Am I expecting too much from a cleaner?!?

[MumOfLittleOnes]

I had the same cleaner for the last 10years who unfortunately retired she was absolutely amazing!

I found a new cleaner who started a couple of weeks ago I’m paying £15 an hour for 4 hours and I’m totally unimpressed just wondered if I am being picky or if some of these things are unacceptable. (I have a 4 year old and an 8 week old so things have been a bit manic lately so some toys do get left out as sometimes as you know it is impossible to find the time to tidy every single one away before the cleaner comes!)

I asked if she could do the beds (not change them just make them) she said she charges extra for doing beds I found this really bizzare?!?

When moping the floor in our kitchen they are tiles she has obviously used the wrong type of cleaning product or mop and left it horrendously smeary meaning I had to re do myself.

When cleaning the bath she didn’t actually move any of the kids bath toys from the side of the bath she just cleaned around them.

The glass sliding doors in our kitchen hadn’t been cleaned and had hand prints all over them still

I left to pick my son up from school and during that time she left (before the 4 hours was up)

I text her saying how much do I owe you and she said I did 3.5hours today.

Surely if she has left early then in those 30mins she should of been here she could of made the beds and quickly vinegar sprayed and wiped the glass doors?!

How ridiculous not to change bedlinen in an ordinary home. Of course she should tidy the bath toys away before cleaning.
For £15/hour she is not entitled to be that picky.

Your cleaner sounds crap - get rid of. On Mumsnet, cleaners can be sort of sacrosanct but your does sound rubbish.

@roarfeckingroarr

My cleaner changed my bed sheets, it's pretty standard.

No, it isn't "pretty standard", I've been a domestic cleaner and run a big domestic cleaning company. Cleaners will do the duties you agree upon. Tidying, making up beds, laundry etc is not standard. That's a housekeeper.

OP - the cleaner is not for you, but no-one can clean if there us untidiness. Today everything out of the way before they come to clean.

Also, £15 an hour is crap. It's £20 here minimum and I'm in the North. It's much more than that is you use an agency. How can she afford to be doing that work for £15 p.hr and make any profit? (Unless she is not legit)

@Kelly7889

I’m a registered nurse looking after critically ill patients, I earn £13.80 an hour…?

Oh and I also change their sheets

No it's not good enough.

If you want beds doing then instead of extra it should just come out of your time.

The same with cleaning around things. If your house is untidy it takes her longer so she does less. She should have moved the toys, cleaned and put them baxk/away

@celiamary

How ridiculous not to change bedlinen in an ordinary home. Of course she should tidy the bath toys away before cleaning. For £15/hour she is not entitled to be that picky.

She can be as picky as she wants. And OP can decide not to hire her again.

[quote User310]@Kelly7889

I’m a registered nurse looking after critically ill patients, I earn £13.80 an hour…?[/quote]
Really not comparable. You get sick pay, employers NI paid, paid annual leave, and a pension contribution. And if you were in the community, you would get car mileage and paid for travelling between clients. The cleaner has to factor travel time in as well.

I used to have my own cleaning business. My work came through personal recommendation so I knew I was doing something right.

Tell your cleaner what you would like her to do when you interview her. That way either one of you can decline and move on.

My job was to clean, not to make beds or tidy up or wash up.
If I did have to do any of those things it detracted from the real job in hand which was to clean, and the real job would have taken longer than the time allocated.

For some reason a lot of people seem to think their cleaner is below them in class. It is rude and demeaning. I can't tell you how many teenage children were rude to me because they thought I was there to be some sort of servant. I did not stay long in those houses. I worked for people who appreciated my level of professionalism.

If the cleaner stops doing a good job then pull them on it and ask them why. I assume they still want to be paid !

If your cleaner only works for 3.5 hours there may be a reason for it. You need to find out what it is. it could be that she worked for 4.5 hours the week before.

Find another cleaner, this one is obviously not working out,, or else hire someone from an agency once a week or fortnight. I did that when my cleaner packed up and they were amazing!

I don't 'get' the needing extra money for bed making. She is already earning quite well. However if you find someone else, or use an agency,, that won't be a problem.

Definitely agree with PPs:
a) get a new cleaner
b) make sure that you set clear expectations with that cleaner re: what you expect from them and then ask them how many hours they would attribute to completing the list of tasks.

