What do you do when the cleaner is here? And it is normal for them to make an absolute racket?

[PickledElectricity]

I am struggling to cope with a toddler, 4 month old baby, and basically no sleep for the past 6 months.

House is a tip and it's depressing me.

I am also ill and just generally not doing very well. Decided to throw money at the problem because DH is also being useless - that's a whole other thread.

I've hired a cleaner and scarpered upstairs to feed the baby while she's cleaning because I feel so awkward. The house is small.

I can hear banging and clanging and the hoover is also going.

Stay out of the cleaners way if you can. I’ve watched videos of professional cleaners online and they like a clear run.

And yes, they are going to make a fair bit of noise. Can you put on some music that can distract from the noise a bit? Even just a bit of classical on the radio or something else that won’t disturb the baby if s/he is sleeping.

Sorry to read you are unwell, it’s extra tiring with a Toddler and a little baby.

Can you book the cleans in for a time when you could go to a playgroup or something? It’s very difficult being in at the same time and yes cleaning is noisy!

God I hate being in when the cleaner is here. I usually stay in one room and ask them to do that room last. Then shut the door and move accordingly.

I'm at work. If I'm working from home I stay in my study working, other than saying hello if I'm not on a call and asking her to do something that isn't on her usual remit. She doesn't clean my study. If you are at home when she's cleaning, ask her to clean one room first, and then go and occupy that one.

Just go out! Go and have a cake in a coffee shop.

I just sit on the sofa with my laptop and they clean the living room while I'm in there. It felt a bit awkward at first but I'm not bothered now!

I also go out 😂 Coffee shop and my laptop if I’m working, or walk/playground/day out with DS if it’s the holidays. Anything but being in 😬

I stay in the office as that room doesn’t get cleaned so I can just chill in there, but if all rooms were being cleaned I would go out for sure.

OP said she is ill and has a 4 month old and a toddler. Telling her to just go and have a coffee probably isn’t going to work.

I'm a bit disappointed. Especially with feeling awkward in my own home. This is only the third time I have hired a cleaner but it's been the worst one. There was just a lack of judgement/experience applied?

I regret hiding upstairs. Previously I had been WFH while heavily pregnant and felt awkward sitting at the dining table on my laptop but I wonder if that made a difference or if it's this individual.

The platform I used to book the clean have requested a review and I'm dithering about what to say and what rating to give.

On the face of it, everything looked fine but as the day wore on I found this like she hadn't cleaned the bathroom tap, which was still covered in limescale and toothpaste, but the sink was bleached to within an inch of its life. The bathroom floor had been mopped in the middle and around the toilet, but the edges of the room and behind the door were dusty and clearly hadn't been touched.

The plastics and wooden things in the kitchen sink had simply been thrown in the dishwasher; I would hope she would have known that they need to be hand washed? Or at least ask?

The tiles and countertops were streaky and the counter under the kettle was dirty, it just seemed like a pretty sloppy job. The kitchen floor had not been mopped.

But she had picked everything out from under my sofa?

Nope that’s a no from me! Feed that back to them and say you’re wanting someone else.

I recently employed a new cleaner although it’s not through an agency. She doesn’t do every room so I shut myself in the office whilst she’s here.

I do spend a couple of hours before she comes tidying and giving her as much clear run as possible so she can actually clean. If she’s washing up etc, could it be that she ran out of time for the other bits? Before our cleaner comes I tidy up all toys etc and lift them off the floor, make sure no dishes are left/run the dishwasher, put away anything on surfaces etc.

Ive also noticed that she’s been a few weeks now and the house is getting cleaner as she gets faster and keeps on top of everything. So you may need to give it time.

I can’t bear to be in when the cleaner is here, and I’m sure vice versa.

I expect a cleaner to do a perfect job. If it worse than we’d do it (and I’m extremely thorough when I clean), what is the point?

I go out!