You are in a position to employee a domestic cleaner. Regardless of if you rent or are an owner, you are about to welcome someone into your house. The place where you should feel the safest.

The classic way to engage with someone is word of mouth. And in most cases, it is the safest. But what do you look for and how would you look for it. You could check your local directory or do some research on the net, but whatever way you go for, it is important to have a clear idea of what you want and when you want it.

Ask yourself the following questions;



• What do I want cleaned?
• How often will I need it cleaned?
• Will my domestic operative be a key holder?
• What kind of person am I looking for?
• How much experiance should they have?
• How much am I willing to pay?

It is important that as the employer you remain in charge of your own home. It is not wrong to be advised by your prospective domestic operative, but ultimately it should be about what you want.

Regardless of whether they work for a company or are self-employed, you should seek to get references. They should be recent and relevant to the position you are employing. You can and should check to find out where they live. Ask for utility bills as that would be a good way to find out. Do not use a mobile phone bill.

You should check their right to work status. You do not want to fall foul of the law.

If they have been recommended to you, have a conversation with the person doing the recommending. What is good for them may not be good for you. What someone else sees as clean may not meet your standards.

Check if they have any criminal convictions that are directly associated with your living environment. That is not labelling anyone, but you have to make an informed decision to take them on or not, if their conviction is a concern to you.

You will need to make it clear on how much you are willing to pay. They should be paid the living wage as a minimum. But if you are paying cash that is an option and you have to remember that you and the domestic operative are not making any deductible declaration.

If you feel that they could be the right fit for you, give them a trial. Set a time, say two or three visits. Ask them to demonstrate how they would clean a room in the house. A good indication would the toilet as the potentially highest point of infectious material.

What days would you want them to work and is that flexible. The flexible option is dangerous as you both need to know where you are going to be on the day of a visit. If you are working from home or unsocial hours, you don’t want cleaning done during down time.

What will happen when or if you have to go away. Would you still want them in? If not, then it is fair that you should pay them for the time you are away. You should set payment limits if the operative wants to go on holiday. Are you going to pay them for all the time they are away, or a portion or not at all? There should be a compromise and it should be fair on all parties. Given the time and effort you are putting in to engage with a domestic operative, would you consider getting in a replacement if they go on holiday or off sick?

You will need to clearly define what rooms will need to be cleaned and what should be cleaned in that room. The domestic operative may not be able to clean everything on one visit,so it is important that you discuss a schedule. As the employer you have to be realistic about the time you want them to clean and what can be done. If you want a special clean, then you should negotiate them at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment. If you have concern regarding the environment, then make that clear.

If you have a family, you should instruct the family members of what the domestic operative is going to be doing and at the same time what you expect from your family member.

If you have pets, is the domestic operative going to be okay with them? Will it cause the domestic operative concerns to have pets around the house? Do they have any relevant allergies?

Get them to demonstrate how they would use and maintain the equipment you are providing. Like Vacuum cleaner Ask them to take it apart and replace the bag if there is one. You may think this is unreasonable but what you don’t want is your domestic operative spending you time trying to find out how things work.

Trust your gut instincts and if something does not feel right then do employ them.

In the next blog, I will be giving you advise on how rooms should be cleaned