Is my cleaner CF

[nc2710]

We have a 3 room flat- not 3 bedroom, 3 actual rooms. It has a tiny hallway, a bathroom with shower/bath combo, one bedroom and a living room that we converted to a studio bedroom (I.e. the bed bit is behind a panel) This room also has a sofa and a small kitchen area behind an island. But like I say, it’s a 3 room flat on one level. I keep it tidy, minimal clutter as it’s small, I hoover myself at least once a week and clean the surfaces between cooking/showering etc. In other words it’s not a very untidy or dirty little flat. However I recently took on more at work and we have been using a friend’s cleaning lady.

She comes once a week midweek and does the following: changes 1 double and 1 single bed, hoovers, mops the floors, cleans the toilet, cleans the shower/bath, puts away odd bits of washing up, dusts. If she does anything else it’s not very evident. I have been wondering for a while if I should have set the hours instead of asking her how long it would take (she lets herself out so I don’t know how long she’s there.)

I have asked her if she can just do 2 hours tomorrow because I need to work from home and she came back saying she would not have time to change the 2 beds, dust or do surfaces in 2 hours.

Does this sound right? Has she been a CF all along with saying it takes 3 hours?

I'm a cleaner and I say 3 hours for a 3/ bed.

I have a 4bed 2bath house, all done in 2hrs. But no beds changed/dishwasher loaded - just hoover, clean bathrooms, wipe down surfaces

I'm missing a trick or two here - it's taken me 90 minutes just to do my living room, tidying, dusting, cleaning, skirting, windows, hoovering and pulling out all the furniture to hoover behind it. I do one room a day like this each half-term, I genuinely can't do it any faster.

Me too hibiscus71

Glad it’s not just me. I see one job after another is my problem I think

it's taken me 90 minutes just to do my living room.... I do one room a day like this each half-term*

well that's why it takes you so long - it's not a weekly clean, it's 6-7 weeks' worth of clutter, dust and grime.

For a full, proper, thorough clean + one double bed change, that's a 2-hour job (yes I have worked as a cleaner, from studios to 8-bed houses).

The questions you need to ask yourself are - Are you happy with the total you pay each week? & are you happy with how clean the house is?

It doesn’t actually sound like you were happy before this came up

How many hours & How many hours others pay for are irrelevant. If you can afford it and you’re happy with her & her standard then I’d leave things as they are, but you don’t sound happy so why not try another cleaner?!

Wow, she's really taking the proverbial.

My cleaner changes 2 beds, dusts through, Hoover's through, mops and cleans w bathrooms and the downstairs loo in 3 hours and often calls me to ask for extra bits and leaves the loo roll folded nicely. I'm fairly certain she's superwoman though.

So she doesn't touch the bathroom sink or do the kitchen surfaces, splashback, kettle/toaster, windows/mirrors? That's a bit odd. I wonder if she is spending time cleaning things that you're assuming she is leaving, because they are already clean

I was wondering the same. Simply because it seems like she cleans the things that are least bothersome to clean...

@CiarCel and the OP has another (single) bed in there as well.

I think at a push going full pelt, doing it thoroughly, two hours is just about do able with one bed add in another and I’d be happy to pay for 3 hours so someone isn’t killing themselves cleaning my house.

Or she does wipe those thing over but the OP can’t see the difference because they already seem quite clean 🤷🏻‍♀️

@nc2710. If she’s free tomorrow I could give her a trial run & report back to you 🤣

Even I could manage that and I have fibromyalgia! I live in a 2 bed flat with my partner and I manage to clean it! Always looks nice enough. Also I have a lot of ornaments and stuff! It takes 2 hours or 1 hour if we both do it. I have worked a cleaner as has my partner. We looked after a very large building so we would have lots to do.

It would be interesting to work from home while she does her usual allowed time - to see exactly what she does do.

@SpookilyBadOooooooh Hmmm well, I was doing full clean of 2-bed flats (either 2 x kingside double beds or 1 x kingsize and 2 x singles or bunks) in 1h45-55 minutes, including either a stack or an unstack of the dishwasher so I guess it depends how quickly you work. I am pretty fit (and was even fitter then). Charged for 2 hours and received 5* ratings and references because I'm a perfectionist when it comes to cleaning (doesn't seem to translate to other areas of my life, weirdly)!

