WIBU to hide from the cleaner?

[LaBelleSausage]

I’ve never been in this situation before as I usually work full time but I’m now at home on maternity leave.

We have a cleaner who comes once a week and she will be here in half an hour.
WIBU to go out somewhere and hide from her?

DH thinks I’m insane and should just sit with my feet up while she cleans around me, and to be fair to him he works from home so often does this.

I feel like it would be very awkward for both of us if I’m just sitting there though. I don’t want her to feel like I’m watching her and neither do I want her to think I’m a lazy cow (although I’m 39+4).

She’s really lovely, but I just don’t think I’m comfortable with it. We pay £40 for two hours of cleaning so she probably wouldn’t resent me or anything, I’d just feel very lazy.

I have a voucher for a free hot drink and cake in John Lewis that expires next week so I could go and hide there.

WWYD?

I would probably go out because otherwise I would chat to her and that would lead to her having to rush to get everything done.

I hide from our cleaner because she's lovely and likes a chat. I stay in the study or go out but if I had the chance of free coffee and cake I'd go there.

£40 for two hours of cleaning! Blimey.

I would go out too I couldn't relax either.

Go out or you won't get that lovely coming home feeling when the cleaner has been!!
I am a cleaner and 1 lady in particular says my day is her favourite day of the week for coming home!!

I usually hide in the study and read MN while pretending to work. Or go out. I couldn’t just sit around and drink coffee while she cleans - that would be too awkward.

Go out and research cheaper cleaners? £40 for 2 hours???

I try and leave the house when mine comes, but if I am working from home I am in the office anyway and she doesn't come out there.

Thanks all, I’m glad it’s not just me!

I know it’s a lot but we live out of the way in a small village, so she has to travel to get to us and it’s not at all convenient for her.
We used to have a local lady but she fell and broke both her wrists and now can’t work.

It’s the going rate where we are, and I’d rather have one person we like and who gets on with DDog than pay an agency and never get the same people each time.

I’m going out for my free tea and cake!
Thank you for making me feel less like a child for not wanting to be in the way.

At 39 + 4 you can do whatever you want to do . It’s a right of passage . No one would w we judge your need to sit down at this stage

Yeah, get out of her hair

Does she use gold-plated cloths to wipe with? £40 for 2 hours cleaning??

Go out. I know what you mean. I don't like to be at home when the cleaner comes.

Yes go out OP. You need to make sure you get your money's worth out of your cleaner. She doesn't need any distracting.

Wow, normally people say that cleaners etc are under valued and under paid.
Someone actually pays well & everyone thinks they should get a cheaper one ha!!

I'd go out for coffee & cake

Oh, I hate this.

I'm almost always in when my cleaner comes as I work at home. I lurk in my office. She's been coming for YEARS, we pay her decently, our house isn't that much of a pit to clean, we get on very well and all is actually fine, but I still feel squirmy about it.

I sometimes cook up (but never follow through) elaborate plans to go out to work in a cafe, factoring in things like when I need to be home to do x task, if I can go straight from the cafe to where I need to go in the evening etc. All to avoid someone who I really like who is just doing their job

I think it's a Very British Problem.

Oh it's a dilemma isn't it?

If I've been home ill I always find it really awkward lying in bed/on the sofa whilst she cleans around me!

If I am WFH I used to go out because I lived in an open plan flat but now I have my own study I shut myself in there and tell her she doesn't need to clean in there. Which she takes no notice of and will come in and literally clean around me as i;m trying to type or am on a conference call!

I always go out! Currently on maternity leave, but just feel weird about sitting down whilst someone cleans my house. Our cleaner is lovely, but it just feels awkward.

I would have to go out!!

I always hide from my cleaner! If the kids are home it is worse as my DD (4 years old) just follows her around wanting to help all of the time which anyone with a 4 year old knows is the most unhelpful thing in the world!

Plus the feeling of walking back in when it is clean rocks!

Mine has just come in and I'm hiding from him! I'm WFH and can't be bothered with the chat!

When I was between jobs, we didn't get rid of the cleaner because we went through a lot of bad ones before we found her and I didn't want to lose her - even through we probably should have cut back when there was only one wage coming in. I used to hide from her too as I felt like I was taking such a liberty! In the end she just stopped turning up so that sorted it out.

Why so awkward? Presume you don't feel this way about plumber, gardener even.
She is a professional cleaner doing her job, no disrespect there.
Just do what you want to do

Plus the feeling of walking back in when it is clean rocks

It does. And the smell of clean is fabulous.

Oh definitely hide!
I work shifts and have a cleaner that comes once a fortnight. I go out of my way to not be in. Mainly consists of sitting in cafes/arranging to meet friends. But I have been know to not go home from night shifts and sleep on my mums sofa 🙄

Bliss! Successful hiding is underway

I WFH and just stay in the study. She's lovely our cleaner though and would happily chat for the whole two hours so I often engineer calls for that time so that I don't spend hours chatting to her.

But yes, in your situation, if I could be arsed to go out I would.

I stay in but mine is here for four hours. I'm usually tidying and stripping beds and putting washing on and changing covers in dogs beds etc so I'm not sat n my arse the whole time.

But at 39.4 free hot drink and cake at JL is def the way to go!