Do you sometimes find it hard to keep on top of the cleaning? Or sometimes you just don’t have time to fit it into your day? Then why not thinking about hiring a regular cleaner to help you out. By hiring a regular cleaner, you no longer need to worry about making time for the cleaning during your day as it will all be covered by them. It helps to take any extra stress away and gives you some extra time to focus on other things.
In this article, we’re going to be discussing about hiring a regular cleaner. From what a regular cleaner is, what to expect them to do and not do and some key things to think about when looking at hiring a regular cleaner. If hiring a regular cleaner is something you’re considering to make life a bit easier, then keep reading!
Contents
- What Is A Regular Cleaner?
- What To Expect and Not To Expect A Cleaner To Do
- What To Expect A Regular Cleaner To Complete Within A Few Hours
- Things To Consider When Looking For A Regular Cleaner
- House Cleaning Prices; What Should You Pay?
- Summary
What Is A Regular Cleaner?
Regular cleaning is a set of tasks that are done on a regular basis, either daily or weekly, to help keep the house clean. By hiring a regular cleaner, they will come to you, to carry out some daily or weekly cleaning tasks. It won’t be like a deep clean, but just a normal clean to keep the house tidy and reassure you that it is a clean environment.
What To Expect and Not To Expect A Cleaner To Do
When hiring a regular cleaner there are some things you can expect and not expect them to do. Regular cleaning is different to a deep clean, so you can’t expect a deep clean of the house every week along with some other non-cleaning duties to not expect. Before the cleaner starts, it’s best to have a talk about what tasks and duties you would like to be carried out whilst the cleaner is there. It may also be good to create a list of tasks that you would like doing or find the most difficult and time consuming and discuss these with the cleaner. We’re going to take a look at the things to expect and not expect when hiring a regular cleaner.
What To Expect When Hiring A Regular Cleaner
These are the things you can expect a regular cleaner to carry out on their daily or weekly clean:
- Hoovering the floors
- Dusting surfaces, decorations and ornaments
- Cleaning bathroom and kitchen surfaces
- Steam cleaning or mopping the floors
- Emptying the bins
- General tidy of areas
What Not To Expect When Hiring A Regular Cleaner
These are the things to not expect and shouldn’t ask a regular cleaner to do:
- Washing and ironing clothes
- Childcare
- Taking care and cleaning up after pets
- Cleaning the windows
- Gardening
- Shopping
- Cooking
It can be a good idea to make a list of the cleaning tasks you can’t get done or find hard to do, so you can ask the regular cleaner to do them instead. Each cleaner will be different in what they offer with their services, so it’s best to create a list of the cleaning tasks and then talk through them together and come to an agreement on what the cleaner will do.
What To Expect A Regular Cleaner To Complete Within A Few Hours
When hiring a regular cleaner, they will only be there for a few hours, to complete the cleaning tasks, so they may not always do what you want them to. Each cleaner will be different and it also depends on how frequently you have the cleaner come.
- 1 Hour
Within 1 hour, a cleaner should be able to carry out a basic clean of the house which might include hoovering, sweeping and wiping the bathroom and kitchen surfaces.
- 2 Hours
Within 2 hours, a cleaner should be able to do the basic tasks above as well as steam cleaning or mopping the floors, empty the bins, empty the dishwasher and do some dusting around the house.
- 3 Hours
Within 3 hours, a cleaner should be able to do all the above tasks and do some extra such as polishing ornaments and pictures and deep cleaning a certain item such as the fridge or oven.
This is just a basic guide as to what they will get done within a few hours, but each cleaner is different so it’s important to discuss this with them. On top of this, if the house needs tidying, then this will use up lots of the cleaner’s time, meaning she may only be able to get some basic cleaning completed. Just like most things, it’s best to talk to your cleaner, to discuss how many hours of cleaning they are willing to do and the type of cleaning they can complete. Some cleaners may not offer all services such as emptying the dishwasher and bins, so make sure to write a list out of the things you would want your cleaner to do, and discuss it with them.
Things To Consider When Looking For A Regular Cleaner
With hiring a regular cleaner, there are some things to consider when looking for one. Below, are some key points to think about and consider when looking at hiring a regular cleaner and even some questions that you might ask them:
- Costs
Always make sure to get their prices for what they charge and how long each service will be such as 1 hour or 3 hours of cleaning per week etc. Most cleaners will vary and offer either weekly cleaning or be able to come and clean every other day, making it more regular. When looking for a cleaner, always ask for their prices, so you can compare them with others, to see which rate would be the best for the work they will be doing.
- Services
An important thing to ask them is what services they do actually offer. Each cleaner will be different and some may offer more than others do, so when you’re browsing the market, have a compare of the different services they each offer. You can also compare this to the list of things you want your cleaner to do and see which one suits your needs the most. It’s also worth asking them what they are willing to do if you were to higher them, as they may adapt their services so they can meet your needs. The last thing you want is to hire a cleaner, to find out they can’t do the services and cleaning tasks that you were wanting them to.
