To not put the heating on for the cleaner?

[Falcon1]

It's 13 degrees today and feels very mild. I work from home and I'm perfectly comfortable. I don't like being too hot and we only put the heating on if it drops below 16 in the house. It's about 18 currently.

Anyway, just had an arsey message from the cleaning company saying my cleaner has complained about the cold and that all clients must ensure their houses are heated to at least 22 degrees whilst the cleaners are there.

AIBU to think this is ridiculous? I'm in the bloody house myself! Surely if I'm comfortable sitting at my desk, the cleaner (who is being active) should be able to cope?

Fine, tell them your changing cleaning companies, try asking the staff at your local Co-op if they are warm enough. Well done for turning the heating down, better carbon footprint.

I'd just quote the workplace regs ACOP temperatures as already detailed by previous poster. You are ensuring the person isn't too cold and more than meeting the companies legal requirements. Rather than the frankly too warm ones! . If still cold she can wear an extra layer.

22° is ridiculous. The max my heating is ever on is 21°. It's 12° where I am now. I don't have the heating on. I don't feel cold at all.

22 is too hot. If you need this high and aren't elderly or ill you aren't wearing enough warm layers or have some insulation problems.

I was coming back to this thread with the same link as @squee123 - [[http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/law.htm HSE Min Temperature Rules].

16 degrees minimum temperature of "if the work involves rigorous physical effort" 13 degrees.

If it's 18 in your house already, you're well in excess of either HSE minimum temperature and therefore is clearly not your problem!

No but equally, somebody else who has a preference about the temperature they work at isn’t being ridiculous either.

They can have a preference but it's ridiculous to think that their employer has to accommodate it. I'm sure most won't raise the temperature that high nowadays not only because of the cost but also because of the environmental impact.

Cleaner isn't working hard enough! Our heating isn't on during the day unless it drops below 15 degrees. Mine is here for 3 hours, first thing she does is open all the windows in each room as she sets to work cleaning. She accidentally left a bathroom window wide open last week and when I messaged her she apologised and said she gets so hot cleaning that she hadn't realised.

She isn’t working hard enough 🤣🤣🤣

22C is ridiculous and honestly, I think the company saying such nonsense, they basically want rid of you.

18 is cool but not unreasonable, though keep in mind 18 on one thermometer doesn't mean it's not colder in other spots.

if you need this high /.../ you aren't wearing enough warm layers

that's exactly the thing. I'm from a cold country and just checked the regulations for residential buildings - optimal temperature is considered to be 21 degrees. Checked some other Nordic countries out of interest too, in Sweden it's 20-23, 20-22 in Norway. Because we do not habitually wear several sweaters and winter coats indoors. if the cleaner is also from a country where they normally have less layers on indoors than outdoors during winter, maybe she simply needs to be explained the concept? 16 is bloody freezing.

On days when I don’t have the heating on, my cleaner knows he can switch it on if he feels cold.

However, he never does, as he says he gets baking doing the cleaning and a hot house makes his work harder.

Your house is her workplace and she’s entitled to work in a comfortable environment
Nonsense. The cleaner in Tesco works in temperatures lower than 22c, particularly if they’re cleaning around the fridges. If you’re cleaning cars you’re not going to be in a 22c environment. Ditto if you’re cleaning a big old stately home or a big warehouse. Not to mention all the other jobs which aren’t done in warm environments. She needs to dress appropriately for the temperature or you find a new cleaner.

If they need the room to be 22C they aren't working very hard. 22C is a nice temperature for lying on the sofa.

HSE guidelines says the minimum temperature is 16C for normal workplaces, but can be down to 13C if the work is physical.

They are taking the piss. Get another cleaner.

They can have a preference but it's ridiculous to think that their employer has to accommodate it.
Absolutely this.

Then again there's always someone in the office who thinks the whole office should run at their temperature preference.

I dont know really. That does sound too hot for me IMO, but then I know If I were going in to work and it was too cold for me, I would bring it up with my employer. Which is pretty much what your cleaner is doing. So I dont think they're BU.

As a lab tech I used to have to do stocktaking in a huge walk in fridge.
It usually took at least 3 hours . I used to come out every 15 minutes to warm up a bit but I couldn't refuse to do my job.
18° would be perfectly reasonable.

I don't know if 22 degrees is right or wrong, but if you are cold, you are cold. You can be wearing lots of layers while in the house, use blankets etc, but the cleaner can't while cleaning. And it's hard to clean in cold, your limbs get stiff! And 18 degrees in the sitting room doesn't mean same temp in the kitchen or the bathroom.

We have ours at 18-19C. 22C is ridiculous.

Tell her to move faster or put a jumper on.

what the fuck 22 degrees is ridiculous and cleaning is physical work. if i was trying to clean in that i'd be stripping off and throwing open windows before i went anywhere near the hoover. even sitting in my office it sometimes reaches 22 and (most of us - except my lizard colleague who.. i'm sorry... will never be warm enough) moan. i'd tell them you strenuously disagree and find a new cleaner!

I'm a cleaner and 22 would be far too hot for me. I'd settle for 15

I had an airbnb guest like this. I have my heating on at 18-19 C for a couple of hours in the morning and evening. If it is really cold I put it on for a bit at lunchtime.

The guest kept saying she was cold, so I said put a jumper on or find somewhere else to stay!

If you rate your cleaner then surely it wouldn't kill you to put it on for her for 3 1/2 hours every week??? Who knows why she likes it warm, we just don't know but couldn't you oblige?

Totally agree with InsertFunnyUsername.

I have to turn the heating off when I'm cleaning. That's too hot.

I had an airbnb guest like this. I have my heating on at 18-19 C for a couple of hours in the morning and evening. If it is really cold I put it on for a bit at lunchtime.

So the house was colder than 18C for most of the day? I wouldn’t be happy with that in somewhere I was paying to stay...