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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

my cleaner has quit - says my house is difficult to clean! embarrassed

396 replies

allaboutthatsass · 27/07/2017 22:16

So I've had a cleaner for 3 hours pw for the past year. She cleans our 3 bed detached and does our ironing. All agreed when she was hired.

Sometimes she comes alone, sometimes she comes with 2 staff (and they might finish in an hour).

She's now quit, saying my house is just too much for her. She says I have too much ironing to be done in 3 hours and that I'm not doing anything in between her visits.

I work full time as does my husband (in fact he has two jobs, a sunday is the only day I see more than an hour or two of him a day whilst awake). Our DD is 9.

I've never been houseproud, I admit, and I'm crap at ironing BUT my house is not tidy. There is zero clutter. I do my laundry daily, I make the beds, put stuff in the dishwasher, open windows for fresh air, I really try my best with the little time I have.

I'm very embarrassed that she thinks my house is too much work. My mother and sister tell me I'm a lazy shit (they are both a bit aggie and kim) but my friends say my house is a normal family house so I don't know if AIBU or my cleaner is?

I hired her to help me but seemingly my house is that bad she doesn't want the money...

we have a mutual friend and according to this friend if I want her back then she wants more money to do my house due to the amount of work she feels needs done every week. I pay £30 for 3 hours a week. I have recently had a drop in pay so not really keen on paying more.

Can anyone help me with advice on managing housework without a cleaner on such little time?

Oh and in addition to my full time job, I'm also a distance learning uni student as of September, so even less time!

OP posts:
JessieMcJessie · 27/07/2017 22:41

You both work full time and own your own 3 bed home but another £10 per week for an extra hour is impossible? Really? Do you ever buy cafe coffee? Cut out 3 of them a week and there's your extra hour.

Have you actually looked into ironing prices?

To be honest it seems that the long and the short of it is that you simply can't afford the going rate for the service that you want.

starfishmummy · 27/07/2017 22:44

Obviously I'm not familiar with the ops house, but if it's too much to do in the three hours why has it taken her a year to say something? Personally I think she has got another client who is paying more.

OhTheRoses · 27/07/2017 22:44

Hmm. Our cleaner does five hours. Quite a big house though.

Steam mops floors. Vacuums carpets. Cleans bogs and bathrooms. Does ironing for three or four.

Every six months I have a contracgvfirm in to do a spring clean.

I think you are expecting a bit much. Sorry.

DanglyEarOrnaments · 27/07/2017 22:46

We ar ein the North West and £10 per hour is really cheap - I'm not sure how anyone can do it for that and still be in business BUT ...

At the same time it was her price to charge and if she needed to charge more then she should have charged more...

I am not sure how anyone could clean a house that size AND iron within three hours BUT ...

it was her choice to quote for that amount of time and to quote such a low rate for said time.

It's the cleaner's own fault she felt she couldn't achieve the required results for the money and she should have tried to adjust the time-frame and her hourly rate first before quitting the job IMO.

If you undercharge your service rate ,you get exactly what you asked for - too much work for next to no pay!

STRONGandSTABLE · 27/07/2017 22:47

Personally I would do the following:
a) do 30 minutes of ironing each evening yourself. Or fold more of your clothes without ironing. If your DH wants an ironed shirt then he can do his own ironing. Do not fall into the trap of doing his ironing.
b) After I gave up our cleaner (due to money issues) a few years back, I got my 3 DCs to do a big 45 minute clean with me every Sunday evening. They hated it, but it taught all of them (DS and DDs) about housework. We have a 4-bed house and we alternated between upstairs and downstairs each week. In between times I kept on top of toilet cleaning and tidying. Get your DC involved. DH hoovers twice a week and we share the ironing.
c) Every 2 months I get a team of cleaners in to do a bigger clean. 4 people for one hour costs me £40 and is well worth it.

But you need to separate the ironing and the cleaning. One can't do both in three hours.

steppemum · 27/07/2017 22:48

3 hours to clean a 3 bed house with 3 people is quite tight.
Enough for a basic clean, not really thorough (kitchen, bathrooms, quick dust and hoover)
No time to do ironing as well.
No time to do lots of picking up of stuff to tidy away before you clean, especially kitchen

user1497435493 · 27/07/2017 22:49
Biscuit
Fairylea · 27/07/2017 22:49

What are you asking to her iron? The only thing I iron is dhs shirts for work (I am a sahm and full time carer to disabled ds). Everything else you should be able to shake out of the washing machine really hard and then hang up on hangers to dry and nothing should really look creased - unless you are buying a load of cotton type tops and dresses? Buy jersey and stretch type stuff! Duvets and whatever else absolutely doesn't need ironing.

I think doing everything in 3 hours is too much. It takes me about 3/4 of an hour every week just to clean our bathroom, yet alone anything else.

tinytoucan · 27/07/2017 22:49

If you want ironed clothes but don't have time to do it all at once, or money to send it out, could you do a bit at a time? I iron as I go, so rather than hours of being bored stiff I just need 5 minutes at the start of the day and it's done. It's habit now so I don't really think about it. Having said that I only iron my stuff, DH can do his if he wants and DS's is too small to need ironing.