- Time/ Duration
Another factor is to ask the duration of the cleaning service and frequency. You will want to know if they’ll be spending 1 hour or 3 hours during each cleaning service, so you know what to expect during each visit. You also need to check to see how often they can come out to clean the house, some people may want daily cleaning whereas some may only want it once a week. Think about how often you would want your cleaner to come and how long you’d like them to spend cleaning each time. This will make it easier when looking at cleaners.
- Experience
A question you may not think to ask, but something that is worth thinking about, is how much experience the cleaners have. You may feel that you want a more experienced cleaner when it comes to them coming into your home and cleaning it. This might be something that doesn’t bother some people, however, it may be worth asking just so you know how much experience they have as a cleaner. Sometimes, more experienced cleaners may offer more services or do more of a thorough clean as they can work quicker as they have years of experience.
- What Jobs Will or Won’t They Do
When you’re looking at hiring a regular cleaner, make sure to ask them what jobs they will and won’t carry out. You need to know this before even booking a regular cleaner, as you want to make sure they can offer all the services you need. This is why it is good to write out a list of the cleaning tasks you would want doing on a daily or weekly basis, so it can then be used to compare to the cleaner’s services.
It will help you to narrow down which ones would be suitable for you and which wouldn’t be. Also, by asking what jobs they are willing to do and what they aren’t willing to do, this means that you then know what to expect from them. You may also see something that they can do, that you haven’t previously thought of but would like doing during the cleaning service. From this, you can set an expectation of what to expect from the cleaner and know what they are happy to do.
- Payment Method
One important thing to ask when it comes to hiring a regular cleaner, but you may not always think to ask, is about their payment methods. You will need to know how the cleaner takes payment and if their payment methods are suitable to you. Some may require cash after each cleaning visit, whereas some might be happy to receive a direct debit or monthly payments for the visits and cleaning they have carried out.
By checking the payment method, you can also make sure that you choose the best one for you. If you lead a busy life, you may forget to get cash out for each cleaning visit so in that case, a direct debit or online payment may work better. This is also something that can be discussed with the cleaner and come to an agreement on how they will be paid.
- Communication
Another factor to be considered when looking at hiring a regular cleaner is how you will communicate with each other. Communication is key with anything, so you want to make sure you have a good communication set up with the cleaner. You will want to be able to contact them easily if needed and also make sure that they can contact you easily.
It’s also good to have this so the cleaner can communicate with you to let you know what they managed to clean and also so you can ask them to change their cleaning tasks if needed. For example, you might want a deep clean of the oven carrying out the next time the cleaner comes, so you could message or call them, to ask if this would be possible. This also means the cleaner can come prepared for the job.
Other cases might be that the cleaner isn’t well and therefore can’t come out to clean, so they would need to be able to easily contact you, to let you know and rearrange your cleaning service. Always make sure to ask the cleaner what the best form of communication will be and form good communication through this method.
- Availability
Make sure to ask the cleaner what their availability is per week and also ask how often or how many days they take for their annual leave per year. You’ll want to know their availability per week so you can determine how often they can come out to you. As well as if they can see you on a regular basis and book you in to be a regular customer. As well as this, you should also consider the cleaners annual leave. Each year they will take time off for their annual leave so it might be worth asking how many days they take off and when they have plans to do this. This just makes sure that you’re prepared for when they do on annual leave and to not expect a cleaner on the days or weeks that they are off for. This is something that should change the service much, but it might be good just so you know when to not expect them.
- Supply of Cleaning Products
A really important question to ask and factor to consider when looking at regular cleaners is who will supply the cleaning products. Some cleaners may come through a cleaning agency or company who might supply them with professional cleaning supplies and equipment that they need. However, some either through a company or self-employed, might not provide all of their equipment and supplies.
This is something to discuss with the cleaner, as some things might be for professional use only so something that they would supply, however, some everyday cleaning products and supplies they may ask you to supply. Each cleaner will be different, all with their own supplies and equipment for cleaning, so make sure to ask before committing to the clean who will be supplying the cleaning products and if there is anything you would need to supply. The last thing you want is for you cleaner to turn up and neither of you have any cleaning supplies and equipment available.
- Variety of Cleaners?
As mentioned above, some cleaners may come through a cleaning company or agency rather than being self-employed. In the case that the cleaner works for a cleaning company or agency, you could enquire about whether you will always have the same cleaner or if there will be a variety of different cleaners. As they are cleaning your house, you want to know what you can trust them and some may not be comfortable with a variety of different people, having access and being in their home.
So, if they do work for a company, make sure to ask if there will be a variety of different cleaners for your house or if it will always be the same one. A benefit of always having the same cleaner is that you can build a good trust and relationship with them and you also know what their cleaning standards are like and that they meet your expectations.
