Prices for Home Cleaners

[Eve]

I've been pondering on this for a while as I'm finding it harder and harder with arthritis to keep up with things as apart from the general pain and energy factor I find it hard and tend to freeze up when bending and lifting and getting down on my hands and knees, especially with two very active cats who shed a lot.

I keep up with the day to day basics but was thinking about saving up for more of a deeper spring clean for the jobs that tend to get missed more as I try to keep up with the more visible surface cleaning, moving larger furniture for a proper all round hoover, cleaning skirting boards and behind radiators, windows, bathroom tiles etc... and a general cleanover as well. Maybe look into carpets too (only upstairs as laminate throughout down and it's a small house).

It's getting me down as it's not getting done, it just constantly bugs me. It's hardly a tip, far from, I'd just feel so much better to have it all lovely and deep cleaned.

I have no idea how much firms charge for this kind of thing though and tempted to get a few quotes but want to avoid being ripped off. I'd want someone reputable, not that I have anything worth nicking but that's not the point.

Does anyone have any idea roughly how much I should be looking at and have any experience of using/doing this kind of service for any dos/don'ts?

[TWR]

You are looking in the region of £10 P/H. Jenna, regards your carpets, some do it for around £15 P/Room, check your local Yellow pages.

[MarkRae]

I pay my cleaner £10 per hour. She comes once a fortnight, and always seems to take about 65 minutes... ;-)

[bednobs]

hiya jenna i am in the same position as you - can't do the cleaning but get fed up of the dirt/mess. I have a cleaner. She charges £12 ph and brings all her own cleaning equipment and products. I have her for 3 hours a week (large 2 bedroomed house. In the inital 4 weeks i didn't really see much of a difference - she was doing the things you can't really see (behind/under things, skirting boards, bannisters etc etc) for the first few times i was there as well, but now she ahs our key.
There is nothing like coming home from work and it all looking and smelling clean.
I pay for it with my DLA

[Eve]

Ooh that's actually cheaper than I thought! Will definitely make some enquiries.

My friend uses one but he has a typical boy flat, minimal batchelor pad with gadgets so wasn't sure I could equate it to my house with cat factor, I also imagine, knowing him, his are on the pricier side.

I feel a bit pathetic not getting to do it myself and feel so lazy sometimes but by the time I get home from work all tired and achey the last thing I want to do is mount a housecleaning assault then the whole thing just gets more daunting.

I bothers me to admit defeat but I just think how nice it would be to come home to everything all lovely and clean!

I can't afford a regular one currently but might trial a spring clean and go from there. When the recession sods off and I'm better off financially I'm sure that can change to something more regular :)

I'm in a similar situation with the garden!

[bednobs]

are you on groupon? i quite often see offers on there re cleaning. PS they always take longer than you expect. Some people charge a fixed price depending on the size of flat

[JonnyBoy12]

£10 per hour, for a cleaner? That seems a very high rate, markrae. Can I come and do your cleaning for you, or will this not work as I a male?

[MarkRae]

^^ It's all relative, I suppose...

[bednobs]

you get what you pay for.

[barb1314]

Every cleaner I know charges between £10 and £12 an hour and use all their own products etc. Some of the bigger companies charge much more Jenna so be careful (If I remember rightly you're in Manchester?) as you'll end up paying for their other overheads.Word of mouth is definitely best (and someone who also has insurance)

[shaneystar2]

Try one of these firms like Molly Maids if you just want a one off clean up .
Then it will clear the decks so to speak and then look at perhaps a once a month general tidy up from a regular cleaner . At least ten quid an hour .
I used to do cleaning .And that was about fifteen years ago in London and I was getting eight quid an hour then !

[scotman]

I think it depends whether you get someone yourself or go through a company. Also some prices include materials, some do not. Make sure you understand what you are buying.

[TWR]

Jonnyboy, if you are buying your own cleaning prods £10 p/h is a good rate.

[Eve]

Thanks all :) Lots to think about. I looked up a few companies and no prices, just contact for a quote. Some have a minimum of two people come, I assume for safety/risk management so I guess that would cost more. Seems like a lot bring their own products too. Hoover's would be good though as mine was inially great but now just doesn't clean anywhere near as well, especially with the cats. A friend came round with her Dyson and it made a huge difference. My mop is rubbish too.

I'll definitley check out Groupon! Will ask around for word of mouth too.
I used to do cleaning too when I was at college, did a church building. Was paid about £4/5 an hour though from what I remember. My mum is an amazing cleaner, her house is always pristine. She did an amazing job when she helped me move house last time - I came back from moving an inital load and wow, didn't even ask her to!!! Would feel awful asking her to come round and help clean though as she's not local and when she comes up it's for her to enjoy herself. Same with my Dad and my garden, he's a brilliant gardener but would feel bad. Part of me doesn't want them to know how much I'm affected wither that they'd then worry. My brother and family get lots of help but they are closer and have a baby.

[bednobs]

hi jenna, sometimes people really want to help because they can't do anything else except watch you suffer. When i had been ill for about 7 years i had some unrelated counselling. In that it came up about how i sheild other people from my illness. The counsellor asked me if i had ever talked to my parents about what it meant to them to have a "disabled" daughter. I did speak to them about how i felt and how they felt and was very surprised that they felt guilty that i was ill (as if it was somehow their fault for giving me faulty genes, or that they as older people were well) they also at times felt angry at me for being so blank with them about how i was (apparently "fine" dosen't cut it!)
i think it's perfectly acceptable to ask them for help and that they might well appreciate giving it. After all, you're not asking them to come every week are you?