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?

Yep she’s taking the piss and sounds very annoying. It’s like she’s looking for excuses not to clean areas!

Your house sounds fine and normal. My cleaner will work around the odd pan/mug/bowl. I try and tidy as much as I can so she can spend more time cleaning but inevitably she will need to pick a few things up/move stuff around and she does without complaint.

I’d just get a new cleaner.

All the main living areas are vaguely tidy, as is my bedroom and bathroom, however if I strip my bed then they will put clean bed linen on for me which is my favourite thing.

Sometimes there are dirty breakfast things in the kitchen if the dishwasher is running and there is no room for them.

So not tidy but not a hovel - well at least the part of the house that I am responsible for.

The kids bedrooms and their bathroom however are absolute pig stys...bins overflowing, toothpaste in the sink, rubbish on the floor, clothes on the floor, cups and plates from the previous night's study snacks / morning cuppa etc

I come back from work and the whole house is immaculate, even the kids rooms. Their beds are made, their clothes are folded, rubbish is put in the bins and the bins are emptied, any crockery has been brought downstairs and washed up along with anything on the side in the kitchen.

I pay for cleaning to make my life easier as I am a single parent, have disabilities and struggle to do cleaning myself.

If they didn't make things easy for me then I would not be using them OP.

I was on the fence until you said she doesn’t move things off the shelves to dust. She just dusts round them? What does she do. If the washing up was clean and draining/dry can’t she just put it in the cupboard? Get a new cleaner I think.

Actually, I’m also wondering what her weekly duties entail. It’s fine for her to set out her willingness of tasks, it’s also fine for you to set out your expectations. If you can’t find common ground then it’s time to hire someone else’s professional services.

No emptying of bins? That’s unusual.

You clean the toilets? Does she also clean them?

Cheerios on a floor? I wouldn’t deliberately leave them for a cleaner and I sweep my own floors a few times a week, but sweeping/vacuuming then mopping is standard for a cleaner.

The clean mugs on the draining board being a reason not to clean the sink is nonsense unless they weigh 20lbs.

What does she do as part of her weekly clean?

The cleaners I know take great pride in their work and are very good at it, just like any other tradesperson hired to do work I’m not qualified to do/don’t have time to do/or don’t want to (bin cleaners come to mind with that last one).

Two cleaner stories—finally found our perfect cleaning company, family run business, but the woman of the team of two who come to us always always always takes the perfectly hung towels in the master bathroom, which are hung side by side (his and hers), and re-hangs them horizontally on the drying rack in order of size. Absolutely unnecessary, a time-waster, I always hang them back the way we like and the only reason I don’t say anything is it amuses me and I have great affection for her preferences.

Second story, an ex-boyfriend shared a house with three others in the US. They were contract software developers so had money to burn. Their cleaner no only did absolutely everything, including their laundry and their bed changing and their dishes, she also occasionally sat down after a shift and helped herself to their telly and a nice cold Coors Light of a Friday afternoon. We knew this because—being IT guys—they were early adopters of a home-based webcam.

Anyway, find another cleaner, OP.

I clear all surfaces that need cleaned - sides and floors - and make DS tidy all his toys away in the playroom so she can hoover. Beds are made daily so that’s not an extra job for me. Things that I don’t do - clean toothpaste off a sink, Hoover up cat litter or cat food that has spilled out since the last time I hoovered, clean the hob/sink from dinner the night before unless it’s really minging (I usually clean them every night after tea). Bins are emptied as she will sort through for recycling which makes me feel weird and the toilets have bleach down them every morning before we leave anyway. There wouldn’t be anything dirty to wash in terms of pots or cups etc but there might be some plastic containers drying on the radiator in the kitchen.

She doesn't lift things off shelves to dust or clean under sofa cushions, these things are 'deep cleaning' and not 'routine cleaning'

Really? So she dusts AROUND objects? That's taking the piss. I do understand not doing dishes or putting clothes away but this is ridiculous.

My cleaner does 2 hours a week, I have a quick whizz around in the morning before work to leave the least amount of clutter / mess in the spirit of leaving her to be able to get on.

If I left clean dishes on the side draining she would put them away for me and then clean! She even empties my dishwasher, puts it all away and reloads it with the one or two mugs that get left in the sink before work)

In 2 hours she cleans 2 bathrooms, hoovers, dusts, cleans the kitchen including mopping floor. She even changes our bedding if we leave it out ready for her. She fluffs up the cushions in lounge etc from where've they've been discarded

Wondering if my cleaner is a saint... 🤔 but anyway, a few stray items that need moving is not a big deal!

Is she from an agency?
If so ask for a different one. If you've hired her yourself I would get rid. From what you have said she is never going to do what you want. If I am paying my cleaner £x per hour I expect her to do what I decide not what she chooses.
My cleaner does 3 hours. Today she did 3 of 4 bedrooms (one not in use). Two bathrooms, toilet, living room study, kitchen, utility. I asked her to leave the dining room as DS was using it to work today. She emptied all bins and cleaned the windows in the conservatory.

I always tidy before the cleaner comes even if it just means putting some toys in a pile etc. Some areas of our house are very messy. For example my husband's office has papers all over the floor, piles of stuff everywhere. I tell them just to leave that room and any other areas that are too messy. I think you should leave it as tidy as possible but it shouldn't be stressful.

I tidy up whole house so I know where things are and so she can do the harder part which is cleaning.

I don’t know if she would be ok if I didn’t, it’s more allowing her to get on with stuff easily.

For the record, I do tidy/sort before our cleaners arrive for reasons stated above—so they can get on with cleaning.

When they arrive I mention rooms to skip sometimes (teenagers!) or to please not pick up certain areas (my office ) because it isn’t their job and isn’t necessary.

