Cleaner restarting - not sure AIBU

[Cleanerconundrum]

My cleaner started with me about 2 years ago, she used to do 2 hours a week (for kitchen-diner, living room, hall/stairs and bathroom) and I was her first client. Since then she has grown her business and now no longer cleans my house but manages her own company. She has a number of cleaners working for her and the hours have gradually drifted up to 3 hours a week. She usually sends 3 cleaners (sometimes the same sometimes different) to clean. This was a problem pre-lockdown as it was distressing the dog as he couldn’t go to anywhere to “escape the vacuum” and he couldn’t get used to the changing people.

We have kept in contact and once lockdown is lifted we are hoping for her to restart. She has said that’s great and she is looking forward to getting all her staff back and said we would have the 3 at a time again. My AIBU is that I really only want 1 or max 2 cleaners in the house. By having 3 (that change) we are exposing ourselves to more people as 1 person cleaning for 3 hours does 2 houses a day whilst 3 people do 6-7, it also upsets the dog. We are both working at home full-time and it just won’t be possible for them to clean all the rooms at the same time.

Before anyone says have you mentioned it, I have mentioned it pre-lockdown, she does now try to send the same 3 cleaners. I’m not really sure what to say do I put my foot down and say one person or don’t come and find another cleaner or do I put up with it? DH doesn’t want to use this company any more as he thinks it should take a lot less than 3 hours to clean effectively 4 rooms in a small semi.

How come you went from 1 person working 2 hours to 3 people doing 3 hours? I'm inclined to side with your DH here. Besides, it's distressing for the dog and not really working for you anymore, so I'd start looking elsewhere.

There are plenty of other people out there who are cleaners. If you would prefer to have only one person in the house at a time and for that to be the same person, that is a reasonable request and you will be able to find someone to do that for you. I have moved house 4 times in the last 15 years and it can take a while to find someone who will clean to your expectations and who you can easily interact with. When you do, hold on to them!! If you haven't, don't suffer unnecessarily!

It’s your home.. you don’t have to put up with anything. I think you’re brave having a cleaner in let alone 3! Just tell her you want one to minimise the risks or you’ll have to look else where. Nobody needs 3 cleaners in at once unless you have a mansion surely?

Just tell her, I’m sure she would understand and be able to at least reduce it to 2 cleaners if not one. If not, it’s your right to go elsewhere! My cleaner normally comes with another but she has said that if we want it to be her only when we resume then we could do that.

It’s quite common to have two cleaners working as a team but having 3 come seems a bit excessive. I wouldn’t like it either.

Ex cleaner here. 3 hours is too much. I'd do a 2 bed, 1 bath, kitchen, lounge, dining room, hall stairs and landing in 2 hours. Sometimes an extra couple of hours at the start to get things up to scratch. Your place is max of 1.5 hours and it it's tidy less. Find another cleaner.

Hold on, you have three cleaners coming for three hours? So you’re paying for nine hours of cleaning? Have I read that right?

She’s taking the piss, unless you’re the most disgustingly dirty family in the world and own a gazillion animals, there’s no way it should take that much time to clean an average house.

My SIL is a cleaner (but lives 2 hours away) and said she would do it in 1 1/2 hours. They do a good job and we have had a lot of bad cleaners over the past 10 years and although I know I am probably overpaying they turn up on time, clean thoroughly and are very nice. I have said 3 cleaners is excessive but she struggles to find drivers so ends up with groups of 3. I think the problem is our kitchen takes the longest so the person that does that is still cleaning when the others have finished and are waiting (I guess I pay waiting time). We only have a 3-bed semi and she doesn’t clean the bedrooms.

I’ll ask again for 1 or 2 people and see what she says and if she can’t manage it then I guess I’ll need to look elsewhere.

@GoldBoo I have 3 people for 1 hour each so 3 hours in total 😀

How many bedrooms to clean?

I can see why it's three if she can't get drivers but that's not your problem. You took her on, and now it's not her, she's changed things. I wouldn't be happy with this set up either, Coronavirus or not.

