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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think this is not 2 hours' work?

63 replies

Zintox · 27/07/2018 16:43

First world problem alert.

I had new cleaners come today. When they visited previously they said I'd need 3 hours for the whole house.

We agreed on 2 hours weekly as I can't afford 3 and I thought that getting the house cleaned over 2 weeks with an hour for extra stuff would work well.

They came today. It's 2 people for 1 hour so 2 hours' work.

Yesterday I tidied the whole house so all surfaces were clear, floors clear etc.

They did:
Vacuumed 3 out of 4 bedrooms.
"Cleaned" the bathroom but the bath is still dirty and the floor wasn't done.
"Cleaned" the kitchen (which was pretty clean anyway) but the sink is dirty still
Vacuumed downstairs except not the front room
Didn't mop any hard floors (it's almost all hard floor downstairs)
I think they dusted some rooms. But I don't have any ornaments or a lot of surfaces.

I don't feel that's enough for 2 hours. My house is still dirty!

AIBU to not want to pay £30 for that? And should I give them another chance or just find other cleaners?

OP posts:
User467 · 27/07/2018 16:46

My cleaner used to come for same length of time and hoovered living room, hall and four bedrooms, cleaned bathroom and two toilets, kitchen hall and bathroom hard floors, dusted and cleaned glass doors. It wasn't always the most thorough but was definitely a good clean. I'd say you're not getting a great deal

DunesOfSand · 27/07/2018 16:49

What about asking for 3 (or maybe even 4) hours ever other week? Allow the whole house to be cleaned properly, rather than parts get missed.

My cleaner used to charge for the job - so some weeks it was over 3 hrs, some weeks under, but the whole house got cleaned. They also got quicker as they got used to the house.

elephantfan · 27/07/2018 16:49

They aren't actually cleaning.
I wouldn't give them another chance. They have demonstrated their standards.

rainbowfudgee · 27/07/2018 16:53

Did you leave a list of stuff you wanted done? That works well- they tick it off when complete. Be very specific eg hoover all floors upstairs and downstairs plus stairs.

thecatsthecats · 27/07/2018 16:55

The plasterer had been in just before we got a cleaner. She turned a literal fucking sandpit into a lovely clean home in two hours.

Don't give them another chance, they sound awful. A team of two should be able to work more efficiently around those jobs that require coordination, and frankly, vaccuuming takes barely any time at all if the vaccuum isn't awful. You would expect them to spend an extra five minutes pushing the vaccuum around two rooms just to make the job complete, on a first time, best foot forward and all that.

MatildaTheCat · 27/07/2018 16:58

No they sound poor. A 4bed house can be done completely in 3 hours including changing a bed or two. Find someone else. Consider having them fortnightly for longer if you can’t pay any more.

I pay £50 for 4.5 hours. Entire 5bed house plus my bed and ironing. All done quite well.

W1neNot · 27/07/2018 17:02

Oh don't talk to me about this

I've had a new cleaner for three weeks. She came today and like you I pay £30 for 2 hours

There are still some crumbs on my work tops, the bin lid not wiped, toothpaste in the sink (and it's pink foam so not like it is easy to miss), some marks left on the bath, floors not mopped.

I never know if I'm just too fussy

Original poster
Zintox · 27/07/2018 17:06

I forgot to say they will invoice tomorrow. WIBU to pay £15 rather than £30?

OP posts:
Original poster
Zintox · 27/07/2018 17:07

Oh sorry it did post. Thought it hadn't as my phone glitched.

OP posts:
Bluelady · 27/07/2018 17:07

That isn't fussy, W1. I can clean my entire 4 bed, 2 bath house in three hours and I'm not the fastest. Your cleaners sound crap, OP. Get rid.

W1neNot · 27/07/2018 17:09

I'd speak to them first if you feel able to op

Or you could do what I do and just seethe inwardly and then eventually get rid

I'd say you weren't happy with the clean, explain why and say you'd like to pay what you think it's worth and see what they say. Is it an agency?

Grumpbum · 27/07/2018 17:09

I have one cleaner for two hours she hoovers entire 3 bed house including conservatory, mops floors, cleans 2 bathrooms, dusts with moving things and the bannisters and does the kitchen, I spend £20 and she’s a god send

W1neNot · 27/07/2018 17:10

Blue - I know I know. Sigh. I'm sat here now looking at my tv and I can see dust under it. And to the side of me I can see a spillage on the floor- probably a little bit of coke and it's partially hidden hence why I've just clocked it. But it shows floors not mopped. I also don't like the fact there's food in my plug

Atalune · 27/07/2018 17:12

If it’s a cleaning service, they always take the piss in my experience!

