Should cleaners tidy too?

[Em90876]

Wasn’t sure where to post this so I hope here is okay.
I am a professional cleaner, mainly for end of tenancy cleans/offices and events. My company offered me some private house cleans which I accepted, but there is one in particular that is making me very stressed.
The family consist of 2 parents and 6 children, it’s a very large house with 16 rooms to clean overall. The parents are very relaxed about hygiene and tidiness so there are toys on every floor and surface, washing on the floor (even in the bath), food from the meal the night before scattered across every kitchen surface and floor, and don’t get me started on the condition of the 5 toilets.
I spend roughly one hour tidying the mess before I can actually clean which means a deep clean is impossible and things like skirting boards, doors, tiles etc get missed so I can focus on the bathroom and kitchen surfaces and floors which is all I have time for. The parents have spoken about it before and that it is a priority to them that I tidy their children’s bedrooms, and they will have a giggle that their children are so messy and lazy
I cleaned for them today and as I was so annoyed that it was worse than the previous week I put every toy, item of clothing and other mess onto beds, tables and sofas instead of putting them in their proper places. The parents raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as the house got a decent deep clean instead, but I’m expecting a complaint tomorrow.

I’m in two minds whether to speak to them directly and refuse to do this anymore or if I should give up the clean and inform the company why. Sorry it’s so long I needed to rant just as much as ask for advice!

How much time are you allocated, did they specify in writing what needs doing. They sound lazy and entitled and I personally would tell the company you no longer wish to clean their house.

My cleaner takes the house as it comes which is currently a mess as full of half-unpacked boxes after we had to move out for work to be done but I pay her for the time that's needed to pick up and/or work around stuff as well as the actual cleaning. Your position of course may be different, as you're not primarily a domestic cleaner -- you may not want the extra hours or hassle. I would speak to these people and explain your position.

No you shouldn’t be expected to tidy their shit up too. If they want a cheap maid service their in the wrong country. They sound right nightmares.

Both me and DP have done house cleaning before. I always made it clear to new clients that tidying was not in my remit. I was there to clean, not to pick up after them.

DP once cleaned for a couple with one DC. After repeated requests to them to tidy away things like Lego, which takes forever, he just vacuumed it up instead. Not very professional, which he admits, but it's the last time they left it on the floor!

I'd refuse to tidy, personally.

No. They should tidy so you can clean.
However, if they want to pay you to tidy & and you don’t mind doing so then they would have to accept they get less of a clean.

I think you need to make it clear that in the time you have you cannot tidy AND do a deep clean, so they need to decide what their priorities are (or pay for more hours). If they decide they want more time spent on tidying and less cleaning then they are not doing anything wrong in requesting that. It's up to you whether you want that work or not. I don't really see why you would be "annoyed" about it particularly? Is tidying really that much worse than cleaning? I would think it would be nicer!

Personally I wasn't keen when cleaners spent time arranging things rather than cleaning (especially when it wasn't how I wanted it anyway). But tended to let it go as I thought perhaps it made their job more satisfying .

Tidying is not something you’d usually expect a cleaner to do. However, if you are happy to do it, then fine but this needs to be factored in to what they’re paying you.

You are a cleaner not a housekeeper so tidying is not part of your job unless they are allowing you time to do both

I think you should suggest two of you go to this house. And ask the clients to pay accordingly. One of you can tidy up as the other one cleans. It sounds far too much for cleaner.

I don’t like ours to tidy, they don’t know where stuff goes or how I like it to be folded and what not. They come in and clean everything where it is. If I leave a mug upstairs, it gets picked up to clean under it then put back down iyswim. If I wanted that mug cleaned by then it would have been in the sink..

Thats our agreement. You need to be clear with yours.

I would have contacted the company first time to establish what they were paying for. They either pay for the extra time to tidy and accept less cleaning or tidy themselves. Then you can decide whether to take the job.

My cleaner never tidies, I pay her to clean. However she does have some clients who always want more than they are paying for, her boss is very strict with customers about what they get for their money.

It depends on what clients have agreed with the company. You need to speaker to your employers about this.

There isn’t anything in writing about the clean itself, but the company and the client have a written rule about payment, respect etc. I assume they haven’t got any respect as they clearly regularly use the term ‘leave it the cleaner will do it’ which I have heard one child repeat. The first time I cleaned for them they paid in cash (declared on my company account so don’t panic) and wanted their 50p change, I only had copper coins in my purse but they wanted them. (I in no way expect to keep change but I was gobsmacked they counted out the coins to make sure I hadn’t ripped them off)
I don’t mind tidying in general but if you saw the things I had to tidy you would be cross having to do it in your own home never mind someone else’s. I’m not exaggerating when I say you cannot see the floor until I have picked it all up from all the rooms. I have 3 hours to do this in and often run over which isn’t paid for.

You should not be working any unpaid time. Do they have to sign a timesheet or do you keep a record,

Don't run over. Stop when your time is up. Leave. Say you cannot clean and tidy in the time. They pay for more time or tidy beforehand.

I tidy for my cleaner.

Unfortunately with these house cleans you’re allocated a time slot based on the house size and if you run over that’s your problem basically. I don’t agree with it and I’m sure it’s not legal but the company won’t pay and it’s unlikely the clients will offer more money when their contract states it will be done in X hours. Sadly due to Covid my main cleans slowed down as there aren’t many events going on these days, so I have to accept their conditions or lose work.

Agree don't run over, stop after three hours. Although reading this makes me realise I want a house keeper who tidys up, I love cleaning but not tidying.

It's not worth it if you keep going over time

I always have a very good tidy before my cleaner comes and move some items off the floor so they can hoover more easily. I find the thought of cleaners tidying, quite strange. I mean how do they know where everything goes?! Tidying and cleaning are 2 different things.

They need to inrease your allocated hours.

My experience is that cleaners are paid for their time, so if the house is too messy to finish up in the time allotted any remaining work has to wait for the next appointment. They need to either book more of your time or tidy in advance.

I suspect this family care less about a deep clean than you do though, given the chaos of the house. When I had several small children I was grateful if someone just came to tidy up and clean the bathroom. It may be that they just want the house to look nice, without worrying too much about the skirting boards.

I don't tidy. All of my clients houses are tidy anyway except one as they are all single occupants. I only have one house which has a child living there and it's my biggest, dirtiest house I don't have enough time to be tidying it too. I only just manage to get it cleaned within the 2 hours I'm paid for. I'm asked to clean the toy room which I'll happily do but I won't pick up the toys. Last time I was in there was toys all over the floor so I hoovered around them. I'm paid to clean not pick up after their child🤷🏻‍♀️.

I disagree with some here. Whether or not cleaners tidy depends entirely on what the agreement is up front. Some do.

In your case, you have two options:

• refuse to clean that property again or
• speak to the homeowners and say that the mess makes it impossible to clean in the time. Ask them how to prioritise. If they repeat their preference for you to tidy the kids room, then do that. Or if you don't want to, see option 1.

What you definitely shouldn't do is work extra hours for free.

We tidy our house before our cleaners come every week, they don’t have to tidy anything

Three hours isn't enough to properly clean a large messy house with five toilets.

They need to pay for more hours or only have half the clean each time. No way should you work above your hours you are paid for or tidy up if this extra work isn't included in the job spec.

Has the person who decided it was three hours work seen the house. Surely they don't think it can be cleaned in that time, tidying or not.