Cleaner charging higher rate for garden cleaning

[user874158974267]

We've had this cleaner for a few months now. She charges £13/h for domestic cleaning (going rate here is £10-£12) And this week for the first time I asked her to clean our garden. Now she sends me text saying that she spent 1h cleaning the garden and she wants £20/h for that work.

Garden is small with artificial lawn. She had to sweep the leaves and clean the small patio area with a power washer. And she cleaned some garden furniture - a table and a few chairs. And she put some kids toys around the garden in a storage.

I've had my fair share of cleaners so far and was never charged extra for garden tidying and cleaning. And the extra seems too high (over 50% of her domestic cleaning rate).

I could just suck up the extra cost to avoid a hassle. But once the weather gets warmer I need this cleaner to clean the garden each week. So the cost increase for me wouldn't be negligible.

AIBU to expect a cleaner to do some garden cleaning (as per the requirement above) at the normal rate?

YANBU to ASK

I know cleaners who are happy to have online shops delivered and put groceries away
cleaners who are happy to walk dogs

the list is endless. As long as they are paid fairly, nothing wrong with accepting other jobs.

Your cleaner accepts other jobs like outside cleaning? It's great, but YABU not to pay what they charge for that.

How much do you pay to have your car cleaned, polished and hoovered?
How much do you pay to have your gutters cleared?
What about your oven cleaner?
Or the chimney sweep?
Or window cleaner?

All 'cleaning' jobs but with different skills, equipment and rates of pay.

I suspect your cleaner might have felt insulted that you see her as a general dogsbody rather than a professional who specialises in cleaning domestic premises.

Would you have asked her to do it if you had a proper, living lawn OP?

Clearly a reverse.

Do you realise how back breaking sweeping up leaves is , then power washing along with the cleaning of garden furniture! You are extremely lucky that she agreed to do it and rightly so deserves the extra rate of pay ! She is a cleaner after all and not a gardener! Can’t actually believe you asked her to do it ! You may find yourself looking for another cleaner!

AIBU to expect a cleaner to do some garden cleaning (as per the requirement above) at the normal rate?

As someone who does all my own even I think yes YABU.

But once the weather gets warmer I need this cleaner to clean the garden each week. So the cost increase for me wouldn't be negligible

By all means if you think your cleaner has over charged you advertise for a separate person, check their quote & then decide. I think you were lucky this cleaner even agreed in the first place.

You are being v v unreasonable

I’m in a very cheap part of the uk and expect to pay around £60 an hour for garden tidys

perhaps she felt she couldn’t say no when you asked. But having done the job once she doesn’t want to do it again - understandably! The price she is proposing is so that you will say no thanks and stop asking her to do it, but at least if you don’t then she’ll make a decent wage if she continues to do it. I think it is unfair to expect a cleaner to do your garden, it is a very different task. If I was her, I’d leave and find someone to employ me who just wanted a regular indoor cleaner.

YABU.

I'm a cleaner

Cleaners aren't gardeners.

Maybe see if your window cleaner will pop inside and do the weekly clean while she does the garden eh?

You've got a green plastic carpet, not an artificial lawn. For that alone YABVVVU

If this is real the entitlement is mind boggling. Just because YOU call it garden cleaning doesn’t mean it is the same type of work!

Perhaps your cleaner could pop out and re-tarmac the driveway between emptying the dishwasher and scrubbing your kecks. 😂

Hire a gardener - problem solved.

of course you are being unreasonable

cleaning is 'woman's' work

you are asking her to do OUTSIDE work

outside work is 'man's' work

of course it is right that 'MAN's' work cost more than 'WOMAN's' work

errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I've read it all now. "Cleaning" a garden. aka gardening.

Ask her if she can dig the footings for your extension while she's at it!

on the other hand - 'work' needs to be agreed in advance

you have gone outside that -

@tinybluerose wins the thread AND the internet today

"Garden cleaning" is not a thing. It's gardening. YABU.

I suspect your cleaner might have felt insulted that you see her as a general dogsbody rather than a professional who specialises in cleaning domestic premises.

And this:

By all means if you think your cleaner has over charged you advertise for a separate person, check their quote & then decide. I think you were lucky this cleaner even agreed in the first place.

I'd charge more if I was your cleaner. Using a power washer is much dirtier than vacuuming/dusting and other indoor cleaning in terms of getting yourself dirty

This. Also, agree 'garden cleaning' is not a thing. It's a different job.

Along with 'car cleaning' in case you decide you 'need' her to do that next.

I've had my fair share of cleaners so far I bet you have, love!!

I honestly read some threads on here looking like 😲. Get a gardener ffs!