AIBU to expect a cleaner to clean properly

[nameisnotimportant]

So recently I got sick and had to have an unexpected surgery. My husband has been trying to work, sort both kids out and look after me, so the cleaning has been starting to slide. He's doing the daily wiping down the kitchen and floors etc but the big stuff has got to the point where it needs a clean and I currently can't and my husband is exhausted.

So I thought right I'll just book a cleaner to come in and do the bathroom, en-suite and the kitchen. We rarely do this as it's not usually in our budget and I have quite high standards when it comes to cleaning. This is a very first world problem but the cleaner has just been and left and she has missed so many things that I expected her to clean. This has happened the few other times in my life where I have booked a cleaner and I always feel like it wasn't worth the money. She had great ratings and reviews on the app where I booked her. However, I don't know if I'm being unreasonable and my standards are too high.

For example in the shower would you expect the cleaner to move the shampoo bottles off the shower tray that's attached to the shower and clean the soap off? It just looks like she's wiped it down and not cleaned any of the grout properly. I clean the bathrooms weekly and they've only missed one clean, so they were pretty clean to begin with. The fronts of the kitchen cupboards weren't wiped down and I think this is important when you have kids running around. There was also a mug mark left on the kitchen counter. just feel bad complaining, especially given the current climate. Also Im still recovering from surgery so genuinely needed these things cleaned properly.

YANBU. The cleaning service we use leaves the house spotless, cleans under things in the kitchenand elsewhere (not kids'bedrooms as there is too much clutter) fronts of cupboards wiped down and shower caddy is cleaned (not grout though on a standard clean). I do maintain it in between and leave house tidy so they can clean. We pay quite a lot but only have them every four weeks. We pay more to go with a company as before I had a really terrible cleaner who was self-employed and kept her on for months longer than I should as I felt guilty about moving her on. I also wanted the cleaners to have holiday and sick pay. But I think I was really unlucky with the previous cleaner (final straw was she left our front door unlocked and I got back from work at 8pm to discover this!). You could maybe give your current cleaner one more chance as they might need to get used to your home first but I would explain what you expect first and then she can tell you if it's reasonable in the allotted time. You should feel unburdened after a good cleaner has been. They may not reach your standards every single time though as they are limited by time.

Thanks everyone. It's interesting that a lot of you have said you wouldn't expect the grout to be cleaned unless I was paying for a deep clean. I usually just give it a quick scrub when I clean the shower each week and it keeps it looking clean. As soon as I skip a week though I can tell it's not been cleaned, so I guess I just expected it to be done.
With the kitchen cupboards though, the app that I booked through specifically listed that wiping down the fronts of the kitchen cabinetry was included in the regular clean. This is something I do once every two weeks, so I was surprised that it was included.
It seems though maybe I was just expecting too much and it's mostly clean and the other bits I can do once I'm recovered. 🤞🏻

We put our kitchen in six years ago and I've only ever wiped down the presses if there's been a spill. They're oak though so don't really show fingerprints etc. I do think you have very very high standards.

We have gloss cupboards, the lady who does my clean them polishes them up every week.

I would not expect a cleaner to wipe down cupboards or clean grout unless you had specified it and she had time.

You sound very particular. You are never going to get a clean to your standard.

This ^

Cleaning the grouting is not something I'd expect to be doing ever week or anything like.
I've never wiped down the fronts of cupboard doors on a regular basis either.

As someone else said, if you paid her to come and clean for 2 hours or whatever, and she worked for that time, you've got no grounds for complaint.
If there were specific jobs you wanted doing, then you should have listed them, in order of importance to you.

It is commonly known that when you start using a cleaner, they will get far less done in their first clean than they will in subsequent cleans, as they have to find their way around and get used to the house. This was her first time in the house, so, if you used her 3 or 4 times then you'd find she could get more done on the 4th week than on the first.

Surely most people would think 'Great, the bulk of the clean is sorted. I feel happier about my home now' rather than nitpicking about a detail that you might do that she didn't?
You could also chat about what details were important to you.