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Original poster

Why do cleaners always start off cleaning well and gradually get worse?

57 replies

Sophiathefortyfirst · 09/03/2019 12:38

Yep, first world problem I know!

I've had a few different cleaners over the past few years and they all start off really well, cleaning very thoroughly and then over the course of a few months do less and less cleaning whilst they're here and less of a thorough job.

Current cleaner was brilliant at first; the house would be sparkling but she's started to miss off things that she always used to do and doesn't seem to be cleaning other things instead of the things she's missing off.

I pay her well and our house is very, very tidy, so it's not like I pay her a pittance and leave her a shit tip to clear up.

Does anyone else have this problem with cleaners?

OP posts:

Parttime1 · 09/03/2019 12:45

Yes - I have given up with a regular cleaner now and do the day to day cleaning myself. I get a company in to do a deep clean every 3 months. Costs the same but means I don't have to do the deep cleaning (which is what i never got around to and what my regular cleaner would never do).

Easterbunnyiscomingsoon · 09/03/2019 12:51

As a cleaner I can explain!
*not that I do it but I can see how it happens!
When I start the house is a strange one. As I become more familiar with it then it seems more 'mine', and at home I cut corners! (guilty!)
Keeping it professional is the key ime.
Keep on top of that professional 'relationship' with your cleaner by mixing up your requests!!
Once a month a' refresher ' note with a few Spring Clean /Big Summer Blow Out / pre Christmas extras on it!

Original poster

Sophiathefortyfirst · 09/03/2019 12:55

Parttime1 that's a good idea! Might give that a go instead!

The other thing our cleaner keeps doing is making silly mistakes, for example she took the shoe rack out of our entrance hall and put it outside the front door to sweep the floor and then left the shoe rack outside, and it snowed! When I got home from work there was a show covered shoe rack sitting right outside the front door. When I spoke to her about it she seemed to think it was hilarious and didn't even really say sorry.

OP posts:

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Cleaning

Backwoodsgirl · 09/03/2019 12:59

It's human nature people are lazy. Start off with a good impression, then figure out the minimum they can get away with.

Tessywoooooo · 09/03/2019 13:00

I wish I knew - the manager of the cleaning company has an answer for everything whenever we complain 🤷‍♀️

Justletmego · 09/03/2019 13:01

We’ve had lots, I just change them and eventually will find one I like. I comment if sections are being missed, happy days as they correct it for a bit.

What I won’t accept are cleaners who don’t show up, who cancel last minute etc.

Everything else I’ve found I can mostly tweak, we had an amazing cleaner once and for the entire time she cleaned for us I didn’t have to bring a single thing up. She cleaned like it was her own home and rotated things, we had to move and I’ve never found one like her since.

YourEggnogIsBetterThanMine · 09/03/2019 13:04

Yep, I've had 3 and have cancelled all of them. They all started of well then gradually started taking the piss. I do TOMM now and save myself £20 a week.

troppibambini · 09/03/2019 13:07

Yep definitely!
I gave up in the end and just do it myself.

PoliticalBiscuit · 09/03/2019 13:16

@parttime1

I really love that idea. Might do it myself.

PoliticalBiscuit · 09/03/2019 13:16

How many hours is your deep clean for?

ILoveMaxiBondi · 09/03/2019 13:17

I’m a cleaner and think I may have been “guilty” of this from a clients perspective at times. The reason being, once I have settled into a home and find my rhythm I will usually work out what “extra” jobs need done every now and again. For example one week I may forgo the dusting of the China cabinet and instead clean out the fridge. Client may come home and see cabinet hasn’t been done but not notice that the fridge has. Or yesterday I washed all the high gloss cupboards and stainless steel appliances/extractor hood in the kitchen but it meant the 2 spare rooms weren’t hoovered. In my mind the dirty kitchen cupboards were more of a priority than carpet in two unused rooms that was hoovered last week and not been used since. But a client might think differently! You can only use your best judgement and clients may have different ideas of what should be done. Maybe they don’t care about the cupboards. I don’t know because they don’t tell me so its guesswork. No one has ever pulled me up on standards slipping but if they think they are I would prefer if they said.

What is helpful I said the clients who leave a list every week of what their priorities are so I know to do those first and then whatever else I can fit on of the normal routine.

exwhyzed · 09/03/2019 13:18

It's probably just a case of fresh eyes - once you are familiar with somewhere you don't see it in the same way as you did when it was somewhere strange.

Perhaps you could try a company that can send you a few different cleaners and see if they can do it in rotation rather than having the same person each time?

TAMumof3 · 09/03/2019 13:23

I worked as a cleaner for a while, I think two things happen ;

Firstly cleaner begins to die of boredom / jelousy that she can't be the one hiring a cleaner herself - resulting in the search for some little edge that makes it bearable (think dustbin men taking home a good "find") little corners get cut, less effort pu in, tiny time cut-backs, as time progresses this could well lead to generalised pilering in a desperate attempt to heighten self-esteem.

Second though the person having the cleaning work done stops seeing it as good as they did the first time it happens, at first it looks great (like a new job) but as time goes on they see the reality as less impressive.

Parttime1 · 09/03/2019 13:26

@policitcalbiscuit
For a bog standard 3 bed 30's semi 2 cleaners for 4 hours

Hiddenaspie1973 · 09/03/2019 13:27

Because they get BORED.
I used to clean houses. It's boring.

ourkidmolly · 09/03/2019 13:28

@TAMumof3

I think you're way off in your analysis. A jealous cleaner steals from her client and dumps their belongings in the bin for the bin men? All in an attempt to raise her self esteem?

Surely just being lazy is closer to the mark?

HollowTalk · 09/03/2019 13:28

It's probably the same with a lot of people at work - when they first start it's easier to say "Sorry, this isn't what we want" and to stop employing them. Once they've been there a lot longer, it's much more difficult.

Whisky2014 · 09/03/2019 13:28

Complacency and easy money

ourkidmolly · 09/03/2019 13:28

Yes boredom rather than angry kleptomania!

Seeleyboo · 09/03/2019 13:40

Love my cleaner. She always does a great job but if on occassion it's not as great I'll just message for the following week. Could you give a good scrub to the dogs floor etc and I will blame the dogs. Dogs messed on it. Or can you give the house a really good dust as i did some work in the house and i got it dusty. Seems better than blaming them for not doing it the way they used to.

Seeleyboo · 09/03/2019 13:41

WhiffofSnell · 09/03/2019 13:44

Parttime - what does a deep clean involve? I think we're in need of one.

Parttime1 · 09/03/2019 15:04

Whatever I specify @whiffofsmell I have one booked in for a couple of weeks' time:
Inside kitchen cupboards
Inside fridge
Hoover under/ behind furniture (I do have to clear out under beds for this)
Carpet cleaning (I have mostly wooden floors so it is only one room)
Bathroom descale and steam clean of tiles
Thorough dust and hoover (they do tops of wardrobes and other bits I miss during my weekly surface cleans).
I follow TOMM ish too.

Celeriacacaca · 09/03/2019 15:31

What's TOMM?

Parttime1 · 09/03/2019 15:41

The Organised Mum Method - it is a blog

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