We broke down and hired some help! I am just thrilled. But I have some questions, as I have never had a cleaning person(s) before. There are two ladies that come, a mother daughter team. I "interviewed" them, they had references, I called one. I somewhat "know" these ladies as they have worked at my dry cleaners for many years. They said the fee would be $50 for the entire house - our house is fairly small at about 1100 square feet. They are only there a little less than an hour - which seems a high price for an hour of cleaning.
1) The cleaning they do is definitely not anywhere near my standards. Now, I understand if you want something done the way you want it done, you must do it yourself. The tub will still have hair in it after they are done, will have strange colored stuff in parts of the tub (almost like a cleaning solution that isn't wiped away) and they don't wipe any shelves, etc. There is dust EVERYWHERE on things like the bookshelf and magazine rack (and under said items) that they don't touch. These things seem like simple things - not deep cleaning - am I asking too much?
2) How do you politely tell them what to do? Even though I am in a position of authority at work, I have a hard time telling people when they are not performing to my liking. How can I do this yet still keep them happy? I don't ever see them, as they have a key and come when I am at work. Must I write them a note? Suggestions?
EDIT: ADDITIONAL INFO - Just to make sure it is clear - the ladies (2 of them) get paid $50 for a little less than an hour of cleaning TOTAL.
When I hired them, they quoted me the $50 fee and I was expecting, based upon what they said they do, for them to be there longer/do a better job. Is $50 for an hour an average price? I have asked nicely in a note for them to pay more attention to a certain area or do something specific, and they do, but only for that visit. Then after, it goes back to "normal". Suggestions?
Sounds to me like they're just not doing the job well. While you're getting a decent price (I used to pay $95 for a 2400 sq. ft. home), it's only worth it if you end up with a clean home. I would look for someone else.
Our house is ~2400 square feet and we pay $75/week. 4 ladies come and clean, and they stay about 1.5 hours (so we get about 6 hours total of cleaning for that price). For the price you're paying in that square footage, there should be no dust, no hair in the bathtub, nothing like that. I would walk through with them after they are done, and say, "I would like you to clean the cleanser out of the bathtub, please," and "Please dust these shelves." Be specific about what you want them to do (I mean, I would think they would take the initiative, but apparently they are not doing that so you'll have to tell them). If you are not pleased with the results the following week, you will need to get a new cleaning lady. Maybe they do fine for people with lower standards, but if you have higher standards, then it's not a good fit and you'll just be irritated week after week. That's not worth it. Ask your neighbors, ask people at work. We found our ladies through a friend, and this friend has a spotless home (and doesn't lift a finger herself ;) so I knew they'd be able to take on my house!
After reading your what happened, you need to let them go and hire a new cleaning lady. Don't go with a service. They spend little time at your place b/c they're rushing to the next house. Hire an individual...she/he will spend more time at your place and they really need to keep you happy to keep your buisness. When getting a qoute, tell them everything you want done and ask how long it would take them to clean your house.
We have a lady come in every other Monday. She is there for 4 hours, and we pay $80. She does everything except windows (she will clean obvious handprints on them, but not the full clean). When she started, she asked for a detailed description of what we would like to have done every time she comes, and then she asked us for a list of additional things, if she has time. I told her from the beginning to focus on kitchen and bathrooms, then teh rest. She almost always gets to everything on the list. If there is something extra we would like done, I just call or text her to ask ahead of time, and then tip her extra.
Keep in mind - these are your employees - they need to keep YOU happy!! You wouldn't have someone continue to watch your kids if you were unhappy with the work they did, so it shouldn't be that way with someone cleaning your home. Since you don't see them, I would call them and go over your concerns, it's more personal than a note.
You can't worry about keeping these ladies happy. They work for you so be clear about your expectations. Nobody will be happy if you ignore substandard work, then feel resentful and fire them when they haven't had a chance to know what's wrong and correct it.
