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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:
itstoolateforthisbollox · 28/07/2017 10:11

I can't afford more hours nor can I afford to send my ironing elsewhere

That is beside the point. A job takes how long it takes, it can't be forced into the hours you can afford! And you are getting that cheap anyway.

AreWeThereYet000 · 28/07/2017 10:12

Not helpful but I don't know how people can't manage without a cleaner - full time work for my partner, I do part time, but then study. Have a less than 6 month old baby and a 3 year old so only at school for 3 hours. We tidy as we go, so plates in dishwasher after meal, wipe sides down while foods cooking. Toys put away once kids are in bed before we relax for the night and then on a weekend we clean so all the hoovering/bleaching. Washing straight out the machine onto hangers and onto the dry rack so gets most creases out then iron as we need if it needs ironing.

guiltybystander · 28/07/2017 10:14

A lot of people give their cleaner very little time to deal with all the cleaning they require. They might have a house that needs about 5-6 hours of cleaning but they give the cleaner 3 hours to do it in order to save money. And apparently £10/hour is not the going rate anymore for cleaners. On another thread a lady was claiming she pays her cleaner £15/hour.

StormTreader · 28/07/2017 10:22

Unfortunately youve fallen into the mindset of "this is what I want, this is what I'm prepared to pay, therefore it must be done for that price".

Viviene · 28/07/2017 10:24

3 bed house. Cleaner does 2hrs but in that time she cleans upstairs bathroom, downstairs toilet and hoovers and washes the floors. That's literally it, she doesn't have the time to do anything else.
I do everything else during the week.

The80sweregreat · 28/07/2017 10:37

I think she is just after a pay rise. Might be a good idea to get some quotes from other cleaners or companies in the area - they usually do a visit first, they could advise you of their charges and then , at least you will know if its her or you being the unreasonable one? or sending the ironing out is a good idea.

ProfessorBranestawm · 28/07/2017 10:51

If she says it's too much then there's nothing you can do really - either give her more hours or find a new cleaner

Minkyfluffster · 28/07/2017 11:08

Don't dwell on it, get another cleaner? btw I am in the South East and cleaners rates are £10 direct and around £12 - £15 per hour through an agency.

Branleuse · 28/07/2017 11:24

I think you are probably expecting too much for the hours you're paying for. My cleaner takes 4 hours to do 3 beds once a fortnight with no ironing. I think ironing is a separate job. You need to prioritise what you want done with your budget.

ShowMeWhatYouGot · 28/07/2017 11:35

I don't personally get why people want their cleaners too iron, it's a black hole for time.

Whileweareonthesubject · 28/07/2017 12:45

Disclaimer : I don't have a cleaner, have never had a cleaner and am never likely to.

I do think it sounds as though the ironing is the big problem here. There are three of us here - me, dh and an adult DC. Two of us work, the other doesn't. Like you, we do laundry every day. Most if my clothes don't need to be ironed. DC and dh clothes do need ironing. Ironing is done daily and I would say it takes around 45 - 60 minutes a day, so a minimum of around 5 hours weekly. When dcs were at school, it was similar purely because of the number of shirts, sports kit etc. And that doesn't include bedding ( which I like ironed because it looks so much better than not ironed).
I would suggest you either pay more, for longer, to give her time to do the ironing, or you outsource the ironing, or you sort out the ironing yourselves.

thatsnotmyrat · 28/07/2017 12:48

I get them to iron because it is chore that I don't want to do so I outsource it. I like ironed things but I don't want to do it myself so it is the same as cleaning, I like a clean house but don't want to do the chores myself.

ZaraW · 28/07/2017 12:53

YABVU you are expecting too much she wasn't after a pay rise because she left. She didn't like working for you as your expectations are so high, with what can be achieved in such little time. If you were to do what she was doing could you complete it in three hours.?!

Rhubarbtart9 · 28/07/2017 12:54

Do the ironing yourselves.