MrsNuckyThompson · 27/07/2017 22:49

Agree with others. It's the ironing. I think the 3 hours is plenty if you do what you say you do in between but minus the ironing. I disagree that you'd need to do top up cleaning in between.

We resolved this by finding a separate ironing service. But it costs an additional £15-20 per week.

MrsLupo · 27/07/2017 22:49

I'm envious of people who say they never iron - I just don't know how they can get away with non ironed clothes.

Tumble dry and fold promptly. Shirts/blouses straight on to a hanger to air dry. I can't remember the last time I wielded an iron.

Hulder · 27/07/2017 22:50

3 hours per week including ironing for a 3 bed house which has a family in it is too little.

And £10 per hour is a steal.

You would be looking at 4 hours per week minumum with an agreement that some rooms could be missed out entirely for that.

For comparison I have a 3 bed but only DH and I in it so minimal mess - £12.75 per hour, 4 hours inc ironing and the 2 spare beds barely get touched as does the utility.

Your cleaner is not unreasonable and you need to find an extra £10 a week. Have a look on MoneySavingExpert and follow all the tips to do a financial overhaul - you will save more than that without fail.

Floralnomad · 27/07/2017 22:50

You are expecting far too much for what you are paying .

Nanna50 · 27/07/2017 22:50

OP could you clean your whole house and do a weeks ironing in 3 hours? I know I couldn't.

Iggity · 27/07/2017 22:50

My DH and I both work full time and have one DS. Our cleaner comes weekly for three hours to clean a four bedroomed three bathroom house. She doesn't clean 4th bedroom as used as a study. I don't ask her to do any ironing and I probably spend 1-1.5 hrs beforehand tidying. I do no cleaning and very little tidying in between visits and I think 3 hrs is plenty of time. I couldn't ask her to iron too. I am quite lazy but I see her socially a lot too and try to ensure house is tidy and toilets are bleached before she arrives. I think you need to decide what the priority is. I pay £11 p/hr.

Bluntness100 · 27/07/2017 22:51

It's not your cleaners fault you work full time and you can't afford to send your ironing out or pay for more hours. She's not a miracle worker. You're asking for too much in the time allotted. If you can't afford to pay for it, either it doesn't get done or you do it yourself, you can't just expect her to do it all. That's awful behaviour.

If she's quit it's because you're taking the piss. My cleaner has shown me some pics of the work some women she quit working for expected and it's appalling what they ask for. Piles of ironing and a whole house cleaned when they themselves could never ever do it in the time frame given.

It's not ok to abuse domestic staff and you are being abusive if you're just piling it on to the stage she's had to quit.

Three hours should be to clean your house. No more. Doing your own laundry, opening the windows and loading the dishwasher really isn't doing anything in between.

If you think it can all be done in 3 hours a week, then that is 25 mins a day, I'm sure you could spend that time and do it yourself. I'd give it a try then come back and see if you think it's right.

QueenOfTheHighCs · 27/07/2017 22:51

Erm, my cleaner does my 5 bedroom house in 2 hrs per week! No ironing and I do keep it tidy though!

Zoflorabore · 27/07/2017 22:51

I'm in the NW and want to set up my own cleaning business as i bloody love cleaning but there just doesn't seem to be a demand.
And I love ironing Grin

Maybe I should move down south...

Or maybe I'm strange for liking cleaning and ironing...

greendale17 · 27/07/2017 22:53

YABU- 3hrs is not enough time. £10 an hour seems cheap

Tazerface · 27/07/2017 22:54

Wow. OP of a similar thread was ripped to shreds over ironing and how it's a housekeeper job not a cleaner job.

I think she doesn't want to do it OP. Otherwise she would have said the ironing is too much or something.

I don't have any advice though coz I don't have a cleaner.

GreenTulips · 27/07/2017 22:54

3 kids and DH - I only iron work shirts and uniforms - takes me 2 hours

If you can get away with ironing then you're asking too much

Ironing is a crap job

I cook DH cleans
We alternate - vacumming one night - clothes folding another - bathroom another etc

Kids sock sort and hang washing up

You need to get the kids involved

Ironmanrocks · 27/07/2017 22:55

My cleaner used to do 2 hours a week - I would ask her to clean kitchen and bathrooms and to hoover and mop the kitchen/bathrooms and living room. If she did it all great - if not she would leave me a note to say what she had time to do and what she had left. She did what she could in the time...and def NO ironing waste of life

TheSeaTheSkyTheSeaTheSkyyyyyy · 27/07/2017 22:56

Stop ironing things? I never iron anything. Just hang your clothes instead.

Slimthistime · 27/07/2017 22:57

Loads of people work ful time, commute and dont have cleaners

It doesn't sound like enough time to clean a three bed and iron

Is there a lot of clutter?

I iron bed linen but I'm fussy about that

Clothes, I don't own any that need ironing. Are you wearing silk and linen? I wear mostly cotton but nothing needs ironing.

Would a garment steamer be quicker?

Gemini69 · 27/07/2017 22:57

can we have pictures of these ironing piles and the housework expected to be done... in 3 hours .... otherwise it's all supposition ...