If you don't see them, leave them a list or call them to discuss what you want. But to be honest with you, it sounds like they don't spend enough time on your house, even tho it is small. And even though they have references, they may not have the same standards you have so you may simply need to hire someone else.
I've had cleaning ladies in the past and found it interesting how each was different. All cleaned some things less well than I do, and other things way better than I bothered to. But it is your house, so you have to let them know what is important to you, they can't read your mind. If you have to have a spotless kitchen sink but don't really care if there is a little dust on top of the fridge, tell them. If they come regularly, you can leave a note each time with the one or two things that you want them to focus on first. It would also help to be clear about how much time you expect them to work on your house. That way they don't rush through as fast as they can, but can plan on being there for X amount of time and will hopefully make good use of that time while they are there.
You;ll never get your own standards. But, why pay for a lousy job. Fond someone else. You might have to pay a little more.
S.-
I pay $65 for every other week. I have had some of your same issues because when I clean my house, I CLEAN it. I don't they should be leaving hair in the tub (however, I did see an article regarding housekeepers where a professional stated that most of them expect not to have to remove hair from tubs). I still have a hard time getting them to dust under things on shelves or tables (even though I don't have a lot of knick knacks around). It does seem like they are not spending enough time. There is a team of two that does my house as well and they are usually there a little under 2 hours. I would write them a note detailing this issues and ask them to call you so you can discuss. However- I would rethink your statement about keeping them happy. YOU are PAYING them. They either meet your expectations (which may mean them staying a bit longer, and you perhaps paying a bit more- most rates in our area are $80 for two people for a 90 minute cleaning), or you have to find someone else. I think if you address it in a positive way and just talk through your expectations and theirs you will probably be able to work it out.
I do not think that if you want something done to your standards, you need to do it yourself. That is what you are paying housekeeper to do! I would say be very specific as to your needs and standards right off the bat. You can say "I need...to be done", not "Do this", or "Do that". That way you are not being condescending, etc. If they can do those things for what you want to pay, then that is what you agree on. I have a husband/wife team that come every 3 weeks and I pay them $75 total, they stay about 3 hours. I didn't ask for a team of 2, that is just how they do it. Since I have had them for a long time, they know the drill, but I give them details when they come of anything that needs special attention that day. We are very good to our housekeepers and nanny, and want them to feel taken care of and important, but you ARE paying them, so it's good to know everyone is on the same page before you begin using services.
My SIL has cleaners come in to do their house as they both work, no kids. We lived with them recently for a couple months so we saw first hand what they did.
They own a 3 level townhouse with a total of 2000sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Nothing fancy or big. Part of that footage is storage room in half of the basement that they didn't touch, so it's not a full 2000 they clean. They live outside DC so things cost there more so.
They pay $100 every two weeks. 2 - 4 women come in for an average of one to one and half hours, depending on how many girls show up. These women do EVERYTHING! They pull out some furniture to clean behind, dust every possible thing including pictures on the walls, cords behind the TVs, etc. They mop, used industrial size vacs and are more than thorough. You walk in the house and smell the clean. And they use natural cleaners like vinegar for mopping. They will also empty the dishwasher and load anything that is in the sink. They will make up all beds and if you leave clean sheets on the bed they will strip it all and make it all up. They clean all mirrors go under each bed and pull things out that shouldn't be there and vac under them as well. I thought they paid a lot until I saw what all they did. They get quite a deal!
I can say that my SIL started noticing dust being left behind and I told her that the last bunch of girls that came in were new because I hadn't seen them before and the owner was not with them. She gave the owner a call and just told her that she noticed a lot of dust left from their last visit and asked that they make sure to dust very good next time. She hasn't had a problem since.
With your crew, it sounds like they're just not overall good cleaners and this just isn't their specialty. I would suggest mentioning to them the things that you saw that needed to be improved and if you are still not satisfied to start looking for other cleaners. They are your employees and should deserve the money they are being paid. Be sure to discuss exactly what you need cleaned before hand so there's no confusion.
