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.

Just on this, I have cleaned for family members in the past and it has taken me a few weeks to get my groove and discover the most logical sequence to clean in so I think it's unreasonable for you to expect her to be as good as your experienced cleaner after 1 clean!

But yes, that floor is manky and I don't understand how you let it get that bad. Sweeping or vacuuming doesn't take that long. I'm also heavily pregnant and have a cleaner once a week, but I still manage to keep on top of general cleanliness!

I think the OP asks for photos of the before, because the house can be quite a mess (the men) and she's not in when the cleaner comes.

No but if you don't do any cleaning in-between and have a big house and 6 messy people in it, then it's going to take the whole shift just to get the floors clean.

4 hours for a deep clean of a house is most definitely not enough time. They didn't take pictures to use it as an excuse to do a rubbish job, every cleaner takes photos at the start of a new clean, it covers them for insurance purposes if the customer decides they want to complain that the cleaner damaged or broke something, the photos prove the damage was there prior to the work being carried out. Mucky houses also make great before and after photos. If they've taken after photos, it also proves that something was cleaned if the customer says it wasn't. Because believe me, some people like to complain to get out of paying for their clean.

What model?

You tidy toys and dishes once a week?

yabu for saying someone “went back to their own country”

Stop picking on the OP

I'm not "picking on" anyone, for goodness sake. I'm the most laid back person when it comes to cleaning, but once a week tidy of messy toys and dishes, plus those floors? You can't just let mess accumulate like that all week waiting for a 4 hour clean when you've got kids.

She should move out.

That is actually appalling.

I haven’t read everyone’s replies to you or the full thread, OP, but you need a robot vacuum cleaner. Set it to come on twice a day. Get a good quality one.

Also a weekly cleaner - the robot doesn’t replace a big clean - but means your floors won’t be that bad daily.

of course she does that more often. She didn’t say “once a week”

My lovely self employed cleaner went back to her own country

I expect she was exhausted 🤣

This does not include tidying up dishes in the kitchen or toys in the living room as I do that every week regardless hence why the kitchen is tidy just the floor is dirty and cabinets need to be wiped.

Every week. If it was a few times a week, I'd imagine she'd have said so.

Don’t feel judged by a bunch of posters who either can’t afford a cleaner or don’t prioritise life above cleaning. You are employing someone to do a job you are not bothered about. I don’t clean my windows. No interest. So I get someone else to do it.

I grew up with an ocd parent. I’m pretty chilled with a few crumbs. Which is all your picture showed (after people begged you for it!)

Not sure why you're getting such a pile on OP. I don't clean or sweep the day before before my cleaner comes, because I know she's coming. I would of course the rest of the week. She also does 4 hours and the kitchen is often quite messy and dirty (teens...). I don't care if I pay her to tidy and clean because that's my choice and seems like MN judges you pretty harshly for that.
Good luck finding a new cleaner OP, and hopefully a less judgy one

I was a cleaner and that kitchen floor is no worse than my customers left for me,

I cleaned it as that was what I was being paid for.

cleaners vary - some are fast and efficient, others don’t get through as much. It’s absolutely fine to decide you’re not happy and not have someone back.

A dirty floor doesn’t take any longer to sweep than a cleanish one. When I was pregnant I had spd and sweeping was bloody agony. Luckily I had a cleaner who didn’t mind actually cleaning.

But you may have lucked out with your first cleaner op. I had a superwoman for a while, who whizzed about at double speed, left vacuum lines on the carpet, and arranged the teddies in cute scenes on the dc’s beds. It wasn’t easy to get used to mere mortals after her, but they still were better than I am.

Being able to read, I'm well aware of that. I'm a cleaner. A very good one. I turn clients down week in and week out. I work hard and efficiently and don't stop for a tea break. I'm still amazed by how long it can take to do a really good job. Cleaning well takes time.

I think the best thing to do is to move on from this cleaning company if you're not happy with them. It sounds like you've hired a larger cleaning company that probably has lots of cleaning staff, sometimes (but not always) they can hire staff that just don't really care about doing a good job, they're there to do the hours and get paid. Find a small independent cleaner, someone who wants to do a good job because it's their own business. I work solo asself-employed, I'm proud of my work and always try my hardest to do a good job, all my customers are through word of mouth, I've never had to advertise.

Hmmm, when we had a cleaner I made a distinction between dirt and mess. Mess, including crumbs from breakfast, bits from dinner on the floor, stuff etc, should be done by us. The accumulation of dirt from day to day living that you can’t effectively tackle as you go - that’s what I hired a cleaner for. I would feel rude leaving a floor like that for a cleaner.

I had a six bed house with kids and dogs. I'm not particularly tidy but wanted my cleaner to clean not tidy. I did minimal cleaning between her visits. In the fours hours not only did she clean four/five bedrooms, large kitchen, three bathrooms, but also had time to do a kitchen cupboard or two. She picked flowers from the garden to put in my vases. Your cleaner is a disgrace. Chalk it up to experience and get another one, preferably an independent not through an agency.

Yes I know that. I can clean myself and have had different cleaners over the years. Some people clean well and others just.. don’t. It’s not about how much time they have or how much they are paid.

4 hours for downstairs only is enough for a deep clean. All my super thorough magic cleaners take 6 hours for a larg-ish 4 bedroom home with 2 bathrooms and one WC.

Honestly, today I hit a real low and was crying because I can't keep on top of it. My illness was really debilitating and I was out of action so my husband could only do so much when I was bedridden for over a week. We came up with a plan today to find a cleaner but this thread has made me so anxious about letting anyone into my house to clean it. I really don't know what to do; honestly I feel completely overwhelmed.

Hey OP, please do not take this thread to heart. You are pregnant - now worried and stressed about a situation that is not and should not be your total responsibility.

There are posters on this thread who need to think about how they are talking to a pregnant woman. OP is clearly in a situation she does not want to be in. The dirty floor does not require some of the responses on here. Or mocking spelling.

Of course a company may not take photos in your home without permission! When they blocked you they did you a favour.

Will you be in this living situation long term? Can you and DH live independently?

I hope you are ok. Do find another cleaner. Do expect the adults in the house to do more. You do less. And look after you and the baby.