Maybe having the same amazing cleaner for so long / having your hands full with two young children clouded your judgement, but there is no way that I would take on anyone for any job without checking that they fully understood what was involved first.
Also, make sure that you only hire someone that you feel 100% confident in giving feedback to. That way if standards slip or you simply do not like something they use/do you won't think much of having to speak to them about it.
I recently hired a cleaner for my workplace and out of all the applicants I only wanted to meet three, only one of which I felt would get the job done and be approachable with feedback.

YABU to expect her to read your mind. Our cleaner doesn’t do windows for example but when she started I asked her if she would change bed linen so that was included in her quote. YANBU to ask a cleaner to do those tasks though so if she’s not willing then you should find someone else. Our cleaner does an agreed set of expectations for a set amount though, sometimes they do it in 2 hours, sometimes 3 but it’s for an agreed rate. Sometimes we’ve been in holiday for 2 weeks and it’s already clean and sometimes toys are left out. I kind of prefer this because I’m paying for a clean house, I don’t really care how little time it takes (cleaner set the rate) & I do keep in mind that the average state of the house should be comparable to what it was when she did the original quote.

@RobotValkyrie

The cleaners at my office would not only clean around the place, but also gather mugs and tea cups lying on individual desks, and wash them in the dishwasher in the communal kitchen. They'd make sure the kitchen sink was clear too.

If these office cleaners could do that, I don't see why a house cleaner couldn't tidy bath toys before cleaning the bath. Indeed, it only takes a minute. A minute they will be paid for.

Sounds like this might be a communication issue, but if your cleaner thinks these jobs are beneath her, there will be other cleaners out there who don't...

I think it's bloody lazy not to wash your own mugs. Why do the office workers think that's beneath THEM? I wouldn't dream of leaving my mug out at work and expecting the cleaner to wash it.

My cleaner changes D's sheets and duvet once a week. He rips them off before he goes to school and brings down to wash. She arrives and puts fresh ones on.

I would look for someone more detail oriented. If she doesn't move toys from the edge of the bath does she move ornaments when dusting ? I would have thought 4 hours should be ample. In my experience cleaners are only too happy to make/change beds and put a wash on. Either be more specific with what you expect or look for someone different

@SprayItOnMe

I briefly had a cleaner and hated it. She used to tell my children off for their messy rooms even though she didn't have to go in them as they weren't part of the clean.

I used to feel so bad that she had to clean the loos etc and id end up cleaning before she came. '😖

Also, she never emptied any bins (I mean bedroom and bathroom bins, not the kitchen bin). Is that standard? Im thinking of having another go at having a cleaner and litterall have no idea what they normally do.

You're either employing them... So you tell them what you want or commissioning an agency.

Either way it's uo to yoi to ask /agree what you want them to do.

If they don't want to do whichever tasks you want, choose someone else!

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions seems it’s pretty mixed views on it! Maybe I should be more clear from the outset and look for more housekeeper type?! That way there is no confusion and we each know what to expect!

I think different expectations. Mine does straighten beds and folds loo roll in point. It’s a bit like coming back after hotel maid been.
I’d look for a different one and do a list of requirements next time.

I pay £15 an hour in north west. She’s a cleaner with own business not a housekeeper.

I think she is being a bit inflexible.

If you aren't happy, easier to say it is not working now, rather than 6 months down the line.

£15 and hour is not crap. Your problem is communication but I also think she's not the cleaner for you if she wants extra for beds. My cleaners change the bed linen - they ask me if I want it changed so I always assumed it was standard!

Before you employ a cleaner you need to be very clear about what you expect them to do. If they say they refuse to do x jobs then you have to decide whther you can put up with that. The bottom line is that you are paying them for a service.
I've had many cleaners over the years and all had good and bad points.
The best was a whirling dervish who got more done than two others put together. She was inclined to knock lumps out of the skirting with the hoover though .

If you decide to give this one a second chance you need to tell her exactly what you are unhappy about.
You expect 4 hours unless agreed otherwise.

Our beds are made but my cleaner always straighten them up and makes them look nice

The first cleaner I ever had was pure gold. The house looked spotless when I got home from work. She ironed 5 shirts for DH. She sometimes pegged out washing on line if fine weather and would peel veg and leave ready to switch on when I walked I my to house. I had her for 7 years and I cried when she retired.

£15 an hour won't be much above minimum wage by the time they take into account travel time, annual leave, doing the books and tax return, insurance and travel between houses.