The area where you live is going to tell you how much you should be paying. The old area we used to live ran about $40-50/hr for cleaning. The area where my SIL lives generally charges anywhere from $50-70/hr, so she got a good crew for a good price. She found them through a friend who used them for years. That may be a route you may want to take is get suggestions from friends or neighbors. But I think the rate is fine per hour as long as you're getting the cleaning that you should be. But in the end at this point, I would find someone else because it shouldn't be this hard for them to clean and do a proper job. It should be second nature to professional cleaners. When it comes to professional cleaners, there is no saying, "If I want it done right I'll do it myself." They should make your cleaning look poor, lol! My SIL is a cleanaholic and her cleaners put her to shame.
**I wanted to add, if they get done before the hour is up, do everything that is expected and does it well, then you're still paying them for that hour. The $100 my SIL pays is basically for up to 2 hours of work. But if she brings in 4 girls to do the cleaning and gets done in an hour they still get the same pay, as they're doing the same amount of work, just finishing early. So in the end you're paying for their services and not so much by the hour. You don't want to tell them to clean until an hour is up or they could work slow and get half the work done. I say, get rid of them if they cannot consistently clean properly.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
I pay the lady who cleans for me $25 an hour. She cleans/scrubs the 2 bathrooms (tubs, toilets, mirrors, sinks and floor) strips and makes my bed, vacuums the two bedrooms, sweeps and swiffers the other rooms wood floors and cleans the kitchen. She takes out the garbage and recycle stuff. all of this takes her just under 2 hours.
she does not dust unless I ask her and that is a separate charge as it is not part of the regular weekly stuff.
Make a list of what you want done.
You are getting off cheap. I pay $35/hr. and that's considered low as well.
If they are doing a good job, I also tip $5 or more.
Blessings...
Since the place is small and there are 2 of them, it shouldnt take them too long..an hour MAYBE 1.5 should be long enough. One does the bathrooms and vaccumming and the other will probably (should) windex, dust, sanitize counter tops.
I dont have a cleaning service because I dont want to spend the money. But I would call them and schedule a meeting at home and just talk to them. You can start off by saying " I just want to make sure I understand everything, can you let me know what I can expect every visit you make? and is this any different from monthly visits" you may need to just gently suggest things that you want done "can you tell me how often you will be dusting? how often do you wash baseboards, sanitize behind the coffee maker" you can blame it on having a bad memory and not writing it down.
If you want to know what you can expect, go to a maid service online website. they have it broken down about what they do every visit (which is vaccum, countertops, bathrooms) and then once a month they do the blinds etc. If you dont mind paying more for them to DO more, just offer more...like $65 and ask them to dust and windex.
Its a hard conversation to have...I feel ya. I wouldnt want to do it either..I would probably make the hubby do it. ha
I think $50 is reasonable for about two hours or so/2 women. Figure at least as much as $15 per person per hour. It depends on where you live.
You kind of have to train her as to what you like if you want her to do something special, so call her if you need to really talk... Tell her what you expect and ask her to be honest. If she can't do that then maybe you aren't a good match. If she wants to go forward then absolutely leaving notes is appropriate, and your phone number in case questions.
I have a new housekeeper myself. It has taken about 6 months and she is getting to where I want her by gently giving her direction....... although I doubt she will ever clean completely to my specs, BUT....... she is honest and dependable and I don't have to clean myself very often...... so worth it to me. I use non-toxic cleaners and so I don't let her bring any of her supplies in the house...... you may want to consider that. In Dallas my friends pay about $70 to $120 depending on house size.
I have a couple ladies come over every other month or so. they are 80.00 for the entire house. They do lift things up to dust, and they deep clean things (well, maybe not deep clean, but they touch and clean everything!). I don't know about picking up the clothes, b/c I always try to 'pick up' so they can clean under everything. To me, that's my job!
hope that helps a bit!
