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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Do cleaners not do dishes?

358 replies

Fifi00 · 13/02/2023 13:47

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?

OP posts:
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Fairysilver · 13/02/2023 15:08

A cleaner does whatever you agree they will do when you engage them.
I have had many cleaners and at different times my priorities have been different.
If on one occasion I asked her to wash up or clean the windows for two hours then that's what she does.

HerbalTeaAndCake · 13/02/2023 15:16

Mine does dishes if they are there. Of course!

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 13/02/2023 15:19

Buy a dishwasher and get rid of the cleaners.
Your DD and DH could try being a bit more responsible for their mess too.

tattygrl · 13/02/2023 15:23

WednesdaysPlaits · 13/02/2023 13:51

Mine does. You generally have to ask them though. I've told mine to clean each room throughly as if it was her own house and so that includes putting away dry dishes, washing anything in the sink or loading the dishwasher and putting it on, putting away the multipack of crisps that Ds has left on the worktop etc.

I think I'd be mortified if I instructed someone to put away a multipack of crisps that had been left on the side (unless I had disabilities or something that meant I couldn't do it). That's ridiculous. Cleaning I can understand but paying someone to put away snacks that have been left on a counter?? Surely you still want to retain the habit of basic tidying up after yourself?

StandALot · 13/02/2023 15:28

Don't you have a dishwasher op?
I wouldn't expect the cleaner to do the dishes, nor clear stuff away.

Teaandtoast3 · 13/02/2023 15:30

I don’t get it either OP. If I were a cleaner I wouldn’t have left early. I’d have done the dishes and asked you if there was anything else you wanted me to do 🤷‍♀️ but then I’m not a cleaner so what do I know?

ilovesooty · 13/02/2023 15:40

I don't usually leave anything in the sink but my cleaner certainly washes up the odd piece if I've overlooked it. She makes up the bed as well, takes stuff out of the washing machine and pegs or hangs it out and folds small amounts of clothes and puts them away.

That's in addition to the actual cleaning. She's brilliant.

Ultraninja · 13/02/2023 15:57

When I cleaned I would wash up a few breakfast dishes no problem. If I found the washing up from a whole roast I wouldn't.
I was also there to clean toilets. I wouldn't expect them to be unflushed, or with shit in the bowl, but it's definitely part of the job to clean them.
If cleaners leave half an hour early sack them and get someone else. Either they've over-quoted for the job or they are piss taking. The time "spare" at the end of a clean is when you can do some of the less routine jobs, like wiping finger marks off cupboards and doors, or cleaning some insides of windows.

sunflowersandtomatoes · 13/02/2023 15:58

Some cleaners just aren’t very good. I moved to a new area a year ago, and I’ve fired 3 cleaners in that time. Just hired a 4th and she’s fabulous, I’m a bit in love with her. I do my best to tidy before they come, but ultimately they’ve got to meet you halfway. Get rid of these, OP, and find someone new.

Nancydrawn · 13/02/2023 16:11

Generally, cleaners tend to do work that isn't in the normal everyday chore category. They tend to take the place of things that are regular weekly chores, like cleaning the loo, mopping, etc.

If you want them to do things that are daily chores (like dishes) or more occasional chores (like window washing), it's best to let them know explicitly. There are also categories of work, like laundry, which aren't expected but can be negotiated. There are complicated historical reasons for this, but practically, a lot of people want their laundry to be done by skilled practitioners rather than someone who might accidentally shrink a sweater or put silk through the machine.

If you want a housekeeper rather than a cleaner, he or she would tend to do a wider range of things.

You seem to be thinking that your cleaners are mind-readers, which is unreasonable. If you want them to do things, you should let them know, either in person or in writing. And it's always a good idea to keep a list of extra items in case they finish early on other things.

It is of course not unreasonable to want any employee or contractor to do a good job at their job. If they're routinely leaving half an hour early not because they're brilliantly efficient but because they've done a half-arsed job, then you should certainly reconsider their employment. But I'd make sure that I was being a good employer, too: clear, straightforward, and anticipatory.

Thatcatisdrivingmenuts · 13/02/2023 16:13

I wouldn't keep cleaners who left early. You're paying for 2 hour's service. They should provide it.

Thatcatisdrivingmenuts · 13/02/2023 16:15

And all this "nannies don't do this" and "cleaners don't do that" is bullshit. There's no rule for those jobs any more than there is for any other. The individual can negotiate tasks they won't do, but so can the employer negotiate what they need doing.

