With the demise of ‘the woman down the road' many people are finding it difficult to find a domestic cleaner. This cleaner traditionally would not just be a cleaner but would probably do the washing up, ironing and ‘tidier upper'. These people, invariably woman would be paid a minimal amount and expected to stay for between 3 – 4 hours. They would use the equipment available in the household together with any cleaning products supplied by the householder.

With girls now outperforming boys academically and the majority now having much higher expectations than previous generations this pool of domestic cleaners is drying up. Consequently many people are now turning to commercial cleaning companies to meet their needs. However their mindset towards domestic cleaners has not changed to any great degree.

Some companies specialise in supplying domestic cleaners to meet the customer's requirements. Other contract cleaning companies have seen the opportunities now available in the domestic market and have branched out into that sector. Traditionally these firms have costed their work by the task and not per hour. So when quoting for a domestic clean they give an amount they require for doing the job. If this is a one off clean then it is not normally a problem. However if it is a weekly clean it can cause problems. The householder knows how long it takes to clean their house, because they have done it. So they have an idea of how long they would like the cleaners to be working for. Invariably if two people are cleaning you can be in and out within an hour. The comment from the householder will often be ‘you finished already?' Implying that you could not have possibly done the job properly.

What domestic customers fail to realise is that they are now bringing in professional cleaners. These are people who have experience, skills and knowledge built up over several years. They will also be using their own equipment and cleaning products which by and large will be superior to branded products from the super market. As a result they will clean much faster than the average person. This applies to most jobs. We may all be able to do some of them but rarely as quickly and efficiently as someone who actually does it for a job.

So if you hire in a contract cleaning company to carry out your domestic cleaning remember you are getting professional cleaners not the ‘little woman' from down the road.