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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to keep having a cleaner?

42 replies

lu9months · 19/03/2020 14:17

im worker long hours as a dr and they will get longer. my husband is home with the 3 kids from tomorrow (not sure about emergency school provision yet) and he has health problems-he had a brain tumour and he gets exhausted. our cleaner has a 2 yr old and if she doesnt work she doesnt get paid. i want to house disinfected as much as possible, and my husband snd kids could keep well away from her. i know soon we may be on lockdown but until then, AIBU?

OP posts:
Original poster
lu9months · 19/03/2020 14:17

sorry for typos. brief break at work!

OP posts:
NoMorePoliticsPlease · 19/03/2020 14:19

Of course you should keep her on, you need her and she needs the job. Usual precautions apply until a lockdown or she chooses not to

TheoriginalLEM · 19/03/2020 14:22

Why would you be unreasonable? What a strange question from a dr

CandiceSucksCandy · 19/03/2020 14:23

If your cleaner is happy to work and your DH is happy to have them work I'd carry on.

Growingboys · 19/03/2020 14:27

I am too. She needs the money, I need the house cleaned as I have a full-time job and three children.

Original poster
lu9months · 19/03/2020 14:51

we should avoid all non essential contact. her coming to be is clearly non essential. she should be self isolating with her family ideally or she increases her risk

OP posts:
Glassio · 19/03/2020 14:53

I've decided to stop mine coming but will continue to pay her. I cant justify risking her life (and my own family) just for a clean house

Lippy1234 · 19/03/2020 14:56

I thought everyone is meant to be having as little contact with other people as possible. The more people can stay in their homes with their own family the better so I think keeping your cleaner would be unreasonable.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 19/03/2020 15:13

I'm continuing to pay mine half rate but she is not coming to clean. It's not completely unreasonable but if every one wiggles the guidance here and there this will just keep spreading.

PapayaCoconut · 19/03/2020 15:15

I have no idea, I came on here to ask the exact same thing. Does the risk decrease of you don't interact with each other? Leave the house when she comes? (I'm asking the OP because she's a doctor...)

Original poster
lu9months · 19/03/2020 15:22

the thought is you catch from close contact so if you stay well away ( thinking her downstairs everyone else up) and vice versa risk is low. but virus can stay active on some surfaces for days...

OP posts:
Lippy1234 · 19/03/2020 15:25

Why would you want her in your house? She may have just cleaned somebody else’s house who has symptoms and then she’s going to go round touching all your stuff.

edwinbear · 19/03/2020 15:26

She doesn't need to be self isolating unless she is showing symptoms. If she is showing symptoms then she obviously needs to self isolate. My cleaner is still coming, she needs to work.

PatchworkElmer · 19/03/2020 15:26

Struggling with this too. I messaged ours earlier in the week and said we’d still pay her if he didn’t come, but she won’t take money for work not done. I don’t want to cancel her because she’s the sole breadwinner in her household. So flipping difficult to know what to do!!

Lippy1234 · 19/03/2020 15:29

We all need to be complying to this

to keep having a cleaner?
Cheerbear23 · 19/03/2020 15:31

I’ve got the same dilemma. Feel like she’s bringing other people’s germs into our house. I’ve asked her to use our cloths only, but she’s used her own hoover and mop.

Sushiroller · 19/03/2020 15:32

We cancelled ours but continued to pay

Glassio · 19/03/2020 15:32

self isolating now when u are showing symptoms is leaving it late. you are contagious for up to around 14 days before symptoms show so just avoid everyone where possible.

time4aname · 19/03/2020 16:59

I’ve asked my cleaner and she’s choosing to stop work for a while. Ask her she may not want to/be able to because of childcare

readingismycardio · 19/03/2020 17:03

I thought about this exactly today (cleaner is supposed to come on Sat). I absolutely need a clean house through this mess and she needs the money.

Pipandmum · 19/03/2020 17:07

My cleaner is continuing to work. She wears gloves and is using cleaning stuff so pretty sure she, and we, are fine. I tend to be out when she's here. I think there's less risk her coming to work in my house than in her other job - a cafe and retail shop. This is where risk vs economic survival comes in to play. She is low risk even if she got the virus, but she would be in dire straits if she lost her cleaning jobs.

YukoandHiro · 19/03/2020 17:12

I only cancelled mine because I'm both high risk and pregnant. In other circumstances I would have kept her on

MatildaTheCat · 19/03/2020 17:54

Mine cancelled me so my decision was made for me.mi was pleased, as others have said I’ve no idea where else she has been, what she’s touched or what her family circumstances are.

Not like we have much else to do.

GloGirl · 19/03/2020 17:57

I would continue.

ILikTheBred · 19/03/2020 18:04

I’ve cancelled mine but will continue to pay her. We’ve taken the decision to limit contact to immediate family (ie those of us who live in the same house). Hopefully it won’t be for long.