Page 12 | Do cleaners not do dishes?

Fifi00 · 2023-02-13T13:47:42+00:00

My new cleaners seem a bit rubbish. I clean the loo , move clothes, I had already hoovered a couple of days ago and gave everything a proper scrub/mop there wasn't much for them to do but DD and DH had left breakfast dishes in the sink. The dishes were untouched and the cleaners left 30 mins early. I pay for 2 hours a week , 2 cleaners so 1 hour. Is washing some dishes and cleaning the sink really unacceptable?

Morganrae1 · 15/02/2023 19:04

If I was cleaning and the dishes were in the sink I would wash them before I cleaned the sink. To leave 30 minutes before time just goes to show there was plenty of time to do them.

SchoolQuestionnaire · 15/02/2023 19:31

I wouldn’t generally expect a cleaner to do dishes - we have a dishwasher for that. But in the circumstances you have described with half an hour to spare I think it was a bit lazy to have left them. I think in your shoes I’d be looking for a new one.

My last cleaner was an absolute godsend. I wish she would come to our new home but it’s too far away. She came for 4 hours and would do whatever needed doing within that time. She even pinned the washing out for me on occasion. She never left early unless by prior arrangement, instead she looked for things to do to fill the time. As a result my house was gleaming. But there are very few cleaners like that and I don’t expect to find another. That being said I would take what I can get at the minute, cleaners with availability are like gold dust round here.

Overnightoats1 · 15/02/2023 19:32

They should definitely do the dishes... it would be part of cleaning the kitchen

Sillyname63 · 15/02/2023 19:34

You need to sort out the essentials that they should do every time they come , hoover, mop floors, clean bathroom and kitchen surfaces and sinks change beds or what you consider essential then say if there is time left can you wash any dishes in the sink or fold washing etc. Do you have a contract with the company? If so what does that state? If not get a list done and pin it up on your fridge/ notice board and make sure cleaners know about it .

cloddy01 · 15/02/2023 19:56

TaRaDeBumDeAy · 13/02/2023 13:55

They are cleaners, not home help. They are there to clean your house, not tidy up your mess.

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What?? I do not understand this at all! What o you mean a cleaner is there to clean not tidy up your mess? What an earth do do think cleaning is? It's cleaning away a mess, be that a messy floor, a messy bathroom or a messy kitchen sink! Part of cleaning a sink would be tidying away any plates or cups. Why would this not be acceptable but cleaning your toilet is? Or making your bed? That's madness.....

cloddy01 · 15/02/2023 20:07

dollymixtured · 13/02/2023 13:49

Of course they don’t do your dishes!

Why an earth not?

MITCHELL33 · 15/02/2023 20:10

I’m a cleaner do dishes wipe the glass on wood burners change beds clean the plug in the shower tray 🤢I even make sure there is loo roll available .I’ve been told “ previous cleaners were like Air B&B ones”.

MarvellousMonsters · 15/02/2023 20:22

Why would you vacuum and clean the house a couple of days before your cleaners were due??

My cleaners will do dishes, but they are under instruction not to. I have a dishwasher, and I want them to clean the floors, toilets & so on, not do my dishes.

RedLorryYellaLorry · 15/02/2023 20:22

NRTFT, but...

Cleaner here. I don't do dishes. Simply because you do a couple one week because it wont take long, but next week there are more. The week after, even more. Before you know it an entire weeks worth of dishes have been allowed to grow to the size of Mount Kilimanjaro, growing bacteria and mould and hard as cement. It's not on. It's vile on a health & hygiene level. It's just downright disrespectful on a personal level. And it affects the length of time the clean takes, so if I'm spending an hour scraping, rinsing, scrubbing, degreasing, drying and putting away, it's going to eat into the time. Other tasks don't get done because I need to leave at the end of the slot time to get to my next job. And then complaints start. And then arguing ensues when I have to point out I had to spend so much time on the avalanche of mould-ridden dishes.

So I set my boundaries from the off - I don't do dishes. End of, no negotiating.

However, I would never leave early. If you're paying for 2hrs of my time, 2hrs of cleaning is what you get. (Just not dishes!)

Ps. 2 cleaners for 1 hour = 2 hours. Not, as you put it "I pay for 2 hrs, but have 2 cleaners, so only 1 hour". You have 2 MAN hours. Each cleaner needs to earn the hourly rate for the hour of work they've EACH completed.

But do chase up with management as to why they left 30mins early (unless they gave you a job rate for an agreed set list of tasks, rather than an hourly rate for a set time - then that's different. If they completed all the agreed tasks for the agreed job rate, then you have no right to complain)

Original poster

Fifi00 · 15/02/2023 20:26

MarvellousMonsters · 15/02/2023 20:22

Why would you vacuum and clean the house a couple of days before your cleaners were due??

My cleaners will do dishes, but they are under instruction not to. I have a dishwasher, and I want them to clean the floors, toilets & so on, not do my dishes.

