Cleaner drank the juice, ate the salmon and charged her phone

[Shadow743]

I have a cleaner who has been coming for 2hrs a week for approx a year. She is unreliable, often texting the day before with a wide selection of reasons as to why she can't make it, and she doesn't always do a great job. I've been thinking about getting rid of her for a while but I have a lot of guilt around having a cleaner in the first place, as it feels like such a luxury and I feel like a bit of a snob for having one. I've come home whilst she's been there before and seen her charging her devices, noticed that the cordial seems to have been drunk and a couple of weeks ago, I'm sure (but can't be 100% certain) that she finished of the smoked salmon from the fridge. Today, my kids marked a line on the juice bottles as a little experiment and lo and behold, I've come home to find not only has she drunk the cordial, she's finished it AND put the empty bottle on the top of the bin.
Am I being unreasonable to be furious and feel like she's taking the mick now or am I overreacting to some minor issues which I should overlook because a little bit of juice and a little bit of electricity here and there won't kill me???

Also I guarantee one of your kids finished the salmon (and probably thought it funny to blame it on the poor cleaner given your attitude towards her..)

Do you know, I think most adults would know the difference between mi wadi and diamonds.

Clearly not all , but most.

This.

The cleaner ate the smoked salmon 😱. Peak Mumsnet!

Team cleaner here.

Offering drink , a sandwich and charging phone is not going to make you poorer

I let builders, gas men, electrician charge their phone so why not a cleaner? They're people too, you can charge your phone on the bus or in McDonald now its hardly a huge deal and not really costing you anything

I couldn't get upset over a splash of cordial either really, would you be mad over a tea bag or splash of milk? I mean if she polished of a bottle of Moet or opened something special without permission then yeah but bog standard half used kids cordial. Finishing it all off if there is no more is a bit irritating though.

Eating foods out of the fridge without permission yes would piss me off but you say you don't know it was her.

you're old enough to have a cleaner and kids and a job but you can't fire someone for not doing their job.

Charging devices - unless she's getting 20 phones out of her backpack every day, let that go. Drinking a bit of juice - crikey, really? The salmon may or may not be out of order - what is your agreement on things like that?

The worst thing about all of this is you told your kids about it and they independently or with your prior knowledge "set a trap" for the cleaner. This is not a good way to have your children learn to be respectful. One day they might be employers and I would hope before then they have learnt about confidentiality and respect from someone.

It's been 30 bloody degrees and you begrudge the woman a glass of cordial. Christ.

As for the phone, I can't even express how much I wouldn't care.

The food I'd be unimpressed by but do you actually know that was her?

Water is one thing helping herself to things from the cupboard is totally different.

Cordial is kids concentrated juice (usually blackcurrent or orange) that you dilute... hence the kids drawing on the bottle.

You can buy it as cheap as 29p.

I wouldn't be happy she was just taking things out of my fridge tbh, its not something I would do myself.

Clearly the squash is out. But it’s Still a bit of squash. Imagine begruding someone that.

Then would you polish your halo before going and reading to the blind….

I really can’t believe you’re upset about her charging her phone

It's not that is it. It's the deceit.

Would be delighted if my cleaner made a drink - I always offer. I’ve noticed she makes herself one when I’m not there, presumably because she feels more comfortable. I’m glad she does as I think she is running off fresh air all day.

Charging I wouldn’t even flinch.

Smoked salmon is probably a crossed line. Unless she was cleaning the fridge and it was on its use by?

She is a fantastic cleaner though.

There is nothing deceitful about a bit of squash.

100% agree with this. Why are you children trying to catch her out? That's incredibly disrespectful. If you have a problem with her work quality/ethic you don't discuss this with your kids so they can be so mean.

I have done some cleaning in the past and I would never have touched any food or drink unless it was specifically offered to me. Charging the phone, I would have asked if it was okay to do so. One of the most vital things with a cleaner is trust and only you can decide if you trust her. A good cleaner won’t snoop and will just get stuck in and do a good job. Not everyone can clean efficiently and it does sound as if she falls into this category.

I wouldn’t have an issue with my cleaner having a drink or charging a phone. Why the big deal?

Deceit?

The cleaner didn’t run off with the jewellery box, she made herself a glass of squash, had some Aldi smoked salmon and plugged her phone in.

1. You're not being unreasonable to want a cleaner who turns up on time and on the right day. You're not unreasonable to want a cleaner who does a good job in the time allowed.
2. You are very unreasonable to begrudge your cleaner a drink in this weather, and even worse, to suggest they're stealing from you. You say you feel like a snob having a cleaner, that's not what being a snob is, being a snob is when you look at the hired help as being probably untrustworthy as less than you. Do your cleaner a favour and stop hiring her

That was my thought, or wanted to let OP know she had finished it in case needing to add it to a shopping list.

It's squash. Surely no one is that mean?

We've changed cleaner recently, on the first day the new lady was shown the tea, coffee, squash etc and told to help herself. Genuinely can't believe anyone would have someone working in their house for a few hours a week without doing similar. Mean, mean, mean.