My grubby flat

2008-05-16T17:54:46Z

My cleaner has moved to Devon and I am currently full of woe about it. Could anyone in the Finsbury Park-ish area recommend anyone wonderful to come around and make it all better for somewhere in the region of £8ph? I would prefer not to use an agency for various reasons (contract tie-ins, extra expense etc), but will now consider those sorts of recommendations too if I can’t find an independent cleaner, as I’m running out of ideas!

Yours filthily &c

2008-05-16T17:56:30Z

What I mean is, can anyone recommend a cleaner in the FP area. It doesn’t matter where you’re from; I am more than happy to take recommendations from KCLers who live beyond the blissful borders of N4.

2008-05-16T23:17:46Z

Follow her to Devon.

Failing that, put an ad in a newsagent’s window. Can I be uncharacteristically ageist and sexist and geographicalist for a second? Hire a female Irish cleaner in her 50s or 60s.

2008-05-17T09:51:39Z

‘Geographicalist’ is an interesting euphemism, BNM.

But you’re right, the Irish do make marvellous cleaners.

Perhaps the card in the newsagent should read:

“Irish woman in 50s or 60s required to clean my grubby flat for £8ph”

2008-05-17T10:22:57Z

Hello Dawnage,

My cleaner, Maria, lives in the Walthamstow area and certainly travels to jobs further away – she cleans in Bethnal Green, for example, so I’m sure she’d tube it to Finsbury Park. She does need some initial very clear instructions and her English is a bit ropey (she gets her daughter to call if she needs to tell me something) but she is a really lovely woman and she does a pretty good job. I pay £8 per hour (but I round it up). She does the ironing too.

I’ll leave her a note on Monday asking if she has free time for another client, and if she does I’ll message you with her number if you like?

2008-05-17T10:33:11Z

Fi, I love the sound of Maria already! Ropey English is no problem whatsoever – Nat-who-moved-to-Devon was Bulgarian, so it was a bit of a learning process for both of us. Thank you very much :)

I’d take an Irish lady in her 50s and 60s if they could… I know they are terrific at cleaning, as my mother is an Irish lady of 60 and her house is always spotless.

2008-05-19T11:59:46Z

Yes please – I am in the same position. I also live in FP and am currently residing in an absolute hovel. I am ashamed.

Dawnage, can you let me know if you speak to her? Fi, do you think that she would like another client? It might make it more worth her while to have 2 people in Finsbury….

2008-05-19T13:06:25Z

Not sure yet, she’s in at my place today and I left her a note this morning so I’ll see what she says and let you know tomorrow.

2008-05-19T13:10:17Z

Me oirish muder would have it all done in about an hour with de dinner on de table and all d’ironin done to boot! The problem is dat de wimmin dese days just cannont match-up!

Apparently the Polish are the new Irish so reckon you might want to get one of them – If she’s 50’s/60’s she’ll even have a stab at trying to get you to Mass!

2008-05-19T13:15:25Z

My cleaner is ace – she charges a flat fee for the work, which includes some ironing as well, instead of by the hour. She does my largeish 2 bed flat plus a load of ironing for £25 every two weeks. If you want her nombre lemme know…cheers

2008-05-19T13:21:47Z

I could do with a cleaner in the, surprise surprise, New Malden area. The current one is OK except that she doesn’t know how to clean, claims an allergy to furniture polish and sneaks off before she’s done the required number of hours.

So not OK at all, then.

2008-05-19T14:05:18Z

i am too untidy to get a cleaner. though it would be nice to have my sunday mornings free

2008-05-19T16:45:40Z

This is the point where my Kudo-fu fails… can I send private messages on this site? :-/

2008-05-19T16:53:36Z

Wicked, I’ve worked out messages… and in the process of doing so, I’ve figured out what kudos do. Today’s a good day! :)

2008-06-02T13:02:38Z

I’m caught between feeling proud of my countrywomen’s reputation for cleanliness, and being appalled that we still aren’t people to you people! Tsk

2008-06-02T13:25:42Z

How hard is it to clean your fucking flat? Fuxache. I know, there are tonnes of people who seem unable to do it, but still . . .

£8 an hour seems pretty low for central London, no?

2008-06-04T21:50:29Z

£8 an hour seems pretty low for central London, no?

Yes, agreed. My mate gets £60 for a morning’s cleaning in Hull, over 15 quid an hour, then again she’s a hard woman and drives a hard bargain. But I’m stil surprised at it being £8 an hour for London.