How tidy / clean is your kitchen before your cleaner comes?

[Padstow58]

I was talking about how I leave my house when my cleaner comes and my friend was appalled.

Basically, I load the dishwasher but don't wipe all round the kitchen because that's what the cleaner is paid to do. So when she gets there, the kitchen is covered in crumbs and food spills etc. But the surfaces are clear of plates, cups etc.

My friend says my cleaner must really judge me.

Is my friend right? Am I minging?

Mine loads the dishwasher too 😆

I tidy the place, but dont actually clean anything.
So put stuff in the dishwasher, tidy the clothes off the bed and leave the fresh bedding ready for her to change it, just generally putting things away.

If there are obvious spills, Ill quickly wipe them, but I do that on a regular basis, regardless, not just before she comes

This

Just as it comes, I do no special tidying
If she judges me,I couldn’t give a flying fuck

Some minimal tidying to get around but absolutely not cleaning. I do very little wiping and cleaning generally. That's why I have a cleaner, bless her.

I clean my sides down, no crumbs or spills. She comes and sprays and dries them to a nice finish. It takes time, there are a lot of sides and it’s dark granite which needs a bit of care to get it looking as it should.
Same as I make sure there are no skidmarks left in the loo, just think it’s a bit rude otherwise. I still feel a bit weird about having a cleaner, like it’s for posh people, but it helps massively - and she’s really a lovely lady.

I check the toilets aren't visibly dirty but that's it. Our lovely cleaner also tidies as she goes. It looks like a different house after she's been, she's just got a knack for making everything look sparkling and organised which none of us can match.

This. I’ve had cleaners in five countries over 20 years and not one has ever stolen anything, and there’s always cash etc lying around somewhere. Our current cleaner is an admirable person, whom I very much like on the rare occasions I’m working from home when she’s here, and we’re still in touch, years on, on Fb with two very nice people who cleaned for us years ago in other countries.

Well lucky yous who never had stuff stolen by a cleaner!

I had an antique silver cutlery set (inherited from my dad) stolen by a cleaner.
Another cleaner stole my hair curlers and my boyfriend's designer clipper lighter.

Maybe it's because we lived in a rough part of London you learn to just take it on the chin. But I'd still recommend tidying up and packing your stuff away before having a cleaner in your house.

I miss my old cleaner, we lived in the states and I think cleaners there all acted like housekeepers, how she got it all done in the time she had I don’t know, literal and actual superwoman. Have had 2 cleaners so far since we moved back and they clean around stuff so I have to tidy. Latest just signed off with exhaustion (2 non sleeping toddlers so I feel for her!) and we have a new one, a man, starting in a few weeks…

That must have been horrible 😳 for you but certainly doesn't mean the poster 's cleaner is a thief 😉

I don’t have a cleaner but have never understood the logic of doing 90% of it before they come. What are you even paying them for then? I don’t have a cleaner because to me the actual cleaning is the easy part. If the kitchen sides are clear it would take me less than 5 minutes to actually clean them. If I’m making sure the loo is clean before they come then I’ve already done it. Tidying up is what takes time. If the floors are clear it takes 10 minutes to sweep or hoover. I might be more sold on the idea of getting someone in if they did the tidying and I did the cleaning!

So the way I see it, you’re just getting your moneys worth!

I absolutely tidy the whole house before the cleaner arrives as I don't want her to waste time moving shoes, bags, sorting dishes etc. the kids also have to make sure that the toilets in their bathrooms are clean and that their bathroom bins have been emptied. It's not her job to do that either.

I get my maid to clean the surfaces. The butler puts away the silver. The footman cleans the dog bowls. And the groom of the stool does a lovely job on my rear garden gate.

🙄

I always tidy up/put away before the cleaner comes - that's part of why I have one. It kicks my arse into gear.

Food spills/skiddies etc get cleaned up the minute they happen regardless of whether the cleaner is due in a week or 10 minutes. But I certainly don't wipe down the counters or clean the hob for her.

I absolutely wouldn't worry about a cleaner judging you. One person who worked for us was delighted to start a new job as a 5 day a week housekeeper in a nearby McMansion. She let a lot of her old clients go for what she saw as a step up in the world (luckily she kept us on!). She found continuously cleaning and re cleaning an already clean house so boring that six weeks later she had left the posh job and was building up her weekly client base again. Like any of us, job satisfaction matters and she missed seeing that her hard work made a difference.

I used to tidy but then I realised she was so much better at it. I wipe the kitchen sides after every use though. Have had any problems in the past and dirty worktops annoy me too much.

ant problems!

We are always tidy, and it is the cleaners job to clean - obviously!

What is the issue with toilet and bathroom bin? Our bin has a binbag inside, so our cleaner just takes it and adds it to the main bin bag she uses for all other bins.

And toilet? Unless there is a huge accident/D+V episode and it needs cleaning I can't see an issue why a cleaner is not responsible for it.

Saying that, the toilet concerns I see on MN are always strange to me.

Its usually a complete mess, dishes up the side, dishwasher needs doing, washing from the morning getting ready.

She tends to look at it, then sit down for a bit before she thinks about doing it. Then she will go in there, look around and think ffs. And have another 10 minutes sit down. Then finally get around to tidying it and cleaning it whilst talking to herself about how she really doesnt want to do it and cba.

Its me, im my cleaner 🤣🤣 ive shut the kitchen door for now.

@SaladRooney

i think it's unfair to say all people who tidy first are 'saving face...because there's a moral issue' & that wanting the cleaner to clean, not tidy, is a lie.

I don't have a cleaner at the moment but when I did, I tidied before she came. Several reasons -one of which was wanting her to have the whole time to clean properly, over & above the weekly stuff we had a list of jobs 'if there's time' that she could do. I'd rather she did than waste time tidying. I wouldn't leave crumbs & butter knives on the worktop whether the cleaner was coming or not.

your place sounds interesting & I wouldn't mind the bats. If I was a cleaner I'd rather clean your place as(without being rude) you'd really see the difference over one that's already pretty clean & tidy.

I think it's just the case of matching cleaners & customers.

100% tidy with a quick cloth over the worktop to get any chunky bits 😁

I was totally outraged on your behalf for a moment. 🤣🤣

Our cleaner is paid to clean not tidy, although she does put fresh bedding on all the beds. Our house is generally very tidy anyway as I can't bear to live in a mess, too stressful.

@reluctantbrit purely because they are incredibly lazy kids who think the cleaner is there for them. She's not. She's there to help me out. The kids are responsible for their own bedrooms. I don't use their bathrooms and they would quite happily leave a toilet filthy and wouldn't think about lining a bin and also would fill it completely and leave it there for days. I won't do it for them and I certainly don't expect her to. I am assured they will grow out of it but they can live in filth if they want to in the meantime. Unfortunately they do have friends to stay over still so I would like the bathrooms to hygienic for their sakes.