Cleaner getting £30 an hour

[hotdecaftea]

Looking for help with what if anything to say to my new cleaner..

She started last week. Hadn't had anyone in before to clean as we moved in recently and have been doing an extension which is now finished.

I was looking for someone to do 2 hours a week. To hoover and clean the floors downstairs, hoover the stairs and landing and clean the downstairs loo and upstairs bathroom. As this doesn't take me a full 2 hours I thought that she could do a small extra occasional job each week. e.g. clean the inside of the kitchen windows.

When she first came round she agreed to do the main work but said that she should be paid for the job she did rather than the time it took- which seemed reasonable in that if she is more efficient she shouldn't be penalised for it. We agreed I'd pay her £25 a week. This was more than I had wanted to spend, but I was ok with it.

Last week she came for the first time and it took her 1 hr and 35 minutes, though she arrived early and had to wait 10 mins for DH to get back to let her in. She did a good job in particular in the bathroom.

She initially said she would come as usual on Monday this week despite the bank holiday. This was ok with me, though I also said that I didn't mind if she skipped a week. Then later she texted me to say that she'd come today. I was out but DH let her in again and she told him she was in a rush. She was only here for 47 minutes and still took the full £25.

DH says that the floors were damp when she left, but she hadn't done a particularly good job. I'd accidentally spilled some oil on the tiled floor yesterday and noticed there was mark this morning and it was still there this evening.

Am I being unreasonable to think that she should have spent longer here? At that rate she is earning £30 an hour?

Not sure what to do next...
Do I tell her to not come back and find another cleaner?
Or tell her I expect her to be here for longer and do more?
Or just wait and see if she does more/spends longer next week?

[Ivegotthree]

Sack her. She'll only get worse.

[SunshineCake]

Find another cleaner. She's only been twice and already it's not going great.

[JustMarriedBecca]

Sounds like she is taking the proverbial. I have always paid a cleaner by the hour. If she takes less time then she does extra - deep cleans a cupboard or cleans the fridge. The weeks she cleans the fridge are my favourite

Get a new cleaner.

[Snappedandfarted2019]

You need to discuss an hourly rate not how long she wants to clean for she’s taking the piss and clearly not doing a good job

[RocketSurgery]

I’d give her another chance. Tell her explicitly what you want doing and if she doesn’t do it then get rid. Does she not have a set of keys? It sounds like a faff to be waiting around to let her in.

[SunshineCake]

Too early for giving keys.

[TheseThingsAreFunAndFunIsGood]

Yeah get rid - unbelievable to be this slap dash so early on. And Why should you have to have the hassle of chasing her up?! Unprofessional.

[hidinginthenightgarden]

We had similar. She did okay the first time.
Second time she missed things like toothpast in the sink. The third time we left her a list of stuff to do thinking she may need some direction.
I wrote on it "Please leave the kitchen".
The only thing she did was the blopdy kitchen! Actually loaded and turned on the half full dishwasher! To add to that she was an hour late and stayed half the time she should hve been here and still took all the money.
She was told not to come back!

[Looobyloo]

Some cleaners do charge by the job and not by the hour so as long as she's doing a good job then that would be ok. However seen as she hasn't done a good job and on only her second visit I think the chances of her improving are slim. I'd give her another try, if it's the same again get rid.

I'm a self employed cleaner and charge by the hour but sometimes wish I charge by the job as sometimes I get done a lot quicker, other times there's more to do so takes longer. I like to think I always do a good job though.

[Circeplease]

I would not have her back again. However it wouldn’t be normal for a cleaner to dry the floor after mopping it (true it shouldn’t be sopping wet but a bit damp is ok).

[jinglet]

So she's dictating the terms and conditions of the job you employ her to do? Not good. Get rid and start again.

[Decormad38]

I’ve been thinking this about our cleaners. They basically did an hour and I pay £30. I dont get that an hour and I’m a uni lecturer ffs! Plus the shower was left dirty. It pees me off. The arrangement was it wasn’t by the hour but for the job but if the job is inadequate it’s an unreasonable amount!

[Wheresmyvagina]

Find another cleaner. If she can do the clean in less than 2 hours then it's probably cleaner to start with - not that she's doing a particularly fast job. If you want 2 hours work then find a cleaner who is willing to work 2 hours no matter whether that includes extra jobs or not.

[donajimena]

I think charging per job is fine. I do that. However, you do have to do everything! I agree all the jobs I will do for the cost. You need to find another cleaner.
As an aside, the hourly rate is a double edged sword. There is nothing to stop a cleaner going at a snails pace and missing half the items but arguing they were there for the allotted time.

[Redtartanshoes]

I’d love a cleaner but having had several over the past 10 years I’m if the opinion they are more hassle than they are worth.

[hotdecaftea]

Thanks for the replies
I took floor being damp as a good sign, was just disappointed the marks were still there!
DH works from home so is usually here anyway. At today's rates she is getting more than he makes in an hour... though not convinced he'll want the job himself

[ILoveMaxiBondi]

So she's dictating the terms and conditions of the job you employ her to do?

No. She is dictating the terms and conditions she will work under as a self employed person, OP is free to use her services or not. OP isn’t her employer.

[CallMeRachel]

Work out a timed cleaning schedule so you both know what's to be done in a set amount of time.
Her pay should be a set amount based on the jobs being completed to a high standard.

Unfortunately anyone can set themselves up as a cleaner and genuine honest good ones are like gold dust.

This one is definitely not sounding good.

[Yesicancancan]

Agree with red, try to find time to do it yourself and put the money to one, it soon adds up.
The last cleaner wanted 280 for an initial clean, the price motivated me to clean myself, not always possible I know, paying a cleaner is like buying time in some ways. Depends on your workload I suppose.

[yumyumpoppycat]

I think £25 for the jobs you outlined is pretty generous - for that I would be expecting more rooms vacuumed, a clean kitchen etc. On the flip side you cant really say she is being paid £30 an hour because she has to get to the next job before she starts earning again. Also presumably on top of your hourly pay there are costs to your employer such as sick pay, annual leave, pension etc.

We could probably benefit from a cleaner but for me it was a stress tidying up for them when we had one (she was actually very nice and did a pretty good job), I would rather save the money towards a holiday. I don't mind quickly hoovering and cleaning the bathroom - it is tidying I hate and jobs that aren't included like moving out and cleaning behind furniture/appliances etc.