Is my cleaner overstepping?

Every week my cleaner stands up my loose sofa cushions on their corners, and every week I rotate them back to be straight. I let that go as it’s such a minor thing and they’ve all been plumped up nicely.

but if she was moving my possessions round like yours, that’s too much.

"cables hanging out of walls" is literally the only way for appliances to work. Having issues with that in someone else's home is really not reasonable.

Yeuchh! Soap toothpaste sounds revolting

I'm sorry OP, but I've got to tell you that your posts about what your cleaner does have literally had me rolling around laughing! 😂

I've never heard of such a thing! (Probably because I've never had a cleaner)

I get exactly how annoying that must be for you, but the mental image of you having to hunt down the kettle and reset your alarm clock just have me floored 😂.

Hopefully other posters can contribute something to help you solve this, and that it resolves for you, but I'm holding my sides with tears running down my face every time I picture your descriptions of searching the house for everyday items😂.

You've really brightened my day OP, so thank you for posting 💐

I can understand the cleaner giving photo frames a wipe down, but why would she move them to a completely different place - of her choice - and leave them there? It's not as if they're obstructing her path in any way, like a pile of Wellington boots left in a doorway. Isn't a cleaner hired to save the home's occupier time and effort? OP has to waste time continually moving items back to where they belong.

Yes. That was me. There were piles and piles of clothes of clean laundry around the room and a wardrobe full of clothes literally stuffed in. She wanted me to keep cleaning for her and the chances of a new cleaner coming amd not charging a specialist price to sort it all are slim.

Generally speaking, if I can tell early on thay someone is both living in chaos and resistant to change, I won't clean for them. I have a waiting list. I don't need some of my regular clients, let alone any new ones. A good way to feel that out is by how many cleaners they've had in recent time. Good cleaners don't commit to every client they speak to or even clean for.

I’ve had 2 cleaners who used to do this all the time: even moving the dining table and chairs! Sometimes I liked it other times I didn’t

Oh my God that's mad!!!! As is the whole thing - furniture, lamps, kitchen bits moving, cupboard rearranging! It's like she's seeing it as her own house. 😬

How to tackle it - head on with a written list of Do Nots "just to be clear Maureen" - I'm very direct so that would be me but you could make it a bit lighter by expressing bemusement "there's no need to add work by moving things, rearranging cupboards, unplugging stuff, we like things just as they are."

That’s not normal. Just tell her to stop unplugging devices/tidying away cables/moving items to different places. It’s weird and annoying.

Another cleaner here, absolutely not ok. I try to make sure I put everything back inch perfect. I'm the cleaner not interior designer.

You are employed to clean. If I want someone to arrange my house, I will employ someone to do so. You do not own a house just because you clean it. I am genuinely disturbed by the number of cleaners on this thread who consider this acceptable. Especially the one who took it upon herself to tell someone she would be coming in to rearrange wardrobes while the home owner was on holiday.

My cleaner is here as I type. If she ever tried any of this, it would probably be the last time she cleared for me. Thankfully, she understands boundaries.

My cleaner does this. I assume it’s to make sure I know she’s cleaned under the objects, rather than around them. Or she’s just absent minded. She’s an excellent cleaner otherwise so I just let it go and move stuff back. Good cleaners are hard to find.

This. I wouldn’t want her in my house either

I think she could moving things to clean under and forgetting where they originally were.

Whatever about the other things, why did you not tell her immediately to not do that again!!!!!

A lot of home owners are looking for someone to do that kind of thing because their hones are chaos. You feel out the relationship as you go. Sometimes you take your initiative.

No it doesn't. It's not the cleaners house. There is no grey area.

If you're the only one using the cleaning products and the hoover, maybe you could rearrange those so that they are easily accessible. But beyond that, the home owner decides where her furniture and belongings go.

You know, this becomes a grey area when you're the only one cleaning that house.

I’m d tell her straight

you need to stsrt taking photographs of each room on your phone, so you know where to put everything back after you have cleaned. It’s important to us the house layout is the same after you have cleaned. Plus if you unplug the click in my bedroom to use the socket, then set the clock, alternatively use another socket as it’s frustrating having to set it up each week

maybe give her a shit sandwich- great bathroom cleaning, stop changing everything round, just clean and thanks for cleaning under everything

It depends how much you want a cleaner. If she's good in every other way, and you really want a cleaner, I'd mention it in a very non critical way and then just tolerate it. Good cleaners are like gold dust. I do without one because mine have all been difficult in one way or another that I couldn't tolerate (not working their full time, being intrusive, unreliable).

Jeeesus!

I can understand this somewhat, some people have a real issue with cables hanging out of walls. The rest is really weird and yes definitely overstepping, you need to mention it.

Mine is exactly the same, every time I have to put stuff back especially soap toothpaste etc in bathroom. You’d think she’d take the hint! Occasionally it has taken months to find something. OH thinks it’s me who’s mad as I go round putting things back, but she is very good other than that so I put up with it.

While she might initially have done this to be helpful, she should have been able to work out that you didn't find it helpful when you put everything back in the original position. You need to tell her not to put everything back where she found it and not to unplug the electrics.

Sorry this is nuts. You can be allowed to move things only if the owners specifically allowed you to do that. And texting cleaner to look for something is inconvenient. You weren’t a good cleaner if you pushed your view of how things should be on your clients. You weren’t hired to organise a home or change their decor.