To expect more from my cleaner?

[Plateofcrumbs]

Just employed a cleaner for the first time. Three hours a week to cover a small three bed, two reception terrace, left in an acceptable state (not filthy, not crazy amounts of clutter) before cleaner arrived.

I am rather underwhelmed by what she has achieved. Living room doesn't seem to have been touched at all. Bathroom only half done (bath and sink not cleaned, floor not mopped). Dining room floor still dirty. A bit of basic dusting done (things like skirting boards still dusty and she has mostly had a quick dust around things on shelves rather than move anything, and many shelves not touched at all). Kitchen is pretty good though and she has done a couple of tidying jobs i didn't expect (folding clothes I had left on an airer, neatening up beds).

Am I expecting too much or is this not really very impressive?

What was your initial agreement? If certain things have been done to your surprise yet other things have been left behind then somewhere there must have been a failure in communicating expectations.

In anycase you are not at liberty to keep her if she doesn't meet your expectations. Just let her know that she's not right for you and continue to look for someone who is. But first work out if you are both reading from the same page. How long has she been cleaning for you?

It's really difficult isn't it. I am also thinking of sacking my cleaner. I pay for two hours for her to clean a two bedroom flat and she only cleans one bedroom as the spare room is full of junk. It's never very clean! Sorry no help just sympathy.

Have you discussed your expectations with her?

Did you take her round and how her what you expect?

Have you told her which things are weekly musts for you, and told her things you'd like her to do IF she finishes the musts?

Also bear in mind it was her first week. IME a cleaner needs to visit a place a couple of times before they work out themost efficient way to clean it.

Only first week inthebox. Agreement was all rooms cleaned, though didn't go into detail about exactly what would be cleaned in each room and what wouldn't. She was supposed to clean oven on first visit and that hasn't happened either.

So I will discuss it, but wondered if I was being over-optimistic about what I would get from three hours' cleaning.

In three hours she should have finished the kitchen and bathroom, plus dusting/polishing and hoovering of other rooms.
Folding up things and neatening beds are 5 minute tasks. That sounds a bit lazy to me.
Sound as though you need a chat re expectations.

Sounds unimpressive.
Remember she's assessing you as much as you are her and if she's a bit lazy, possibly how little she can get away with doing.
I think it's worth being there at least when she arrives and going over what you expect her to do.
I leave a list if I'm not there, as the jobs I need done are usually less obvious (oven cleaning, clean out cutlery drawer, wash shower curtains as opposed to pick my knickers off the floor).
I also leave a really good lunch and often a little present.

But yes, practice makes perfect as PP said.

I would definitely let her go.

i used to get a list from people i cleaned for with exactly what they wanted doing. made things much easier. (just a point of view as an ex cleaner)

My mum was a cleaner and sometimes I would go with her when I was younger. I would help a tiny bit but mostly sit and read while she worked. In 3 hours she cleaned an entire 4 bed house. She went twice a week, so it never got bad in between.

Including, damp dusting every horizontal surface, including moving books and ornaments, skirtings and door frames.
Hoovering, including pulling out sofas and beds
Kitchen cleaning including fridge and fronts of cupboards, but not ovens
Bathrooms, every surface washed and dried
Floors were cleaned with a cloth on her hands and knees

To be fair, the house was very tidy and she didn't do any tidying. She charged £7/hr 10 years ago.

I would leave a list in future, but would let this cleaner go. She sounds lazy.

I'm a cleaner and in a normal clean it would be surfaces,polishing,kitchen,floors mopped, hoovering kitchens and bathrooms. In 3 hours this should have been done. Skirting boards etc are normally under deep clean criteria which is more in depth and furniture moved this will usually take 2 or more of us to move furniture etc. If I finish early on a normal clean I will do skirtings but sometimes there isn't time and I have another job to go to. Did you meet your specific cleaner beforehand as sometimes agencies will take your key and send somebody you havnt met first. I would live a list next time and if skirting boards are your priority say so and maybe leave a job so she can do that instead.xx

Sorry just to add that it will take much longer if I need to tidy beforehand, I have been known to spend the first hour moving clutter in very messy homes just so I can clean which is very hard in someone else's house where you don't know where things go.

I sometimes have a cleaner, sh cleans two bedrooms out of four, ensuite, bathroom, small kitchen, lroom, droom, conservatory, landing, hall and wc in 3 hours throughly.

she sounds rubbish, we have a compact 4 bed and it's gleaming after 2 hours.

For comparison, in two hours my cleaner hoovers a large hall, a large bedroom, a landing and two flights of stairs, dusts hall, stairs, landing and bedroom including skirtings and underneath the rubbish ornaments on the bedroom surfaces, sweeps and mops floors in bathroom, dining room and kitchen, cleans the bathroom (including bastard shower cubicle, though I clean the awkward corners of that) and polishes the brass doorknobs.

She is bloody amazing, though. Endlessly cheerful. I never asked for the Brasso-ing, she just started doing it. Her only real vice is that she leaves the pictures slightly on the wonk... And she misses bits of the bastard shower cubicle, but it does seem designed to be impossible to clean.

Essentially, she does what I would manage in two hours if I went at it flat out.

Oh, yeah, she does the cloakroom as well.

My cleaner does 3 hours a week and she cleans the bathrooms, hall, stairs and landing, sitting room, kitchen, large study and playroom.
She mops all the floors, dusts, hoovers where needed, brings my washing in and pegs more out if needs be. She's an absolute marvel and I wish I had her energy.

That's helpful bellegold - I though skirting boards might be non-standard. She has done some things like leave the previously dusty towel rail gleaming, which must have taken a bit of work, but left the sink scummy.

It is a small local agency - the manager came to my house last week and took some notes. The cleaner herself speaks little English.

I will contact the manager and say there are a few things not done / not done well but as it was her first week I will assume she was getting used to place and where things are.

I am a self-employed cleaner and in some houses work to a list/chat through the owner what needs done and others I just get into my own routine. In three hours I clean kitchen, utility, sitting room, dining room, shower room, bathroom (has bath and shower) bedroom 1, bedroom 2 if it's been used. Vacuum the whole house, mop where appropriate and clean the windows on a kind of rotational way as and when. It's quite hard going but my customers get what they pay for (£10 p/h).

As this is your cleaners first week with you I would see how it goes (or employ me in the future!!). Perhaps she deep cleaned the kitchen and will spend less time on that and more time on other things other weeks.

villainousbroodmare - perhaps you could spread the word that cleaners enjoy a good lunch and little presents....!