Or is my cleaner?

[Notinthemoodforthis]

I had to let go a cleaner a while ago. She was good, but cancelled last minute one week - minutes before she was due to arrive, then went on holiday, then used some covid tests excuses and skipped some more weeks. So after not coming for about 5 weeks I had to let her go because I felt it wasn’t a very reliable agreement.

I finally bit the bullet and got someone else, but she likes to arrive within one hour window - so she described her start time ‘between 9 and 10’. That’s not a problem for me, but she stops about 20 mins before her last full hour would finish and out of embarrassment and to not seem stingy I do pay her for the full hour. Again, it wouldn’t be a problem but she leaves things fairly unfinished, like my make up mirror hasn’t been touched or doesn’t hoover under sofas / beds. She asked for £15 / hour and I’m absolutely fine with it, I just wish things were a little better. I didn’t indicate how many hours I want, I said take as many hours as it’s needed or you have time for. The house is a little big and it needs around 5 hours.

She she turns up when she likes, leaves 20 mins early and doesn’t do a thorough job?
nope. Bye 👋🏼 I’d be hiring another cleaner

I’ve just let someone go for the same reason.

I think you need to make your expectations clear to your new cleaner, you are paying for a service.

My cleaner is lovely, if she had 20min to spare she will ask what else could she do. You are paying for a full hour so you should expect for a full hours work. You wouldn't leave your own job 20 min early would you and expect not to say anything ? Maybe make a list of a few extra tasks before hand so when she's finished early, you have something it ready. If she has a problem then she needs to go.

I think you’ve been unclear. You said:

take as many hours as it’s needed or you have time for

The issue is, she thinks she has finished and you’re reinforcing that by paying her for more work than she has done.

Specify how many hours you want her to stay and what you’d like her to do in that time then pay her for the hours she works.

It's been a nightmare trying to get a decent cleaner lately.

I think tell her specifically what you want done.

You must give her feedback eg I'm happy to pay properly and for you to arrive any time within your hour window, as long as you do the full x hours. If she says she's done the work, just explain that you have a list of spare bits and pieces to do if needed.eg deeper cleaning.

Some cleaners work 'job and finish' but they need to state it and it needs to be mutually agreed. And they need to be good. I think it's fair that the hours are the hours. Also there are some great cleaners, so you can become flexible over time about early finishes, and some who will at begin by leaving 20 minutes early and soon enough it's an hour.

If after all that she's not right, let her go.

She clearly needs more direction.

If she comes to you 20 minutes before the end, direct her to run the hoovers under the beds or whatever other little task you want doing.

Alternatively, just make it clear that you only pay for full hours. If she stops 20 mins before the hour, that's a fiver off.

I personally think that if you're adult enough to hire a cleaner, you're adult enough for a slightly awkward conversation.

I think you are, sorry, but only because you’ve not laid out your expectations clearly enough, she arrives when she wants and stays for as long as she wants ‘or has time for’, so if she hasn’t finished she could say she didn’t have time, and you’ve accidentally allowed it really. However, her standards clearly aren’t high enough so I’d probably let her go, but then prepare yourself with exactly what you want for the next cleaner, ‘5 hours, and I want these things done’

I know, the first day I don’t mind if cleaners work at their own pace. I don’t want to tell someone the house needs to be fully done in 5 hours if they might take more. It takes me about 8 hours to do the entire thing, but I obviously rearrange things, change all the bed sheets and put laundry away etc, things I wouldn’t expect a cleaner to do.

Other than that her English is very poor, so there is a bit of a language barrier as well.

Agreed, thank you. It might be easier than I thought to let her go because her 9-10 arrival window is fast closing. 😞

You can't complain about her stopping when she thinks she's finished when you've told her to take whatever time she needs.

You need to be more specific.

When my cleaner started doing this I paid for the actual time worked. They weren't happy so I said we needed to clarify if I was paying by the hour or not because they certainly weren't finishing cleaning the house either.

People always excuse cleaners on here by saying they need more direction and that those hiring them should be more specific. It’s ridiculous IMO. No other service providers need it spelled out to them that they are supposed to work for the entire time that they are paid for or that jobs need to be finished before they are considered done.

People put up with shit service because they’re too polite and because they’re already allowed the shit cleaner onto their home and don’t want to have to do the same with lots of other people. Especially if shit cleaner already has a set of keys. Cleaners must know and play on this fact, or it wouldn’t be so common for them to work less than their allocated time.

All you can do is keep searching for a good cleaner that does the job they’re paid for. They’re few and far between but they do exist. They usually aren’t British.

I've done house cleaning and keep trying to give it up but my clients keep asking me to come back for similar reasons.

I think you've given too much scope for her to pick and choose. The hour time slot is completely normal but I would start saying when she leaves "OK, you've been here since 10am, so that's 2 hours 40 so here's £x" then "are you able to do the full 3 hours going forward? It's just that I know you can't get around to xyz in the time you're usually here" if it carries on get rid.

You could also try giving a list of jobs