Is my cleaner overstepping?

Well that’s understandable, but after the first time it happened did you not think to say ‘please don’t move our stuff around’?

Definitely overstepping! But you just need to communicate more effectively with her. Dropping hints isn’t working.

I'd just get a new cleaner. I'd be uncomfortable with someone so odd in my house.

When I had a cleaner years ago she used to do this.

I like it tho.

We had a laugh about it and no harm done if I moved things back.

If she is doing a good cleaning job let it go. It isn't worth losing your rag and losing your lovely cleaner for.
X

You are paying her to waste her time doing things you don’t want her to! Get her told NO STOP IT!!

See I move the bottles to clean underneath them, wherever they are. Then I won't remeber the exact order so just put them back neatly. People are usually paying you to clean underneath their bottles.

I had a cleaner once who moved plants around but never as much as yours moves. It was like a game..she moved a plant l moved it back and she moved it again the following week but neither of us said anything. Your cleaner, however, is a different story.. I wouldn't like that.

My cleaner often tidies things for me, it’s not always where it lives but then again it wasn’t in its correct spot in the first place 🫣 she’s a saint, willing to clean around our chaotic house (multiple very little kids, new baby in the mix) so I would never say anything if it annoyed me.

I think it depends how good a cleaner she is!

No. She's paid to clean but she's spending that time moving everything round. Just tell her you'd prefer her to clean than to tidy.
Yes good cleaners are hard to find but she isn't one!

Of course it’s not normal! Just ask her to put things back where they were after cleaning so you know where to find things.

It doesn't matter what is normal or not, if you don't like it, tell her not to do it.

I would hate it if my cleaner ever opened any of my cupboards or drawers and started rearranging stuff. I am gobsmacked that any cleaner thinks this is appropriate without having been specifically requested by the home owner. Moving things to clean, fine. Moving things because you think you know better, not fine!

I would tell her once, and once only, to stop. If it carries on, replace her.

My cleaner does exactly what your cleaner does and I had to talk to her. She is from Brazil so I wonder is it a cultural thing?

This makes me laugh a bit actually as when I used to clean I used to move things around to how I like them. Sometimes they stayed where I put them mostly but other times they were moved back to their original position and I left them as they were. But I was quite a perfectionist and maybe a bit OCD. But I feel that makes a good cleaner.
But I would always tell them that if they can't find something then just text me. And Sometimes they did and I would tell them exactly where it was.
I think if your cleaner does a good job over all then keep her. But just tell her not to move stuff.
Editing to add, I would never rearrange someone drawers and cupboards.

I started off ready to say I'd love a cleaner that really got stuck in and moved stuff out the way to properly clean. It's important to agree expectations at the start. But some of your examples are a little mad

@CoffeeBooksRats cleaner is definitely overstepping!

talk to her about it again and then send her photos or video of each room layout and confirm exactly how you want it left.

Make sure she agrees to do it your way to keep her working with you - 4 hours a week in one house is a great gig that she will want to keep!

Maybe she's a revenge cleaner, sent my an ex to drive you slightly mad!

No that's not normal, she's making more work for herself. If she's short on things to do in that time you could leave her a list of things that it would be great if she could do if she had time. Clean the fridge, dust the Venetian blinds etc.

You should tell her, I wonder if she thinks she's got better design ideas than you etc.

Resetting the clock every week, arghhh

This is very strange behaviour and completely oversteps. I've been a house cleaner and would never ha v e done this . She sounds bonkers ! You'll have to tell her firmly not to move or change things , it's not her job .

Ooh no, this is weird and definitely not normal. I'm wondering if she's a Feng Shui enthusiast... (only half joking there!)

This would drive me absolutely insane!

you need to have a polite word like “hi Margaret, we are very happy with the standard of your cleaning HOWEVER please can you stop moving stuff round my house as I don’t like you doing that, thank you”

Our cleaner rearranges things but it usually looks better than I had them (somehow she makes things look beautiful on shelves and I don’t have the knack for this) so I don’t mind/enjoy it!

She also measured our cupboards and took it upon herself to buy cupboard organisers and arranged all my products for me. She is absolutely amazing!

But randomly moving things unhelpfully is weird!

Well why on earth haven't you told her not to? How many weeks is "every week"? It sounds to me like she's mischief making. If she's not, she's deranged. You are the employer therefore it's perfectly ok for you to tell what is and isn't ok. She's there to clean, not dress your home for you.

Has she got some kind of system going whereby she clears a space and puts stuff behind her so she can get to the new bit and thus ends up shuffling things around ? .Or something like that ? In other words, it all looks random to you, but to her it makes sense ?

To add
I work with someone quite senior who has a cleaner and she has lots of lovely clothes

her cleaner “borrowed” a dress off senior colleague our her wardrobe for a function, photographs on social media and then my colleague saw the photo

cool as a cucumber she commented on the photo, great dress I have the same one and posted a photo of herself in it! Cleaner then apparently messaged colleague and said she was really sorry but couldn’t afford a new dress and colleague said she should have asked she’d have lent it to her with pleasure but she’s broken the trust so she didn’t have her back.