New lockdown -what are you doing about cleaners in your house?

[loveyouradvice]

I realise in the last lockdown we paid our cleaner throughout to NOT come in.... and that this lockdown, we are envisaging having her cleaning our house throughout.

What are you doing? What risks do you envisage? And are you limiting what they do or don't do?

Mine is coming same as usual

Cleaner still coming - as I'm working from
Home when she cleans downstairs I go upstairs and vice Versa. It's low risk as far as I'm concerned

Cleaners still coming. We have been out of the house and will continue to go out while they are here. They are very keen not to lose income and seems low risk if we aren’t in contact with them.

Last time we paid but agreed that she didn't come.

This time both sides are happy for her to continue. Over the past few months she has been cleaning a pub as well so it seems less risky for us now even though numbers are higher. And we both work at home and so are low risk to her.

I thought the rules are clear that nobody should be coming to your home outside of any 'bubble' arrangements you may have with a single adult household.

Weird how MN flits between being militant enforcers of rules to "Oh I still want a cleaner despite lockdown"

Guidance says that people can go to work including when their work is in people's homes so I would have thought that cleaners will be working as normal.

As long as you don't stand in each other's faces when you talk to each other and your cleaner doesn't lick all your handles and switches then the risk will be effectively non existent.

@BarbaraofSeville

Guidance says that people can go to work including when their work is in people's homes so I would have thought that cleaners will be working as normal.

As long as you don't stand in each other's faces when you talk to each other and your cleaner doesn't lick all your handles and switches then the risk will be effectively non existent.

Ah okay, my mistake.

Same - kept paying but she didn't come last time.

This time, phffffff, I'm a bit beyond caring about catching it so if the guidelines say she can come to work then I'm not going to stop her.

Yes keeping more distance but risk is tiny.

Our cleaner wears a mask, has windows open and is only in the same space as us for a few moments at a time if passing through the hall or kitchen (distanced). So there's no need for her to stop coming. We've said we'll pay without her coming if she, her DS or any of us have to isolate (legally she could come if her DS is isolating, that's just us being extra cautious).

We paid a previous cleaner not to come during lockdown, but then she finished working for us in the summer; DH thinks it was cheeky of her after taking the money, but I didn't see it as having strings attached so less bothered.

Last time we paid her not to come and initially offered the same again when we thought she couldn't come. However, guidance says she can so I open all upstairs windows, and leave when she arrives. she can let herself out - i suspect this is a lot easier for her anyway as i take the dog with me!

We also paid her not to come last time but happy for her to come this time.

Rules state you can work in others homes; ie if you are cleaner, nanny, providing care of some sort, tradespeople etc

We paid her last time not to come but this time she wants to work and we are happy to have her. Like other PP she wears a mask, windows are open etc..

Willingly risking - however small the risk - serious illness or even death for a mopped floor doesn't seem worth it to me 🤷‍♀️

But is there seriously any risk? Surely far less than going to a supermarket or out anywhere apart from outside?

If we're NOT in the same room except very briefly at a very generous social distance... and they are cleaning things as they go? I'd understood that people are much less worried about virus on surfaces than at the beginning and are thinking it is much less significant.

To be extra safe we clean our own fridge/main food prep area in the kitchen, and she only does our bedroom/bathroom once every three weeks or so (with us doing it the rest) - and then I don't use the room for around six hours.

What do the rest of you think? Or do?

Mine is still coming but I'm not at home as still in the office so it's not an issue. I have to get the train to work everyday, and did right through the first lockdown, so am not worried about the cleaner coming in. I'm exposed to way more germs and possible Rona on a daily basis than I am from her coming to clean.

Ours continued to come last time and will this time too. We’re not in the UK but similar rules apply. I don’t get why so many on MN were going crazy about this last time around - you’re allowed to go to work! I think most people tend to leave their cleaners in peace to get on with their job rather than following them round.

Ours is coming as usual. I work in an office in the garden and she doesn't come in there. She comes when DS is in school, and DH is downstairs while she's upstairs and vice versa. Hasn't occurred to me to be worried about it, the risk is minute (and having a clean house is priceless).

We said she could do whatever she was comfortable with and she's happy to come. There's no high risk people in our house and she's moving around and not in close proximity to either of us for long while she works - we move out of the room if she is working in there.

Ours is coming as usual, it was her choice and I am happy (also relieved!)

@ivfbeenbusy

Cleaner still coming - as I'm working from Home when she cleans downstairs I go upstairs and vice Versa. It's low risk as far as I'm concerned

This. We had a chat last weekend when lockdown#2 was announced and agreed if each felt comfortable that's what we would do. She come on a weekday when the kids are at school. There's minimal risk as we barely come within 4 meters of each other.

Mine is going to come while I'm out.

Last lockdown, we had a cleaner who used to take 3 different forms of public transport across London to get to us. We paid her her usual weekly pay from March to September NOT to come.

This lockdown, we have a local cleaner who walks to us, and she will be coming throughout (she checked we were happy for her to do so first, I advised it was up to her as we were comfortable either way).

Mines coming as normal. She takes her temperature before leaving and is very careful about social distancing.

Her father is very vulnerable and she sees him as well, so we feel comfortable with her and she with us.

Still coming