Fifi00 · 13/02/2023 16:16

StandALot · 13/02/2023 15:28

Don't you have a dishwasher op?
I wouldn't expect the cleaner to do the dishes, nor clear stuff away.

I do have a dishwasher , DH had not emptied it. I have a neurological condition, I still manage to work full time but spinning multiple plates is very difficult for me. My DH doesn't help properly like he will stack the dishwasher not empty or wash the filters or clean the sink properly. Basically it's either I argue or nag to death stressing me even more out or I hire someone to help assist. They hadn't even emptied a full bin , I had to go that.

I might need to look at hiring home help/ part time housekeeper if cleaners don't do some of the basics.

OP posts:
Nancydrawn · 13/02/2023 16:30

I'm sure your husband and children have many lovely qualities, but I can't imagine knowing my spouse/mother has a condition that makes dishes difficult and then forcing her to do them. That's shitty of them.

As for your cleaners, just ask! Honestly, there's nothing wrong with saying, "if you see any dishes, can you please do them" or "please empty and fill the dishwasher; I'll show you where things go." If they say no, then you can find a cleaner who will.

But seriously: I'd be so disappointed in my husband and children.

golddustwomen · 13/02/2023 16:35

Cleaner here, I would always wash up the breakfast stuff. I would be a bit miffed if they left the whole of last dinners stuff in the sink mind.

golddustwomen · 13/02/2023 16:36

I also would never leave early, there is always something to clean.

Fifi00 · 13/02/2023 16:40

Nancydrawn · 13/02/2023 16:30

I'm sure your husband and children have many lovely qualities, but I can't imagine knowing my spouse/mother has a condition that makes dishes difficult and then forcing her to do them. That's shitty of them.

As for your cleaners, just ask! Honestly, there's nothing wrong with saying, "if you see any dishes, can you please do them" or "please empty and fill the dishwasher; I'll show you where things go." If they say no, then you can find a cleaner who will.

But seriously: I'd be so disappointed in my husband and children.

I am disappointed, I can moan, nag even shout but nothing changes long term and it destroys my health stress exacerbates my condition . DD is getting a bit better with chores as she's getting older . It's either work full time or I do all of the cleaning /chores I struggle to do everything. I don't want to give up my independence and career for that. My old cleaner got promoted to supervisor so she's not doing my property anymore everything was fine until the new ones came. The owner said she would be coming back and I really hope she does of I will have to hire an agency that's more geared towards home help.

OP posts:
ZenNudist · 13/02/2023 16:41

I said YANBU. It's not usual for cleaners to do dishes but if there is nothing else to do and they left 30 mins early leaving dirty dishes I'd not use them again.

Boohisspiss · 13/02/2023 16:45

Your Majesty, why don’t you get new cleaners?

WhereIsMumHiding3 · 13/02/2023 16:48

I pay afterwards it's an agency I've used them for 2 years. The new ones aren't great and I'm getting sick of the leaving early when yes there's still things to do like skirting boards or even just the fricking dishes in front of their face.

I'd contact the agency and pay for the time they were there, so they lose that half hour they left early for

Tbh they sound like poor service so I'd be inclined to cancel their service and get a new cleaner

SelinaKant · 13/02/2023 16:54

No, they don;t do dishes or any crap that's left lying around. You clear the decks and tidy up so that they can CLEAN.

PuppyMonkey · 13/02/2023 16:54

I think it’s very unusual that you don’t want the cleaners cleaning your loos at all tbh. I mean yes of course you clean them yourself between their visits, but I would still let them do the loos as part of the general cleaning too.Confused

Maybe give the Cleaners a list of stuff that needs doing and ask them to get through as much as possible in the 2 hours.

We had a cleaner and she didn’t do dishes but she would as part of her kitchen clean up move any dirty dishes left by the sink or on the table etc (not by me) next to the dishwasher just so she could clean
the work surfaces properly.

thehorsehasnowbolted · 13/02/2023 16:56

The cleaner can do whatever is agreed, of course

SgtBilko · 13/02/2023 17:00

Mine have always done dishes. Not the whole of last night's dinner but certainly breakfast things.

ibblebibbledibble · 13/02/2023 17:03

People always get their knickers in a twist about cleaners doing dishes, I really don’t get it. Why is cleaning dishes so horrifying but cleaning a toilet isn’t?

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