But you can't just say to her - the night before - that you want her to do 2/3 of her usual hours (unless you were going to pay her for 3?)

That's like, if I were your boss, saying to you I'd like you to do just a half day tomorrow.

You would rightly refuse too

Main thing is - just be at home once whilst your cleaner is working to see whether their pace and style works for you or not. As I said, I would finish in less time than I was charged for and never, ever once had a complaint even when people could see me leaving before the 2 hours were up. If they are good and clearly not dithering, don't quibble over 10-15 minutes. If they are not that good, grinding out an extra 10 minutes for them to fanny about with the duster is not going to make either of you happy.

Yes, agree that cutting her hours the night before if you're not intending to pay her for her full hours is really shit.

I clean a BnB between lets.

3 Bedrooms: I twin, I double, I king. I strip and change beds.
3 Bathrooms ( cleaning showers, sinks, and 3 toilets, empty bins in bathrooms and kitchen (put in new liners)
Living room Kitchen and dining area. (I clean the lot - wipe all surfaces - including cooker & microwave, empty dishwasher if needed - or run washing through if departing guests haven't (then put away). etc.
I hoover the entire upstairs, Sweep downstairs (hard wood floor - behind sofas and do skirtings. get any obvious cobwebs from ceilings.

I clean the windows too though on an ad hoc, If they need them - kids' fingerprints - otherwise on a rotation: room at a time.

It takes me three hours if I dawdle. 2 and a half if I go flat out and cut a few corners - your cleaner is taking the piss, OP.

As a cleaner it is really horrible when people tell u not to come or cut ur hours the night before.
I don’t do this as a hobby this is vital money for me. I depend on it. I cut £30 off my day with no notice. That is £30 that I don’t have to feed my son that week. People have done that to me and it has been awful.

**Ilovetolurk

Me too hibiscus71

Glad it’s not just me. I see one job after another is my problem I thinkIlovetolurk**

And me...

Perhaps I should pay myself to do it it less time haha

I have a large five bedroom house, with two messy / hairy dogs and high shine white floors - my cleaner (and also the previous one) does it in three hours including 3 bed changes and 3 1/2 bathrooms.

Your cleaner is taking the mick.

Mine does a four bed in that time so she's taking the piss

Yes 2 hours is sufficient to clean 3 rooms and change 2 sets of bedding. But you should give more notice if pay is altered.

Think you should stay home next time and see what it is she does / how long she takes and then if you're unhappy find a new cleaner (easier said than done, I know!)

Get another cleaner. Simple. In 2 hours my cleaner does my 2 bed house from top to bottom, including kitchen, bathroom, all surfaces, every single room hoovered, bathroom and entire downstairs mopped with steam mop. Mirrors, shelves, sills, blinds, TV etc. All toys, shoes and clothes put away where needed, my son is 18 months and his bedroom is huge so can get a bit messy. One bed made. Laundry folded and put away. And once a month she still manages to do the windows (inside only obvs).
So yes, she's either not very good, or more likely she's taking the piss. I always go out when the cleaner is due which is much better but only if you can trust your cleaner. My last cleaners standard had dropped and I was suspicious so I came home early, she'd already left, I met her round the corner, 35 minutes early, so you must have trust.
When you get a new cleaner, tell her how many hours, I think even 2 is too much for a small flat without any clutter, 1.5 is plenty. Then tell her exactly what you want done, I can guarantee that if you do it that way you'll find it will get done. And I would tell them you'll be back before her finishing time now and again too, just so she's not tempted to leave early.

Of course she should have a set time. If it’s only three rooms why on earth wouldn’t you do it yourself, especially if you’re not happy with your cleaner. You could zip round the whole thing in an hour and as it’s so compact it should be easy to keep on top of. She’s clearly taking the piss if she’s telling you it takes longer than two hours. My cleaner did a big four bedroom house in two hours a week.