Abusive cleaner took pics of my home

[ChicExpert]

My lovely self employed cleaner went back to her own country. New cleaner started this week. House is tidy but dirty floor and surfaces, needs a good vacuum/mop/wiping up. We hire 4 hours a week for a deep clean of the downstairs(kitchen dining living room)/hallway and stairs. Standard 3 bed house in London with kitchen extension, takes me 2 hours to do but pay for 4 so the job gets done properly.

New cleaner came and in 4 hours couldn't clean what we asked which is just vacuum/mop and wipe down all surfaces. Had to ask her to clean individual window seals as she didn't and when she left I noticed the living room window seal wasnt cleaned. She broke my glass chopping board and didn't say anything and left chemicals in the oven which I told her not to clean. Last cleaner was able to wipe the skirting boards and didn't leave a spec of dirt in corners, this cleaner left many areas dirty.

I said nothing and thought I won't hire again. The company messaged me why I don't want to hire again and I said I wasn't happy with the clean nothing else.

I then get very abusive messages and pictures of my floor being dirty saying my house is disgusting. Didn't get to respond before I was blocked by the company.

AIBU? I feel completely violated and want to complain some how. She took photos of my home without permission.

Don't even know what to do now and feel uncomfortable using another cleaner. Husband says I'm over reacting :( am I?

FYI I've added a photo of my home before the cleaner came. Floors are clearly dirty but the kitchen is tidy/needs wipe down.

My post is no doubt full of of errors as Its gone midnight and i was up at 5 am with my baby and your missing my point the OP dont have to clean before an clearner comes but she has to give an realistic time frame to clean it. My comment use your brain was that i never anywhere said it was summer now.

Four hours is not nearly long enough to deep clean a three bedroom extended family home. They might be able to give it a good enough clean, if it’s left tidy and over the space of a few months get it to the level where it just needs to be maintained… but unless they were working like crazy it’s not enough time. I’ve had lots of cleaners in London and have learned to manage my expectations or expect my keys to be left behind for me …

We hire 4 hours a week for a deep clean of the downstairs(kitchen dining living room)/hallway and stairs

Not the whole house and no bathrooms. 4 hours should be adequate esp if OP when not heavily pregnant manages it in 2.

My concern here is why is she taking any photographs of your home? I would be extremely vigilant, hope you don't suffer a burglary in the next few wks or so.

.l would give this cleaning company a bad review on social media, they have no right to treat you as they have....Something not right here....?

Maybe we have a different idea of deep cleaning. If I’m deep cleaning, I’m scrubbing around the taps with a toothbrush, cleaning all the rubber seals on the fridge, the inside and the top of the fridge, the oven, the kitchen cupboards etc … under the beds, behind the sofas, windows. I have a three bedroom house and I can clean it in four hours - dust, vacuum, mop etc but not deep clean it …

@SpiritOfEcstasy I think the point is that the cleaner was not asked to do the whole house, only the downstairs, no bathrooms.

I think you’re mistaking what culture means. It certainly doesn’t mean lazy aholes. There are 4 middle eastern men in my every day life. None of them leaves a pig sty for someone else to clean. My almost 80yr old middle eastern FIL is most often on dish washing (by hand ) duty and a bunch of other house tasks. My middle eastern DH wouldn’t dream of leaving the floor dirty. In fact, these people are some of the cleanest people I’ve met. Your lot is just lazy and entitled.

I suspect the company thought you’d booked them for a one off deep clean (which is more expensive)& then just made up a reason to not rebook.
I’ve had people ask me to clean, I’ve cleaned some pretty dirty places - mouldy bathrooms / cigarette stained walls etc… and after I’ve finished they’ve said what an amazing job I’ve done them a week later made some excuse why they suddenly can’t afford a cleaner or found a friend to do it instead… etc..
I’m never rude though… if I were you I’d ask on local Facebook groups if someone could recommend a cleaner, I wouldn’t neccesarily go through an agency, they charge so much more as they take a cut.. I’d also probably get someone in 2 times a
week for 2 hours each time to keep the house clean rather than leaving it a whole week. I know what it’s like because I have 2 dogs and I have to sweep and hoover daily… sometimes more frequently! (& they don’t even moult)…
I think your husband could’ve swept the larger items, and think it’s awful everyone leaves it all to you!! But think it’s weird a company wants to only clean houses that don’t need cleaning!… & they shouldn’t really be photographing your house! Although they only got the floor in and nothing like family photos, or anything identifying so it’s ok I guess.
As I say ask on local groups or ask friends who they use… I’ve got all my little jobs by recommendations… I clean for friends, their mothers, their mothers friends etc!
I do think you should’ve asked her back and just asked her to start with the missed jobs next time.. all jobs are different.. one of mine just leaves me to it and I do allsorts… she’s a friend so I do washing, load and unload dishwasher, not much I don’t do for her, even walk the dog!… but another job gives me different jobs each week… one week I can cleaning windows, another ironing…

Yes the floor is messy but that's why your hiring a cleaner! Why have a dog and bark yourself so to speak. Not everyone has a perfectly clean house, my floors are no different when my nightmare children finish breakfast or mucking about in the kitchen. Did your cleaner expect to clean a clean house? Maybe speak to the new cleaner and tell her what you want done then agree hours?

