Am I being a total cow?

Doing hours of physical work in hot weather can absolutely make you unwell, even at 25 degrees. Both DH and I have physical outdoor jobs and we have both come home feeling unwell on several occasions due to the heat.

You pay a cleaner for the convenience of not having to do it yourself. Not knowing whether or not she will come makes it no longer convenient.

Our cleaner came on Wednesday.

She's not BU if that's what she needs to do then that's absolutely fair enough, but equally I would probably look for another cleaner. I couldn't be bothered with the potential prospect of quibbling over the exact temperature when it's close to 25 and not knowing whether or not she'll attend, or the prospect that the home will realistically end up not having been cleaned during the summer months.

A shame and she's done nothing wrong but it is what it is. By nature it's a regular service so if that can't be delivered then it's no longer suitable for your needs.

You’re not a cow for getting a new cleaner. You’d be a cow if you were making nasty comments behind her back about her decision not to work in the heat (which it doesn’t sound like you are doing, but some posters are!)

Ill? At 25? Maybe if she's got some sort of medical or age issue.

I’m afraid I actually told my cleaner that if she felt it was too hot for her to work - cleaning properly is bloody hard and physical work if done properly - I would totally understand if she wanted to skip a week. Ball in her court.

I am not having anyone making themselves ill to scrub my loos and shower when it can wait 7 days.

Without ac I wouldn't clean my own house. What you could do is ask her if she would like to come really early like 7-9 when it's not too hot. Or in the evening. That is if you like her and her cleaning.

It wouldn’t be ‘another’ though, she already doesn’t have a reliable cleaner!

Good luck trying to find another decent, reliable cleaner! If you get rid of her now you will likely be without a cleaner for at least a month while you try to find a new one.

What @thejelliclecats said

25? That's nothing. Even my son's outdoor sport doesn't 'heat out' till mid-30s.

I would get a new cleaner. She sounds lazy, unreliable and ridiculous. 25 really isn’t that hot -before anyone asks l do have a physical job, wear a uniform that makes me hot and work in all weathers

She can choose when she wants to work, you can choose to use a service provider that is more reliable.

I don’t think finding someone else would make you a cow at all

Cleanerr here...wouldn't occur to me to cancel because of the heat!

You need someone now, she is not available. Hire someone else. You can go to her again if you’re not happy.
Just hire one as a one off to start with.

If you don't think it is too hot to clean then maybe once you have recovered you will find it easy enough to do your own cleaning.

Don't be as soft as a cap, OP.

Text her today and tell her that her services are no longer required. How horrible-she knows you have had an operation-give her a well deserved kick up the arse.

How will it harm you? Even if you can't get another cleaner immediately, you're no worse off because you wouldn't have one anyway.

If a few of her clients do this-and they should-she will have plenty of time to re-consider and if she does come back and you want her, set some new terms like a price reduction.

A good job everyone doesn't take her attitude.
She is entitled to take her attitude but actions have consequences and you hold the cards.

Find another cleaner. Youve said she isnt reliable even when its cooler

She can't be needing the money that badly if she doesn't want to work in the summer. It's absolutely her right, and the beauty of being self-employed and pick your own terms.

You would be absolutely fine to employ someone else of course! Why wouldn't you.

@Rugrats2020 25 degrees is a pretty standard summer temperature. I’d understand and be sympathetic if she’d said 30.

She has every right to set her own T&Cs but if they don’t work for you also, you have every right to choose a different cleaner.

After all you need a job doing.

No not a cow.
You've gone above and beyond in what you've offered in order to make things easier for her, I'm sure that a lot of people wouldn't care.
You want a service that she can't provide.
You have to look elsewhere.

Sometimes neither person is being unreasonable.

It's a bit like when two people divorce because one wants sex and the other is no longer interested.

The person is absolutely not being unreasonable by not wanting sex anymore but the other person is also not being unreasonable by saying I'm out because of it.

Not every situation has to have a good and bad guy.

Find another cleaner.

She doesn’t feel guilty about letting you down despite knowing that you’re recovering from a major operation so you have no need to feel guilty about ditching her. She is a business owner providing a service, not a charity.

Sheesht, she should try working in a school. The temperature is unreal!

Unfortunately I’ve just had to let my cleaner go. Nothing to do with the heat, but she was cancelling me on average every second week, and more often than not on the actual day!
So in my experience, it doesn’t get any better with flaky cleaners and you’d be better getting a new one irrespective of the weather.
YANBU.

I was going to suggest the same. Depends if she's full time or just has a few clients as to whether that would work, but early mornings shouldn't be a horrendous temperature.

You're not being a cow OP. But cleaning houses is probably the work I'd least like to be doing in the heat.

No, you aren't a cow
I'd look for a new cleaner.