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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:
thecatsthecats · 28/04/2020 09:53

We have almost certainly had coronavirus, so although immunity isn't guaranteed, I'd be happy enough having her in in a couple of weeks.

My office is empty and nearby, so I can go to work there alone for a couple of hours, or we could stick to one easily cleaned room and let her do the rest.

Can't wait!

Ladyformation · 28/04/2020 10:06

As soon as lockdown restrictions ease off, which I'm expecting to be in the next few weeks. She walks here and we can stay in one room, so it's low risk. I know it's within the letter of the guidance that she could come now, but as it's not essential I wouldn't put any of us at more risk than necessary.

We have been paying 100% and will continue to do so.

homeschoolmyarse · 28/04/2020 12:10

I don’t think it looks desperate at all if you ask if there’s any outside jobs you can do. I really wanted someone to brush up outside.

OneandTwenty · 28/04/2020 12:16

You can't see friends or family, what makes you think you non-essential and non-emergency work is allowed? Plumbers here work to fix issues, they are refusing to come to move a radiator because you are in the mood for redecorating...

puffinandkoala · 28/04/2020 12:20

I don't have a cleaner, but if I did, and she was happy to work, I would either go in the garden or go out for my daily exercise and let her come and do the cleaning while I was out(side). To our knowledge, we don't have any underlying health conditions in our household so I think the risk is very low.

As for "touching everything", I guess she wouldn't want to catch anything off her customers' belongings, so would wear gloves (don't they wear gloves anyway but perhaps not those thin disposable ones).

bumbleymummy · 28/04/2020 12:23

They’re going to work so surely it’s acceptable as long as you can maintain distance and take proper precautions? We still have people doing garden/outside work for us.

puffinandkoala · 28/04/2020 12:23

You can't see friends or family, what makes you think you non-essential and non-emergency work is allowed? Plumbers here work to fix issues, they are refusing to come to move a radiator because you are in the mood for redecorating

That is the plumbers' interpretation of the rules. That's up to them, I have a friend who is a plumber who is also doing what he deems to be essential work only (inside, he also does handyman work outside like fixing broken fences).

But that is not the law. The law says you work from home unless you have to go out to work. The work does not have to be "essential". So gardening, window cleaning etc has been happening and fence-fixing like I mention above - and if you can do inside work in a low risk way I see no problem with it.

hellsbellsmelons · 28/04/2020 12:23

Tomorrow.
She has still been working.
Needs to.
I WFH so I stay in this room until she needs it then I get out and leave her to it until she has finished.
She wears mask and gloves and she doesn't accept offers of tea or coffee any more.
She has always used her own products and hoover etc.....
She'd be totally screwed if she couldn't work.
She can hardly work from home now, can she!

OneandTwenty · 28/04/2020 12:25

if you can have workmen around, then you can have family and friends too.. make it consistent. Which is why, as there are not fine in this country, people still have friends and family around!

zafferana · 28/04/2020 12:28

Mine's been coming all along. We leave rooms as she needs to clean them. It works fine.

bumbleymummy · 28/04/2020 12:30

@OneandTwenty Friends and family would be visiting, not working and you’re more likely to be in closer contact to them than someone doing work around the house. There isn’t exactly much point in staying in a separate room to a family member who has come to visit.

caringcarer · 28/04/2020 12:31

My cleaner has a husband who is in extremely vulnerable group so she told me she could no longer come early, before lockdown started. She won't return until lockdown over and then msybe not imediately. When dhe feels it is safe to fo so for her dh. I can't wait gor her to come back as I have a chronic bad back. My dh has been vaccuming and steam mopping every other day and i have cleaned the kitchen and one day did cobwebs.

drcb83 · 28/04/2020 12:32

My cleaner is back, I leave the house when she is in. I (everyone at work has) also have weekly COVID testing and tell her Result so she can make her judgement as to whether she comes in.

Thighmageddon · 28/04/2020 12:36

I'm missing ours, I hate HATE HATE HATE cleaning the bath and dusting.

However I'm high risk so there's not a cat in hells chance I'm having someone in who has multiple clients a week.

I have been paying them but if I am made redundant then I'll have to let them go.

Hoggleludo · 28/04/2020 12:38

I cannot believe people think the rules don't apply to then!

We're in lockdown people. Lockdown. People are dying. Those people are dying on their own!!!! Or with ONE person with them. If your child is in hospital. You are only allowed one parent. If your mother is dying. Only one person. None of your children would see her if she was to die. You all think that's ok?!? The hospital I go to. Isn't allowing any visitors in icu. So those people are dying alone. Funerals are only allowed 5 people at the max.

Just for w first world cleaner. I have a large house. I have a cleaner. I could realistically not be around. Yet I'll be damned if she comes back during lockdown.

Shocking. Truly shocking. That some of you would risk above. Just for your cleaner.

FinallyHere · 28/04/2020 12:38

We offered to pay whether she came or not but the lovely person was happy to keep coming to us.

We read the rules very carefully and having read the explanations are comfortable that we are within the rules. People are allowed to go to work if they can't work from home.

We maintain social distance rules scrupulously. We are being paid and maintaining the economy.

We are the only household currently included in her rounds, she 'travels' by bicycle, it's not far.

To ask when do you think your cleaner will back in your home?
Hoggleludo · 28/04/2020 12:42

@Chockablok does your cleaner life with you? Does your hall painter live with you?

If they live in a deprecate house. They then live in a separate household. Which means that if they came into your house. They are a separate household.

Make sense??

bumbleymummy · 28/04/2020 14:00

Hoggleludo, they are going to work. Every time you go into a shop you are mixing households. Every time people go to work (not everyone can work from home) they are mixing households. Cleaning is actually something that can be done while maintaining a good degree of social distancing - unlike, for example, people working in shops - which is allowed.

roarfeckingroar · 28/04/2020 16:09

My cleaner still comes. I thought it was ok as you're allowed to go to work if you can't WFH. DP and I go out while she's here and she's handling bleach etc all the time. We're both fairly low risk.

Ilovemypantry · 28/04/2020 17:10

@Chockablok
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?

I can’t believe I’ve just read this! Of course you wouldn’t refer to anyone coming to your home as “mixing of households” in normal times but in case anyone hasn’t noticed, we are not in normal times!
Having ANYONE in your home other than the people that already live together there is “mixing households”. I just don’t get how anyone cannot grasp this concept.

HavelockVetinari · 28/04/2020 17:43

Not for a good while, maybe the Autumn, but we're still paying our lovely cleaner, it's not her fault she can't come to work and we're still getting paid.

TBH I think anyone who's still getting paid in full is a scumbag if they don't continue to pay their cleaner/gardener etc.

bumbleymummy · 28/04/2020 17:44

Why wouldn’t a gardener be able to work? Confused Ours is. We don’t come into contact with him at all.

LonelyInLockdown · 28/04/2020 18:16

My cleaner is back. Life goes on.

byvirtue · 28/04/2020 18:27

People are allowed to work if they practice social distancing. My cleaner didn’t want to work even though I leave her to get on with it, so I hired a new cleaner. She is grateful for the work as most of her clients have cancelled on her.

modgepodge · 28/04/2020 18:50

My cleaner never stopped coming. She was happy to keep coming, I was happy for her to come. We have a big enough house that we can go in different rooms to where she is cleaning. She wears a mask and gloves and is CLEANING, ie removing the virus from surfaces (If it’s there).

She is allowed to go to work. She is grateful for the money I am paying her. I am grateful to have a clean house.