What to expect from a cleaner

[broodymamma]

Is it too much to expect my cleaner to actually tidy my house. I have 5 kids the eldest being 8. They are very efficient at turning my house upside down. But up till now I have had a cleaner every day for at least 4 hours. If she finds a kids skipping rope say on the kitchen floor she will pick it up and put it on a chair and tuck chair in rather than find the appropriate place to put it. Worst still if she goes to the playroom to tidy and finds feltips with the lids off she will not replace the lids. She will gather the whole lot and toss them into the nearest toybox. She will often be met with a mixture of games of various sorts that have been played with but unfortunately not been put away. She will make no effort to tidy each game into the appropriate box but toss the whole lot in to whichever toy box is nearest. I guess that if this doesn't suit me I should look for a replacement cleaner. but just wondering if I am expecting too much and a replacement wouldn't be any better. I know my kids need to learn to tidy up after themselves and I am working on this.

[JaneAustinAllegro]

Under why do you wonder that? what's that got to do with the price of onions? hiring someone to do something has nothing to do with whether you're sitting on your backside eating bonbons or running ICI in the meantime.

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

I don't know what you want us to say OP. If you want to have someone do those jobs that is up to you. I wouldn't begrudge someone hiring a housekeeper, cleaner, maid, or nanny.

I just don't know why you think this person is a cleaner. Can you see that someone who tidies, organises, does laundry, dresses your baby and feeds them is not a cleaner?

[CaesiumTime]

i wonder what are you actually doing in this time op?

Whatever the fuck she wants to.

FFS Why do people get so self righteous if they think someone is being "lazy"?

Would they say the same if a man had hired help?

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

Put another way, if I was hired to clean someone's house and after a few weeks they started asking me to dress and feed their baby and match their husband's socks I'd think they were taking the piddle big time

[JaneAustinAllegro]

trifle - my comment about pay was in response to the posters suggesting financial exploitation. Doesn't really matter whether it's one person doing the garden, house, nannying, driving provided they know what they're doing and the pay matches it.
the outraged assumption that someone is being under paid is quite possibly misplaced here - and I know many households where the very same person acts as cook, cleaner and nanny. No idea what label they attach to it, but all parties seem quite happy with the arrangement.

[angelofmylifetime]

I'm guessing you have a 1,3,5,6 and 8 year old all perfectly trained at how to tidy up after themselves. Please share with me your magic method, oh do!

I have 4 children very close together in age, now adult. However I also now foster children, often with disabiIlties or with ASD. I am not an expert by any means, however, what I have always done is to ask them to put away their toys in the appropriate place (yes lids on felt tips are a frequent one). If they have not done it I ask them again with a warning if it is not done they toy/puzzle whatever will be removed if it is still not done. If they are still left out I removed the item and they don't get it back for a few days. If however they are particularly good at putting away their toys the next time they are rewarded with the toy given back. Yes, there are times I've had rubbish bags full of bits of puzzles and toys under my bed for a week, but in the long run it seems to work. Even the children with learning difficulties and ASD seem to understand this simple system, as does my toddler grandson. After all they always have "tidy up time" at nursery. Might be worth a try doing this.

Of course my kitchen, that's another matter - every glass in the house seems to have been used within a few moments of the washing up being done!!!

[CaesiumTime]

the outraged assumption that someone is being under paid is quite possibly misplaced here - and I know many households where the very same person acts as cook, cleaner and nanny. No idea what label they attach to it, but all parties seem quite happy with the arrangement.

Thank you, Jane it's unfortunate that the OP has referred to her employee as a cleaner which seems to be a big problem for lots of posters.

[Trifleorbust]

JaneAustinAllegro: I get what you are saying. The issue for me is that the OP has been very evasive about what she has agreed with the person she calls a 'cleaner', who clearly is doing the work of more than one person (working off standard job descriptions). So whilst the assumption that she is exploiting her is just that (an assumption) it is impossible to answer her OP (AIBU) without an answer to the question of how much she is paying her to perform these usually separate roles. I am not in any way disputing that she is entitled to hire someone to do more than one job. I just don't know whether she did do that.

[bloodymaria]

OP is this a reverse?

