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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to have sacked the cleaner?

112 replies

ladylily29 · 05/02/2015 18:27

*Disclaimer: I'm quite possibly suffering from pregnancy hormones and therefore perfectly willing to hear IABU.

Got back from a mental day at work today to note from cleaner. It said she was shocked at the state of the house, that she didn't expect to pick up clothes (there were three socks and a pair of pants on the bedroom floor that had fallen out of a drawer...) and that the state of my house had cost her the clients after me because she had to stay so long. To be fair, it was a bit messy, but I'm pregnant, sick, and have had a manic week at work, so it's not been my priority.

I never asked her to stay more than her hours (and actually she usually cops off early!), and to be honest, I've come home early a couple of times to find her partner or kids here, which has made me really uncomfortable. And there have been quite a few broken items that have turned up... Also, I pay her 30% more than she asks for, so she gets a nice tip every time she comes here.

Was IBU to send her a text to apologise that she'd felt so unhappy about the state of the house, and to say that as we both now felt uncomfortable, it was probably best to call it a day? It's done now, but I feel a bit guilty.

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 05/02/2015 19:13

Call it a day. How dare a cleaner be asked to pick up a couple of socks. Get somebody else. She sounds a total pain.

SorchaN · 05/02/2015 19:17

YANBU. She brought her partner and/or kids? Good grief. That would be a deal breaker for me.

FamiliesShareGerms · 05/02/2015 19:19

Sounds like you are both out of this arrangement

rookiemere · 05/02/2015 19:23

Wow. Does anyone remember a thread a few years ago where a mumsnetter was a cleaner and she was complaining that her clients had left her a dirty house to clean Confused? Perhaps this is the OPs cleaner.

OP you were very restrained in your text, I'd have been a little more curt. But then I wouldn't have been paying over the odds for someone who brought their family with them and clocked off early.

If your house was that messy then surely she would just do the hours she is paid to and leave you a note to say wasn't able to do xyz because spent time tidying.

I have a fabulous cleaner now who runs her own business and is 100% reliable. I wouldn't be without her and she gets a good hourly rate. Our house is messy (mostly me) and she never complains. Find yourself a better cleaner.

GlitzAndGigglesx · 05/02/2015 19:28

When I read the title I thought "first world problem!" but once I read the post I thought the cheeky mare! I'd get sacked for bringing my family to work or leaving as and when I please so no yanbu

FreeWee · 05/02/2015 19:42

If I'd had a bad day the day before and the house was a state I would still only expect the cleaner to do her hours and if she couldn't do something because of all the tidying I'd expect a note to that effect. "No vacuuming today because xyz" for example. My vacuum bag was full so she couldn't vacuum properly that week so she texted me to let me know and did dusting instead. "Cleaner finds unclean house shocker" YANBU.

sebsmummy1 · 05/02/2015 19:50

Bloody hell I used to clean for a family in my twenties and you couldn't see the floor in the kids room most weeks. They were absolutely lovely to me and I ended up looking after the children after school too. I would never ever have written a shitty note regarding the messiness of the house. It's not as though you invited her round for a bloody coffee morning!!

Katinkka · 05/02/2015 19:50

Yanbu. It's so hard to get a good cleaner.

Nishky · 05/02/2015 19:53

Bloody hell, I am glad my cleaner is more robust! I make sure the loo is clean and the bins emptied and pick dirty clothes up. But otherwise .... She once tidied the utility room -it was a hovel and she made it onto a room that could be used-I was Shock that she could do that in an hour ( they are in a team of two so she obviously let the other person do all the cleaning.

I love my cleaner.

HappyAgainOneDay · 05/02/2015 19:58

How do socks fall out of drawers? Smile

MsVestibule · 05/02/2015 20:12

£7ph is a ridiculously low hourly rate for somebody who is self employed, has to factor in travel to a 2 or 3 hour job, has no employment rights, sick pay or holidays. £10ph is probably closer to the correct amount you should be paying anyway, depending on where you live.

But unless you had left dog poo on the floor for her to clean up, YADNBU! If you pay somebody by the hour, they work those hours. There was no reason at all for her to get arsey because it was a bit untidier than usual; all she had to say (if she needed to say anything at all) was 'I didn't get everything cleaned as I had to spend a bit more time tidying than usual'.

BallsforEarrings · 05/02/2015 20:30

Good grief - she let her partner and kids in your home!! Good riiddance I say how very inappropriate!

We are a cleaning service and although we expect the home to be picked up and ready for our teams to clean before we arrive we do give a little leeway for those times when the client is super-stressed and hasn't been able to get the home up-together for us - it's just basic kindness!

As for affecting her next client, she should not let that happen, as a professional service she should have left when she needed to to service her next client as per the original arrangement! that was her responsibility not yours, she chose to stay too long and she made that decision herself, you didn't force her!

Sounds very unprofessional to me to tell you afterwards that 'you' had created the problem!! Also letting other people in is just outrageous unless they work for her which they clearly do not being children and all that!

CrystalHaze · 05/02/2015 20:37

Did she have keys? If so, I'd change the locks, just to be on the safe side.

