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.

Descaling and microwave definitely not normal basic cleaning. Window sill and cupboard doors should be wiped. Washing basket, maybe, but not necessarily every time. It’s really normal to specify priorities for each clean, rather than expect everything fully done every week.

It really is, it's a brand new bathroom (one month old), new sealant all around, no nooks or crannies to worry about. Hence why I was shocked the window sill didn't get wiped down or basket and bin moved. over all the bathroom was a very simple and quick job in my eyes even when done thoroughly

brushed steel tap tarnished because cleaner used viakal - can i fix it? | Mumsnet
Even made Mumsnet - i would only use it sparingly when i lived in a high lime in water area. Found smell would knock me out sometimes Lemon juice was great i found. As i said previously i class descaling as a deep clean job and feel you should have got this as a starter and the regular clean after. Once a deep clean is done then a regular clean should keep the lime away with a regular bathroom cleaner. That's what i have done for every new cleaner i have had the past 20 years - haven't been many as normally good and stay with me for years

then why did your tap need descaling ? Surely cant have been that bad after one month in ? If it was a month old then then it shouldn't have been overly dirty unless its being destroyed every week - as am sure you were also cleaning it every week before

I think you need to make a list. You can't do a thorough clean of a 4 bed house in 3 hours but you can dust and hoover and mop everywhere, and wipe the bathroom and kitchen surfaces and fronts of cupboards. If you want anything else doing you need to say what can be left off.
I should think that the bathroom window cill was an oversight but not the microwave.

Descaling is more of a deep clean unless everything else is very clean, and if there's dust under the bin I would imagine it wasn't very clean to begin with. I would expect the window sill to be wiped down though.

Might be more realistic if you list what was done. Changing 4 lots of beds would probably rake me 45 mins. Cleaning inside of windows the same and poof the time is gone. I would have walked the job with them so you knew realistically what to expect and how long to book for next time.

I wouldn't expect them to clean inside your microwave or descale your tap.
Unless you have booked a deep clean and that would take longer than 3 hours.

@Wexone I didn't say it was "bad"? There was small bits of limescale around the bottom of the tap, which can definitely happen in a few weeks. They weren't removed... I asked if this was normal.

@Wexone it wasn't overly dirty as you say, but I hired a cleaner to clean so I thought they would.. even if I had cleaned it a week ago. Not really sure what the point of your post is...

They don't normally do microwaves unless it's a deep clean that specifically includes them.

But yes most would do the other things. I have a cleaner who doesn't like moving anything either, but I don't say anything because I don't want to rock the boat.

Pick two of these but you won't get all three unless you're a lottery winner:

Charges less than £30 an hour
Actually turns up every time (or even most times)
Cleans to a professional standard

I picked the top two. My house is cleaner but not amazing, but I've also had cleaners in the past who have been great but rarely turn up, or who have been great and turned up but charge up to £100/hour.

my point is that it didn't need a big clean then it got cleaned and as it wasn't overly dirty it was done quickly. as said I agree she should have wiped the window sill and moved the hamper but the rest sounds fine. descaling and the cupboards are a deep clean

3 hours isn't nearly enough time no wonder things were missed

Yes, very normal.

I think if you want perfection in the equivalent of 3 hours, clean your own house.

And added to which, the more often a limescale remover is used on metal, the greater the chances there are of ruining the metal. It's not that using the product more often weakens the surface per se. As in, by the very fact it's being used on more occasions, that means there are more occasions for it to go tits-up.

Anyway, as per the very time consuming long message I wrote, did you talk about your needs in person to the cleaning company owner before anyone came to clean?

I love it when you get a client who says "it's not that bad" 🤣

This thread just goes to reiterate the general consensus within the cleaning community that clients expectations need managed from the outset because often they have unrealistic expectations

Well I've worked as a cleaner for long enough, back in the day, and really in the case of the OP it's six of one & half a dozen of the other...not wiping the cills when doing the bathroom, and cleaning round the bin is a really poor show. The inside of the microwave and limescale is something that should have been brought up before the cleaners ever came, but then it doesn't sound like the cleaning company took the time to interview the OP so that's on them.

Kitchen cupboard fronts - a wipe on a regular clean, but those things can get so very, very grubby, and the more detail there is in the design of the door, the harder that gets. Likewise the surface - shiny gloss & you're away, but anything else can be murder...and cheap wood-effects & expensive solid woods are a nightmare as neither appreciates getting wet & being scrubbed.

