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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think what we pay the cleaner is none of this woman's business!

174 replies

Silverst0rm · 27/07/2017 18:19

Someone I know from the school recommended the cleaner she has to me as the lady was looking for more hours and our previous cleaner had left. When the lady came for the "interview", there must have been some misunderstanding because of the language barrier, so she came on a day I was actually out. DH was home, but he doesn't really know what's going on. So he said she could do 10 hours per week (he was right there as that was what the last cleaner did). When he asked her how much per hour, she said £12.50, but DH apparently said we might as well round it up to £15 because it's easier to work in round numbers.

Anyway she's been coming for a few weeks now and she's lovely, so all good.

Just now, I bumped into the friend in the shop and she just started on me - what am I "playing at", etc. At first I thought she was joking, but no she wasn't. She said I have messed up her arrangement with no consultation because now the cleaning lady wants £15 per hour from her and she only gives her £11.50!

WIBU? I can see it might be a bit irritating, but was there any need to be rude to me in a shop over something like this?

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 28/07/2017 08:27

Plus gardeners etc get double that

You pay your gardeners thirty quid an hour?? I think your gardeners are having a laugh at your expense I'm sorry.

BoneStripped · 28/07/2017 08:31

I pay our cleaner £15 an hour too (SE England), and carers for a family member £15 an hour during the week, and £20 at weekends. I have friends who are care workers and who are on minimum wage, and I think it's awful that they're expected to work in such a responsible role for so little.

dotdotdot3 · 28/07/2017 08:35

I think it's entirely up to you what you pay your cleaner, and actually £15ph sounds about right to me. Your cleaner is unlikely to be able to fill the remaining 2 or 3 three hours of the days she is at your place, especially as they'll be later in the day (does anyone want a cleaner arriving for work at 3pm?) and she'd need to factor in a break plus travel time. Effectively you are using up a day of her time every time she comes to your house. Well done your DH for making a fair arrangement!

Ragwort · 28/07/2017 08:36

Good cleaners are like gold dust - it's all about supply and demand and perfectly fine to pay your cleaner what you feel she is worth to you.

For anyone whinging that 'they are skilled and earn far less than £15 an hour' - the answer is to resign and become a cleaner. Grin.

I earn considerably less than £15 an hour but I am in a job that I really enjoy and I don't like cleaning - so I am not moaning.

I totally agree though that carers are seriously underpaid Sad.

Original poster
Silverst0rm · 28/07/2017 08:38

Thanks for all the replies.
The cleaning lady has quite a few clients round here. Maybe they all pay differently and perhaps £12.50 is an average? We're in SW3 which is zone 1 London and she comes in on practically the length of the District Line from Essex! I provide the materials, though there are a few cloths around I think she must have brought with her.
I do think it's shocking that nurses pay is less - though maybe when you take into account sick / holiday pay etc the gap is not so extreme?
For the cat sitter job (3 cats) they live in our house, so I don't think £40 is much for the inconvenience.

OP posts:
Trills · 28/07/2017 08:39

Raising the rates is entirely between the cleaner and her other customer.

It's up to her to decide on the balance between wanting to keep a regular customer and thinking that she could get more money elsewhere.

Trills · 28/07/2017 08:41

In your friend's position I'd be pissed off that my intro and your generosity would cost me money!

I'd be pissed off, but I'd know rationally that you hadn't done anything wrong. I can hold both "this is annoying" and "you haven't done anything wrong" in my head at the same time.

TheNightmanCometh · 28/07/2017 08:47

So if 'whatever rate the market supports is the correct rate' then how about childcare workers on minimum wage? Do they only deserve to be paid that?

Well we don't actually have a free market for childcare, because of subsidies. So that's not an appropriate comparison here, no.

As it happens I do take the view that childcare is one area in which we need more state interference, not less, and support something more akin to what there is elsewhere in Western Europe. Because of the beneficial impact on the economy generally, amongst other reasons. I assume that's what you were getting at. But that's not applicable to house cleaning.

SleepFreeZone · 28/07/2017 08:57

Supply and demand dictates price. I used to clean for £5 an hour back in the 90s so I'm rather pleased it's such a well paid job now.

donajimena · 28/07/2017 09:03

I disagree that its unskilled work. 15 p/h is just above minimum wage when you take out the costs.
I still see signs in local shops saying cleaner wanted will pay £8 per hour. It makes me really angry.

Enidblyton1 · 28/07/2017 09:14

I'm amused that you're paying so much more just because your DH thinks it's 'easier'! How bizarre...

