How clean should your house be after a cleaner visit?

[Merryoldgoat]

I am trying to work out if I have unreasonable expectations of my cleaner.

She does a bit of tidying as well and some ironing. She has plenty of time, isn’t rushed but I’m finding that stuff I think is basic is being left unclean.

Should they move stuff to vacuum around?

Should they move stuff on the kitchen worktop to clean under?

Should there be smears on windows or glass surfaces? This is kind of where she’s obviously wiped it down but not ‘polished’ it off.

Would you expect the floor in the gaps between appliances to be cleaned?

Would you expect cobwebs to be removed?

I’m having a real internal struggle as I really like her, she’s a lovely women, but I just don’t feel like she’s doing a good enough job.

I pay her well, she has good conditions, I am just trying to understand if my expectations are too high.

Happy to answer any questions if it helps.

For that time and house size then your list is correct and I’d have the beds changed too.

You are not being unreasonable! Our cleaner leaves the house shiningly clean and has 4 hours £15per hour for 4 bed with big rooms, also irons, cleans windows, anything we ask for. You need to have an honest conversation and let her know exactly what you expect. Cleaning taps properly is basic. Show her how you want things done if necessary, just the once. Ask her to hoover properly under things and use the nozzle for the ages. It is pointless paying someone if they don’t leave it really clean.

I don’t know why you let her go early though. Give her a list of extra jobs to do “if you have time at the end” eg ironing. She needs to know you expect more. If she doesn’t respond get a new cleaner.

She has plenty of time, isn’t rushed

How big is your house?
How untidy is it left for her?
How big is the ironing pile?
How long does she have to do it all in?

I'm a cleaner. I'm good at my job, Im sought after and have a waiting list. I've been doing it for years and know my stuff. I'm part of a national network of cleaners. Thousands of us. The one issue we ALL struggle with is clients with unrealistic expectations.

As an example, I recently met a client who had dumped her cleaner because she wasn't doing a good enough job. This house comprised of 2 WFH adults, one of whom had two businesses which ran from her house - a mum & baby group, and a dog training class. Hoards of people coming in daily. She also had 3 young kids, 3 large long haired dogs and two long haired cats.
The house was a 3 storey - All LARGE rooms. 6 beds, 3 bathrooms, 2 offices, utility room, dining room, family room, lounge, downstairs WC, boot room. It was huge. They were outdoorsy people too, so mud and leaves were traipsed on top of all the per hair and general mess of all these many people who used the house.

She dumped her cleaner because she wasn't managing this house to a high standard kn the TWO HOURS she'd only pay her for.

When I explained a house like this needed at the very bare minimum, 5 hours, she wouldn't have it. Then proceeded to say "but my last cleaner did it in two!"... but she wasn't, which is why she got rid of her! The poor cleaner had also started bringing her mum to help her. So actually 4 man hours of work was being put in, but client was still only paying for 2 hours and complaining it still wasn't good enough.

She insisted she wanted me though, so I agreed I'd do what I could in 2 hrs, but there was no way I could do the whole house. She followed me round and saw the back breaking effort I put in, and reluctantly agreed "OK, maybe 2hrs isn't enough" so said "let's do 2.5hrs" I wanted to cry!

Eventually, after many a conversation she agreed to go up to 3hrs. But she expected the entire house done.

That job was literally injuring me trying to do it at break-neck speed to meet all her demands and expectations. My back started giving in and I was having to cancel other jobs after doing hers because it made me so physically exhausted and in pain.

I let her go when I ended up having to have 3 weeks off work (self employed, so if I don't work I don't earn). And she still said "I think you ought to work notice to give me time to find someone else" ...I was literally physically unable to work because of the physical pressure she'd been putting me under because she didn't want to pay for the actual amount of time that house needed.

That was a big lesson learned for me. I have these sorts of clients sussed within about 2-3 cleans now, and no longer put myself through months of gruelling pain trying to satisfy their unrealistic expectations. I just move on to the next one. I don't earn nearly enough to put my physical and mental health at risk like that.

So, just make sure you really aren't expecting too much OP. It's very easy for people who don't do this job to think we just waft a duster about and think it's a piece of piss. It actually requires more skill, physical demands, coordination and time management than people realise.

How much stuff has to be moved to vacuum around? Mounds of clothes? Footwear? Heavy furniture? Blankets that have fallen off the couch onto the floor? Or is it just a case of shifting an armchair back a few inches?

How many items are left on the counter for her to move so she can clean the surface? If it's just the usual appliances and not stacks of dishes or bags of flour, etc, then she should move them to clean underneath.

My amazing cleaner (who I have had for 14 years across three properties) has a rota of things she does, but the house is always clean after her visit. She does clean under the sofa and in gaps, moves things around, and the place is spotless. We will have tidied for her.
before her (and for a while whilst she was on sick leave) I had to fire a lot of cleaners because their clean was not acceptable. But I go through an agency, and they just send you a different one. I think the difference is… I have someone who is a professional and takes pride in her work. Others might clean, but they may not be a professional cleaner.

It would be easier to comment if you listed the things she does do in the time.

Do you honestly think you personally could do a high quality clean of all the areas you are asking for in the time you allocate? That should answer your question.

I expect cleaners to clean like I clean:

All dust gone
Skirtings & edges hoovered (inc bannister & plate rail, picture rails)
Bathroom / toilet as clean as can be done - ie no grime left anywhere
Nooks & crannies hoovered / things moved to hoover under (not large furniture)

I’m yet to find a cleaner who does as good a job as I do which is frustrating. I’ve had every one question why I need a cleaner when my house is spotless. I’d say you need a new cleaner but good luck finding one!

@RusemaneGanche

I really don’t think I am expecting too much especially as she’s leaving early!

