with what I am expecting of my cleaner?

[missorinoco]

Sorry, this isn't very exciting.

I have just started having a cleaner in for 3 hrs every 2 weeks. Three hours was the time she thought it would take her to clean the house. So far she's been twice; she cleans around things rather than move them, even after I straightened everything up to make it easier.

I haven't had a cleaner for over 10 years, is this usual?

I don't know if thats normal.

I would give her a list of stuff I want doing if I were you.

Mine moves things to clean, eg puts a pair of shoes together by the wall if they have been left in the middle of the room, moves papers, books etc into a tidy pile to clean the table is that the sort of thing you mean ?

It depends what you mean by clean round things. If she hoovers round large pieces of furniture then that is reasonable - if she's wiping round the kettle, toaster etc rather than lifting them up and wiping under them, that's not! Same goes for polishing surfaces - I don't move all the books to polish under them but I do empty the mantelpiece, polish it and put everything back.

My first cleaner (through an agency) only cleaned around small things, e.g. wouldn't even move a candle a little etc. I asked agency to have a word, and they sent me someone else who was brilliant - even moved the lighter chairs every now and again to hoover properly under them. Sadly I've had to stop now that I'm not working and the place is a mess... Oh, how I miss even the rough cleans!

I had the exact same problem-she really was surface cleaning, which is what I do on a daily basis anyway. In the end, we mutually ended the agreement.

I didn't want to pay someone to literally wipe a cloth over a surface! I really want to find a cleaner who will actually deep clean, rather than tidy things up and surface wipe which is what I do anyway! I'm willing to pay good money to someone who will do a good job-I just can't find someone!!

Post-student days I was a cleaner for a while.
My protocol was always to move things and put them exactly where they had been left (ie shoes in middle of room would remain there once I'd hoovered under them).
wouldn't move large bits of furniture but would move dining chairs and always gave ornaments a wipe down. Gave the chairs a wipe down too if I had time.

You have to ask - mine also has this habit which annoys me, but every now and again I just leave her a note reminding her that I need everything cleaned properly, with everything moved, and it gets done. I'd prefer not to have to remind her but...

I'm thinking of leaving her a note along those lines tomorrow in fact!

Communication is key - if you don't explain what you want doing then the cleaner will just do what they assume is expected. In the same way that we don't all clean our houses in an identical way not all cleaners will clean the same way - maybe this is what the cleaner does in their own house?

We have a cleaner for 4 hours once a week and I don't need to do any cleaning in between visits. She still needs reminding every now and then about some things though - she cleans for several people and not everybody wants things doing the same way

Yes, I meant more shelves with a few ornaments on and bedside table type furniture, rather than larger objects or emptying enitre bookshelves, which seems unrealistic. I think leaving a note specifying what I want is a good idea. SHall see if that helps.

I have two ladies that come every week, and they do the bathrooms, halls/stairs/landings, kitchen, conservatory and utility. I pay for 2 hours and they are both here for an hour...they do move everything in the bathrooms, empty bins, vac/sweep/,op all hard floors etc, and clean under everything on the sides in the kitchen and on the windowsills...tbh I'd not expect them to not move ornaments, but big furniture I wouldn't expect them to move every week

Mine moves everything. I really didn't expect her to move furniture, but do expect the ornaments etc to be moved and cleaned underneath. She is a total star though

I think you are a cleaner rounder or a cleaner underer and n'er the twain shall meet.
Git rid and look for another