House cleaner - Do I mention this

[Pecanpie12]

Hello.

I recently decided to get a cleaner as I struggle to find the time and I'm incredibly OCD. I mean, when I clean I clean every single inch of the home, leave all the chrome taps, sink, everything chrome spotless. Anyway, decided to have a cleaner and she's left water stains all over the chrome taps and in the sink and hasn't cleaned the plug hole. Do I mention this or not get her back again?

I am a cleaner. I do not unscrew plugs like this unless there is an obvious blockage.
Being honest, although I always want my clients to be happy and I invite and respond to feedback, I would probably make polite excuses to drop you as a client after a few incidences of this level of pickiness.

I would mention it so she can decide whether or not she can deal with you. For me I'd be happy to cancel you as a client because you'll literally lift up a floorboard and ask why there's dirt underneath it.

This what I'm thinking.

This is one of the reasons why I don't have a cleaner! I wld want them to clean better than me and I'm quite thorough, all chrome has to be sparkling and shiney.

Say to them you expect that to be cleaned and dried.

Personally though I imagine they just aren't a great cleaner if they haven't done that as standard.

What did she say when you told her about your OCD?

She would have still had to clean all the surfaces, vac all the floors etc even if they were clean otherwise she won’t have completed a clean. The first clean is always likely to take longer until she gets to know your home. I would give it another chance and just ask her to focus on these areas if they matter you.

Perhaps she does need longer. I always tell my clients how long is needed, not the other way round. After all, I don’t tell my window cleaner or hairdresser how long the task should take. It’s their work and they’re the best judge for how long it will take.
If the time required exceeds the clients budget, then we agree which tasks won’t be included.

I don't think you're unreasonable. I would expect shiny taps and plug. Hotel cleaners leave the taps shiny despite tight timescales. Why is a clients home different?

I used to have cleaners and despair that they just didn't listen to what I was asking for or open their eyes to how things looked. I'd say every week please concentrate on what I haven't got around to day by day, focus on the kitchen and bathrooms and do the bits that look like they need a good clean. (I do "maintenance clean" as I go along so kitchen worktops are always cleaned daily, toilet bowl clean etc. ) I'd expressly say don't bother emptying bins (our teen does that), don't bother with the living room if you run out of time (I can run the duster around while I'm watching telly) and don't mop the wooden floors (we have a special gadget that doesn't dull the varnish).

But time after time I'd come back to half cleaned bathrooms, kitchen worktops and chrome stuff wiped but not dried off so all smeared looking, empty bins (with no liner grrrr), wooden floors mopped and left soaking wet but coffee table still dusty with sticky kid handprints. It's like they have no common sense. Rate was £19 per hour and for that I'd expect someone who is actually good at cleaning!

I do my own cleaning now.

@Pecanpie12 im a cleaner. I unscrew/pop out all plugs and clean out shower traps. I toothbrush tap heads and round the back of taps etc as standard. Dust all skirting/curtain poles:picture rails/tops as standard. And always polish chrome fittings (and appliance trims). I don’t think you’re asking too much.

from working freelance for others, I’ve noted cleaners come in 2 camps. Fastidious and detail oriented or concentrate on the eye level stuff and then declare they’ve finished - and if they’re well intentioned ask for ‘extra’ and mention things like ironing - when actually there is still cleaning to be done!

I don’t think the 2 camps cross over and think, you should give her the chance, but if she’s not detail oriented herself.. it will keep rearing its head in other ways (dusty light shades/blinds/build up on black in corners or double glazing frames etc).

When did you personally last clean them?
they look full of grime and may need a couple of cleans .

I'm not nitpicking. My sister and brother both have severe OCD too. Saying you are OCD isn't accurate.

Actually I do apologise, I'm being arsy for no reason other than I'm in a bad mood, so I am sorry.

How big is your house? This is a crucial detail. 3 hours is generally only enough for a surface clean. Which would include chrome but not all the windows and frames.

@catandcoffee Our conservatory was only finished Monday so was a little grubby from all the dust and dirt from the building work. I'd been away for work Monday and only returned this morning so haven't had a chance to clean them. They weren't that dirty in the first place, so not sure how there's black all over them, it's literally smeared everywhere

Thank you for the response Sleepeazie. Is it quite normal to not police the chrome as a cleaner. Majority on here think I'm hard work for expecting it?!

RambamThankyouMam · Today 18:15
Why would you say "I'm really OCD" when it's a condition? You wouldn't say "I'm really cancer".
Because you can be really obsessively compulsively disordered in your behaviour.

@BelleMarionette it's a 2 bedroom house. With 2 bathrooms.

I think the best cleaner is one who has OCD.

Let us know when she/he tells you to stuff your job.

You’ve basically asked her to do some post building window frame cleaning as part of a 3 hour weekly clean and then unscrewed stuff to look for extra dirt. Cleaners can pick and choose jobs, you are not going to be able to keep a cleaner.

@Pecanpie12 i think it’s 50/50. You get some who spend an age cleaning the kitchen worktop/ emptying the bin and make hoovering and mopping take an age.. but don’t polish the chrome or clean the cupboard door handles or oven knobs and some (I’d put myself in this camp) who flick over the areas that are cleaned regularly by the client ((you can tell!)) and concentrate on the forgotten areas.
I’ve witnessed cleaners ignore all back tiles apart from the splashback etc. it’s not malicious, some people just have an eye for the details and genuinely enjoy it.
Tbh I have friends in real life who tell me ‘you know how I like to keep things clean’ and some do but some believe they do but just don’t see the bits they miss! I think cleaners are representative of this split and agencies are desperate for staff so will hire most staff.
Self employed cleaners are usually better (certainly the ones that are long standing self employed- as anybody can start off as one, it’s keeping clients that speaks of your standards).

So she's done cleaning after builders .
Unless you've done that type of cleaning you'll never believe the dust that's left behind.
It's not an easy job cleaning after building works.
Infact builders clean are expensive and you're lucky she did it.

@ClangingBell I very much agree with you.

You have acknowledged you have OCD.

Let her do the cleaning and you can perfect it to satisfy your standards as required.

By all means let her know what you like, but also remember that you have acknowledged the OCD and noone can live your standards, except maybe yourself.

Otherwise you'll be going through cleaner after cleaner.

Do it yourself then

I think you need to highlight one or two things which are really important to you to have done every single time - e.g. polishing chrome on bathroom fittings. I've always told my cleaners the things that I really notice are dirty light switches and skirting boards so I ask them to focus on those.

I also think that you should view the work the cleaner does as doing the bulk of the work for you, and accept that you will always need to do additional finessing work.