Tisiphone · 05/02/2015 20:40

The issue of whether a house has to be tidied before a cleaner arrives still seems to be a divisive one, though. My position is that I'm paying for x number of hours, as agreed with the cleaner, and if she has to pick up, then it's obvious she will have less time to spend on actual cleaning - but I imagine that what counts as "tidied before a clean' varies enormously from house to house...?

BlinkAndMiss · 05/02/2015 20:48

Your (ex) cleaner sounds terrible! She's not there to lecture you on the state of your house, she's there to carry out the service you pay for. I agreed with my cleaner before she started that she would clean and not tidy. If there were items out and in the way then she would simply put them into a pile somewhere and then clean, she absolutely wouldn't ever comment on the mess if there was one! I think you've had a lucky escape, she sounds rude and that she's taking liberties - I can't understand why she'd think it was acceptable to bring her family round to your house or to stay beyond the usual hours and then complain about it.

Find a cleaner with a more professional demeanor, there are plenty out there.

joanne1947 · 05/02/2015 20:52

I clean my house and that involves picking up socks, knickers, shirts, tops, etc from the floor. Yesterday it involved cleaning dog shit of the stair carpet as DH had walked in some not noticed. It is all part of cleaning and if I paid a cleaner I'd expect her or him, to clean.
If I had ever tried to take my DC into my work I'd have been sacked, your cleaner was at work and should have worked. If she was stupid enough to charge a low rate that was her fault.

BuggersMuddle · 05/02/2015 21:00

Um no, YANBU. Let's say your home was a shit-tip. Her responsibility was to do her required jobs surely. If your home was so awful (and I am not suggesting it was) the note should surely outline what she did / didn't do and why, because she needs to make her next appointment within reasonable time (okay a bit out might be fine for traffic or other impacts, but I'd expect end on. I'd expect extra time to be chargeable and agreed in advance.).

Fabulassie · 05/02/2015 21:05

I thought you were being unreasonable until I got to the part about her having other people in your home and breaking things.

But when I cleaned for people I sometimes got fed up if they left clothes all over the floor. My job was to clean - not to tidy. I would pick up some things (and put them in a pile somewhere) so that I could hoover or clean the surfaces. There were clients I "fired" (that is, I dropped them) because they became increasingly lazy.

I would not deal with feces, blood, urine, vomit, excessive amounts of clutter/clothes on the floor or things that were broken (like the client who never fixed her toilet and I would have to pour buckets of water into it to flush it so that I could clean it. It got flushed and cleaned once a week.)

I have also had horrendously messy clients who understood that I was only going to do so much for the money they were willing to pay and everything was fine.

So, YABU to leave the house in such a messy state that the cleaner can't clean. But YANBU if there were other things you didn't like about her service.

londonrach · 05/02/2015 21:10

Sorry unless you give permission why was her partner and children in your home!!!!!!!

BallsforEarrings · 05/02/2015 21:37

I honestly do feel that although it is a 'sellers market' for cleaning, that common decency and kindness should come into the arrangement! No - it is not her job to tidy up first but why not help out a little, after all our clients hire us because they need us!

Yes we can always take our services elsewhere with ease but that is not the point of setting up a cleaning service, unless someone is rude to us we will usually accommodate their needs, sometimes this requires a price adjustment to keep us viable but we will keep the client because they have a need for us.

I would not ever include bio-hazard cleaning within our service ie vomit, faeces, blood or other as this creates a health and safety issue we, as domestic cleaners are not covered for, however there are specialist services for these issues out there (not cheap though!)

But to conclude my point, I think any cleaner who allows their family in (unless family are employed by them) is a disgrace to the industry and nobody should allow this in their home!

YANBU

BastardGoDarkly · 05/02/2015 22:01

Awww crap. My ds has a shocking cold, I was going to take him to one of the houses that I clean at tomorrow Confused the couple I clean for are trainee surgeons and work crazy hours,I really don't want to let them down, surely if he just sits on the sofa with his ds? Or is that a ridiculous piss take?

BallsforEarrings · 05/02/2015 22:06

Bastard - you can't just turn up at your work place with family! It should be the same as an office job - I always use the ciriteria 'would we do this at an office job' if no then I say no!

These are our policies of course, you must set your own!

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 05/02/2015 22:19

YNBU. It's nothing to do with hormones. Anyone would have reacted this way. She seems like a right crank. How dare you leave mess for a cleaner!
Oh Congratulations

gamerchick · 05/02/2015 22:27

Well a cleaner, domestic or commercial is there to provide a clean environment. They are not there to pick up after the client. If you get one who is willing then hang onto them like gold.

That's why I laugh when people suggest getting a cleaner in my house is a tip threads.

However bringing your family to work is unacceptable and tbf so is 7 quid an hour. 10 is scraping the barrel somewhat unless it's cash in hand.

Being pushed for time is her own problem not yours.

TRexingInAsda · 05/02/2015 22:28

The cleaner told you your house was messy and dirty? Er, what did she think she was employed for?! If you were going to clean and tidy it yourself, you wouldn't need a bloody cleaner! She needs a new job. And not just because you quite rightly told her to sling her hook. YANBU.

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