My cleaner is a one woman machine, in 3 hours and in a 4 bed large home she
Vacuums everywhere
Mops the kitchen diner
Cleans the bathrooms ( 2) and mops too including bath and shower screens and tiles
Dusts
Plumps cushions and makes the sitting room pretty
Will hang a wash or empty the dishwasher if it’s there to be done. She’s amazing.

paintitgrey · 27/07/2018 17:13

I'd say the first time a cleaner comes to your home is usually the cleanest they are going to be able to do it, and over time it's a bit less perfect if you know what I mean. This isn't going to work. It's going to get worse over time by better x

Excited0803 · 27/07/2018 17:13

Get new cleaners. Lazy with low standards won't improve by you writing a list.

KatieKittens · 27/07/2018 17:21

You can’t really negotiate the price now at this stage- you agreed £15 per hr per cleaner.

What you should bring up is the number of tasks that were completed and the standard of the work. Take into account that probably takes them longer to clean a house for the first time as they won’t be familiar with it.

State your expectations for next time and see how they respond. If they are agreeable, I would give them another chance.

OctaviaOctober · 27/07/2018 17:21

I also don't like the fact there's food in my plug

Lol why is there food in your plug?

TheShapeOfEwe · 27/07/2018 17:22

YANBU - in 2 hours mine cleans kitchen really well (and it's not usually left clean by us!), downstairs loo, washes those floors, hoovers and polishes sitting room, cleans and hoovers en suite - and there's only one of her.

BoomBoomsCousin · 27/07/2018 17:23

Don't give them another chance they've shown you what they can do and you should be able to do better. But you should pay them what you contracted for if they were both there for the whole hour. They did warn you they thought they needed 3 hours for your house.

Realitea · 27/07/2018 17:24

That’s awful. I do a three bed house in two hours and that’s for an immaculate bathroom and kitchen, mopping and hoovering, sheets changed on beds and polishing. Usually emptying the dishwasher too. And there’s one of me!

Baubletrouble43 · 27/07/2018 17:27

Yanbu. I used to clean domestically and in 2 hrs I cleaned two bathrooms ; spotless top to bottom , changed king size bed and two singles, hoovered entire house and usually had time to polish windows patio doors and clean hobs.

Rafflesway · 27/07/2018 17:27

Hells teeth! They are having a laugh! 😡

I have a pretty large 4 bed/2 bath house with a long entrance hall open plan kitchen/breakfast room/utility, dining room and sitting room. I clean it myself - anyone who knows me will tell you I am a bit ocd with cleaning the house - and I do a full deep clean, (even including skirting boards) every week which takes me 2.5 hours. I also strip and change our bed in that time. (There's only me and DH now so only change other beds every few weeks but do clean all bedrooms)

Second chance? Nooooooo!!

Tartyflette · 27/07/2018 17:39

I used a couple of cleaners from a cleaning service once and I swear they spent more time telling me in great detail exactly what they were going to do and what they had done than actually cleaning.
as In "Just to let you know I stood inside the shower to clean it thoroughly, top to bottom, all the tiles, the shower stall floor, shower hose, shower heads, and all the controls - and I cleaned and polished all the glass sides of the shower stall -- I always feel it's better to do it that way than from the outside..... oh I did the outside too ..." etc etc.
That's just called 'cleaning the shower' isn't it?
I didn't have them back.

TheVanguardSix · 27/07/2018 17:44

I just got a cleaner again after three years of not having one. I got rid of the last one because I was sick and tired of assuming floor mopping is not the done thing anymore. "It must be me being unreasonable because I want my kitchen and bathroom floors mopped. How demanding of me."
Also, she asked me several times to be a guarantor. Confused

Anyway, new cleaner came for the first time 2 weeks ago.
Second time in for the cleaner was yesterday and she announced she was finished early by half an hour. Bathroom floor not done. Kitchen floor not mopped. Couldn't tell if she'd hoovered the bedrooms or not.

Basically, for the most part, I couldn't tell if she'd cleaned or not.

It's ALWAYS a disappointment. Always. Third time's not the charm.

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