To throw my toys out the pram with cleaner?

[Createana]

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.

Ha ha completely wrong thread sorry!!!

@ThePlantsitter

For me, I never really thought I was attractive. But now I'm not I can see two things.

1. of course I bloody was and

1. as far as society was concerned it was the only thing about me that mattered.

Now as a middle aged women I'm angry not that no one fancies me but that I spent all those years thinking that what I said and did was good and that men (and women tbf) listened to what I said because it was significant in some way. But no. It was always just about how much a man might want to fuck me, because I'm a woman and that's all that counts about us.

Wrong thread...

@ThePlantsitter

Ha ha completely wrong thread sorry!!!

Now I want to know which thread it was supposed to be on so I can read it!

For a 3 bed with 1 bathroom and 2 kids I would say 4 hours. I don’t get why anyone expects a cleaner to rush through their work. It takes time to do a thorough job.

Mine does 2x bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living in 2 hours. Cleans all the windows too.
I make sure it's very tidy for when she arrives.

If you're not happy with the service, 1) Talk to her and explain your concerns and if no improvement then 2) Fire her and hire someone else.

We have a three bed house, but our cleaners come for 1.5 hours but there are two of them, so 3 hours in total. Our house is generally tidy so they just have to clean. The place GLEAMS after they have been. I love them!!!!!!!!

I'm a cleaner. You should be able to tell what they've done. Kitchens and bathrooms are priority(usually). I tidy as I go if I can because otherwise I can't clean.

If you lay down what you expect of them, that's fine. I'm expected to clean the toilet, oven, wipe kitchen tops etc. I also clean kitchen doors, walls if they have a mark that wasn't there the week before, I plump and tidy cushions and straighten the bedding and hoover, dust etc. I'm not asked to strip the bed or put washing on. I'm also ridiculously cheap but that's because I work quickly. I plan an hour and a half for a 2 bed flat but I can be done anywhere from an hour to an hour and 3/4....and the people I clean for understand I may be there shorter or longer than my hours depending on what needs doing.

I used to have a cleaner at home but also used to use them at work which was small solicitors office.

One day another cleaning company came in to tout for work and told me areas where they hadn’t been cleaning in toilet etc. It wasn’t even a hard office to clean, floors, toilets and bathroom, kitchen and meeting room and dust glass reception desk. Colleague didn’t want them gone as they knew them but I realised after a while the husband was being used to clean and his wife the cleaner actually wasn’t doing it, as he was seen several times not with her. Got rid of them. They were through a company too, who we also trained contracts with.

Get rid of her, not good job.

In some cases where you know the person well they can become like family and are very good. Some people get lazy or make shortcuts.

You do need to be realistic with expectations too.

I’d be a useless cleaner as I’m just too fussy and obsessive about getting dirt/dust/hairs off hard to reach areas!

I haven't read the whole thread but you don't need to 'throw your toys out of the pram' you just need to tell your cleaner it isn't working out and find another one.

2 hours should be plenty.

Hell I can do a quick do over (( panic clean for visitors)) in one for mine. Thats hust spraying product allover the kitchen and bathroom / polish in living room. Leaving that to work whilst I hoover and mop then spending 15 minutes wiping surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen.

2 hours should be more than enough time.

@Lazzaroni

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.

Did correcting the OP's grammar make you feel all special and superior? Absolutely no need at all, get a life.

Sounds like the cleaner I had. I decided to get a cleaner which happened to coincide with me working from home temporarily. She came, we spoke about what rooms needed doing and she got to work (and so did I). However, 15 minutes later she was in my office asking me "what do you want me to do now?". I was confused because there's no way she had finished even one room. Turns out, she couldn't see what needed doing which is bizarre if you're a cleaner. I couldn't just say "can you clean the bathroom please", it was a constant back and forth like "what do you want me to do now?" I get up to follow her to the room she's working in "Can you clean the floor please" and then 10 minutes later "what do you want me to do now?" get up and follow her again "Can you clean the tiles please" and then 10 minutes later "what do you want me to do now?" "Can you dust/clean/actually use your eyes to see what needs doing".

She was also scheduled to come 2 hours per week but after the first hour, her "what do you want me to do now" questions would increase dramatically and she'd start adding "or do you just want me to go" on to the end. Anyway, she lasted two weeks. I couldn't deal with her coming into my office so much and then leading me into a room which obviously needed cleaning still and her standing there like "what now or.. do you want me to go .. ?"

I did have to stop using one cleaning company as they were hopelessly short staffed so recruited anyone. We got the cleaner who we also thought was doing very little. I was home one time she came and saw that she was so unfit (breathless and holding her chest) she had to sit down for half the time she was here. She got brought to the house and collected by the firm’s van so there was no room for staying on to continue until she’d finished. She did her best but was clearly unable to do it.

We changed agency and have had better, it does cost more but we actually have a clean house and they have more staff etc, they are a more established outfit and the first one was one woman running everything.

I’d search for an alternative.

Mine does 2 hours for a three bed house every fortnight (with pet fur). She does the whole house so it's obviously not perfect and I don't expect her to move things in the kitchen to clean surfaces (like microwave and fruit bowl). Taps and sinks and shower screen always clean, floors mopped or hoovered, and surfaces dusted. Very obvious she's been. Not perfect but much more than I do in that time. I would love to have her every week but it's a compromise.

I think I'd just change cleaners.

The other thing you could do is write a list (Flylady) and get her to tick things off as she goes from room to room.

If you are not happy with her standards it's probably easier just to say it's not working out and get another cleaner in, preferably with recommendations.

Four hours for a 3 bed, I would say. This should include some light straightening up or deep clean of one area eg fridge