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.

Every one needs to tidy up after themselves.

If a cleaner in an office was asked to tidy as well? Not a hope in chance would that be implemented.

You and your husband/partner agreed to five children, unless you are being held hostage to having lots of children to keep you in the home.

It's a parental obligation to see that children tidy up after themselves.

And toys and games are not cheap. If you have loads of these that it's making the house unbearably untidy, then you both are either very rich or stretching your budget beyond your means.

It's a parental obligation to see that children tidy up after themselves.

Or not.

It's actually entirely the prerogative of the parent if they want to hire someone to tidy up after their children.

Thankfully.

well petitpois55 some of us pay helpers to clean AND tidy up. I am glad you discovered a new concept today, we never stop learning, do we? Regardless if the thread is real or not, I love the fact that some people cannot accept that others have a different lifestyle. It's very amusing.

Is she Filipino? I can't imagine a white British person who advertises themselves as a cleaner is going to be happy doing the jobs you describe nor looking after a baby. I expect that is why you are not answering how much you pay her.

Who cares if you're a lazy bunch? If you want to have a cleaner/housekeeper for four hours a day and can afford it, then good luck to you!

But I would consider getting a new cleaner. We have a cleaner come for 5 hours twice a week. She's fantastic (in fact I would go broke having her more often if I could, but she has loads of other clients). She not only tidies, she systematises, organises, tidies drawers, takes baby clothes that are too small to loft etc, makes lists of things I need to buy etc. Occasionally things go wrong and we can't work out her system. But I am happy with that. We are a lazy and messy bunch but pretty clean, so there wouldn't be a whole lot to do if she didn't do housekeeping stuff -- only so many times you can clean toilet etc. She is an amazing cleaner but all the cleaners I've had have shown more initiative than yours. So I would speak to her, or find someone new. Maybe she is anxious about getting things wrong/putting them in wrong place and just needs to be given more liberty?

But housekeeper is different from cleaner. Is different from childminder, is different from teacher, is different from GP, is simply different!

As far as I know cleaners don't tidy. They clean. You are supposed to have clear floors and surfaces and they come in and clean them. My ds is 3 and he picks up his own toys, surely your kids can manage.

I always tidied before cleaner came and not having to do this is the best bit about no longer having a cleaner - on the odd occasion I missed things or a child got things out when she was here the same thing that happens at your house happened.

You cannot shoehorn a cleaner's remit into a housekeepers remit, no more than you can shoehorn a GP's remit into an A&E consultant's remit.

It's ridiculous.

elendon I think you will see if you read the thread that the OP mis-labelled her employee as a cleaner. And the lines are frequently blurred anyway with household staff - as long as expectations are clear and mutually agreed, the remit of household staff may be quite broad.

I think in fairness, she is there to clean and not pick up where no one else can be arsed

Op if you arent happy with your cleaner then either let her know the tasks that you expect her to do, sack her or you and your dh could do the housework yourselves.

No way am I accepting that the OP has somehow 'changed her mind' half way during the thread.

What I'm saying, without judgement, is that a cleaner is a cleaner.

I do not expect a teacher to be a childminder as well as being a teacher, unless of course you 'hire' someone in to teach and childmind.

My cleaners will do (within reason) pretty much what I ask of them within the allotted 6 hours they spend each week.

If I ask them to do ironing, put fresh bedding on, clean windows, etc that's all fine.

The problem with tidying I think (and why I've never asked them to do this) is that unless your home is very organised and everything has its labelled place, it's incredibly difficult to know where everything "lives".

I've also found that getting into a routine of the house being tidy for the cleaners actually helps the kids and DH focus on sorting their possessions out in general to avoid a rush on "tidy day" aka the day before the cleaners come each week.

Telling the kids any toys on the floor will be hoovered up yes I am that cruel if they don't put them away, did seem to focus their minds somewhat.

I'd look at this as an opportunity to train your family tbh rather than see it as an issue with your cleaner

Women's work is valuable to the economy. Without it, it would simply crash.

It's about time people realised this.

I'm going out in a minute. But honestly can you imagine.

My male cleaner doesn't tidy up as he goes along. What should I expect from him?

Plenty of women manage to work and tidy up as well Elendon It's really not that difficult.

Sorry, I think I've misunderstood your post Elendon

What is women's work? How is that defined?

Genuine question?

EatsShitAndLeaves oooh 'ark at er...cleanerS! Plural!

Seriously though, good for you. Wish I had a cleaner.

Ironically I was just thinking today about changing my cleaner as she spends too much time tidying and not enough time cleaning - i'm talking about things which don't need to be tidied in order to clean, like re-folding all our bathroom towels.

Plenty of women manage to work and tidy up as well It's really not that difficult

not difficult, but a bloody waste of time that I'd rather spend doing something else. It's not about managing, but about choice. I don't grow my own vegetables, make my own clothes, cut my own hair, clean my own windows and gutters. There are so many things I could do AND work but I chose not to.

No one is telling you to employ a cleaner petitpois55, why so much judgement against others who do? I would love to know your views on people who employ someone to tidy up their photos, book their holidays and organise their Christmas (all real jobs)

You're sounding incredibly defensive Mauri and you appear to be following me around the thread..

Show "cleaners" because I employ via a company and they "come in pairs" - so 6 hours effort is 3 hours in my house.

I don't employ multiple cleaners for multiple houses or a mega mansion though I wouldn't be adverse to the opportunity