Cleaners wearing shoes indoors?

[francesfrans]

I’ve booked a cleaner to come this week and then every week following this to help my maintain the house and I’m finding it a struggle with a newborn and toddler with a partner who works away. We never wear our shoes indoors, to me this is grim. My friend who has a cleaner (different one) says her cleaner wears shoes indoors and says this is standard. Is this so? If it is I would probably rather not go ahead. We have brand new carpets and I don’t want dirt/germs/bacteria trailing in form outdoors. But on the other hand I could really do with the help. Anyone else who has a cleaner what are your thoughts on this and does your cleaner wear shoes indoors?

I find the idea of no shoes inside much grimmer than people wearing shoes!

but your house your rules

I’ve had two sets of cleaners. One set wore plastic covers and the other set brought crocs that they put on at the door. In both cases it was their choice. I’m sure they’ll be ok with doing something similar.

I change into my crocs or indoor trainers. I've been to clean some nasty places so no way would I plan to go shoeless especially to a house I haven't been to before. Pretty sure most cleaners do this. You could get some shoe covers if it makes you feel better. I'd be happy to put them on if asked.

So does mine.

So clean the floors yourself then 🤷🏼‍♀️

Most employment insurance policies require shoes for health & safety purposes. I'd just provide shoe covers

Are you generally an anxious person?
Have you been more anxious or feeling more protective since your baby was born?

Have you given any consideration to the idea that your children need to build their immunity, and exposure to a certain amount of dirt and bacteria is how this important part of their early years should happen?

I'm not suggesting you relax your no shoes rule for your family. However, the small risk of dirt/ germs/ bacteria entering your home on the shoes of the cleaners once a week (which will presumably be hoovered up by the cleaners themselves) is not something you should be fretting about.

YYY to this.

Agree

I have a cleaner/ carer.. ( I'm severely disabled) had her years.. she keeps a pair of crocs at my house and changes into them.

Oh the typical MN response, up in arms about no shoes.

I have the same policy OP (have a sign on the door) however all my permanent cleaners have been extremely hygienic and always have a pair of Havaianas to hand! But otherwise you tell them to remove their shoes if they don't automatically.

Ask her to wear some clean shoes or slippers (that you pay for that she can keep at your house). I agree it's grim.

Every cleaner I've ever had has taken tbeir shoes off.

You can buy over shoe covers if you are worried. You can even get washable ones.

It’s not complicated- convey that you’re a shoes off household & invite her to leave slippers or sliders at your home.

Did you mean that to come out sounding like you were judging someone for not cleaning their own floors? Because that’s how it sounded to me.

We have cleaners through an agency and so they change a lot. They ALL bring inside shoes - some slippers, some sliders some clean trainers. Why would they want to clean a floor and then traipse mud back through it?

You can buy fake 'crocs' at Wyndsors for about £8.00 a pair, probably even cheaper in Primarni.

Just ask the cleaner what size she is and buy the crocs to keep at your house.

Surely they just bring indoor slippers/crocs with them

i would let her carry on with her preference

Perhaps she thinks that you don't even allow indoor shoes

No....she's going on about bacteria and germs. If she doesn't want a cleaner wearing shoes (which would go against health and safety anyway) then she should just clean it herself.

Given the current attitude about outdoor shoes I reckon she'd be a nightmare to clean for anyway.

Can you c&p the h&s regulations this breaks.

Some people have high hygeine levels and others don't.

We don’t expect visitors to take off their shoes although we all wear slippers. If you are a shoes off household you can just inform the cleaner, you are unlikely to be the only one on their list, and they can bring indoor shoes with them. Our cleaner wore Crocs.

"outdoor shoes" There, you've said it.

Mine takes hers off OUTSIDE bless her! She even brings a carrier bag to put them in ☺️ She’s the best 🥰

I didn’t ask her to do this, but I am a ‘shoes off’ house so am very grateful. I would also have no problem asking anyone to leave their shoes in the porch either…I have a basket of spa slippers for people to use if they like something on their feet. I wear socks myself, but I do get that others prefer a slipper.