What to do about the cleaner while we’re on holiday?

[Hatehairdressers]

More a WWYD then an AIBU…

We’ve recently taken on a cleaner who comes to our house weekly. She’s not been able to come for week or two here and there for personal reasons, and we’ve only paid her for the weeks she has actually cleaned.

We’re going on holiday for a fortnight soon, and I’m not sure what’s the ‘done thing’.

1. Ask her not to come whilst we are away but pay her anyway
2. Ask her not to come and don’t pay
3. Ask her to come and get her to do a deep clean/spring clean

She has house keys so she can easily come while we are away, we just won’t have been in the house from one week to the next for it to need a regular clean.

When I'm on holiday, my cleaning lady comes and does what she can. I don't expect her to do her full hours but I pay her for them. It isn't good to leave piles of post by the front door.

Ask her to do a deep clean so it's l9vely when you get back and give her a paid week off

1 or 3

If we're only away for a week then she comes as usual to do her normal clean. If it's longer then she also does a deep clean - fridge, kitchen cupboard interiors, high dusting etc.

It’s up to you. Assuming you won’t clean before
you go then presumably there will be the normal
clean to do week 1. Week 2 I would normally give a list of jobs that are done less often - inside windows/fridge/move furniture/whatever works for your house.

Deep clean would be wonderful

My Dmum asks her cleaner to do the deep cleaning jobs that there’s usually no time for during a standard clean. So windows, skirting boards etc. or she says she can have the time off unpaid if she prefers.

The way the holiday falls her normal cleaning day is they day after we leave, and then there’s one other cleaning day in the middle of the holiday.

So if I asked her to do a deep clean it’d be a regular clean week 1 and a deep clean week 2, no week off.

I'd do that OP, it's good to get those jobs that don't get done automatically sorted out. I would expect to potentially need to leave a list of what you want doing though.

When you're away is a good time for all those jobs there's not normally time for - fridge, cupboards, windows, behind the sofa etc. Don't cancel her - she will be relying on the money.

Spring clean definitely

Thanks - I was erring towards the deep clean suggestion but wanted to check that it wasn’t unreasonable to give her a list of deep cleaning jobs!

We always keep our cleaner coming during our holiday, and if there is more than one visit then they do deep cleaning both visits as it would overlap with a normal clean in some bits. Depending on time, you might want to specify what you want in a deep clean so that you get the kitchen cupboards turned out, but not the bathroom tiles scrubbed (or whatever you would feel most satisfied coming back to)

1 or 3

Deep clean. There’s loads she’ll be able to do when she doesn’t have to be bothered with beds & the usual time consuming stuff.

Ask her to come and do bits normally she can’t get to. Usually I get the oven or the microwave a bit if a clean if the rest doesn’t need working on. But hoovering and wiping things down. That needs to be done even if you are not around there’s just generic dust anyway.

it wouldn’t be fair for her to lose out on her regular salary because you are going on holiday.

Deep clean, definitely. A great chance to get more jobs done.

I do 3. My cleaner doesn't have time to do any extras normally, so when we go away I ask her to clean the inside of all the windows, move the furniture to hoover underneath/clean the skirting boards behind, hoover and mop the loft floor, dust the top of high pieces of furniture, etc.

1 or 3.

3

I would ask her to come once during that period and spend longer. She could choose a day/ time at her convenience since you aren't there anyway. No need for her to come twice if the house hasn't been used at all between cleans. Saves her time and gets you a deeper clean.

She could come for one "usual shift" where she does all the usual stuff; and you come home to a clean comfy orderly home.

You could ask her to come for a "spring clean" shift where she does jobs you don;t usually ask; strip launder and remake all the beds. clean windows, polish brass, clean the oven, water plants, deep clean the bathroom tiles. Do all the ironing.

1 or 3.
Assuming she's self-employed, you don't pay when she's on holiday or sick, unless you're being kind, but it shouldn't be expected.

I’d ask if she’d clean the insides of the windows and water the plants but it depends on how many hours she normally does.

We dont pay ours when we go on holiday. We don't get a service when she goes on holiday