@mathanxiety

In the kitchen I’m talking toaster, kettle, breadbin and three canisters. No dishes. Everything goes in dishwasher before she arrives.

Hoovering I am taking about laundry baskets on the landing, shoe basket in the hallway, blanket basket in the lounge.

Underneath easily accessible furniture - not moving any armchairs or anything like that.

Absolutely. I could clean the areas I’m asking in less time than I’m paying for.

She theoretically does what I ask but not as well as I’d like.

So I ask her to hoover the whole house, but skirtings and edges aren’t done and easily moveable things aren’t moved.

She cleans the bathroom but misses some surfaces and the taps etc.

She cleans the kitchen but there are still crumbs in crevices and the worktops feel sticky.

She dusts but I notice she doesn’t move picture frames.

She does the living room but doesn’t move dining chairs to clean under the table.

It’s all done but not as well as I’d like.

The fact she leaves early says it all.
I clean a 3 bedroom house top to bottom, including fridge, cooker etc and change the 5 beds in 4 hours, time to get a new cleaner!

There's your answer then. The market is saturated with lots of cleaners. Try someone else, preferably an independent self employed cleaner who will probably attend to detail rather than an agency cleaner just doing the rounds.

I was a cleaner for years and you are absolutely not asking too much. I would never leave cobwebs or streaks on glass. Things like hoovering/mopping under side tables would always be done and cleaning round the bottom of taps is very very basic. For 4 hours in a house your size I'd be expecting to do a very thorough clean.

So when I was younger I had a couple of cleaning jobs, and as silly as it sounds I just didnt know what to clean. I think I would have missed some of these things. Please just write a list of things she is missing and some of the things she isnt missing and ask her to do them, itll make her feel less shit if she thinks it's just you wanting certain things cleaning and not saying shes done a shit job. You can change it every week and hopefully after a few goes she'll know what to clean. If this doesnt happen shes just lazy.

Honestly thank you all.

I am genuinely very easy and if it were right time wise I would extend it - I don’t expect anyone to work in a stressful way.

I like her a lot and trust her so I will have an honest conversation and hopefully we can get through it.

She's taking the piss Op, you need to end the arrangement. You've already spoken to her and she's ignored you. She's doing a rubbish job and she knows it.
I used to clean. I would never have left worktops sticky. Anything shiny - taps, draining boards, baths for example - were polished with a dry cloth after cleaning. Within reason any stuff out on kitchen worktops was lifted or moved so I could clean under.

Four hours is generous for your home and I think she should always have time for a bit of ironing, particularly as she's leaving early. I used to do a house like yours in 3 hours. That didn't include cleaning windows inside, or moving furniture, but I'd do those sort of jobs every now and then when I finished before the 3 hours were up.

This thread is making me question my own cleaner.
I have a big 4 bed house and have a cleaner that does upstairs one week and downstairs the next.
I'm seeing things like this as well.

4 hours to me seems a long time to do a top to bottom clean of half a house and she does seem to miss little things too.

As an example, I'm housesitting at the moment and their cleaner came today. She comes once a week so I've seen her 3 times so far and it's always the same. 3 bed house over 3 floors.

She changes all the sheets and puts them through the wash. Cleans the bathrooms so that they really sparkle. Cleans the kitchen. Hoovers the entire house, stairs and sofa (cat hair). Polishes the furniture. Puts another washing through before she leaves, with towels and kitchen cloths which I then hang up.

She spends 3 hours here. As I say, it's not my house but I'm impressed with how much she achieves in 3 hours. The house is shining

I clean, sometimes I will tidy or do the odd bit of washing up however if I don't have time and need to focus on the clean I will do this instead. I always ask a client if there is anything specific they want done to text and I will try and fit it in - for example this week picking up a clients bedding and changing all beds while they were on holiday however this was discussed before and extra time added so I could still clean. Generally I will wipe all surfaces it kitchen including lifting items and wiping small appliances when needed, bathroom always clean tiles, bath, toilet, taps, glass cleaned, dusted everywhere hoover and mop. If I have time I'll do odd jobs like blinds, change beds, clean woodwork and radiators etc.

I would say apart from moving sofas or big furniture items the cleaner should be doing all of that. I would get a new one tbh if it's been discussed and it's still happening. If the cleaner felt she didn't have enough time then surely she would say I'm struggling to get xyz don't in the 4 hours I need extra time. It sounds like she's just cutting corners.

My cleaners are like this. They don't do cobwebs ever. Other bits seem to get missed, like vacuuming/sweeping in the nooks and crannies between toilet and bath, or the occasional surface will not have been dusted. The worst bit is they don't clean the toilet bowls properly. Other things are done well though, like the floors downstairs.

I have mentioned it to the lady who owns the agency (it's a local one) a couple of times but at this point I guess I would just have to get a new cleaner and I'm not sure who I'd go with. The previous agency I had before COVID was the same.

I had to get rid of my last lot of cleaners for stuff like this. Just stuff missing or ignored.

Mine was only 2 main rooms -kitchen and bathroom (in 2 hours) and I was used to them being sparkling when done. We told them the glass tiles usually sparkled and taps all water stains removed bur no improvement so we switched to another.

And now back to sparking things!

Is it possible one week to stay with her and go through the cleaning with her, explaining what you want as you go.
I had a cleaner once ages ago and she was very good. She always ran the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner round the edges.

I think she's doing a half assed job. The best cleaners are detail oriented.

Wrt the streaky windows and sticky surfaces, is she using the right products? Are her cloths fit for purpose? Does she use the same cloth for all surfaces?

The residue at the base of taps in the bathroom might be hard water build up. You can't get rid of it by simply wiping with a cloth or even scrubbing with an old toothbrush. It takes a long soak with vinegar, though oven cleaner will also work, and you need to use a scraper.