Keep it clean

Hiring a cleaner saved my marriage (and sanity)

As with all intimate relationships, the path to harmony in the relationship between the cleaner and the cleaned is riven with potential bumps and potholes. Here’s how to avoid them:

Explain up front exactly what you expect and pay a decent wage. There’s something unbecoming about haggling over an extra pound an hour with the person who is quite literally going to be polishing the family silver. Don’t be cheap. Be fair. It’s the quickest way to a harmonious and long-lasting relationship.

Never ask your cleaner to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.

Have realistic expectations. Why would you expect someone else to clean your place from top to bottom in two hours a week when you couldn’t manage that yourself ?

If you’re going on holiday, give plenty of notice. If they rely on the income, they may need to find extra work to tide them over while you’re away. Supply the cleaning products they prefer. If you are a vinegar/ lemon juice/ bicarbonate of soda person, be prepared to explain how to use them.