[EdmundCleverClogs]

The op is perfectly entitled to do as she pleases when others are working in her house. This isn't about her being lazy, it's about whether she's exploiting her employee.

A cleaner is just that. If the op has employed someone and explicitly said 'you are paid to help run the household', that's fair enough (stop calling her a cleaner though). However the op has not replied to anyone on here who's asked about the 'cleaners' job description from the start. Therefore we can only assume from the information given that the OP hired a cleaner and is now angry/confused as to why said cleaner will not fulfill further tasks.

[Underthemoonlight]

I ask what she doing because it seems that op has hired someone to be a cleaner and is taking advantage of her and asking her to go above and beyond what is expected of a cleaner which is what op said this lady was employed as not a nanny who dressed and feed children on top of everything else!

[petitpois55]

I think this is a troll or a reverse. I cannot imagne even the laziest people I know admitting that they wouldn't have enough time to pair their socks. I mean it's like something out of Upstaits downstairs
It's entertaining enough though, even if it is a troll.

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

100% agree with EdmundCleverClogs

[Underthemoonlight]

JaneAustinAllegro

It was clear a few pages back op wasn't sure the difference of a cleaner and a housekeeper.It is clear from that statement she has employed someone as a cleaner with unrealistic exceptions and giving them a job better suited to a housekeeper/au pair and no doubt a salary that doesnt reflect the work being carried out.

[petitpois55]

I've just reported this. A bit of fodder for the Dail Mail I think

[JaneAustinAllegro]

and all i'm trying to point out is that (save for au pairs who are paid substantially less), this person is likely to be paid the same amount per hour to clean, iron, nanny, tidy whether they're called cleaner, housekeeper or Martha - the grand assumption being made is that she's underpaid. At 24 hours / week in a single home, the cleaner / housekeeper / nanny / factotum has a pretty stable arrangement and so a simple clarification of duties to be fulfilled in all those many hours is all that's required (& some common sense on the hangers. THe hangers thing would irritate me)

[broodymamma]

Where does it stipulate that the tasks that I am describing are separate roles. I get that you wouldn't ask a dental nurse to clean the toilets. I initially did take her on as an all round house hold help when I began my full time job. I would think that any tasks that are needed to be done around the house including taking care of 1 child would be reasonable. I am never demanding or critical and let her work at her own pace although it does upset me when the hoover gets dropped down the stairs.

[MauiWest]

I cannot imagne even the laziest people I know admitting that they wouldn't have enough time to pair their socks.

Are you for real? Even my 19 year old au-pair does pair socks when she is doing the laundry. Why on earth wouldn't she?

[Trifleorbust]

JaneAustinAllegro: Maybe, but that doesn't seem to be the consensus on the thread. And the OP seems to have very high expectations (by her own admission) of what can be achieved cleaning-wise and in terms of laundry and tidying, by someone who also has charge of her baby it appears, within 4 hours. Most people seem to think she is taking the piss. Until she responds with information on pay, I am going to assume she IBU.

[petitpois55]

It does upset me when the Hoover gets dropped down the stairs Oh OP you are a one.

[Trifleorbust]

OP, how much are you paying her? Sole charge of your young child, cleaning and household duties is a lot. There is no law that says you can't employ someone to do all these things, but the measure of how reasonable you are isn't in the legalities

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

broodymama if you took her on as an all-round household help then that's fine. This thread is a bit pointless tho really seeing as you asked if it was all too much for a cleaner

Still, it's been quite fun...

[QforCucumber]

How to know if you're asking too much - is she a self employed cleaner advertising as such? Or is she employed by you, with an employment contract stipulating a job description?

[MauiWest]

Does it really matter what you call someone when both parties agree on the job to do? My grand mother's cleaner walks the dog twice a week -dog gets walked everyday by someone else-- She calls herself a cleaner. We are dealing with people, not machine saying "computer says no".

[NuttyMcAlletun]

I know a recruitment agency where the boss expected the recruiters to clean the office, including kitchen and toilets and deal with the rubbish. Awful place. No wonder 99% of the staff didn't last very long. Pretty sure being a cleaner wasn't in the job description, this was unreasonable, inappropriate and pretty grim for the staff who did not have the choice.