To tell my cleaner to stop wearing perfume?

[LeMoax]

We have a cleaner that comes once a week for four hours. We’ve used the same cleaning company for a while but recently they’ve chopped and changed the staff, so after a period of different people each week it seems we’ve now settled on someone regularly.
She cleans okay but wears really strong perfume. So strong that after she goes I need to leave all the windows in the house open for a good hour or so to get rid of her smell.

AIBU to ask her or her boss to ask her to stop wearing the perfume before coming to our house?

@LovelyTheresa I agree, but some of the best fragrances are also the strongest and have the best projection! I would use your vintage Chanel 19 up if I was you because perfume doesn't keep all that well and it will change over time. I have had a couple of mine go off before I managed to use them up despite storing them in a cool dark place.

Strong perfume gives me a headache and makes me feel sick so I would have to ask her not to wear it. My dm no longer sprays air freshener around her house when she knows I might visit as she knows it makes me feel ill - and that's her own house!

Wtf is "Ibqpudo" ?

Literally just a typo. It should have said I'd hate this too. But I have short stubby fingers and I don't check before I post. Apologies.

Is it a part of Canada where you aren’t allowed to wear perfume/aftershave to work in case of allergies? I have to say, I’m pretty sensitive to perfume, I find lots of them very overpowering and a mate staying this week was very fragranced, which I found very hard to deal with. It equates-in my mind-to a heavy smoker coming into a non-smoking household, I find it really difficult to deal with the lingering smell.

I'd bloody love a cleaner. No matter what they smell like.

Hire one, then!

I think if I were the cleaner, I'd prefer the option of choosing whether I wear less perfume and keep a regular client, rather than getting ditched with no explanation. She'd be well within her rights to decline the work, but then at least it"s her choice. Maybe soften the message by mentioning an allergy. I had to ask DH to stop using aerosol deodorants as they were triggering a hay-fever-like reaction in me, so it's not that far-fetched.

As a cleaner myself, I sweat a lot when I work so I wear my deodorant and my perfume to hopefully hide any bodily odours. But if a client came to me and said about the perfume I’d say to then goodbye and find another client. If she’s that good you’d put up with it.

I don't think you should tell her, but you could ask, or ask if they could change to someone else.

I am quite sensitive to smells and certain smells make me feel ill.

Perfume doesn’t hide body odour. It mixes with it but the BO won’t go away.

Are you a cleaner??

No.

Who do I need to be a cleaner to know that perfume won’t hide BO?

It's ask, not tell.

Why are you being unnecessarily rude?

I work in a care home. I know one carer who does a 12 hour night shift, followed by a morning cleaning job. Totally lovely person. Never known to wear strong perfume. But if you're going to work 16-hr shifts 4 days per week, maybe instead of a shower, after dealing with dirty diapers, you spray perfume. Maybe just listen and treat people as real human beings. Before you have a "Princess tantrum".

Thank goodness someone agrees with me.

I would hate to come home to a clean house but smelling of something I didn't like. And smells can linger too, for ages. I don't know what the answer is, but I wouldn't like it either, if it was something I didn't like the smell of.

This post makes absolutely zero sense.

I totally agree. The smell of perfume mixed with BO is truly vile and vomit inducing.

As long as you are polite I don't think it's awful.

I'd say something like I'm so sorry to have to ask this but it's affecting my asthma. I totally understand if this isn't ok with her but if so then maybe there's a different person you could send instead

It's your house. I don't think it's unreasonable at all to ask; the cleaner probably can't smell it on herself. Why would you want your house to stink of a scent you don't like?

Well you are paying so I guess you call the shots!
I'm a cleaner starting work at 5am,I don't have time to get made up but I always use moisturiser,lipstick and perfume. It makes me feel happy and I love all my perfume, expensive and less so alike. No one else's perfume.e has ever offended me and I always compliment others when they smell good!
When you have a more menial job, it's important to boost your confidence, and your mood, we are as good as anyone else.

If it makes you uncormfortable, then it is fair for you to mention it. But of course, being careful how you word it. And perhaps explain it actually gives you a bad headache each time. As the employer who pays the wage, you have the right to explain and ask. And that does NOT make you a slave driver at all.

Honestly? This would be my idea of a nightmare, I cannot stand strong perfume, or any perfume to be honest. It would feel rather invasive having that in my home.

I’d definitely raise it with the manager and ask if they can send someone else.

Certain perfumes really make my chest tight and burn my lips - and that’s without me wearing them. Just being near other people.

Urh, how disgusting.