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?

He thinks if we talk to her she will change, and that we don’t know the others will be any better. I’m telling him if the house looks like this after 16 hours a week for 9 months she’s not going to be able to change enough!

I’m in the same situation - lots of hours, twice a week, well paid and everything is covered in stains, mirrors full of smears/ foundation drops and taps NEVER touched.

Interestingly, we recently had guests staying over for a week and she cleaned really well on her two days. She was clearly worried my guests would say something to me about her shitty cleaning.

She used to be good, but she’s been with us for over a year and a few months in she relaxed too much.

This is odd. What’s the story between your dh and the cleaner? Check it out.

She's taking the piss. This is an easy big earner for her.

Stand your ground!

We had one like this... Our house is spotless BEFORE the cleaner comes, that's how we keep it, so clearly she thought she didn't need to do anything. She would spend an hour in the bathroom (two hours per week for the whole house), clearly just sitting on the toilet playing on her phone).

When you boot her, she'll realise how good she had it because I guarantee you, two full days of cleaning in a house that most people might not notice if a cleaner had been at all (yours) is a unicorn. She'll probably end up at a a grotty slum where it's obvious if she doesn't clean and and have to work twice as hard.

Don't give her a free ride.

We have 4 bedroom / 2 bathroom bungalow

In 3 hours, our cleaner does the following -

bins & recycling
changes bedding
cleans the house
ironing

House is tidy, which is a big help and makes the house easier to clean. But I still think she gets a lot done in a short time

Sounds a bit flaccid to me

You already have talked to her and nothing's changed, and while I agree you've no way of knowing others will be better they could hardly be any worse!!

Edited to add you also keep mentioning her "long commute", but has it occurred to you to wonder why she's prepared to do this when decent cleaners can get all the work they want locally?

Then again perhaps she's had local jobs and word has got around ...

Im
not being ageist but he’s 30 and she’s 55-60 so I don’t think there’s a situation.

more advice though please. Someone recommended a cleaner to me. They hired her a few months ago and pay 16 ph. Cleaner wants to come here next week and is saying her rate is 18. Is this savvy or cheeky? Im
so worried re getting burned again.

Will you get rid?

More advice though please. Someone recommended a cleaner to me. They hired her a few months ago and pay 16 ph. Cleaner wants to come here next week and is saying her rate is 18. Is this savvy or cheeky? Im so worried re getting burned again

If it's a few months ago then presumably she's put up her rate in the meantime, and is maybe doing it for new clients and leaving existing ones on the old rate (especially if they're long term clients)?

By all means ask about the difference, but I wouldn't say it's cheeky - just business

And definitely sort out a trial period next time; it won't prevent the frequent thing of them going off the boil after a few months but at least it'll save you the farce you've had with this one

Is it cheeky for you to pay one cleaner 18ph and then consider paying a different one 16ph? No. And there is nothing cheeky about a self-employed person setting their rate for you at a different rate from their rate for someone else. It doesn't mean you have to accept it, but it's not cheeky.

Ok thank you guys!

If she’s trying to charge you more than the other person don’t hire her.

hmm... that itself is not a problem. maybe agree to a two week trial and then see if you want to move forward?

also make it clear from the start that you expect a high standard of cleaning and provide her with a check list so there is no confusion

If she’s significantly better than the person OP has been paying 18 ph to for crappy cleaning, that would be a pretty stupid decision to make.

I think this will be similar to the guy who cuts my partners hair. Dp pays £20 its stayed the same since he became a client but new customers pay £25.

he says he has always done that when dp questioned if he wanted more, when he raises his prices he doesn’t like to put up prices for his existing customers just charges new clients the new price

I don’t know the actual prices so iv made them up*

I’m all for being upfront and honest about not being happy with her work output/ the result but sometimes giving a person an escape route can be useful. How about you do tell her you’re going to install cctv in the house and if you’ll totally understand that if she’s uncomfortable with that - her option bring that she can decide herself to leave as the cctv is definitely happening. This obviously wont actually help if she is deluded enough to think she’s using her time efficiently (assuming she is doing little or nothing when she’s out of sight).

This thread has been so helpful for me everyone thank you. DH and I are a bit soft. He’s worse than Me - he wanted to pay her 150£ just for showing up tomorrow then send her home!

😂😂the thing is sponging cfs can very easily identify soft touches like yourselves. I used to be like that, until I got sick of being taken advantage of

more advice though please. Someone recommended a cleaner to me. They hired her a few months ago and pay 16 ph. Cleaner wants to come here next week and is saying her rate is 18. Is this savvy or cheeky? Im
so worried re getting burned again.

I've had not exactly the same but...recently for grass cutting the man asked for a higher rate than I'd been paying previously. I felt it was cheeky but family advised me that it's not unreasonable and that costs and therefore prices have gone up generally for work, particularly travel and fuel costs. Does this cleaner also have travel costs? Could that be the reason for her increasing her charges?

The plan re tomorrow is just that she come, do the day, we pay her then ask for the key. I think it’s the least awkward way of doing it. DH thinks it’s too mean to let her to work and then let her go, but if she’s come the whole way she may as well because she’s then also getting paid? I think it’s the easiest way of doing it. Otherwise just sending her back without pay is mean. But with pay and no work is insane.

I don’t think so but equally maybe it’s a new thing or she’s heard we are flexible re price. Plus if she does a better job for fewer hours it’s still 400£ less a month!

I think you’ve been more than fair. Yes get her to clean tomorrow- it could be the best clean of her career to date!

Then kindly ask for the key at home time - you could fib and say you are going on maternity leave early or moving to France!

You could just say that you won't be needing her after today as you have decided to separate the house cleaning from the dog walking etc and that you know it wouldn't be worth it to her to travel all that way just to do the three hours involved in that side of things - which you had mainly given her to make up the hours that suited her.

She has really taken advantage of you, and your husband wants to reward her for this??
Insane!

Gosh don't either of you manage people at work?

• set clear expectations
• if expectations are not met, restate them
• if they are still not met, tell the person they are not met and let them go on that basis

I think you should be honest, clear and fair regarding why you are letting her go. It is good for everyone and may help her in future. Plus it's good practice for you if you have to manage another person to practice giving clear feedback!