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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To throw my toys out the pram with cleaner?

92 replies

Createana · 06/04/2022 15:53

I’ve just gone back to work and have begrudgingly had to employ a cleaner (I say begrudgingly as it’s an expense I could do without). Anyway, I appreciate there are good cleaners and this is not a cleaners bashing post but am I being unreasonable in expecting it to be cleaner than when I left?. There’s marks on the floor, dishwasher is dirty, table is still sticky, oven top is dirty. I’ve had cleaners before but this lady doesn’t actually move anything, is this a new thing? If you are a cleaner please tell me how long you’d suggest for a 3 bed house with 2 kids. No laundry, bed change etc no tidying, just cleaning. Exasperated.

OP posts:

StrangeCondition · 08/04/2022 08:01

Have you already paid her because I wouldn't be doing if not?

Nocaloriesinchocolate · 08/04/2022 08:03

I have a cleaner who just does floors and never moves things like bins and loo brushes in the bathroom so the corners behind them get really messy. I have to leave them in the middle of the floor so the corners get done. And as for skirting boards, forget it! The trouble is, said cleaner is DH (I do above floor level) and even with no fault divorce now I think to leave him would be rather an over reaction! He’s perfect otherwise

RosesAndHellebores · 08/04/2022 08:06

Mine comes for three hours one day and mops hard floors and vacuums and cleans bathrooms and bogs. Kitchen is always spotless because I clean it as I go along.

On another day she dusts and does two hours ironing.

I have a clear spec. About once every 3 months there is a thorough clean, including paintwork, pulling out sofas etc. Takes about 4 hours with two cleaners.

MadameFantabulosa · 08/04/2022 08:24

Moving things - sofas and armchairs so that you can clean underneath them. Also kettles, toasters, bottles of shampoo round the bath. Mine isn’t great at this, but she is great at cleaning and polishing floors, and you can always tell when she has been.

lemongreentea · 08/04/2022 08:33

3 bed house 2 bathrooms and lounge plus dining room and our cleaner makes it sparkly clean in 3 hours a week

Lazzaroni · 08/04/2022 08:45

Out of the pram. Not 'out the pram'.

That aside, this cleaner is not a good cleaner, and you are quite right to think she is not doing her job properly.

SpringHasSprungYay · 08/04/2022 08:47

Just get a different cleaner.

PlainJaneEyre · 08/04/2022 08:50

I once had a cleaner who did some housework and ironed 2 shirts in 4 hours. I immediately sacked her. Why put up with this? IMO your house would take 3 hours at least to do properly.Get someone new and clarify what you want done.

Zonder · 08/04/2022 08:51

3 hours here for a 4 bed with 3 bathrooms. It always looks shiny after so I'd say there's a cleaner problem. I would expect her to do a decent job in 2 hours in the house you described.

MayMorris · 08/04/2022 08:51

I had cleaners for a long time when I was working full time. Unfortunately, unless you are very lucky you will go through cleaners around once every18-2years. Either because they do your house a couple of times and quality is not what you want (bear in mind everyone’s wants are different) , or they start of really good becuase they want to make impression, and then after a year or so just get in a rut with just doing things they think will show. The other factor is that if you use a company, initial cleaners start off well, but with staff turnover gradually the tasks/standard you specified gets watered down as one cleaner “trains” another on your house.

Things to try to prevent this happening

Always maintain a professional relationship. It is very hard to give negative feedback to someone who has become a friend
Always feedback immediately if something has not been done- provide photos to support. On the other hand always, and more so feedback on things they’ve done well…this is so important…if you say you were really pleased with way they did x , or they did super job on why they’ll know that’s the way you want it in future
Write out a detailed job spec before signing any contract or hiring privately. List each room and state exactly what you expect and how often. I used to list each room and then standard sub headings like floors, surfaces, sanitary ware etc
Get a quote for the job you’ve specified and the hours they are committing it will take
Record timings of cleaners in and outs - if they don’t put in time agreed then feedback. If the cleaners say they completed in less time, then get them to reduce the contract.
Don’t distract your cleaners while they’re at your home with chit-chat etc. let them focus on what they are doing in time allowed.
But do treat them with the respect they deserve for hard physical labour. Make sure they know they can help themselves to drink, use loo and make point of knowing first names and basic stuff about them to great them if you are in.

It doesn’t solve all issues, you have to be prepared to walk away from a contract if it’s not working and not put up with unacceptable standards because you don’t want to “hurt” their feelings.

