to get a new cleaner?

[deeedeee]

I got a cleaner in january for the first time. She's a hie person, has a nice touch, uses her own steam cleaner and charges a tenner an hour.

I'm wondering whether to get a new cleaner though as I'm not particularly happy with her work rate and reliability, but am not sure whether i'm being unrealistic.

I live in a small three bedroom ex council flat. none of the rooms are huge. I always have the flat tidy and clear when she comes. We have wooden floors in all the rooms apart from the kid's bedroom which is carpet.

I originally asked her that in the two hours each week she cleaned all the floors in the kitchen, living room, kids bedroom, hall, bathroom and clean the bathroom and kitchen. I tell her not to worry with bedrooms 2 and 3.

She actually only ever does the kitchen in totality, the hall floor and cleans the bathroom suite (not the floor). She says she doesn't have time to do the living room and kids room each week so alternates between them.

Is this OK? I feel a tad disappointed. She also never cleans underneath or behind anything, has never done windows or cupboards etc.

Also availability, I asked that she always come on the same afternoon in week, but 25% of the time texts to rearrange a different time. She's also been ill the last three weeks.

I feel bad getting another cleaner when she's ill. and perhaps I'm expecting she manage to do too much in her 2 hours?

AIBU to get another cleaner/ (first world problem alert)

just seen the other thread about cleaners and promise this isn't a spoof thread! what a bizarre coincidence!

Apart from anything, 25% of the time texts to rearrange a different time. She's also been ill the last three weeks rings big clanging alarm bells for me - she's unreliable and unlikely to improve. Time for her and her steam cleaner to move on.

Yanbu, she's unreliable and doesn't do a good job. You wouldn't expect less from any other service provider you use so you don't have to accept this as well.

In this case yanbu

if it were me id get a new one, what you have asked her to do i could do in and hour or less .

5 floors and 2 rooms isnt much to do 2 hours

id expect my
kitchen (20 min)
hallway (5 min)
downstairs loo (5min)
upstairs loo/shower room(15 -20min)
front room (15 min)
and kids rooms (15-20 minx2) maybe the stairs every other week/windowsills to (15 min)

my house is a 3 bed

i do mine in less as i clean daily joys of being a SAHM

I think she sounds a bit pants, and yes, I think you should ditch her. Horrid to do it whilst she is ill, but the problems started before she was ill. For context, in three hours my cleaners (2 do 1.5 hours each):

• cleans all floors: 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen; two bathrooms (some steam clean/some hoover); plus stairs & hallway (3 floors)
• cleans two bathrooms + downstairs loo
• cleans kitchen surfaces/sink/cupboard doors/microwave/cooker (as needed)
• wipes down pictures/window sills/tops of furniture (if clear!)

She always arrives dead on time, and arranges cover if she is away. And she is lovely (although I have to rescue her from spiders!). (£10/hour, London/Surrey borders, so not a cheap area)

yeah I think I could manage more in two uninterrupted hours. But then she is very thorough at the things she does. The sink and oven are always spotless.

But then I was cleaning the kitchen this morning and went behind furniture and realised that she obviously hadn't since the last time I did.

any other thoughts?

I think it is such a personal relationship and if she is unreliable and not responded to your feedback then you should start afresh. We stopped using a cleaner because she just wouldn't do the list in order of our priorities - she made up her own. All I wanted was the bathrooms done and the house vacuumed but she would leave the bathrooms to fold the clothes and I am happy to do that myself, what I wanted was not to have to do the bathrooms! I am steeling myself to try again with a new cleaner but it is awkward because ours was lovely but just not for us.

thanks red daisy!

I don't think you are asking for a lot if you're only expecting her to do the floors of the rooms other than the kitchen and bathroom in 2 hours. My cleaner does my fairly large 4 bed, 2.5 bathroom house in 3 hours and she does an excellent job. She can be a bit unreliable and like yours texts me to change her day and time quite a lot, but I don't really mind as she does a good job, we trust her and we're out at work anyway so don't really mind when she comes. I wouldn't put up with unreliability AND a poor job though.

thanks me624

Get rid of. I have done a lot of cleaning in my life. Once had a 6 bed with double staircase coming off huge hall and that was done in 3 hrs, with time to spare.

Do other people's cleaner's tidy and do windows and clean surfaces and doors and things aswell as floors?

Mine cleans all surfaces and dusts things like ornaments and picture frames. We leave it pretty tidy for her because I want her cleaning, not tidying, but she does tidy and straighten anything that's left out and folds clothes etc. She remakes the beds beautifully as well (I always do a bit of a half asses job!)

Windows and doors not as standard no. Sometimes I text her and ask her if she'll spend an extra half hour doing the insides of the windows and/or dusting down all the doors and skirting boards.