Cleaners

[browning12]

I own a holiday cottage in the Yorkshire Dales, but live in Kent. It is currently let through a holiday letting agency, who also arrange the cleaning and maintenance. We have been letting for about 18 months now, and feel that we have been through quite a few cleaners. It just seems that noone stays doing that kind of job for very long. The current cleaners that we have been given, have been doing the job for about the last 6 weeks or so. We visited the cottage about a month ago and were really disappointed/upset in the standard of cleanliness - things like loads of dust under bed, pool of water with brown stain left in bath, toilet looked less than inviting, wrong combination of towels put out, crumbs on work surface, microwave filthy etc etc. We had a moan at the letting agency and they say they have had a word, and we are due to meet them to have a general catch up in about 10 days or so when we go up again. However, we are contemplating trying to find a cleaner from another source - this is also partly because we may not wish to stay tied to the one letting agency in that area who appears prepared to help with cleaning. The problem is that we cannot find a cleaner or cleaning agency anywhere who is prepared to go to the Dales or is based anywhere near there. Whilst I would love to live near the cottage and do my own cleaning, this isn't an option at the moment. We imagine that there must be at least a few other people who are also in the same boat in that area - does anyone know of a reputable/reliable cleaner or cleaning agency who operates in the Yorkshire Dales?? HELP.

[Jules]

Hi, if you haven't already tried this, put a card in the window of every newsagent within a 5 mile radius (I know there won't be many of course in the Dales!), advertising for a housekeeper and also mention it to everybody you speak to in the area when you are up there - i.e. at the pub, the local shopkeeper, the postmaster, the postman even, neighbours, the local farmers, etc. as somebody will know someone who is either looking for an extra job or would do it to help you out - it's only a few hours a week.

That's what you need - a local lady who will be accountable for the cleanliness and presentation of the cottage, who will take pride in what she does and get to know what you like and dislike. It's a perfect little job for a stay at home mum to do while the kids are at school as she'll be finished to pick them up at 3pm.

I'm sure you'll find someone good and reliable if you ask around as much as you can. I know this will be a controversial thing to say and will upset some, but agencies are no good for anyone with an ounce of decent standards of cleanliness, as to be fair, the girls are paid minimum wage and just couldn't care less as they don't get to know the cottage or the owner well - there's no such thing as pride or a conscience in that kind of job, but that's exactly what you need to rely living so far away.

Good luck, hope you find someone very soon.

Coquet Cottages (http://www.coquetcottages.co.uk)