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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Am I expecting too much from a cleaner?!?

178 replies

MumOfLittleOnes · 08/02/2022 12:51

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?!

OP posts:

saraclara · 08/02/2022 21:34

@13yearslater

I asked my accountant to clean my car and she said she'd charge extra for doing that. AIBU or is she?

That's a false equivalency and you know it.

Given that many cleaners do this without specifically being asked, why do you think it's completely unreasonable?

ambushedbywine · 08/02/2022 21:43

My cleaner does all the things you want. Get a new cleaner.

Susurrar · 08/02/2022 21:55

I think it should all be discussed. I’ve learnt the hard way. My previous cleaner said she’d need 2.5 hours to clean our house. She would make beds, clean bathrooms, hoover and mop. It drove me insane because I said repeatedly I’m not arsed about beds being made or cushions arranged in a pretty way. She never dusted or clean mirrors, I asked many times if she needs more time, no she didn’t, apparently. I also asked her repeatedly not to use air fresheners because I can’t stand them. She still did. Then I discovered that she was coming with her daughter and they were done in 40 minutes. I wouldn’t care one bit about the time if things had been done. They weren’t.
I have a new cleaner. We discussed exactly what I want done. She is very rarely out before the agreed time, every 2 weeks she stays longer to clean the windows. Nothing is a problem, we can have a chat and things get sorted. I love her.
I suppose what I’m trying to say is that like with any other type if business/service it is perfectly reasonable to try and find a person who provides what you need for the price you agree on.

Luredbyapomegranate · 08/02/2022 22:07

Get shot of her. Changing beds is part of her job, moving toys to clean the Bath ditto.

As PP suggests, write a clear list for the next one.

Luredbyapomegranate · 08/02/2022 22:09

@13yearslater

I asked my accountant to clean my car and she said she'd charge extra for doing that. AIBU or is she?

🙄

You’re not funny..

And you certainly aren’t making any sense. Cleaners change beds, it’s a standard part of the job.

13yearslater · 08/02/2022 23:09

Changing beds is a standard part of the job? lmao

Snarkysparky · 08/02/2022 23:10

Yes and it was the best thing I did

13yearslater · 08/02/2022 23:14

Cleaners change beds, it’s a standard part of the job

No it's not.

Changing the beds isn't cleaning. It's changing the beds.

Which I repeat, isn't cleaning.

f you want housekeepers, be prepared to pay much more than you pay your cleaners.

saraclara · 08/02/2022 23:16

Give it a rest @13yearslater. Lots of us have cleaners who change the beds, so you're pissing into the wind.

ThinWomansBrain · 08/02/2022 23:24

Oh well - just look on it as a try out that's helped define what you do and don't want!

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/02/2022 23:25

Find another cleaner, those are pretty basic asks.

13yearslater · 08/02/2022 23:26

@saraclara

Give it a rest *@13yearslater*. Lots of us have cleaners who change the beds, so you're pissing into the wind.

Gosh you really do sound ignorant and horrid.

stevalnamechanger · 08/02/2022 23:35

You need to give your cleaner a list of what you want doing - worked well for me

Luredbyapomegranate · 08/02/2022 23:35

@13yearslater

Cleaners change beds, it’s a standard part of the job

No it's not.

Changing the beds isn't cleaning. It's changing the beds.

Which I repeat, isn't cleaning.

f you want housekeepers, be prepared to pay much more than you pay your cleaners.

I see… the trouble with this is cleaners do change beds, all over the UK. It’s a normal part of the list of jobs, whether you go via an agency or privately.

You can dislike it, but you cannot change that fact.

13yearslater · 08/02/2022 23:47

My fundamental point is, people expect 'cleaners' to do myriad jobs that are not cleaning: they expect ironing, laundry, changing beds, tidying, emptying/filling the dishwasher, emptying bins, bringing ugs/plates down from m,essy kids' rooms and washing them up...the list goes on and on.
A cleaner today is expected to be some kind of Downton Abbey 'solid gold' woman doing you all a favour and going the extra mile for you and your family. But 99.9% of you are NOT the Crawleys. C leaners are not live-in maids or servants.

And 15 pounds an hour is not enough.

Saraclara is a case in point: "lots of us have cleanerrs" and "pissing into the wind" Just downright rude.

saraclara · 08/02/2022 23:50

Why is me saying "lots of us have cleaners..."(who change bedding) rude? I was simply pointing out that lots of cleaners do that. I didn't even ask mine to. She simply told me what she does as standard, when she first met me.

Ikeptgoing · 08/02/2022 23:53

She sounds a shit cleaner

Get rid

Find a better one

OfstedOffred · 08/02/2022 23:57

I've never had this issue. My cleaner just takes my messy mucky house and leaves it clean and tidy, I pay her for time.

She does basically anything. I love her.

Ikeptgoing · 08/02/2022 23:58

Seriously if you are doing 4 hours for someone when cleaning if your employer asks you to change bedding you do it
You clean the bath properly
You don't leave early having nothing finished a proper clean

Your new cleaner is taking the piss
Sack her and get a better cleaner

OfstedOffred · 08/02/2022 23:58

Oh and mine charges £13 an hour in the south east. I've never asked her to do anything she just gets on and does it. I leave her a nice Christmas present every year and I paid her through lockdown when she couldnt work.

13yearslater · 09/02/2022 00:18

@Ikeptgoing

She sounds a shit cleaner

Get rid

Find a better one

Cleaners are actually quite difficult to find. Do you have a list?

Luredbyapomegranate · 09/02/2022 00:21

@13yearslater

My fundamental point is, people expect 'cleaners' to do myriad jobs that are not cleaning: they expect ironing, laundry, changing beds, tidying, emptying/filling the dishwasher, emptying bins, bringing ugs/plates down from m,essy kids' rooms and washing them up...the list goes on and on. A cleaner today is expected to be some kind of Downton Abbey 'solid gold' woman doing you all a favour and going the extra mile for you and your family. But 99.9% of you are NOT the Crawleys. C leaners are not live-in maids or servants.

And 15 pounds an hour is not enough.

Saraclara is a case in point: "lots of us have cleanerrs" and "pissing into the wind" Just downright rude.

Changing beds, filling the dishwasher, emptying bins, bringing down dirty crockery - yes these are all standard parts of a cleaners job. Ironing is not - some cleaners will do it, others won’t. Laundry is not standard, and would be unusual.

Clearly this subject hits a nerve for you, but writing these strange posts imagining what people who have cleaners think about their cleaners isn’t going to convert anyone to your cause. Very few people who have a cleaner are having a Downton Abbey fantasy, they are just people who want a clean house and prefer to pay someone else to do it.

There is no reason ironing or emptying a dishwasher would attract a higher rate than mopping a floor or cleaning a shower. They are not any more difficult, and are all basic domestic tasks.

Luredbyapomegranate · 09/02/2022 00:24

… although judging by your last post… are you just pissed?!

mathanxiety · 09/02/2022 00:27

Imo people should be embarrassed to ask a cleaner to bring dirty plates out of bedrooms. A whole week's worth of plates and crusty mugs... I shudder to think of it.

Some of your homes must be utter pigsties.

Luredbyapomegranate · 09/02/2022 01:00

@mathanxiety

Imo people should be embarrassed to ask a cleaner to bring dirty plates out of bedrooms. A whole week's worth of plates and crusty mugs... I shudder to think of it.

Some of your homes must be utter pigsties.

Now when did anyone mention a week’s worth of dirty crockery? They didn’t. That would not be normal.

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