Cleaner... am I right to think this is not good enough or AIBU

[spaghettihooper]

Hired a cleaner for the first time in my life as I've gone back to work (from home) but have my toddler here so don't get as much housework done as I would like.
I thought I'd give a cleaner a try, and booked a 3 hour clean (they sent 2 cleaners who stayed 1.5hours so fair enough). Not really knowing what to expect from it I guess but I really thought the basics would have been done so please tell me if I am wrong to expect the following tasks to be done within the time ( I have a 4 bed house with one bathroom which wasn't overly dirty just needed general cleaning and they told me 3 hours was more than enough time to clean a whole house):
-Bathroom window cill not even wiped (toothpaste marks)
-Didn't move washing hamper/waste bin when cleaning bathroom floor so dusty underneath
-Didn't wipe down kitchen cupboards
-Didn't clean inside microwave
-Didn't descale around bathroom tap

I could go on, but I'm just wondering if I'm being petty or if this is the norm. I.e. do I rebook them or look for a different cleaner.

Hard to say without seeing your house and how obvious it was that the things should have been done. I wouldn’t expect the cleaner to do
inside the microwave every time though, unless I specifically asked for that.

I’d probably just give feedback and ask them to ensure these things are included next time. It may also be that they’re spending time on things you’re not fussed about so you can give a steer there as well. They’re not mind readers. If they don’t get it right after a few times then I’d cancel.

My cleaner doesn't clean inside the microwave unless I ask her to. If you mean wiping down the outside of the kitchen cupboards I'd expect that and the other things you mentioned to be done.

I wouldn’t expect it done perfectly the first time as it takes a bit to get used to a new house. They will be faster next time.

Kitchen cupboards & descaling taps are more a deeper cleaning task as opposed to a surface level.

Bathroom window sill - yes but maybe missed... no biggie. Moving a basket to do the floor - yes definitely mention it for next time.

4 bed house in 3 hours - nope not realistic. Took me 2 hours today to clean 2 bathrooms, hoover through a large 3 bed house which was thick with dog hair and mop thoroughly (very dirty floors)

That doesn't sound great tbh. Lack of attention to detail. Not moving bins and missing toothpaste marks is poor.

But...

Inside of the microwave wouldn't usually be part of a standard clean.

3 hours doesn't sound like enough for the size of your house. I have a very small 3 bed ( only 2 bedrooms get cleaned they don't do the master and we're only one room open plan downstairs) and I get a 2 hour clean.

The first clean would usually be a longer booking for a deep clean, this should get it up to a high standard, then the regular 3hrs after that for maintenance.

It’s hard to say without knowing what they actually did clean? Maybe list what they did do?

Like with most jobs, you get good and bad cleaners. However sometimes the good outweighs the bad

Bathroom window sill - should have been cleaned
washing hamper - wouldn’t necessary have expected thus to be moved
kitchen cupboards - should have been wiped down if finger prints showing
microwave - wouldn’t necessarily expect this to be cleaned
bathroom tap - wouldn’t expect this to be cleaned

definitely should have moved the hamper.

I was a cleaner until recently and always cleaned the microwave weekly. I'm sure I had to miss other things though. As it was the first week it takes a bit of time finding where plugs are & getting to know the house.
My best experiences were where we did upstairs one week really well and next week downstairs. Then the next week say, you could whiz around and get a good "company ready" clean. Always talk to your cleaners about what's most important to you. Expecting everything to be done in 3 hours is unrealistic.

Ps. Also some kitchens are huge & messy and can take 2 hours just to clean the cookers, cupboard stains, floors etc. fridges, small appliances

Yabu - a cleaner is invaluable for helping keep on top of things, but you can't expect everywhere to be deep cleaned every week in that amount of time.

Yes I agree, however she was the one that told me what 3 hours was enough for a full house clean (4 bed, 2 bathroom) - I only have one bathroom - so I just wasn't sure.

Thanks. Yes the upstairs / downstairs sound like a good idea as it would probably be a more thorough clean. I may go with that in future.

Yes however mine really is TINY and I made sure all of the worktops, draining rack etc was completely clear from any clutter

Ok thanks and point taken but I would never expect a deep clean to be done in this amount of time. However, I have to say I'm surprised you think the tasks on my list count as "deep clean".

I'm sure you did. I was just musing on a job I did. A very busy household. Have a word with them.

Sometimes one lady I worked for used to say "Could you do some windows this week Chirpy?" In time you get on top of it all and can give the bathroom a quick clean.

Some years ago I worked for a domestic cleaning company and I was astonished at what people expected to be done in a set amount of time, the bottom line is that some cleaning companies are so keen to secure a contract that they'll offer the cheapest package possible with little thought to how their staff will actually manage it effectively. Sounded as if they had to cut corners, I had no choice but to do the same.

I was a lone self employed cleaner and worked for some wonderful people and stay in touch every now and then.

Id expect the window ledges and around the tap done and basket moved as basic.

Microwave not.

But like I’d expect the skirtings to be wiped over. If I paying someone to do 3 hours of cleaning I want what I can do in 3 hours. Not less than and I’m forking out.

Did the person who said 3 hours would be enough see your house first?

Also, I found it best to write a list of exactly what I want doing that week.

Ok maybe deep clean isn't the right word, but after cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, mopping, vacuuming everywhere etc (the main jobs) it's unreadable to expect every surface to be wiped down/ things to be moved in 3 hours

Yeah as above, 3 hours isn’t enough time. And most will allow longer than expected for the first clean a new house. Definitely feed back through, and a give a list of “essentials” for each clean

No she didn't. She knew it was 4 bed / 1 bath but that's it.

Yes thanks I will definitely do that in future, I think I just thought some of these go without saying