These are just a few factors and questions to consider or ask when you’re looking at hiring a regular cleaner. You want to make sure that you find the right one for you, that fits all your needs and can accommodate to exactly what you’re wanting. The worst thing is to commit to a cleaner, to then realise that they can do the cleaning tasks you want or that they pay a lot more than you expected. So, always make sure to consider the above points, so you can ensure that you find the best cleaner for you that can also work on a regular basis.
House Cleaning Prices. What Should You Pay?
Each cleaner will charge different prices, some may offer more services and some may work for longer hours. But, you should be careful with how much you’re paying for a regular cleaner and make sure you’re not overpaying someone. As there are a wide variety of regular cleaners available to hire, you can look at their different services and prices, to determine how much you should be paying by comparing them all. Below, is an average price guide of how much you should be paying for a regular cleaner.
The rate of a cleaner will also depend on where you live and type of property you have. Prices tend to be higher in larger cities and also if you have a larger property, that takes longer to clean, then expect that they may charge more.
For a regular and light cleaning service, you can expect to pay between £10-£12 per hour. However, this does depend on how much cleaning you require and how big the property is. The more of the house you want cleaning, the more time it will take so they may increase their prices for that. Some may also charge more if you have pets in the house, as this can take longer to clean and tidy the house, when there are pets that live there.
They may also charge more for additional services that you require that aren’t included in their packages. Some cleaners may offer different types of packages and services, such as deep cleaning services, to be more expensive due to them being a deeper clean rather than a light clean.
If you know what you want cleaning on a regular basis and the tasks that you would expect to be completed each time, then you can talk through this with the cleaner and see what prices they offer. Some may be quite flexible and just charge a standard, hourly rate for their services, but some may be different.
For deeper cleaning, they may charge between £15-£20 an hour for this, as it requires more time and effort than a regular and light clean.
Always compare the prices of different cleaners when looking for one as this way you can see if any are overcharging for their services. As they are competitors, their prices should be around the same prices, especially as they are working in the same area. So, straight away, you can look and see what the competitive rate is for your area and eliminate any that are over charging. It’s also important to look at the ones that aren’t charging what most cleaners and paying under that amount, as you may want to be careful of those undercharging you for their services. The best thing to do is go for one that has a standard and competitive rate, similar to other cleaners offering the same services in your area.
Summary
To summarise this article, we’ve spoken all about hiring a regular cleaner. From discussing what a regular cleaner is exactly, some of the basic duties they might carry out, what to expect them to do and not to expect them to do and some factors to be considered when looking for one.
Hiring a regular cleaner can be very useful to those that either don’t enjoy cleaning or don’t have much time to take care of the cleaning in their house. By hiring a regular cleaner, it takes away the added pressure and stress of needing to make time to clean the house each week, especially for those who have a busy lifestyle. Instead of you worrying about it, the cleaner takes care of it all and carries out their standard cleaning service for you.
We then went onto discuss what you should and shouldn’t expect your regular cleaner to do. It’s important to know this as a cleaner is there for cleaning purposes and no other duties, so you know exactly what you should be expecting when hiring a regular cleaner and the types of things they should usually carry out as part of their cleaning duties.
We then had a look at the types of things you can expect a cleaner to carry out within 1, 2 and 3 hours of cleaning. Obviously, each cleaner is different some may work at a faster pace than others. But, as a standard cleaner they should be able to carry out some light cleaning within the first hour, focus on cleaning the floors in the second hours and then finish off by cleaning and dusting ornaments in the third hour. However, you may only have a cleaner come for an hour a day and therefore, what they complete within that hour may be different.
The next part of the article focused on factors to be considered and possible questions to ask, when it comes to hiring a regular cleaner. There are a number of things to consider when doing this, to ensure you get the best possible cleaner for you, that suits your needs. Things such as price, availability, who supplies the cleaning products etc. are just a few things to have a think about and ask when looking at a cleaner. They are also good points to look at when comparing cleaners and have a think about which cleaner can offer you the best service, for the best price and seems to work the most effectively. There some great points to have a chat through and you can also gather some more information from the cleaner by doing this and get a better idea of their services.
Finally, we had a look at the average price for a regular cleaner that you should be paying. Some factors can change the price such as the area, size of the property and how much cleaning in the house you require. Bigger city areas can put the price up, along with having a big sized property and needing more of the property cleaning, that a standard clean may not cover. As always, this is something that can be discussed with the cleaner and come to an agreement on the price and what duties they will carry out.
The best thing to do when looking at hiring a regular cleaner is do your research on them, write out a list of the standard cleaning duties you would want carried out and have a compare of the different cleaners in your area. This way, it helps to narrow down the options and find the perfect cleaner for you, that you can trust and carry out the best possible services that you need.
