How clean should your house be after a cleaner visit?

So when I was younger I had a couple of cleaning jobs, and as silly as it sounds I just didnt know what to clean. I think I would have missed some of these things. Please just write a list of things she is missing and some of the things she isnt missing and ask her to do them, itll make her feel less shit if she thinks it's just you wanting certain things cleaning and not saying shes done a shit job. You can change it every week and hopefully after a few goes she'll know what to clean. If this doesnt happen shes just lazy.

I was a cleaner for years and you are absolutely not asking too much. I would never leave cobwebs or streaks on glass. Things like hoovering/mopping under side tables would always be done and cleaning round the bottom of taps is very very basic. For 4 hours in a house your size I'd be expecting to do a very thorough clean.

There's your answer then. The market is saturated with lots of cleaners. Try someone else, preferably an independent self employed cleaner who will probably attend to detail rather than an agency cleaner just doing the rounds.

The fact she leaves early says it all.
I clean a 3 bedroom house top to bottom, including fridge, cooker etc and change the 5 beds in 4 hours, time to get a new cleaner!

I expect cleaners to clean like I clean:

All dust gone
Skirtings & edges hoovered (inc bannister & plate rail, picture rails)
Bathroom / toilet as clean as can be done - ie no grime left anywhere
Nooks & crannies hoovered / things moved to hoover under (not large furniture)

I’m yet to find a cleaner who does as good a job as I do which is frustrating. I’ve had every one question why I need a cleaner when my house is spotless. I’d say you need a new cleaner but good luck finding one!

Do you honestly think you personally could do a high quality clean of all the areas you are asking for in the time you allocate? That should answer your question.

It would be easier to comment if you listed the things she does do in the time.

My amazing cleaner (who I have had for 14 years across three properties) has a rota of things she does, but the house is always clean after her visit. She does clean under the sofa and in gaps, moves things around, and the place is spotless. We will have tidied for her.
before her (and for a while whilst she was on sick leave) I had to fire a lot of cleaners because their clean was not acceptable. But I go through an agency, and they just send you a different one. I think the difference is… I have someone who is a professional and takes pride in her work. Others might clean, but they may not be a professional cleaner.

How much stuff has to be moved to vacuum around? Mounds of clothes? Footwear? Heavy furniture? Blankets that have fallen off the couch onto the floor? Or is it just a case of shifting an armchair back a few inches?

How many items are left on the counter for her to move so she can clean the surface? If it's just the usual appliances and not stacks of dishes or bags of flour, etc, then she should move them to clean underneath.

She has plenty of time, isn’t rushed

How big is your house?
How untidy is it left for her?
How big is the ironing pile?
How long does she have to do it all in?

I'm a cleaner. I'm good at my job, Im sought after and have a waiting list. I've been doing it for years and know my stuff. I'm part of a national network of cleaners. Thousands of us. The one issue we ALL struggle with is clients with unrealistic expectations.

As an example, I recently met a client who had dumped her cleaner because she wasn't doing a good enough job. This house comprised of 2 WFH adults, one of whom had two businesses which ran from her house - a mum & baby group, and a dog training class. Hoards of people coming in daily. She also had 3 young kids, 3 large long haired dogs and two long haired cats.
The house was a 3 storey - All LARGE rooms. 6 beds, 3 bathrooms, 2 offices, utility room, dining room, family room, lounge, downstairs WC, boot room. It was huge. They were outdoorsy people too, so mud and leaves were traipsed on top of all the per hair and general mess of all these many people who used the house.

She dumped her cleaner because she wasn't managing this house to a high standard kn the TWO HOURS she'd only pay her for.

When I explained a house like this needed at the very bare minimum, 5 hours, she wouldn't have it. Then proceeded to say "but my last cleaner did it in two!"... but she wasn't, which is why she got rid of her! The poor cleaner had also started bringing her mum to help her. So actually 4 man hours of work was being put in, but client was still only paying for 2 hours and complaining it still wasn't good enough.

She insisted she wanted me though, so I agreed I'd do what I could in 2 hrs, but there was no way I could do the whole house. She followed me round and saw the back breaking effort I put in, and reluctantly agreed "OK, maybe 2hrs isn't enough" so said "let's do 2.5hrs" I wanted to cry!

Eventually, after many a conversation she agreed to go up to 3hrs. But she expected the entire house done.

That job was literally injuring me trying to do it at break-neck speed to meet all her demands and expectations. My back started giving in and I was having to cancel other jobs after doing hers because it made me so physically exhausted and in pain.

I let her go when I ended up having to have 3 weeks off work (self employed, so if I don't work I don't earn). And she still said "I think you ought to work notice to give me time to find someone else" ...I was literally physically unable to work because of the physical pressure she'd been putting me under because she didn't want to pay for the actual amount of time that house needed.

That was a big lesson learned for me. I have these sorts of clients sussed within about 2-3 cleans now, and no longer put myself through months of gruelling pain trying to satisfy their unrealistic expectations. I just move on to the next one. I don't earn nearly enough to put my physical and mental health at risk like that.

So, just make sure you really aren't expecting too much OP. It's very easy for people who don't do this job to think we just waft a duster about and think it's a piece of piss. It actually requires more skill, physical demands, coordination and time management than people realise.

You are not being unreasonable! Our cleaner leaves the house shiningly clean and has 4 hours £15per hour for 4 bed with big rooms, also irons, cleans windows, anything we ask for. You need to have an honest conversation and let her know exactly what you expect. Cleaning taps properly is basic. Show her how you want things done if necessary, just the once. Ask her to hoover properly under things and use the nozzle for the ages. It is pointless paying someone if they don’t leave it really clean.

I don’t know why you let her go early though. Give her a list of extra jobs to do “if you have time at the end” eg ironing. She needs to know you expect more. If she doesn’t respond get a new cleaner.

For that time and house size then your list is correct and I’d have the beds changed too.

sorry but you need to get a new cleaner. Changing the beds is the best bit of having ours!

Hoovering edges is part of the job of hoovering. I had some who cleaned before I arrived (very strange) and others that, well, left worse but I won't make you sick with that one. Basic jobs should definitely be done properly if time allows, which clearly they do as she leaves early. Not getting what you pay for tbh

If she’s not doing basic things like cleaning taps properly, then it’s time to let her go or maybe first, explain exactly what cleaning is not up to standard and give her a chance to step up. It may well be that she thinks she’s doing a good job.

I would just get a new cleaner. If you talk to her she will do what you want a few times then go back to her old ways. She knows she's doing a crap job and she doesn't care.

I had a couple of cleaners, and ended up doing it myself as they didn't clean to a high enough standard for me, ended up doing it myself. Same thing, leaving early, and not doing it properly.
I'm talking about similar things, mirrors with smears, half my bedroom furniture dusted and taps half done.
Always left place tidy so they could clean.