How to raise "toilets not cleaned properly"?

[QTPie]

Hi

We have a good cleaner (well two people - they work as a team). They do a great job, generally, and am very happy. We have a large house and it is very well dusted and hoovered. The floors, sinks, baths and counters are clean.

HOWEVER, they don't seem "completely thorough" with the toilets (we have 4). Thought this, so have been very carefully monitoring it.

Basically, when I clean a toilet, you could probably lick it afterwards (not that you would want to, but you get the picture...).

The toilets are not "dirty" when the cleaners come: I don't clean them before the cleaners come, but I do wipe/bleach anything "obvious" (if that makes sense). However I would like the "non obvious" things completely obliterated by the cleaners.

This is terribly "English", but how on earth do I raise "please clean the toilets properly"?? I can raise other things, but feel really awkward raising the toilets... :(

Thanks

[paperlace]

Oh lord, just show the cleaners exactly what you mean, politely and directly - 'would you mind checking you scrub here and here and lift this bit up? Thanks so much'. What honestly is the problem here?!

[TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet]

PEACE and LOVE Mners

[Hatespiders]

It's quite true that there are more jobs than cleaners to do them. We work on a self-employed basis for the barn, and if we wanted, we could be spending every waking hour cleaning, as we'd had offers from all and sundry. We're too old to do any more than we do though.
It doesn't matter if the client wants the loos to be clinically completely sterilised over every centimetre, that's their choice. As long as they explain in detail exactly what's required, and are prepared to pay for the time involved, you just do it as instructed.
There's a groundsman at the barn who has a key, and once or twice he's let himself in for a wee (and once a poo) in the downstairs loo. He dribbles. On the floor. And doesn't flush the toilet. After we've cleaned it. I entertain fantasies of strangling him and throwing him into the large pond in the grounds.

[BallsforEarings]

Hahahaha Hatespiders - we have a policy 'we clean it once' if someone comes in and 'undoes' our work after we have provided the service we cannot be asked to redo the area as it has been done! Please don't strangle and throw the guy in the pond for pooing OMG I am crying laughing!

[BallsforEarings]

Being serious I do think professional cleaners should know how to clean toilets it's THE most basic of requirements, a homeowner should not have to train a professional service provider, our clients would never want to do that, that's what we are hired for - to take load off them so they can relax!

[melika]

I clean toilets, I give a good squirt of flash bathroom, leave for a few mins.
Go back with anti bac wipes, clean door, handles, switch, taps, toilet top and work downwards, throw bleach around toilet, give a good scrub with brush. Use wipes to clean floor with my foot. Would that be ok?

[Hatespiders]

LOL Balls, in theory we say the same; once we've cleaned it, whatever happens afterwards, even a smelly poo, just has to stay there. The way we find out is that sometimes we have to return to collect the clean laundry from a locked unit and put it into the store cupboard. But we haven't the heart to leave wees and poos for the guests to find. My dh goes mad and cleans the loo all over again. That pond looks so tempting...

[LIZS]

Ask them to clean the 2 bathrooms you use more thoroughly and only do the other 2 every other week or if guests have been.

[BallsforEarings]

OMG Hatespiders - I would be the same actually - i couldn't bear to leave poo or wee there if i saw it - I think it has to be the pond for him after all! :-D

Melika - Just be careful (for your own safety) about mixing chemicals, don't let them come into contact with one another or you can release a noxious gas which can harm your health! This occurs when an acid based cleaner comes in contact with an alkali (base) cleaner such as bleach. We always train NEVER mix chemicals unless with fairy liquid (which is ph neutral so safe either way!)

Makes us laugh in the industry (and fume) watching 'OCD Cleaners' when the OCD person throws on disinfectant, then bleach, then wipes without a clue and the homeowner shrieks 'my eyes are burning!!' - No wonder love, she just made mustard gas in your bog! No wonder germs don't survive neither will humans if they carry on like that!

