Cleaner issue

[Myriade]

So for the first time in my life, Ive got a cleaner as I couldnt stay on the top things cleaning wise due to my ME/CFS. That means I have no reference about how much she can do/what to expect etc....

Found a cleaner and she has been coming about 3 times now.
First time, did a thourough clean, moved the armchairs/sofa to hoover around, dust everywhere etc... It took her the 2 hours we agreed on.
Since then, every time she is coming, she is staying less and less. about 1h30 the first time, less than that the third time.

So I'm now wondering. Could she do more for me but then what? is it that she is basically 'cutting corners' so what shoukld be taking 2 hours takes less time? Is it that sbe has got used to the house etc... so she is much quicker now than the first time?
On my pov, the house is still 100x better than it was so I am ver grateful for that BUT i'm not comfortable paying her for 2 hours of work if she isnt even doing 1h30...

Any advice will be appreciated

If she's only working 1.5 hrs then just pay 1.5hours? What does your contract say?

Contract? nope, no contract.

My cleaner is brilliant and even picks up things from Home Bargains etc. that she sees I'm getting low on but I've a friend who returned home unexpectedly after an hour to find hers gone when she should have stayed for 2 hours.
So I'd suggest you write a list (windows,inside of cupboards etc) for her to work her way down when the main cleaning is done, if she has time.
Might that work for you?

I always tried to be in the house when my cleaners came. But even with that, there was a tendency to leave earlier and earlier. On one occasion when I wasn't in the house, my cleaner left after an hour, when she should have been here for 2 1/2 hours. It was picked up on our camera on the drive, and she denied it when I raised it with the agency.

I think once they start leaving early though, it is time to get someone else. IME discussing it with the individual never really works longterm, and I don't want someone who is willing to defraud me in my house.

That said, I had a wonderful cleaner for 10 years who was conscientious and reliable, so it isn't always the case.

@Katinski, a list would be a really good idea.
The worst thing is that I am always in the house when she comes as she is coming in my day off. So she knows I know iyswim.

Can I ask what you would put on your list?
Atm I have

• clean bathroom and downstairs loo
• wash floor upstairs (bathroom) and downstairs
• hoower upstairs and downstairs
• dust window seal
• clean worktop in kitchen (had to ask her today to move appliances)

NigellaAwesome, I agree with your attitude re being defrauded.
The problem I have is that its near impossible to find a cleaner where I live so what I get is better than nothing iyswim.
I have to say I am thinking already that I need to find someone else....

If she has only been 3 times, perhaps the way to approach it is to speak to her next time. Ask her if you can spend a couple of minutes reviewing the arrangement, and ask her if she is happy with it, would she prefer a list of things to do if she finishes the main jobs before her time is up.

A good cleaner should be able to look around and see what needs to be done.

I always asked mine to help me change the sheets if there was time at the end.

How do you pay her? Do you do a bank transfer, or pay cash / cheque at the time? If you pay at the time, then don't leave it out, pay when she is finished.

I think though if she knows you are over a barrel, then it is easier for her to take advantage and unless you do something it will get worse. So my advice would be to be clear from the start what your expectations are.

I am doing a bank transfer (which she said she preffered). Transfer is done when she has just left.

I agree about expectations which is why a list of what she could do might be helpful. I basically have no idea of what is 'supposed' to be done. The house isn't big and my two dcs often opt out from the cleaning (aka they cant be bothered to tody up before she comes). she basically has 2 hours to clean a one bedroom house.

I'm a cleaner, the 1st clean always takes the longest. She'll be in a routine now so will be finishing a 1bed well before the 2hrs. Could you ask her to do some ironing to take to the 2hr? If you feel like she is skimming over things then I'd just ask her to spend longer on kitchen/bathroom etc.

That makes sense but I also have the feeling she is skimming over things.

Eg first time, she dusted the bookcases in the living room but didn’t do it this time. She gave a quick clean to the window on the kitchen door, cleaned the window seal in the kitchen etc...
None of that is been done.

But if 2h00 is too much for 1 bed house, then I feel she should have said so (I did say that she was unlikely to have ‘access’ to my dcs rooms as neither of them wanted someone to go in).
Maybe the issue is that I need to ‘renegociate’ ho long she spends at my house.

How long do you think is needed to clean a one bedroom house?

I think have a chat with her, but I could definitely do your list in less than 2 hours if I wasn't distracted by Internet, TV, tidying etc. I'd have a chat with her and see if she could spend 30 mins each week focusing on one room, ie, living room, move furniture to hoover, clean windows, mirrors, light switches and skirting boards and rotate through kitchen, living room and bedroom.

That’s a great idea!

I’m a cleaner. I am aware that other people don’t stay for their time. Only pay her for the hours she does. See what she says. I agree about the first clean takes longer. But don’t pay her money if she is not cleaning.

I'd be furious if she left before the time was up. Don't you say something?

I have to say, she asked me on one occasion if anything else needed to be done.
I couldn’t say because
1- I hadn’t actually see what she had done
2- she took me by surprise and was stuck for ideas.
3- I’ve read so many threads in here about people being CF by asking stuff cleaners shouldn’t be expected to do that I’m second guessing myself.
4- it’s been such a long time since I’ve actually done any cleaning that I’m not even sure anymore. Cleaning has been done by DH for years, which means only the bare minimum has been done (and even that wasn’t great :() so what my ‘normal’ is is out of sync with what should happened if that makes sense?

Eg someone mentioned dusting the skirting boards. I would never have thought about that and can’t remember when that has been done last time.
What I would really like is someone to wash my walls and the doors in the kitchen (marks on the wall) but I’m not sure if I can ask her to do that?

But I agree that I need to tackle that (hence my thread).

I am very relaxed with my cleaner, she mainly does ironing for me, and anything else I ask her to do, moping floor etc.

She does a good job and I trust her completely, that means more to me than losing a bit of time.

But I agree with other posters, have a chat to her about it, perhaps say what you would like her to do when she has finished the regular jobs.

I was a cleaner. I always went through a house thoroughly, doing things like skirting boards about once a month. I rarely had extra time, but if I did, I'd go round and check for marks on walls, dirty switches, or clean an inside window. The first clean always took longer, partly because it was usually dirtier and partly because I wasn't in a routine. I think it would be fine for you to give her a list of "extra" jobs, and ask her to do one of those every visit, after she's finished, to make it up to two hours. I'd suggest skirting boards, microwave, fridge, an inside window, door handles, outside of front door, feather dusting light fittings and checking for cobwebs, cleaning out a kitchen cupboard. These are all things I did as a matter of course, and if the client was out, I would leave a note to tell them what I had done. One client was always out on the day I cleaned. I would leave her a note on the calendar telling her my time of arrival and of leaving, and she would pay me accordingly. One day she left a note saying. "You made a mistake last Friday, you said you left at 12pm, you actually left at 1pm (You were caught on my neighbour's security camera) so I've paid for that extra hour"

Have a pile of ironing ready. Mine will happily tackle as much of that as possible if she's finished early.

It’s not a one bedroom house if there are actually more bedrooms but she isn’t cleaning them.

Thanks @81Byerley. It’s a very helpful list.
I’m going to ask her to do the normal routine plus some deeper cleaning and give her a list.

I am a successful self employed cleaner and would never leave half an hour early. There is always something to clean. If I was in your position I wouldn't be happy. Hope that's of help. 😀