttered or untidy(most of the time). Im abit of a clean/tidy fanatic :rolleyes:

I think by the sound of it the 2hrs hopefully will be enough. Just that I had cleaning a few years ago from an agency and they were rubbish-skipped jobs, not done properly, said they had done jobs and hadnt, theft, bad time keeping, different cleaners every other week, drinking and eating my stuff..it was just a terrible experiance and I paid for 3 hrs a week plus 1 hr ironing (if you can call it this):eek:

Hubby & I were talking last night, and we have decided that we will give it 2 weeks to see if we are happy. If not, we will go to direct payments and choose our own S/E cleaner etc.

My main concern is having a different cleaner each week. I dont want this at all.

moggins

It really depends on the cleaner though. I used to employ one for 2 hours a week when I was working and no one in the house would help me out. She only ever got the bathroom, kitchen and dining room done in that time and I was still left to sort out the rest.

I hope you get a good 'un

Debt_Free_Chick

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

Hello Again

Thankyou all so much for your fab replies.

My house is not cluttered or untidy(most of the time). Im abit of a clean/tidy fanatic :rolleyes:

I think by the sound of it the 2hrs hopefully will be enough. Just that I had cleaning a few years ago from an agency and they were rubbish-skipped jobs, not done properly, said they had done jobs and hadnt, theft, bad time keeping, different cleaners every other week, drinking and eating my stuff..it was just a terrible experiance and I paid for 3 hrs a week plus 1 hr ironing (if you can call it this):eek:

Hubby & I were talking last night, and we have decided that we will give it 2 weeks to see if we are happy. If not, we will go to direct payments and choose our own S/E cleaner etc.

My main concern is having a different cleaner each week. I dont want this at all.

A couple of other points. I'm sure that having the same cleaner each week will help. He/she will build up a routine after the 3rd visit, or so and as the routine becomes more familiar, he/she'll soon become more efficient.

Also, I think it's worth bearing in mind that certain jobs don't need doing every single week e.g. the glass on your units may not need a complete & thorough polish. If you can think of things that only need doing every other week, then the cleaner can alternate them.

HTH

maggie1976

Our cleaning lady does our 3 bed semi (hall - quarry tiles, lounge - laminate, dining room - laminate and kitchen -vinyl floor downstairs, and 3 bedrooms and bathroom upstairs) in 3 hours once per week. She hoovers, mops, cleans and buffs the downstairs floors, cleans the kitchen and dusts all surfaces. She hoovers the stairs and bedrooms, dusts all surfaces (we have 3 cats and they like to sit on the windowsills!), changes bedding if I leave out fresh, cleans the bathroom and then will do windows inside and out if she has time.

I would say that 2 hours would be plenty to give your house a good going over, especially if you have the same person each week which would be best, then they can get used to your house and what you like to be done.

HTH

Maggie.

Penny-Pincher!!

Hey There

Well yesterday was my 1st 2 hr clean through the council and I would give it a 5-6/10...not very impressed :mad: She was suppose to do 2 hrs but had a 20 min fag & coffee break (she did make me a coffee too-so cant be too ungrateful).

The polishing/dusting is awful and has just skimmed past everything-not even moving small items etc. She did change the bedding which was nice! Her hoovering was fine and the sweeping. Kitchen didnt really look any different. Blinds werent wiped properly-still quite dusty, and certain places upstairs are also dusyt.The bathroom was great! She also hung out a load of washing for which im grateful for. She seemed like a nice enough lady and was friendly and lives just round the corner!

I dont want to sound ungrateful, but if I had personally employed her, a strict list/schedule would have been given to her by us and would want that followed! Im lost as what to do-can anyone advise me please? Although I dont pay towards this-the company is claiming £9.55 p/h for this cleaning back from the council-she told me yesterday that she only gets £5.00p/h :eek:. Hubby did write out a list of things to do and she crossed them off, but to me they havent been done properly-maybe its just me

Will it get better? Should I be more specific in what I want done? I dont want to harass the poor old girl, but I'd like the cleaning done thoroughly and not skimmed. She mentioned that she may ask for another hour, but she said dont hold your breath! All her other clients only get 1hr a week, but because i need extra washing done each week(coz of me problems!) she might be able to get another hr for laundry, but use ot for cleaning.

Sorry for moaning!

Penny-Pincher!!
xxx

swizzlebabe

i don`t think it matters that your not employing her direct, she is paid to do a job, so she should do it.

Make a list of things to do with the most important thing first,moping floors or hoovering. If you can dust yourself do it before she comes, so she has more time to do the heavy work. Tidy up as much as you can before hand as well, this too will free up time for proper cleaning.

My sister is disabled and has a cleaner, she gives her a list, and gets her to do the heavy work. But if she`s having bad day or week the cleaner comes to a bomb site, but if it`s a good one, she tidys and dusts before hand.

Give it time, you both need to get to know each other and what you expect.