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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask when do you think your cleaner will back in your home?

135 replies

tootsey · 27/04/2020 21:01

I know lots on here have said they will have their cleaner return, but as a cleaner myself and self employed, realistically when can you envisage they will return? I am trying to work out how this would work if social distancing has to remain in place, especially with elderly clients. Then those who are still wfh. I suppose they could remain in one room, but speaking to a few of mine, they don't want to do that.

So AIBU to ask such a question at this time, as none of us really know what the future holds.

OP posts:
Original poster
tootsey · 27/04/2020 23:22

Florencemattell, taking your example of staff working for the Queen. Those staff do not then go round and work at 20 other houses. Their job is just in ONE household. Again you can't compare nannies and cleaners. Nannies should be working, their job everyday is with the same family inside the same property. My job takes me in and out of numerous houses 6 days a week. Extreme mixing households.

OP posts:
Florencemattell · 27/04/2020 23:24

@Ilovemypantry
You are wrong you can work if you can’t work from home and can maintain social distancing. Maybe look at the law that was drafted. Consult nanny bodies in the UK. As @tootsey said the laws are not well thought through. Nannies do only work for one family in the main. There is so much incorrect information about.

Florencemattell · 27/04/2020 23:26

@tootsey I’m not disagreeing with you. Yes a housekeeper role in one household is not the same as a cleaner with multiple clients. I feel very sorry for self employed , it is so difficult.

Ilovemypantry · 27/04/2020 23:28

@Florencemattell
The Queen’s staff probably live in, perhaps not all the time but most probably during lockdown....I can’t see them taking any chances with the Queen’s health.
The same goes for Nannies, if they are live-in there is no problem as they will be part of the same household. Trickier if the Nanny is not living-in, especially if there is a vulnerable or shielding person in the household.

homeschoolmyarse · 27/04/2020 23:30

No, but they get on the tube and buses to get to work
Nothing is zero risk

Nogoodusername · 27/04/2020 23:32

I’m paying my cleaner and have been since we went on lockdown. I would absolutely love her to come, but I think it is mixing households so am not prepared to ask her to do that. We’ll review once lockdown restrictions have ended. It will be difficult to socially distance though with four of us at home (two kids, two adults) so I’m not sure when she’ll be able to come back realistically

BackforGood · 27/04/2020 23:37

Knowing my clients, the biggest majority will not want me in their houses for a long time. I think there is only one out of 30 odd that is happy to have me there in the next fortnight or so.

Nothing to do with the question, but how can you possibly clean for 30 odd clients a week ? Confused
I presume 2hrs is the minimum anyone would book a cleaner for, (I know a lot have someone in for more hours each week) so that is a minimum of 60 hours of actual cleaning, plus travel between all the different homes ???

Aria999 · 27/04/2020 23:47

I paid ours in advance till the end of May but have asked her not to come back.

Think we won't be getting one again until there's a vaccine so at least a year...?

Original poster
tootsey · 27/04/2020 23:55

BackforGood, clients are a mix of weekly, fortnightly, monthly and casual. I didn't say I clean 30 a week. I was trying to say that out of them all only 1 or maybe 2 will be happy for me to return.

OP posts:
Greendayz · 27/04/2020 23:56

I'm missing ours (and have a new-found appreciation of how much work she does!) But I'm not sure we'll have her back until we're back in the office ourselves and my DD back at school. There would be less risk to her or us if she came when we were out. DH doesn't think we should do so yet though nor does he do the cleaning

20Newnames · 27/04/2020 23:57

Will you be claiming the government self-employed help OP? I know that is not until June but will help.

Personally I am not keen for our cleaner to come back too soon due to the mixing of households and potential for bringing the virus in due to that. I am hoping she won’t want to come back too soon.

BanKittenHeels · 28/04/2020 00:57

We had a new cleaner for 2 weeks before we self isolated. She was on a three month trial, we will pay her until the end of the trail but we won’t have her back for the foreseeable, as I’m shielding.

I can’t see that we would have a cleaner now for another 12-18 months.

