What's the best way to find a cleaner?

So I want to hire someone to do my dirty work - is it best to go with an agency?
I think the local shops have some ads for local cleaners - worth a try? How do you know if they're ok?

I need to know this as well :)

I use the same company my parents do (and were happy with). I think the best way is to ask around if you have friends or family who use a cleaning service. I'm not sure how my parents got onto them originally, I should ask!

I used an agency as figured were police checked etc that way.

Iv done a lot of searching on line for one, some i notice use the cleaning products you have at home and others bring them? And they seem to want you not to be home,can i be home or is it best to be out or outside?

Mine uses my products, I tend to go out for a while as 2 kids is too hard to be there while she cleans, I feel in the way and lazy also DS1 makes mess!!

I tend to go to shops and ger groceries or go for a play date locally.

We go through Absolute Domestics and haven't had a problem with them at all. The ladies are all police checked and that's great.
Whether they bring their own stuff is dependent on the lady TBH, but they usually do all want to use your vacuum/mop/brooms etc - they may bring a product or 2, and their own gloves/rags etc. If you want them to be "environmentally friendly" then I'd supply your own products.

Getting a cleaner from an ad I'd be tempted to ask for reference checks and police checks unless they've been recommended. I've always stayed home the first couple of visits until I knew I could trust them - I'd spend time in the garden although at the moment with my lady I'm resting, and she yells at me if I get up from my rest!!!!
If it's your hubby staying at home, I can understand why they wouldn't want to be in the home with a strange man. Good luck!

Thanks guys. I'm asking my mother's group... may have one lead...

I always prefer a recommendation. In this case it was through someone in my Mothers Group.

I'm pretty sure no-one I know around here is using a cleaner so I've started ringing around from ads in the local paper. Might go with a franchise for the 'security'... though I'd like to save money and support a smaller local business. It's tricky.

I'll PM you Marcellus :)

We've had a couple of different cleaners and the good ones have always been the ones that were recommended, either by friends or work colleagues. They were usually fairly small companies.

We had friends in London who had had a recommendation for a cleaner from their friends... everyone in their local group of friends had the same cleaners. One weekend the whole group of friends went for a weekend away together and the cleaners cleaned out each and every one of their houses! So check them out yourself,even if they do come highly recommended!

My DH is travelling a lot with work so he would randomly show up while they were there, seemed to keep them on their toes!

When I need cleaning I have a few friends who are in the business so use them.

Ask around as someone will know someone etc

Cleaners are in seriously short supply and hard to find around here - and then you just have to hope you find a good one. In desperation I checked out the gumtree website and found two cleaners who are awesome and I use them all the time. At first I used one, an Australian mother who is lovely but recently she has become more unavailable due to family problems, so I have been using a second I found who has lots of experience. Most of them have a police check which is important and also references. I am here when they clean so I feel okay with it, but its been great. They both clean really really well and are great people, who charge $20p/h using my stuff or $25 with theirs. You can always give someone a trial clean and if you dont like them, dont ask them over again.

That way you're not paying a third party, it just goes direct and also usually very little waiting time especially if you want an urgent clean. I think Absolute Domestics I called once and had a very bad experience with, at a time in my life when I was desperate for any help and at the worse parts of postnatal depression. Still makes me mad thinking about it now, but I will check before I say anything further.

I was also going to suggest gumtree- we started looking and there were a few adds on there, you can also place your own add looking for a cleaner. There are a few websites with just cleaners listed on them, I just did a google search and found some.

i'd go with word of mouth...ask friends, fam, mother's group buddies, etc...