You didn't read my posts, my DD was having friends last minute and the house didn't look how I wanted it.. I've told the agency I don't think the current ones are the right fit, they leave early and don't even clean properly let alone the dishes.. I won't be requiring their services anymore . I've hired a housekeeper/cleaner who's starting next week and is happy to do what I have requested which is more fluid than just cleaning.

OP posts:

Original poster

Fifi00 · 15/02/2023 20:29

RedLorryYellaLorry · 15/02/2023 20:22

NRTFT, but...

Cleaner here. I don't do dishes. Simply because you do a couple one week because it wont take long, but next week there are more. The week after, even more. Before you know it an entire weeks worth of dishes have been allowed to grow to the size of Mount Kilimanjaro, growing bacteria and mould and hard as cement. It's not on. It's vile on a health & hygiene level. It's just downright disrespectful on a personal level. And it affects the length of time the clean takes, so if I'm spending an hour scraping, rinsing, scrubbing, degreasing, drying and putting away, it's going to eat into the time. Other tasks don't get done because I need to leave at the end of the slot time to get to my next job. And then complaints start. And then arguing ensues when I have to point out I had to spend so much time on the avalanche of mould-ridden dishes.

So I set my boundaries from the off - I don't do dishes. End of, no negotiating.

However, I would never leave early. If you're paying for 2hrs of my time, 2hrs of cleaning is what you get. (Just not dishes!)

Ps. 2 cleaners for 1 hour = 2 hours. Not, as you put it "I pay for 2 hrs, but have 2 cleaners, so only 1 hour". You have 2 MAN hours. Each cleaner needs to earn the hourly rate for the hour of work they've EACH completed.

But do chase up with management as to why they left 30mins early (unless they gave you a job rate for an agreed set list of tasks, rather than an hourly rate for a set time - then that's different. If they completed all the agreed tasks for the agreed job rate, then you have no right to complain)

That's fair enough I just wanted them to empty and stack the dishwasher with 30 mins left. They left dirt on my hob and didn't clean my sink properly so couldn't even do that. I've now hired someone who will do it and it's now a hybrid housekeeping/cleaning role.

OP posts:

Angrywife · 15/02/2023 20:36

The cleaners my mum had, left an empty milk bottle in the fridge and their dirty cups in her sink!!

RedLorryYellaLorry · 15/02/2023 20:50

Fifi00 · 15/02/2023 20:29

That's fair enough I just wanted them to empty and stack the dishwasher with 30 mins left. They left dirt on my hob and didn't clean my sink properly so couldn't even do that. I've now hired someone who will do it and it's now a hybrid housekeeping/cleaning role.

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Completely understand, not doing the hob and sink properly is fairly standard stuff and the least you should expect. You're right to seek another cleaner in these circumstances.

I do cleaning and housekeeping too - laundry, watering plants, topping up pet water, bed making and bed changing etc. But I still won't do dishes. I explain this right at the start though, explain my reasons why and advise that I like to focus on the things that don't get done daily. Pots SHOULD be done daily when they've been finished with. Not left for hours/days/a whole week/a fortnight.

I do very detailed high standard stuff, so I don't want to be held up by dishes and have to compromise on my standards with the rest of the house because a mountain of greasy mouldy pots has slowed me down. Clients understand that when they hire me.

Because I do the rest of the house, the dishes are just one small task they have to do themselves. And 99% ofnthe time, they have dishwashers anyway. If they can't even be bothered to pop stuff in a dishwasher, then I'm lost for words.

Glad to.hear you have someone new though. Wishing you well. Hope they are what you need from a housekeeper. Just be careful.of how many pots you're leaving for this new cleaner. If you leave a lot, expect that some other area of the home will have to be left if they're unable to fit it all within a 2hr timeframe.

Clients having unreasonable expectations ie. a massive/varying list of jobs in an unrealistic timeframe, is a cleaners/housekeepers biggest reason for ditching a client (because cleaners dump clients as often as clients dump cleaners btw)

Pjsonat5pm · 15/02/2023 21:04

I’m a cleaner. When I take on a new customer I always ask what they expect or which jobs they prefer me to do. If they expected me to clean the sink and there were dirty pots in it I would wash up. Some customers just want the floor doing as they are constantly using the sink/worktops. I use the products they supply or I take my own and use my own cloths etc. each customer is different and has their own preferences. If I had ‘finished’ the usual clean and they were in the house I would ask if there was something else they would like me to do - occasionally they say no and let me go early…. If they’re not in the house I would look for something extra to do and would never leave before my allotted time was up.
However, I do clean for a couple of single men who have no clue so I do the basics first and usually strip/remake beds etc otherwise they would never get done 🙈

timeonmyside · 15/02/2023 21:19

They generally do not do them because some people start by leaving a few mugs which they will probably do and then before you know it they have a full days dishes left for them to do.