When I was doing houses, it was rare I accepted work from anyone who'd never had a cleaner before. I liked working for people and asking what happened to their last cleaner - this way I knew that they were well used to what to expect from a cleaner or cleaning service, and it gave me an insight as to what they might be like to work for. I also found it very rare for people to have only ever had one cleaner - the first one, or the first one who replaced someone who'd been doing the job for years and years were rarely the one people stuck with.

I don't think they show any pride in their work. Who would leave toothpaste marks and not rub off the limescale round a tap?
I'm surprised that people think 3 hours isn't enough. - we're retired and clean our 4 bed house in that time frame. That's dusting, vacuuming everywhere, 2 bathrooms (thoroughly) downstairs loo, large kitchen, mopping through and cleaning the door fronts! Obviously cleaning windows ( and the bloody wooden blinds) is an extra job. Are you sure they worked the one and a half hours? I'd be worried because surely they'd try to impress the first week.

The other problem is that two people came to do the job. Two people are great for cleaning when it comes to moving heavy furniture. That's it. After that it's a PITA and I couldn't stand cleaning around another cleaner - people using the building is one thing, but two cleaners on one task (unless it's a 2-person task and that's rare outside of commercial cleaning) can be a nightmare.

Also, two people take twice as long to take their coats off and get settled. Two people statistically would need more toilet breaks. Two people might also chat to each other too much. Therefore, when two people are sent to clean, it cannot be assumed that the hours booked are simply halved.

I have 2 hours a week (small) 3 bed, two bath house. First people brilliant: two cleaners, done in one hour. Second one was shocking. Loo roll folded with a triangle: but things like laundry hamper, bathroom bin etc not moved, crumbs grand kids had left visibly under very front of couch (would never expect large furniture to be moved obviously!) I would expect a tap to be polished but if there was actually lime-scale, wouldn't expect that scrubbed off.
I expect outside of microwave and oven wiped as part of kitchen clean, but not inside. And funnily enough, I also found a toothpaste blob on bathroom window sill was still there.
The owner of this company did a visit before they started as well, so was OK with my suggestion that I keep to a 2 hr slot.
House is completely tidied beforehand, so no clutter to move.
Third cleaner last week was shocking. I arrived home to find her still there and she'd only just started vacuuming after 2 hrs. She cheerfully informing me that she'd rocked up half hour late.
Company owner very apologetic and is sending someone else, today actually, so I'll see.
When I've been away, so house not being used, I've left a note asking that the skirting boards and kitchen cupboard doors be thoroughly cleaned, but don't expect this in a general clean.
I think clear communication is important.

I don’t think 3 hours is sufficient to do the level of cleaning that seems to have been expected. If there’s something specific that needs doing then I’d ask for it for next time - but note that this will mean something else has got to give. I don’t think anything listed would be an unreasonable request. I know it’s hard to pay for cleaners and have to clean as well but that’s life with children! My cleaner cleans 4 hours a week and works hard but I also need to keep on top of it / tackle occasional jobs that require in depth cleaning.

There is a difference between paying for a house clean and paying for a 3 hour clean. Sometimes they align, sometimes they do not.
It's not always possible to do a house clean in the alotted time so you would get as much as possible in 3 hours.

We've moved around a lot and have had quite a few different cleaners. My mother and MIL have criticised the quality of cleaning of EVERY SINGLE ONE of them, which should tell you enough about how common it is to feel the way you do.

Overall it's a balance between providing feedback and accepting that perfection is rare unless you hire some sort of premium services.

You have mentioned a few different things:

• High expectations: Tasks like cleaning the microwave or descaling are typically considered deeper cleaning
• Attention to detail: Cleaners often tend to skip things like cleaning under baskets to save time, which is not great - I'd rather they tell me they need more time or skip making up bed. These are things you can influence by talking to them.
• Limited time: With a 4-bedroom house, we usually have the cleaner skip two bedrooms if they’re only booked for 3 hours. Also, it's the first time they were at your place, they should get more efficient.

Pick a few things that you'd like them to start doing regularly, and see if you feel happier.
We have a cleaner who is the best we've ever had yet she often misses bits. Unless she makes something I really dislike, I've accepted no one will do things perfectly.

If you can't (like my mum and MIL), maybe having a cleaner is not for you.