To have said this to my cleaner?

[wellwatnow]

NC for this. I've had this last cleaner for almost a year, I've had several over the years and although this one isn't all that great she's one of the best at cleaning and I will say is by far the most reliable. She comes every other Monday and sometimes I have to text her on a Sunday afternoon to tell her I won't be in as she has to use the key safe (usually I am home).

I wasn't home last time she came, and I won't be home tomorrow either. As always I thanked her for doing a good job, she's always said I must let her know if anything is missed out with her cleaning, so I asked her if she could make sure my laundry room gets a good clean as she forgot to do it last time.

Anyway, a while later she replied and said no problem, sorry if you thought the laundry room hadn't been cleaned, she said she had cleaned it but would give it a good clean. I replied to thank her and said I'd noticed that one of the wall cupboard doors had definitely not been cleaned which made me think she'd forgotten the room. Well she replied quite quickly by saying she knows which door I mean, and that she hadn't cleaned it because it looked like it was covered in dried cat sick (my cat often sleeps on the top of the wall cupboards in the laundry room) and that she didn't want to clean it, and that I must have known about it because otherwise how did I know it hadn't happened after she left? She said she left it as she didn't want to clean it up and thought it could be the thing we never spoke about, whatever that means. She then said she can't make tomorrow but would be in touch when she's free.

I suspect now that she won't be coming back, which is infuriating as it's impossible to get people to clean, all my friends that have cleaners tell me they are too busy and won't give me their numbers. I only found this one as she was cleaning for a neighbour one day. I had to wait ages for her to find a space to fit me in. But I can't help think she's taking this way too personally.

Ps. I’d rather clean up cat sick than a toilet, so not quite sure where people’s boundaries lie.. never mind if they’re paid to be cleaners, who have conditions on what they will and won’t clean.

I think that a domestic cleaner is well within rights to refuse to clean sick/poo/wee/blood. It's not part of a normal clean. Imagine it was a big dog turd on the floor? I'd probably expect the cleaner to contact me and say 'there's a dog turd on the floor, I don't want to clean it/cleaning it will be an extra £20', rather than simply leaving it, but would not leave that kind of thing for a cleaner to deal with because it's absolutely not within the remit of an everyday clean.

Would you leave your own puke on the floor for a cleaner to clean up? Of course you wouldn't. You all understand the objections exactly. And people failing to respect this cleaner's boundaries over it are shameful.

The OP saw it first... and lett the house.
Also she's said that her cleaner doesn't charge per hour, and that certain tasks are not done on a weekly basis etc (not due to be done), and that when meeting the cleaner first they came to look at the house and she priced based on the work to be done.

I highly doubt "cleaning animal sick" was on that list

Assuming a whole room hadn't been cleaned because once cat sick cupboard has been left is rude. You could have just said I noticed you missed this cupboard. But if you have noticed cat sick on a cupboard and not cleaned it off yourself you are the problem here. I can see why she won't be back.
People who employ cleaners often forget they need their cleaner more than their cleaner needs them!

I would not expect a cleaner to clean poo or sick. Everything except bodily excrement and fluids yes. Really these sort of things should be cleaned up as soon as they happen. Most decent people clean their own skid marks and sick up.

Some cats like to sleep on top of the cupboards am thinking he as leaned over to vomit and its gone down the door of the cupboard, not a nice site to see never mind clean,

Just message her and say you hope you hadn't offended her and that she doesn't take it personally, that you were stressed, yadayada.

Are you stupid? You do realise self-employed people are not obliged to work for anyone they don't wish to work for?

If they don't like you they will leave.

Even on my procurement training course, the trainer reminded us that our contractors will be judging us on how much of a pain of an arse we are to contract with and work with, against all their other options and the value of the contract.

Your purchase of two hours a week of cleaning does not give you the entitlement and power you seem to think it does.

It doesn't really give you any over someone who can just tell you to get lost and go to work for someone else.

I don't necessarily think a tiny bit of dried cat sick equates to a huge mound of vomit, but I wouldn't have made the comment either

Out of interest, would people ask gardeners to pick up any cat poo/dead birds that they come across?

Oh boo hoo, I can't get a cleaner. No wonder you have had so many.

Yes. Horrible attitude.

As someone who has cleaned before, it can be heavy going when you feel you are being nit-picked. I worked for someone who was always looking for things to pick me up on, whilst ignoring/not seeing all the extra things I did as I went along. Nothing will ever be ''perfect' - if you look for imperfections, you will find them - but if you know you have a good worker and someone who is reliable then quite frankly, you're on to a winner.

But you did leave it for her to clean up as you said in a previous post you noticed it on your way out but were in a rush.
You could have dropped her a message to say you had noticed it & would deal with it yourself when you got home.

I've never had a cleaner but would you not expect her to clean up cat sick? If I noticed my cat had been sick, I'd clean it straight away. If I hadn't, I'd assume the cleaner would clean.it.

Of course gardeners don't pick up poo! Good grief! 🙄

Why wouldn't your friends give you their cleaners numbers? That makes me think you have a reputation.

Yes you need to show your cleaners more respect. No wonder you've had so many!

Well I have that agreed in advance what needs cleaning every time and what just bi weekly or once per month. It sounds like that cleaner knows he’s can dictate the conditions and takes advantage of it. My cleaner agreed X hours and we decided together what’s included in that.

So clearly you did expect her to clean it up, otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned it to her. It doesn't matter if people on mumsnet think cleaners should clean cat sick up or not. The only thing that matters is that your cleaner refused to do it, so shes telling you that isn't something she will be doing ever, now or in the future. You were rude to question her about the door, despite knowing it was sick, but maybe you didn't realise that your cleaner wouldn't be happy with this. but now you know. Personally I would message her an apology and try to damage control if you would like to keep her.

Pure snobbery this and a massive first world problem.

Im actually curious as to what you mean by; she isn't all that great, but she's one of the best at cleaning

I get that it's a first world problem but not the snobbery. Lots of people employ cleaners.

Op you were unreasonable to expect her to clean up cat vomit. If you'd made an effort she might have finished the job for you.

I suggested earlier, get on to a cleaning agency.

I read that as you used to clean donkeys. I was thinking that's weird, didn't know there was such a thing.

@sunshinestar1986 Think you're on a wind up. You've been consistently blasé and racist with users on here. If it's that easy - you do it, hey?