Tabitha1960 · 15/02/2023 21:23

I've been having my house cleaned for over 20 years and in that time had about 20 cleaners. Every one of them has done any dishes that are needing to be cleaned.

In your case, the cheeky bastards left 30 minutes early when they SHOULD have used that time to do the dishes!

Pinkfluff76 · 15/02/2023 22:06

Wtf
If I was paying cleaners and they were too petty to wash a few dishes as you hadn’t asked them to do so I’d ask for thirty minutes refund and tell them not to bother to come back!

Coconut2018 · 15/02/2023 22:44

I think the general is no..

But I have a wonderful cleaner who will wash up for me but I have known her years.

I pay her by the hour and when she comes in I let her know what I want doing and then however long it takes I pay her for it.. But like I say known her for a long time and she’s happy to do it 😊

mustgetoffmn · 15/02/2023 22:51

Get new cleaners. I’m not sure about expectations of the full sink load regularly but given all the other prep you did and knowing they left early that’s taking the piss. Any good employee works with a pride whatever the work and if one or two dishes c’mon! But you need clarification with them. I’d just not use them again. Get it clear with new ones leaving early on first visit not OK

maddening · 15/02/2023 23:02

The lady that provides my cleaning would do any cleaning tasks in the time she has, she does dishes for other clients, doesn't need asking, rotates jobs round etc and is amazing. I also pay annually for a big clean where she does tasks not in the usual clean.

ChellyT · 16/02/2023 01:25

Maybe a detailed list of cleaning duties they will be carrying out while at yours will help clarify this?

LotteLomax · 16/02/2023 01:29

My cleaner does the dishes and tidies up too. Otherwise, what are you paying for? My house looks immaculate after each visit.

journeyofinsanity · 16/02/2023 04:42

RedLorryYellaLorry · 15/02/2023 20:22

NRTFT, but...

Cleaner here. I don't do dishes. Simply because you do a couple one week because it wont take long, but next week there are more. The week after, even more. Before you know it an entire weeks worth of dishes have been allowed to grow to the size of Mount Kilimanjaro, growing bacteria and mould and hard as cement. It's not on. It's vile on a health & hygiene level. It's just downright disrespectful on a personal level. And it affects the length of time the clean takes, so if I'm spending an hour scraping, rinsing, scrubbing, degreasing, drying and putting away, it's going to eat into the time. Other tasks don't get done because I need to leave at the end of the slot time to get to my next job. And then complaints start. And then arguing ensues when I have to point out I had to spend so much time on the avalanche of mould-ridden dishes.

So I set my boundaries from the off - I don't do dishes. End of, no negotiating.

However, I would never leave early. If you're paying for 2hrs of my time, 2hrs of cleaning is what you get. (Just not dishes!)

Ps. 2 cleaners for 1 hour = 2 hours. Not, as you put it "I pay for 2 hrs, but have 2 cleaners, so only 1 hour". You have 2 MAN hours. Each cleaner needs to earn the hourly rate for the hour of work they've EACH completed.

But do chase up with management as to why they left 30mins early (unless they gave you a job rate for an agreed set list of tasks, rather than an hourly rate for a set time - then that's different. If they completed all the agreed tasks for the agreed job rate, then you have no right to complain)

Who in reality would leave a mountain of a whole week's dishes growing mould. I mean really. That's nonsense. For one thing, people don't have that many pots and pans and dishes. And most people who pay for a cleaner care about cleaning.

RedLorryYellaLorry · 16/02/2023 07:16

journeyofinsanity · 16/02/2023 04:42

Who in reality would leave a mountain of a whole week's dishes growing mould. I mean really. That's nonsense. For one thing, people don't have that many pots and pans and dishes. And most people who pay for a cleaner care about cleaning.

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All of what you just said is nonsense

I'm part of a nationwide network of domestic cleaners. You'd be surprised at the level of filth people actual leave for their cleaners. And yes, that includes a week's worth of pots. AND the Sunday roast pots, pans and dishes will be there too. I've had it happen to me (when I first started out) and other cleaners have shared with the network what has been left for them.

And most people who pay for a cleaner care about cleaning.

MOST - yeah, true. Most do. But a good number hire a cleaner and think they can literally create a shithole over a week/fortnight because they're paying for a cleaner to do it. Every single cleaner in the network has a handful of horror stories each. All manner of bodily fluids, used sani pads and tampons just thrown on the floor, used condoms on bedside tables or bedroom floors, dog shit & vomit left on INDOOR floors, a week's worth of pots piling up, mess that makes a squatters crack den look tidy... I could go on.

Sorry, but cleaners are often treated VERY poorly. They need to instill strict boundaries right from the get-go. Something I learned quickly when I set myself up in business.

MrsLighthouse · 16/02/2023 07:33

Paying for an hours cleaning is just that …if they had 30 mins to spare then l would reasonably expect them to find something to fill that time not leave . And yes l would expect a few plates ( not a dinner parties worth ) to be washed up.