Cleaner always on phone when ironing

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Am I being silly? She hasn’t burnt anything but she’s chatting away the entire time with the phone balanced on her neck while ironing. Much slower of course!

Just to give you a comparison, OP: my cleaner is here for five hours once a week and spends two hours doing ironing (two lots of bed stuff, all dh's shirts, dd's uniform etc etc) and three hours cleaning a three floor, four bedroom, two bathroom Victorian terraced house.

I work from home and I don't think I could have a cleaner in my house for two full days a week.

Why can’t she have it on speakerphone? Are you out at work?

Anyway this has gone off topic, will not be mentioning the phone thing to her unless she burns something while ironing and then I’ll really go for it. Goodnight ladies!

And for £7/800 pound a month I’d want a housekeeper instead of just a cleaner

If you are there to see her using the phone, you could do your own cleaning though.

Maybe op doesn't want to? Or has a disability.

I think she's taking you for a mug. We have a six bed house. We have a cleaner for four hours per week and that includes a small amount of ironing (usually 5 or 6 Work items). That keeps on top of the cleaning but isn't a full deep clean with furniture moving and so on. 16 hours a week is an enormous amount.

..ad you make her 'a quick lunch' too??????

Hi OP. I think the reason your cleaner is slow, is because she has to be to make herself look busy for 8 hours.

I understand how she could possibly be 8 hours if she was going on a long dog walk and changing 6 beds, plus maybe an hours ironing. However, she can't be changing the beds twice a week. Also, you sadly no longer have your dog.

The result is, she is spanning tasks out to fill the time.

My cleaner comes for 4 hours twice a week and it's a similar sized house. My three kids are still at home, but spare bedrooms and bathrooms only require a very quick dust weekly.

My cleaner does not deal with laundry or beds. I could add an extra hour on for this each time, however, it's cheaper to get shirts steam pressed - I think it's about 50p per shirt, so compare that of the cost of your cleaner's time if she's ironing (slowly)!

If I were you, I would either find her more to do or renegotiate hours now that there is no dog and only two of you in the house.

Also, 8 hours is too long for someone to be doing constant housework. Would you do 8 hours non-stop? Realistically, you get more out of people in shorter bursts of activity.

My cleaner does all I ask and more besides in an hour a week in my two bedroom flat (no ironing). Multiply that by three and add another bathroom or two and I still don't understand what she does for EIGHT hours twice a week.

Nor do I understand this: Will try and talk dh into lett Nig me cut her hour Is he your manager or are you not yet an adult? Why aren't you capable of making that decision yourself?

People are being strangely nosey about why you hire a cleaner for 8 hours on this thread OP. Absolutely nothing to do with them. She could be walking the dog and all sorts for all they know.

If she is constantly on the phone then I'd have an issue with it, but its different if conversations are relatively short.

Im glad I stumbled across this thread as I have a cleaner for 2 hours each week and ahes regulalry on her phone: sometimes texting and sometimes talking. Its constantly beeping and ringing. That being said, she can do a really good job. However, I do think that the two 10 minute conversations she had whilst cleaning my house today impacted on how much work she managed to get done. I am in 2 minds whether to report this to her manager (I hire from a cleaning company). I just find it rude to be on yiur phone whilst providing a service for someone in their home.

Get her a blue tooth headset as a gift and say it’s either that or you would have fired her for being slow

Wow! Can I come work for you OP? I have no friends so won’t be on my phone

I'm a self employed cleaner and it sounds that per week you wouldn't need more than five hours twice a week, so ten in total.
How much time does she actually spend on the ironing?
How did it rack up to 16 hours a week? Was it the cleaner's suggestion?
If it was, then she's pulling a fast one.

Crack the crocodile, are you aware that if you report this poor woman, she will get the sack? Why don't you do the ethical thing and, if it bothers you so much, say something to her first before running to her manager who will sack her??

OP, there is nothing wrong with hiring someone for 8 hours a day, and people who think there is are probably just a bit envious. HOWEVER, I think its highly unethical to expect someone to work for 8 hours solidly without a break, and then moan that she's using her phone. She is a person, not a robot, and has the need to relax and - yes- talk to other humans during the course of her daylight hours. 8 hours is a full working day, and to be a decent employer you should be giving her a decent paid break. That would be long enough to make any phone calls that she needs to make so she doesn't have to make calls when working, so you both win.

Some good points- I’m sure you’re all correct in saying 8 hours is too much. I even let her leave some of the rooms downstairs as they don’t get used all the time. She’s very slow but extremely thorough. At least I know the house is clean, but I’ll definately be giving her some more to do now.

When the kids were here it was 18 hours- 6 hours 3 times a week. Dh wanted to keep this but I told him he was being ridiculous and I hate having someone there all the time. Dog gone, youngest off to uni this year so although I’ll want to cut her hours further, once she replaces the hours with someone else I won’t get them back when the kids are home.

I always tell her to sit down and have a proper lunch break but she’d rather eat on the job for some reason.

How can she eat on the job if she's cleaning? Or do you mean snack on crisps, for instance, as she irons (greasy marks on clothes not withstanding!),

Harshbutttrue: how do you know she will get the sack and just isnt aware of the impression she is making? As an employer myself, I would want to know so that I can provide adequate training and advice in the future. I certainly would not be ovwr-reacting by dramatically "sacking" her.

I think you are being a bit harsh with OP. I have a "cleaner" for 16 hours a week and she needs that time as she does all the cleaning (including a rolling "deep" clean) and laundry including the ironing (except table cloths as it is tricky to starch them at home). I did look at a laundry service but it worked out more expensive.

As I employ her and pay her quite a bit more than the minimum wage plus pension contributions and bank holidays/annual leave I do consider that she has a good deal and I have spoken to her in the past about excessive use of her phone. We agreed that she could use it provided it is on headphones so she is hands free to get on with her job. After all if she was working in an equally boring and probably less well paid office/shop/call centre on minimum wage she wouldn't be allowed to use it at all. She could see my point and is quite happy with the arrangement. I suggest you have a chat with yours and ask the same. A polite conversation between grown ups is all it takes.

Ironing is the shittiest thing ever, I have to watch total TV trash on very loud to numb my brain while I’m doing it and would love someone else to do it for me but I’m such a perfectionist, can’t find anyone that can iron as good as me 😪! If this lady is happy to do yours i can honestly say do not begrudge her the few pleasures that allow her to do it and maintain her mental health. The only thing I can imagine worse than Ironing is actually doing someone else’s ironing (horrific) and they don’t actually appreciate the pain this causes you. I live in OZ, cleaners won’t get out of bed for less than $30 per hour and you’re lucky I feel you can find one that cheap xxxx

Imsosceptical believe it or not mine LOVES ironing. And I have to say she’s brilliant despite being on the phone!

We are planning to go away for a month and I know I will have to pay her during this time so I don’t feel she gets a bad deal.