I can understand your friends annoyance - that she faces giving her cleaner a 30% pay rise or risk losing her - all because she recommended her to you. She won't be recommending anyone else to you!

Of course you are free to pay anyone what you want, but in this situation it would have been the polite thing to mention it to your friend first.

Baalam · 28/07/2017 09:17

I hope your dh doesn't run his own business Confused

SpottedGingham · 28/07/2017 09:17

I would have laughed and told her that she had it wrong, we only pay her £10 an hour and the cleaner must have been winding her up. Then stood back and watch her head explode. Grin

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 28/07/2017 09:26

All seems a bit stealth boasty to me.

sparechange · 28/07/2017 09:30

10 hours a week just to clean?
Your house must be filthy Confused

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 28/07/2017 09:35

It's a big house in Chelsea sparechange. Which is presumably why they can afford to pay £1250/year more than asked just because it's apparently easier to add up.

Roomster101 · 28/07/2017 09:43

I suppose it depends on where you live but £15 a hour would be very high in my area. Your DH's reasons for paying her more are very odd too. Obviously, you can pay what you like but I can see why the person who made the recommendation to you would be annoyed if this meant that she had to pay above market rates or lose a cleaner. There's no point having a go at you about it though. The best thing for her to do would be to get another cleaner and if they are good, keep quiet about it in future.

Original poster
Silverst0rm · 28/07/2017 09:48

I don't know what DH's though-process was because I wasn't there. I can't really go to the cleaner now and say we're going to give her less money! She seems really good anyway.
I once found a cleaner lying in my son's bed with headphones on eating crisps, so I do think the good ones are worth keeping.
If I was my friend, I would just offer her a bit more money at this point.
Apologies if having a cleaner sounds like a stealth boast, but millions do. Many people have regular dog walkers, after-school child help, personal trainers, all kinds of therapists, personal chefs, tutors and drivers, to name but a few. I have none of these (just the cleaner).

OP posts:
HoneyDragon · 28/07/2017 09:52

I see this as no different to any other interview where your prospective employer asks what you want to be paid. In one job interview I went to they ended up offering me significantly more as they wanted me to accept the job and give a good incentive to stay.

Costs have gone up in the last 24 months if the cleaner has realised new clients will pay more than she needs to find them or her old clients need to accept the price raise and accept they've had a could run. If the cleaners increase is really unacceptable than the other woman will have no problem finding another good cleaner willing to work for £11.25 an hour.

ireallydontlikefootball · 28/07/2017 10:03

£40 a day cat sitting!? Count me in!

Roomster101 · 28/07/2017 10:06

I see this as no different to any other interview where your prospective employer asks what you want to be paid. In one job interview I went to they ended up offering me significantly more as they wanted me to accept the job and give a good incentive to stay.

It isn't the same though as the cleaner didn't find out about the job off her own bat. OP's friend did her and OP a favour by making the recommendation and as a direct result, she now has to pay more or lose the cleaner. I would certainly be annoyed if this happened to me and would refuse to give a recommendation in the future if anyone (particularly OP!) asked me.

TheViceOfReason · 28/07/2017 10:08

A job is worth what people will pay.

My cleaner costs me £24 per hour. That's slightly more than i actually earn.

But she works for a company, who are VAT registered. There's also a small fuel surcharge as i live a bit out the way. They have to provide holiday pay, sick pay, sick cover, insurance etc all cleaning materials and equipment are also provided, not to mention the time driving between clients that is not billable.

She is excellent and i HATE cleaning. She does 2 hours every other week and it's perfect for me. No ironing, bed changing or tidying. Cleaning 2 bathrooms and a kitchen and dusting / hoovering 1 bedroom and the lounge, and running the hoover over anywhere else if she has time.

If i could find someone reliable who does a good job and was independent i'd happily pay them the same (and would be over the moon if it was less!). But i can't so that's that.

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 28/07/2017 10:15

Op, having a cleaner is not a stealth boast. Treating £1250/year as loose change can come across a bit like it though.

Original poster
Silverst0rm · 28/07/2017 10:30

Whats - yes of course. Apologies if it came across like that.
If I'm absolutely honest, I would hate to give someone who works regularly in my home the minimum rate as it makes me feel awkward, especially if I'm in when she's there. I appreciate other people may feel differently though.
DH runs businesses so he's not clueless in general! Maybe he just feels like me.

OP posts:
ittakes2 · 28/07/2017 10:45

Your husband offered to pay your new cleaner £1,200 a year more than she asked for to make it 'easier' - it's him I would be angry with!