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Ten Points To Consider Before Employing A Cleaner In Your Home

Wouldn’t be great to have someone come in while you’re at work and get all those chores out of the way. Clean the house, do that pile of ironing – it’s the dream of every working woman and man.

In many cases it works out extremely well, but we all know someone who has a horror story to tell. Before you jump in with both feet and hand over the key to your house to someone you have never met before, consider the points below:

1. Who is she/he? Can they provide proof of identity i.e. passport or other photographic identity?

2. Where does she/he live? Can they provide proof of address, i.e. recent utility bills?

3. Who have they worked for previously? Can you speak to previous employers?

4. How long did they work in their previous position and why did they leave?

5. Can they be reliable? What other commitments do they have? Some cleaners have been known to take on more work than they can physically cope with. As a result the work becomes very shoddy or they give up after few weeks with exhaustion.

6. Are they fit and in good health? If they have difficulty bending or other restricted movements, they are unlikely to be able to do the job as efficiently as you would like.

7. Do they have other work? i.e. if your cleaner is moonlighting you could find yourself liable for tax and National Insurance in the UK.

8. Do they understand about basic hygiene? Don’t take it for granted – believe it or not there are still cleaners around who think that one cloth is all that is needed to clean the entire house. Make sure they know which cloths you use in specific areas. It is helpful to use different colours to avoid confusion.

9. Are they insured for any damage that may be caused to your possessions or property? If so, what are the limitations of the insurance?

10. If you are providing the equipment and materials, you may be liable for any injuries to the cleaner arising from faulty equipment. Check your insurance to ensure you have cover.

If it all seems rather daunting, you could contact a local cleaning company. Some are happy to take on domestic work. There are also a growing number of domestic cleaning agencies whose job it is to take care of the above points and to ensure that the person coming to your home is fit and proper to do the job. This could be well worth the extra couple of pounds per hour to put your mind at rest. However, do ask them how they vet their cleaners and what procedures they have to put things right should a disaster occur. Also find out how long they have been in business. If they’ve been around a long time they are likely to be fairly professional. It’s relatively easy to set up a cleaning company or agency, but those that cannot provide a good reliable service do not usually last more than a couple of years.

One thing is for sure, however you go about taking on a cleaner, how it all works out in practice does depend a great deal on whether the two parties can rub along together with mutual respect. If the cleaner can look forward to coming to your house to work, and you like having them there, it makes a tremendous difference all round.

It’s a good idea to agree a trial period of three to four weeks and have a short review session so that both parties can speak frankly about how it’s working out. With a little bit of thought and consideration on both sides it can be a truly rewarding experience.

About the Author: Anita Herniman has run a domestic cleaning agency in the west of England for the past 12 years (http://www.selclene.co.uk) and during that time has placed literally hundreds of cleaners in private households. Recently, in response to demand, a new company has been set up to cater for irregular and once-off work (http://www.rainbowcleaners.co.uk)

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