PelicanDeuce · 28/04/2020 01:03

Can’t wait for mine to come back. I’m disabled so it’s very painful for me to clean. I’ve continued to pay her though. I’ve not lost any income and think it’s the right thing to do. But none of her other employers have even offered.

BanKittenHeels · 28/04/2020 01:03

Trial

0hbloodyhell · 28/04/2020 01:20

I’m only doing one client at the moment, never stopped, however they are both key workers and working full time with the public, so any extra risk my being in their home brings is minimal and I am confident that by wearing gloves, not touching myself, and with the amount of bleach/disinfectant spray in use the risk to me is probably less than a trip to the supermarket so I’m willing to take it.

Chockablok · 28/04/2020 01:41

On what planet is having a cleaner round to your house "mixing households".

Do you refer to this "mixing of households" when the decorator comes to paint your hall in normal times Confused

I can completely understand choosing not to have a cleaner in your house because you're worried about the risk to them or your family, or you feel you can't socially distance - but it is not, or ever has been, breaking the rules.

Decorators, plumbers, electricians etc are allowed to work - their work has just dried up because nobody is having work done right now.

Please can we stop with the personal interpretations of the rules?

Chockablok · 28/04/2020 01:47

With the exception of the organisations covered above in the section on closing certain businesses and venues, the government has not required any other businesses to close – indeed it is important for business to carry on.

Copied from the actual government website where it lists all the rules.

And there are also exceptions to social distancing if you are in any doubt whatsoever:

where the gathering is essential for work purposes - but workers should try to minimise all meetings and other gatherings in the workplace

Obviously if you can stick to one room, or leave the house, then you should do so as per the actual rules.

Hope that helped ♟

Winterwoollies · 28/04/2020 07:03

I’m out for the day this week so I’ve asked mine to come in and do a deep clean. I can’t wait.

flowerycurtain · 28/04/2020 07:11

I think I'll ask mine to come back inside in another 2 weeks. If cases keep falling then I'll be happy the risk is low. House is big enough we can be away for the 3 hours.

Might be worth asking some clients if you don't mind work though. Mines been off (paid) for 5 weeks now. She doesn't like getting money for nothing so last week she came and gave the outside windows a good going over and this week she's going to give the paths a good sweep.

Original poster
tootsey · 28/04/2020 08:51

I was going to ask about doing the outside of windows for everyone, but then I don't want to look desperate!

OP posts:
Wincher · 28/04/2020 08:54

I don't think we can have ours back until the kids are back at school - she can't really clean while we are all around and under her feet and social distancing would be hard. She comes for 3 hours so we can't really just leave the house for the whole time either. I want to pay her but not sure how - she gets paid cash and I have asked her by text if I can transfer the money to her or drop it round (I know the road she lives on, very nearby, but not the house number), but she doesn't speak any English and has not replied. I will give her extra when she comes back (and I paid her for an extra clean the last time she came the week before lockdown).

WhyCantIThinkOfAGoodOne · 28/04/2020 08:57

It's a massively first world problem obviously. I reckon it'll be around the time schools go back. My cleaner has 2 kids in a school round the corner from my house. I can make myself scarce while she's here but obviously if my two kids and her two kids were also in the house and DH working was from home there's no way we'd all be socially distanced. Also I'm not working much while schools are out so I can't really justify getting her to come out (I'm still paying her obviously).

30under · 28/04/2020 08:58

Oh I miss my cleaner! She chose when to stop coming, I am still paying her, the house is a tip and any cleaning I do gets destroyed by kids within the day.

AnnaNimmity · 28/04/2020 09:19

mine messaged me yesterday and said she'd like to come back. But I'm not sure about it - we are being careful and I'm not sure I want another person coming into the house. (I am paying her).

lanthanum · 28/04/2020 09:24

tootsey, I think there would be nothing wrong with saying "if anyone would like me to do any one-off jobs outside the house, do let me know - perhaps cleaning outside windows, sweeping out the garage, valeting the car".
If it looks desperate, does that matter? Everyone knows these are strange times. They may not know that self-employed people won't necessarily have money from the government for a bit yet.