Cleaner situation please advise

[Tospyornottospy]

Hello everyone - just wanted a bit of advice on the following. Sorry for long post just want to be thorough.

we’ve had a cleaner for 9 months. She does 2 full days (as per her request), 8am-4pm. So 2 x 8 hour days. She was recommended to us via a friend of hers and was previously also a nanny, so for her 8 hours the initial agreement was:

1. for 1-2 hours (broken up) to watch 2 year old whilst I’m running errands/cooking etc
2. take dog for 30 min walk
3. do a little bit of ironing (about 30 mins worth)

so there was 4-5 hours left to clean 2 x a week a 5 bed house (2 bedrooms aren’t used so need very little focus). House is always very tidy. After a few months it became clear she was extremely slow as the ironing that took me 30 mins max was taking 90 mins, so I asked her to drop the ironing and spend more time on the house.

the issue is it’s very unclear to me what she’s actually doing. Surfaces are covered in dust, windows are not clean, under furniture not hoovered etc, mould in parts of the bathroom, mirrors smudged. I’ve pointed these things out various times and they are solved the next time but then not done again.

I feel the hours she is doing are enough for the house to be clean clean but maybe i am
Expecting too much? We pay 18£ an hour plus her travel so it’s not nothing.

our previous cleaner kept the house much cleaner than this in less time and sadly she moved away.

also, DS went upstairs to get a top during the holidays and told me she was just sitting down up there. He’s 7 so could just be bollocks but im not sure how to handle. Sometimes there isn’t a lot of noise up there when im downstairs but i cant really go and stand over here and it’s awkward to keep bringing it up. On the other hand she’s very sweet and the children love her.

what do i do? Speak to her again? Let her go? Get a nanny cam to confirm if she’s actually working up there? Am I expecting too much?

Don’t fall for it, too little too late.

She what?! Definite cling film folder!

Sorry its a phrase I use in my house, referencing Dawn Frenchs character in Jam and Jerusalem, she cleans Saunders characters big house... only she doesn't, she folds the fucking cling film, eats all the biscuits and watches TV and Saunders struggles to sack her for various reasons.

I say it to DP when he's being particularly ineffectual over various jobs, i.e. 'are you cling film folding AGAIN'...

Get rid, she's absolutely taking the piss!

Love this so much

Ridiculous

She knows she's onto a good thing with the deal you've given her and doesn't want to lose it, but in all honesty you'd be a fool not to get rid of her

Of course she wants the chance to come back and fix it. She knows she's on to a good thing with you.

You also mentioned £18 an hour is the going rate with agencies. She's not an agency though and doesn't have the overheads and doesn't supply alternative cleaners when she's off. Also an agency pays tax she doesn't!

Seriously, don't have her back!

I hope you let her come back just to get the key and officially let her go. This is a joke and doesn’t even need to be questioned, if you or your husband sat around not doing your job you would be let go. You have given her ample opportunity to doa proper job on the house and she has repeatedly let you down.

You have made it too complicated. Separate the childcare, dog walking and cleaning.... I'd start again, new cleaner who just cleans. Arrange the dog walking and childcare separately.

I had a cleaner like that once. So I gave her one last try and printed a list off of all the things I expected in a clean.

Which fixed it. Couldn’t believe it, we kept her until she left years later.

I don’t want to be rude but can poeple
Actually read what I am
saying? It’s so exasperating having to explain time and time again.

I just need a cleaner. I added those jobs in as she wanted 8 hours.

but also, again, a nanny/housekeeper is a perfectly normal thing - that’s a person who does all those roles because they have experience in several areas, and their going rate is 18£ per hour where I live.

I agree with everyone but DH wants to give her another chance. We need the key back so she may as well come one more time. It’s extremely annoying - as in I’m so annoyed at myself for letting it get to this. The limescale etc isn’t a one time thing; it’s a build up of months of just not cleaning the taps properly. Having 8 hours here and blaming stuff on children’s toys (which would have taken a maximum of 30 mins as the house was spotless Sunday evening so was just morning chaos) is really ridiculous. DH is here when she comes back though so it can be his problem!

thanks everyone

Not that sort of agency. We used an agency last time and tried to this time but this cleaner came up before they found anyone so we went with her. The agency is one of those ones who find someone and you pay them a large finding fee then don’t pay again. Involves PAYE etc. so the 18£ an hour goes fully to the cleaner and this was their suggested rate.

Unless you live in Buckingham Palace I think 16 hours per week is excessive! And for the house to still be dirty, well, that's ridiculous.. We have a similar sized house and our cleaners do it in 3 hours a week. Ok, it's a superficial clean but it is clean - everything's shiny, do dust anywhere. Let her go and get someone for 4 hours a week max.

I just need a cleaner. I added those jobs in as she wanted 8 hours

Yes, but unfortunately it turned out that she wanted the pay for 8 hours but not to do the work

She differed from some by taking the piss right from the start, whereas IME they start off well then gradually decline, but then that's even more reason to get rid

OP, tell DH it will cost the same amount to change the locks as to pay her for another 2 days.

Plus you have the peace of mind that she hasn't copied your key.

We have a Banham lock so you can’t get the keys cut/it’s a lot more complicated but will get the key back then cut her loose.

Let her go Op
She is taking the piss

The dust on the extractor fan and wall beneath isn't just a result of missing it one day. It must have taken weeks or even months to get like that?

I don't know about the limescale as we are in a soft water area so don't know how quickly that builds up, but there's also a ring of grime round the taps which looks like a few weeks build up too.

I clean my own house, and admittedly not to a particularly high standard, but on the occasions I do it all properly it takes 8 hours to do a full clean of 5 bedrooms and 3 floors in total. This is cleaning absolutely everything- windows, dusting walls and ceilings, damp dusting all skirting boards, paintwork, moving furniture and cleaning underneath. I have high ceilings and intricate plasterwork too so need a step ladder. Plus I don't do this every week so there will be a certain amount of build up. Your house should be spotless paying over 10 hours per week.

Have you got a "nextdoor" website near you? That's where most people in my area find cleaners.

Next time give them a specific list and say it is a 2-3 week trial before you commit.

You can have CCTV in your own house for security. So set it up, and tell the cleaner that.

If she takes issue, then that's her problem.

She's taking the piss. Get rid of her. Try again. You've been much too naive nice

Trial is a great idea. Meeting someone else later today and have another potential couple lined up already.

You’re polite - have been an idiot

Yes, but it didn't sound like OP was thinking of telling her about it beforehand.

Also, “Tidying the toys” - under the playroom sofa are all the toys! For 7 hours it’s not a lot of tidying

Can you not just drive over and get the key?

It would stick in my craw rewarding her with a further £300. She' fleeced you for ages.

I wasn’t, which i can understand why people thing is unethical