I always had fortnightly cleans . Worked out 1 hour per bedroom in effect…so 3 bed =3 hours, 4 bed= 4 hours….not because of the extra bed itself but because this is good guidance on overall size of house, number of people making the mess, number of bathrooms etc.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 08/04/2022 08:54

We had a couple who had a cleaning company for a few years. They spent about an hour and a half, which would be three man hours. They did the kitchen, bathrooms, living room and bedrooms in a three bed, two bath house,

I used to move things from the dressing table and leave surfaces clear, but I would expect things like the toaster or utensil holder to be moved, to wipe underneath. It’s easier for cleaners if you tidy, but it’s reasonable to assume they’ll actually clean.

MayMorris · 08/04/2022 08:55

Just to add …on the specification/tasks list you have make sure you indicate whether each task is done at each visit, every other visits , quarterly etc. not all jobs need doing every visit- some need to be rotated over a few weeks like hovering under sofas, high level dusting etc

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 08/04/2022 08:55

Sounds like you employed my ex husband to clean for you.

Silverclocks · 08/04/2022 08:56

How long does she get?

Some of the things you describe shouldn't need doing every week (moving canisters) if the house is generally in a decent state before she started. If it's not you probably need to let her do a deep clean before the regular cleans start, but you should definitely see a difference .

MayMorris · 08/04/2022 08:58

I used to have a bit to do with contract cleaners in a manufacturing facility.
We would never sign a contract that didn’t include cleaners having a check list of what needed doing for each clean and ticking off tasks and then signing and dating on completion.
There is nothing to stop people doing that in domestic setting if they think cleaners are not doing what they paid them to do. We stupidly think as home owners that might seem a bit OTT, but it really probably isn’t….it would be a a lot cleaner for everyone including the cleaners as to what they must do at each visit.

MayMorris · 08/04/2022 09:02

@Silverclocks

How long does she get?

The issue I have about this, if it’s not messy don’t do it, is that when you rely on cleaners totally and they rely on just seeing stuff that is actually dirty to do, is that dirt particularly grease builds up over time. Over 9 months your house could go from being generally clean to really grimy in some areas. Happened a lot to me…for instance finding cleaners who’d actually scrub a floor with some level of abrasion vs , as they used to call it, “wiping the floors”…wiping floors won’t get rid of anything but loose dirt .

Silverclocks · 08/04/2022 09:07

Of course May Morris, but you can't expect a proper clean of everything in your house in 2 (or 3) hours, so some things have to be done on rotation.

TheNameOfTheRoses · 08/04/2022 09:10

3 bed house with two dcs.

Cleaner didn’t do any of the tidying up (and I’m not sure I’d want them to).
2 hours was plenty of doing a proper clean of the place. The last one we had did it in about 1h30. It looked clean but was nowhere near as thorough iyswim.

Patchbatch · 08/04/2022 09:12

I’ve just gone back to work and have begrudgingly had to employ a cleaner (I say begrudgingly as it’s an expense I could do without)

Well you don't have to, you're choosing to. You seem to be bitter about the expense are you sure you're not just picking faults? If they were actually this crap I can't fathom why you wouldn't just contact them and say and see what happened, or find someone else.

Eddielizzard · 08/04/2022 09:17

If the sinks haven't been cleaned, then she hasn't done a good job. Find someone else

SleepingStandingUp · 08/04/2022 09:24

You need a new cleaner. If you're out the house all day at work and kids are at school, it surely can't be that bad? How much mess can one adult and two kids make in that time so a few hours should be plenty.

SpeckledlyHen · 08/04/2022 09:27

As others have said just get rid and start again. I had to do this with a few cleaners in the past. One lady I employed for a very long time, she was absolutely fine when I worked from home but as soon as I went to an office job and wasn't there things went downhill. Like you, I walked in one day after she had been and it looked like nothing had been done. You can always tell when the carpets are hoovered because of the way the pile lays, I can tell when floors are cleaned etc. You know when you just know your own house so well you can see whether it has been cleaned or not Our house is very clean and tidy anyhow so it was not like there was loads to do or stuff to move etc.

Another lady I employed for 4 weeks and then gave her a months money (notice) to get rid of her. She came in every week for the four weeks and was late, could only work on a Saturday because she didn't drive and every week there was a new drama going on in her life which she used to talk about for about the first hour. It was exhausting and after 4 weeks I had enough.. Felt a bit sorry for her really but I couldn't handle all the drama and fuss.

OfstedOffred · 08/04/2022 09:28

My house is quite a bit bigger and my cleaners do a good job in 3 hours. For a house like yours 2 hours should be fine if its tidy.

ThePlantsitter · 08/04/2022 09:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 08/04/2022 09:32

If you throw your toys out of the pram are you not just creating more work for the cleaner?

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