Lol, get a dog, mine would of had all those crumbs up in a jiffy.
Seriously though, it looks like whoever cleans the work surfaces ( which look much cleaner than the floor) is just wiping the bits off the surfaces onto the floor. I mean, I could understand the breadcrumbs being on the surfaces, but how do so many crumbs end up on the floor yet the tops are clean, unless they are getting swiped onto it? In which case your household 'cleaning' technique is at fault. Don't you have a bin to put wrappers in at the time instead of just leaving them on the floor? A bit of tidy as you go would help. But if you can't manage that, then a robotic cleaner could be the answer.

I love walking in to my kitchen every morning and it’s sparkling. Starts the day off nicely.

feminism never did happen in this culture that the OP endures

but she seems very accepting of the useless men in her family that have so convinced her that their laziness is all about culture

You are clearly showing off!

who me? from saying i love walking in to a clean kitchen in the morning?

good grief

In that case it's only added 5 mins to the cleaners workload then surely

I would've been amazed to walk into a sparkling clean kitchen of a morning when I had teenagers at home. Would've been nice though

No, it would only take heavily pregnant OP 5 minutes but it takes a professional so long that she cannot mop the rest of the floors.

OP is in the wrong though, not the professional who cannot use a sweeping brush properly.

Water trucks, road sweeper vans plus manual road sweepers and cockroach spray in summer and leaf blowers twice a day bin collection. It is pristine.

They still pour stinking bleach on the school run, all over the pavements. It stinks.

I call it "busywork" I hate women and men who do "busywork" which serves no purpose whatsoever.

I understand in days gone by (I have seen the photos) but this is mad and all generations do it.

You’ve come across a nasty, unbalanced person. You have done nothing wrong and your expectations are normal. Put this horrible experience behind you and move forward.

I doubt another cleaner would act the same way. I m’ve had many cleaners over the years - some good, some amazing, and some average and one atrocious. None of it is personal, it’s who they are. Maybe trial another one and if you feel uneasy, try another.

I love my cleaner, she’s fab! But I do clean for her coming. Well, not clean but clear up. I put things back where they belong, empty bins/dishwasher/hoover. So she can concentrate on the cleaning. We’re a team, perhaps look at it like that if you find a new cleaner. I agree however that she shouldn’t have been photographing your home without your permission. I too am the only one in my family of 5 that cleans, it can be pretty overwhelming!

Hi

I don't think you're being unreasonable. The whole point of hiring a cleaner, is to clean! I've seen floors a whole lot worse! My floors get worse than this on a daily basis! Having 2 children with additional needs and two dogs, mixed in with lots of sensory play and cooking. It's difficult to keep up the task of keeping the house clean. Therefore, I hire a cleaner to help out. The cleaners knows in advance what the state of the downstairs gets like and just get on with it. Most cleaners have been good and got on with it. However, I have had photos taken of pre and post cleans (authorised as part of their marketing). However, I once came across a FB page with my house pre and post with lots of slander from the cleaner and her friends. Needless to say I felt embarrassed, shocked and violated, and like I was doing something wrong! The fact is, it's unprofessional to have done what they did. That goes the same for your situation.

I've worked in hotel services during my uni days and cleaned a lot worse!!! But that was my job, to clean! So I got on with it! That's what I was paid to do! No ifs or buts about it!

As for complaining, you've already told the agency you weren't happy with the clean. They haven't reflected, apologised or done anything about it except pass the book. They're obviously not very professional. It would be pointless going further with them as it will probably stress you out further. Just take it as experience. Try not to let it get to you. Look for recommendations for a permanent cleaner. I've personally had good and bad experiences with cleaners but got recommendations from friends through FB.

I hope you get something better x

Leave them a review, I would want to know about this crap if I was just about to employ a lazy cleaner who doesn’t want to clean.

You've also spectacularly missed the fact that OP didn't need to be told how long cleaning the downstairs of her house would take because her her former cleaner had been doing it for 4 hours, once a week, for FIFTEEN years! I thought you said you'd read all of OP's posts?

invest in a robovac that vacuums and mops, we use the XiaoMi RoboVac and set it to clean once daily (during night time when we're all sleeping) it really helps!!!

It's so weird how some people can't take in written information:

"We hire 4 hours a week for a deep clean of the DOWNSTAIRS (kitchen, dining room, living room), hallway and stairs."

Didn't you read all of OP's posts? She asked the new cleaner to vacuum/mop and clean all surfaces, including window sills, downstairs, but not to clean the oven. 4 hours is ample time to do this to a decent standard (which I think is what OP means by "deep clean").