We have a good working relationship.

They’re not expected to shift big items etc unless specifically asked/agreed a few times a year, for which they are paid additionally, because they are able and willing to do so as part of our ongoing agreement.

But toothpaste in the sink? Cleaner cleans it. That is the point. That is what the cleaner has been hired for—to clean the sink.

Dust? Yes, the cleaners dust.

Toilets, floors...yes. Even if there are three teddy bears to be lifted that I haven’t been able to get to for the umpteenth time that week/day.

I've just phoned her and given her 2 weeks notice.

She said if I don't want her services any more she will quit without notice because she has a waiting list. She actually said "good cleaners are not ten a penny you know, I'll have to put you back at the bottom of my list if you change your mind."

Now I'm going to write a list of things I want to get done then start looking for a new cleaner, now I am more experienced.

Can you tell she was my first ever time with a cleaner?

Assuming you live in any decent sized town you'll be able to find a new cleaner right away. Glad you binned her. It can take time to find a good one though -- we had to go through three before we found one who's amazing, but she was worth it!

Can you tell she was my first ever time with a cleaner?

Yes, but that’s okay. I’ve been there and was very uncomfortable initially because I felt I should be doing it all myself. It helps to re-frame the situation. Then you can move on to your expectations/needs and find someone suitable (without taking the piss, which I don’t think you do based on previous posts).

Don’t know where you are, but ask around. Also look out for cleaners who are advertising—if they take the time and trouble to do that, they want to build a business.

And this might get me slated but I’d set a ground rule or expectation that phones aren’t necessary during work time. The cleaners we’ve hired always leave their phones ON for emergencies, but in the downstairs entry area. That is professional.

Another cleaner we hired previously had her phone on her all the time—I felt for her because she was in a bad situation with her daughter—but ultimately showed up about 2/3 of the time (that’s generous) and spent at least 30 minutes of her 3 paid hours on the phone with her daughter.

I employed her services longer than I should have.

I made sure I chose a cleaner that would tidy and sort too. Not all of them will tidy. Sometimes she does more tidying than cleaning.
Id get rid of your cleaner. Id feel judged and embarrassed.

I’m a cleaner. Your house sounds perfectly manageable to me. I have clients who are immaculately tidy and clients who employ me to housekeep, as well as clean- and most are in between. Any cleaner who can’t move easily moveable objects, is not worth their weight and is disposable imo.

The key is to set your expectations at the first meeting-they do differ! I have clients who tell me not to wash up as they’d rather I cleaned (even though a few dishes can be cleaned and put away as easily as moved around to clean sink, drainer etc).

Mine is tidy. Nothing to pick up or clean around, other than decorative items like vases or pictures. My cleaner is there to tidy, he's there to clean.

I hope you don't pay her if she refuses to clean because of this. Ridiculous.

I empty the bathroom bins, make sure all teen clothes etc are in the laundry basket, and that's it.

If you have a good cleaner, and book enough time, it shouldn't be an issue.

Your cleaner is bonkers!!

She said if I don't want her services any more she will quit without notice because she has a waiting list. She actually said "good cleaners are not ten a penny you know, I'll have to put you back at the bottom of my list if you change your mind."

yeah she thinks she's your boss, astounding how some people's minds work isn't it. Hope there is no doubt in your mind now that you made the right decision

I tidy beforehand - put everything I can away in the kitchen, but there is always loads of clean crockery on the draining rack. She just moves it!
I have everything off the floors, even if that means just piling toys and laundry baskets on the beds.
I put all the toiletries/toothbrushes etc in the bathroom cupboard.

I certainly don't clean toilets, wipe surfaces etc before the cleaner comes! That's literally what you're paying for.

I tidy, cleaner cleans.

So if i want a surface cleaned, i make sure it's clear. If i want a floor vacuumed / mopped, i pick anything off it.

I forgot my cleaner had changed her day so was surprised when she arrived, she commented how tidy my house was considering I didn’t know she was coming

We make sure all surfaces are clear in the kitchen (we have enough cupboards that the only thing that live on our sides permanently are the kettle and coffee machine) and washing up is loaded in the dishwasher. All crockery (cups mainly) are returned to the kitchen and if she finds any stragglers she will load them into the dishwasher, all rooms are tidy, I empty the bins (she then washes out the kitchen bins and dusts the chrome bathroom ones) and make sure the toilets are clean as that’s a step too far for me to expect her to do (she does then do something to them as they look different when I come home!).
We have a lot of rooms in our house so although it’s not especially big there is a lot for her to do. She comes for 4 hours a week and literally cleans the entire time except for when she stops for a cup of tea - and even then, she drinks it while she works!
We tidy, she cleans.
I wouldn’t expect her to be having to tidy up as it leaves less time for her to clean although she always does little finishing touches like tidying ds’s teddy shelf or arranging the dds blankets nicely on their beds rather than just folding them in a pile.
Yours doesn’t sound too bad though, I reckon my cleaner would take that in her stride without batting an eyelid as most decent cleaners would.
Glad you’ve given her notice, a cleaner should make your life easier not harder.

Things our cleaner does in addition to dusting, vacuuming, mopping:

• empties bins

• changes beds
• waters house plants (because I always forget)
• plays with the cat if the cat is in the house (because they come on my long day at work)
• does a bit of tidying

If the dining table is covered in art & craft stuff or the playroom rug in lego, they know to leave it alone. Other times, I will send them a message asking them to, for example, spend a bit of extra time in the spare room as we have visitors coming to stay.

Our cleaners also come whilst we're on holiday when they do things like clean out the fridge, clean the inside of all of the windows and that sort of thing.