Tell her you want 1 person for two hours or you’ll have to go elsewhere. Now is not the time to be having 3 different people in your home! It was cheeky pre-lockdown

@MaggieFS she doesn’t clean the bedrooms, we don’t use the spare rooms and DH does our room. So just kitchen, utility, living room, bathroom and hall/stairs

You need a new cleaner. It’s great that your cleaner has been able to set up a business that is working well for her but unfortunately her setup doesn’t work for you anymore.

I would give notice now as you have had a break for a while so it’s easier now then further down the line when all cleaners are back to normal.

I also would not be happy with 3 people coming in and out my home every week especially at the moment. Also like you my dog would be very unsettled. This situation wouldn’t work for us either. Get a new cleaner who doesn’t work for a company.

I don't think either side is at fault here. You have legitimate reasons for not wanting three people in your home, she is running a company and has a lot of other clients on the same day and needs to utilise her staff in the most efficient way possible. I use agency cleaners and have a similar set-up to you, with between 1-3 cleaners each week, most often 2. It doesn't bother me but I do think that they are taking too long for the amount of cleaning they are doing. Probably time to change your arrangements.

I used to run a cleaning company and a 3 bed semi with no cleaning of the bedrooms would require 1 cleaner for 2 hours or 2 cleaners for 1 hour (so 2 hours total). It would never be that 3 cleaners would go to clean a medium sized property, infact I never sent more than 2 cleaners to any house.

I usually sent 1 cleaner for 2 hours to do your size of property and requirements then 2 cleaners would tend to go for around 2 hours (so 4 hours total) to clean larger properties 4+ bedrooms. I did have one really big house, 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, really big floor area, playroom etc but only 1 cleaner went as she liked it and would do 6 hours there once a week. I was keen to send 2 of them there for 3 hours each but she insisted she was happy doing it alone and the client loved her and her standards so I left it as just her.

I sold the company for a small profit a few years a go and I'm still in touch with some of the cleaners and they say that it's pretty much still the same as when I did it

@Cleanerconundrum ah sorry OP, got the wrong end of the stick. I think if they were cleaning my house really well I probably wouldn’t argue the three hours. But I think three cleaners coming all at once ridiculous.

They are taking the piss, if the other two have done their rooms they should then help in the kitchen - not be paid an hourly rate to do nothing.
Tell her that you are only happy for one cleaner, and you would like the same one each time and see what she says.

Your kitchen takes an hour to clean? 2 cleaners sit and wait for one to finish? how long does it take you to clean your kitchen?

You're being done over man.

Tell her you want 1 cleaner for the original 2 hours as it's upsetting the dog and you don't want too many people in the house at once during these strange times of the plague.

Don't let her overule you.

So just kitchen, utility, living room, bathroom and hall/stairs

Seriously, she's taking the piss OP.

I'd say you've had to rethink and you only need and can afford the 2 hours you originally had and you'd prefer it if it was the same person or team. If that's not possible you've decided youll have to try and manage yourself. Her problems shouldn't become your problems.

That does not need three hours!

Just ask for one consistent person.

If they can't do that, then look around for someone else.

I have a medium sized (three bed) house and my cleaner comes for four hours, but she does things like cleans the fridge, oven, strips and washes bedding, wipes down cupboards and so on, will nip to the local shops. I was thinking of getting her in for 3 x twice a week after lockdown...I hate housekeeping so much!

Also, in three hours my cleaner cleans all the bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as downstairs so yours are not efficient! She spends the extra hour doing extra work like ironing, deeper cleaning jobs, popping to the shops if I need milk. She's the best cleaner I ever had!

Your request is perfectly reasonable if she can't accommodate find someone else.
I'd also expect more than that in 3 hours.

Also, in three hours my cleaner cleans all the bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as downstairs so yours are not efficient! She spends the extra hour doing extra work like ironing, deeper cleaning jobs, popping to the shops if I need milk. She's the best cleaner I ever had!

That's a housekeeper. I hope you're paying her properly or it's just taking advantage. No way I'd have done any of what you've listed on cleaner money.