Employing a cleaner when you’re over 50 can be a great way of freeing up some precious time that you can then spend on other, more enjoyable activities. But perhaps you’re having to think about a cleaner for an older relative or other elderly person – providing you with a different set of challenges. Either way, there’s a lot you should think about and investigate at the outset, as this article reveals.

Once we reach our fifties and older our lifestyle starts to change. Generally we are freed from the responsibilities of looking after our own small children (although we may still have grandparenting duties on a regular basis) and we start to think more about how to organise our lives to better meet our own needs and wants, rather than other people’s.

For some of us, this re-think may involve looking at the way we spend our time, especially as energy levels start to drop a little and the sheer boredom of doing things over and over again starts to kick in. This certainly can be the case with particular tasks like cleaning, where we may decide that the time has come to pay someone else either to do it, or at least to give us a hand.

If this is the first time you’ve employed a cleaner, or you haven’t done so for a while, it’s worth giving some thought at the outset to exactly what you want, before you go down the route of being persuaded by what other people want to provide.

There are three simple questions that you need to think through:

What for? This relates to exactly what you want cleaning, what you mean by “cleaning” and what you want a cleaner for (i.e. why?).  It could be that you want someone just to clean your windows, or to come in only to clean your kitchen and bathroom/s.  You may be happy to do regular “deep cleaning” e.g. cleaning the oven and shower until they’re showroom bright, yourself and only want someone to come and keep them and the general surroundings up to scratch thereafter.

If your requirement is “to clean the whole house” – what does that actually involve? Write a list, room by room, of what you actually want to see done. If it involves any areas outside the house itself, e.g. doorsteps, driveway, patio, make sure you include them too.

How often? This is closely linked to the first question. Some people would prefer a cleaner to come every day to keep on top of things while others like a more extensive, once a week clean. Others are happy to do the ongoing, light stuff themselves, just getting someone in every few months to do a real spring-clean (even if it’s the middle of winter).

How much? This question relates less to the extent of the job (which you will have already addressed under question one) and more to your total budget. Although the majority of cleaners do provide excellent value for money, cleaning does take time and if you want absolutely everything to be pristine all of the time, it may prove expensive. A better approach is to set a figure that you would be happy to spend and accept that “good enough” is usually good enough.

Finding your ideal

Now you’ve got this far you can go out and get some estimates. Don’t be embarrassed about talking to several different people or companies, and do check out references and insurance details.

Remember this will ideally be a medium- to long-term relationship so you need to feel you will get on with the person/people and that you could trust them in your home.

Ask your neighbours and friends for recommendations if they employ someone good but remember that you may feel awkward about terminating the arrangement should it all go wrong if your neighbour or friend is still happy with them.

Another good way of finding a “treasure” is to put an advertisement on a local noticeboard or jobsite, clearly stating what you are looking for.

Particularly if you are finding a cleaner for an elderly relative, neighbour or friend, it’s important to establish an absolutely clear agreement at the outset about what is and isn’t covered by the work, and additional factors such as access arrangements, extra jobs, and cancellation on either side due to unforseen circumstances.

And don’t rely on a conversation – write it down and make sure all parties sign up to it!