[Hatespiders]

We aren't allowed to use any bleach at the barn because it has a septic tank digester system. Special bacteria digest the sewage out in the field (below ground). Bleach would kill these bacteria and disrupt the whole thing. We can use sterilising wipes on all surfaces though. And loads of hot soapy water!

The phantom pooer never uses toilet paper either, the dirty bugger. I wonder what his pants are like... He looks a bit like a miniature Hagrid...

[melika]

Thanks Balls! We run our own business so I end up doing it. I had the most horrendous mess last week, someone else had actually cleaned it before me but I had to get the remnants up! OMG, someone covered the floor with you know what, WHY?? I was welled up, nearly crying, gagging. It was on the door handle too

To all you professionals, well done!

[youlookbeautifultonight]

Clean your own bloody toilet then! You sound like a nightmare.

[BallsforEarings]

Ah yes the spetic tank issue does come up now and again - you cant use anti-bac either can you!

I would like in an ideal world to not supply bleach to my cleaners but i don't want them completely unarmed and helpless in cases like Melika's above LOL and UGH - some PEOPLE!!

I give them bleach spray for use in 'certain circumstances' - tee hee!' but they must NOT use it on wooden top kitchen surfaces etc! There needs to be specific training on use of chemicals in the home or all sorts can go wrong, which unfortunately for me would be my liability! :-o

Thank Melika and wish you a happier toilet cleaning experience next time!

Another thing guys - don't forget to disinfect your cloths to avoid cross contmination, makes me retch when I find a used cloth behind a toilet - I know it is their 'dedicated cloth' which lives there UGH I will NEVER touch a client's cloth and staff aren't allowed to either, we practice 'use it and lose it', we launder and disinfect them every night after work!!! :-o

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Youlook err pot kettle

[DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn]

Clean your own bloody toilet then! You sound like a nightmare.

How, exactly, does not having complained or said anything make her a nightmare...?

[capsium]

I honestly don't think this needs to be presented or taken as criticism.

I take it the cleaners have been working, the OP just wants them to spend more time concentrating on giving the toilets a deep clean, which in turn means there will be less time (in the alotted hours) doing other work.

Can just say, "I know you usually give the toilets a quick going over but I think they could do with a deep clean this week. The loo seat hinges and pedestal need attention."

What is wrong with this? I take it cleaners will deep clean loos - it is not a specialist job is it?

[Mintyy]

Things I am especially fussy about - I tend to do myself.

[BallsforEarings]

Capsium - I think the issue is that they should be deep cleaning toilets every visit, I would expect that, I think she wants to get that across but in a nice way so they don't leave or something because she loves all they do elsewhere!

That's my understanding of it anyway - correct me if i'm wrong OP?

[capsium]

Balls Well it is still could be considered a miscommunication, a

"I know you usually give the toilets a quick going over but I would prefer them to have more attention because the hinges and pedestals still seem quite dirty after you've cleaned",

would suffice. Just a matter of which are the priority jobs really.

[BallsforEarings]

I know it SHOULD be that simple capsium, I'm the first to agree but she doesn't want them to leave so needs to word it more diplomatically!

It really is like that - i have had to learn this for myself when dealing with cleaning staff that I need to keep!

[capsium]

Good job I don't have a cleaner then really. Tbh I suspect someone cleaning for me would feel quite intrusive but I'm peculiar like that.

[AlfAlf]

Actually it can feel quite awkward asking someone to clean something more thoroughly, especially when you like them and respect them and don't want to insult them, and they are effectively doing your dirty work for you.
I'd just very politely say, "Please can you make sure you clean the loos really thoroughly? Thanks".

[FrogIsATwatInASantaHat]

I do love a dirty loo. The filthier the better! I have had to pull up a few of my cleaners about loos and to be fair in the beginning they said it didn't occur to them to wipe the outside. I have since delivered much better training.! I only clean void properties now and its surprising how many tenants kept their interiors of bath, sinks etc spotless only for the outside to be minging.

[BobbyDazzler1]

Why not hire forensic crime seen cleaners and have done? ....you must have a very charmed life!