How tidy is your house before your cleaner comes?

[Knitwit99]

Our cleaner regularly leaves messages telling me she couldn't clean something because it was too untidy. The stress of tidying up for the cleaner is starting to outweigh the benefit of having her in the first place. How tidy is your house on cleaner day?

This is how messy our house is today, an average day I would think. Should this be ok for the cleaner?

In the kitchen there is one clean bowl sitting on top of the cooker, 3 clean mugs on the draining board and one clean empty milk bottle waiting to be put out tonight for the milkman.

On the kitchen table there is a box with a cake in it and a book sitting on top of it's cardboard delivery envelope. And my husband's travel coffee mug he's forgotten to take to work.
The cooker is needing cleaned and there are 4 cheerios someone has dropped on the floor

Is this too messy to leave for a cleaner? Be honest. Should I clean the cooker and sweep the floor before I go to work? Would you expect the cleaner to move the mugs and clean the sink and draining board or should she not clean that area because of the mugs? Am I being a CF to expect the cleaner to clean a bit of spilt porridge off the cooker, or is cleaning a dirty cooker part of her job as a cleaner?

A towel is lying in the bathroom floor, one of the kids will have made a half hearted attempt to hang it on the radiator and it has fallen off. One empty toilet roll tube sitting out. The sink has a bit of toothpaste on it but the toilet is clean. I always clean the toilet. Should she hang up the towel or clean round it?

3 teddies lying in the living room carpet and a blanket half on the chair, half fallen off onto the floor. I would expect the cleaner to fold up the blanket, throw the teddies on a chair and clean the room. Am I expecting too much?

The sideboard in the hall is covered with papers and letters so if this had been cleaning day I would have left her a note telling her to leave it and just do the hall floor.

How unreasonable an I really? Be honest, am I taking advantage or is she just not the right cleaner for us?

All surfaces here are clear, including floors. I think yours sounds quite messy tbh

I don't think you are asking too much although it does sound quite messy. If she's a good cleaner she'll clean around those things or tidy up as she goes. I'm a cleaner and I regularly tidy up - I don't see the difference.

Lol you hire a cleaner and they want you to clean for them? I think they have misunderstood the employer employee relationship. Doesn't sound like they want the job, plenty of people out there needing one who won't see fit to give you demands in your own home. Why haven't you fired them already?

That is not messy, few bits and bobs out hardly makes it messy.

My cleaner wouldn't bat an eye at that but then she's my sister and goes above and beyond.

We are those people who leave house immaculately tidy for the cleaner! For us it is a good incentive to have a good tidy and encourage children to keep their bedrooms tidy. All surfaces/sinks are clear and we also empty bins. We see the motivation to do this as one of the benefits of having a cleaner but I am sure other people would see this as a negative and I can see why too.

Well I don't think it sounds messy. It sounds like a normal lived in house rather than a show home.

I don't think you are a CF toward your cleaner. What have you set out as jobs and how long does she have to do the jobs?

I don't expect any tidying up. Just cleaning, so I leave all surfaces clear to enable this. I also clean the toilet as I think that's a horrible thing to expect someone else to do.

There is inevitably the odd thing or two I miss though.

But OP I don’t think your house sounds too messy. Our cleaner would sort all of that.

That sounds fine! She just needs to pick a few bits up.
Have you told her ‘obviously if you spend time picking bits up then I understand that’s time you then can’t spend on actual cleaning. And that’s fine.’

Is she getting really stressed about not ‘finishing’?

It depends.

I know that our house is a mess. Our cleaner tidies as she cleans. However, we talked about it when I was took her on as i knew it was a problem and organised it so I book her for extra time to tidy as she goes. It works for everyone.

She cleans the hob as part of her normal weekly clean and wouldn't blink an eyelid at cheerios dropped on the floor ... she'd just sweep them up with everything else. I think its pretty standard for cleaners to sweep and mop the floor surely?

When I'm apologetic about the mess she tells me she needs people like me or she'd be out of a job

My cleaner would tidy all that but would obv leave less time for actual cleaning which is what I really want her to do so it’s a good incentive for us to tidy as much as poss before she comes

I always have a bit of a clear up before the cleaner comes, but that sounds fine to me! We definitely leave it worse than yours sounds sometimes. Can you get a different cleaner? They are meant to make life easier not cause stress.

I prefer the cleaner to spend her time cleaning and not shifting clutter about.

We always clear up any spills, try to ensure the sink is clear and there are no dirty dishes left, clean the toilet and pick up towels / clothes / toys off of the floor. If it’s been a manic morning I always tell her that there are some dirty dishes and to leave them if she hasn’t time.

I normally leave my desk in the state that it’s always in but she knows the situation and just politely cleans around the piles. But we discussed that originally.

She doesn’t fold laundry or put clothes away because I’m quite particular about how stuff is folded. And tbh I prefer her to focus on the stuff I HATE like mopping the hard floors.

Our house is much more messy than yours. We are very fortunate to have a wonderful woman who tidies, deep cleans and makes little changes around the house to add to our comfort.

Maybe it is time to change cleaners? Be willing to well and have an honest conversation before she/he begins work around expectations.

Be willing to pay well

That doesn’t sound untidy to me !!!

Your house sounds immaculate OP. I agree with the principle that I employ a cleaner to clean and not tidy but quite honestly if I wanted her to spend time tidying I don't see the problem.
My cleaner came this morning. I have DH and adult DS at home, plus a visiting DS. I try to make sure the floors are clear but other than that there are very few surfaces which are completely clear - this is a home not a show house.

Perhaps you should speak to her. Tell her you understand that if things are in the way she can either move them or leave that bit but please don't leave messages about it.

It sounds a but messy but not OTT. Have found some cleaners willing to do more than others e.g. empty bins. I tidy up so all surfaces and floors are clear and washing up is put away, she’s only here for 2 hours to do the whole house so don’t want to make extra work for her. I’d only clean the hob before if there was a big mark, but if it’s a just a few crumbs I don’t. I don’t sweep the floor before.

That sounds fine to me; I tend to throw anything that’s in the way onto our bed and clear surfaces of the letters etc that don’t belong there so she can dust. I try my best to leave the draining board clear but i expect her just to move the odd mug.
I have had to work hard at not cleaning the bathroom sinks and toilets before she comes (I wouldn’t leave stains on the seat or inside the toilet but then I wouldn’t leave that anyway). The tidy up I do before she comes helps me keep on top of accumulating mess

Depends on the contract and what you are paying. A lot of cleaners / agencies are more expensive because they tidy (and move furniture / change extractor fans) as they clean. While a lot of the cheaper cleans will only come in to clean / sweep.

Ours is really tidy, we pay less as I always make sure everything is today before they clean. Our last cleaner tidied too and drove me mad....just get a different cleaner, as you show him/her around give them an idea of how today clean it will be.

I’d have moved the stuff off the kitchen table and put the clean bowls and cups away but other than that it’s how we are when the cleaner comes. We blitz tidy for her (part of the reason we have her as it forces us to do this) but I wouldn’t pre-clean anything.

All surfaces, chair, sofa, floor is tidy. She doesn't have to put anything away. She's there to clean, not to declutter. So one night before she comes I make sure everything it's in its place, no dirty dishes, all clean dishes put away, no clothes lying around, no shoes outside in the hall, etc.

Doesn’t sound messy. My cleaner wouldn’t bat an eye at the stuff you’ve described.

Cooker is sometimes dirty but she cleans it, that's actual cleaning, not tidying