Cuckingfunt1981 · 28/07/2017 13:01

Once cleaner has been it should be relatively easy to keep on top of giving things a quick dust and tidying things away . I'm sorry but your friends are probably being polite where as your family will tell you the truth. I work full time and my husband does on our family farm . I have 4 dcs and I am very house proud . Every day I do housework , Hoover ,polish wipe down kitchen with anti back wipes and make sure everything is tidy and put away at the end of the day . Washing is done daily and is put away neatly as soon as it's dry and ready to be hung in wardrobes and drawers . MY bathrooms get bleached every night before bed and my children are also happy to help tidy away all toys at bedtime . It's about having a routine in place and once house has been bottomed it's easy to keep on top of . Personally I think it's disgusting if you don't do anything in between cleaners visits as most jobs like bleaching and cleaning kitchen and bathroom need done daily for hygiene purposes . Sorry but I feel sorry for he cleaner if she was having to clean your skid marks from toilet or do piles of ironing and dishes because you were to lazy to do anything in between and deem it "her job" ! Yeh she is a cleaner but 3 hours isn't much time if she has absolutely everything to do !

ZaraW · 28/07/2017 13:17

I think bleaching kitchens and bathrooms every day is excessive.

AccrualIntentions · 28/07/2017 13:21

ZaraW me too. There is a middle ground between skid marks and bleaching everything daily.

CrowRoad · 28/07/2017 13:32

A week's worth of ironing takes me almost 3 hours in itself!

Cuckingfunt1981 · 28/07/2017 13:39

We have 4dcs so bathroom needs bleaching daily . I just mean put a squirt down toilet when we all go to bed and I wipe over the surfaces with an anti bac wipe so everything is fresh and clean for morning. It's way iv always done it and as we have a cat I always wipe down surfaces in kitchen when I'm in there so a few times a day . I do think kitchens and bathrooms need to be cleaned daily especially if like me you have a large family . It may be excessive to some but works for me . X

LoniceraJaponica · 28/07/2017 13:50

"Every day I do housework , Hoover, polish wipe down kitchen with anti back wipes and make sure everything is tidy and put away at the end of the day "

Do you vacuum the entire house every day? And polish?

Why? Is it really necessary?

MyheartbelongstoG · 28/07/2017 13:52

I have 4 kids and a full time job as well as doing a lot of work from home.

I set aside time every evening. I call it power hour. I have a five bed house, four bathrooms, two of which I give a quick clean every day. My kitchen floor gets hoovered and mopped every night before I go to bed.

I think 3 hours is not enough time at all. What do you actually do when you and partner get home every evening?

Cuckingfunt1981 · 28/07/2017 13:56

We are farmers so kid soften in hay shed or husband wellies full of corn that gets dragged through house etc so yes I like to hoover every day . Probably don't need to but I like to as can't stand bits of hay or corn on my carpets . I always like my home to be clean and tidy . We often get lots of visitors who just drop in on off chance we r not busy so I like house to be presentable at all times . We live rural so often neighbouring farmers or agricultural reps will drop in in announced . I don't mind at all as my kettle is always on for visitors .

MyheartbelongstoG · 28/07/2017 13:59

Cucking- your home sounds lovely and welcoming

Cuckingfunt1981 · 28/07/2017 14:03

Awww thank you . I like to make sure it feels that way for visitors . I just do all my cleaning from about 7/8pm when dcs are winding down for bed . I do hoovering first so the noisy jobs are done before kids go to sleep then put kids in bed , do stories then I potter with dusting , mopping floors , cleaning bathrooms and kitchen and then pop in a load of washing so it's ready to hang outside in morning . I actually enjoy doing my cleaning as I find it therapeutic after a busy day on farm xx

peachgreen · 28/07/2017 14:30

What do you actually do when you and partner get home every evening?

Spend time with each other and their children, presumably?

Can't understand cleanliness martyrs. It doesn't make someone a better person because they mop their kitchen floor every night or bleach their entire bathroom every day. If that's what works for you, that's fine. But don't judge those with other priorities.

And I say this as someone who likes to keep a very clean and tidy house!