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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get rid of the cleaners who came today?

46 replies

LoveMyGirls · 17/04/2009 20:24

Two cleaners came for an hour and a half (so 3hours total cleaning time) I tidied before they arrived so all they would have to do is clean and my house is by no means grimey or filthy, surface dirty i'd say at most.

They put clean bedding on dd's beds
hoovered and mopped 3 bed house (not to my standards)
cleaned my leather suite
wiped the sides dining table and chairs (chairs not done to my standards)
wiped sides in living room
cleaned both bathrooms (again not to my standards)
cleaned patio windows
folded a small pile of clean washing and put it upstairs

I'm just not convinced it was a good enough go at it, when they hoovered they didn't do underneath or corners properly when I wiped the kitchen floor with a wipe it was dirty.
They didn't wipe under the microwave ot bread bin either but did wipe under everything else.
They didn't wipe the desk either and it was really quite dusty.
The bath had a ring round it and hair in the bottom of it.
The highchair I asked specifically to be done properly wasn't done properly at all infact even had a baked bean from lunchtime on the seat.

So AIBU?

If so what shall I say to their boss?

OP posts:
pinkcorsage · 17/04/2009 20:34

YANBU - that's disgraceful! I hate it when things like that happen - we had a complete spring clean done and although they did an ok job, I spent about two days putting everything back that they had moved. It was all folded toilet paper and rolled up bathmats! i just wanted it clean!!
I bet you will spend ages cleaning up after them now. Just tell their boss that you were unhappy with the standard of service and perhaps ask if you can get another pair to come back and put it right.

Flibbertyjibbet · 17/04/2009 20:40

Weeeelllll.
I couldn't do all the things you list - properly - in 3 hours in my own two bed one bathroom little terrace.
My friend is a cleaner and she does a fab job but has trouble with clients who have unrealistic expectations.
She works for a good friend of mine who has a 3 bed 2 bath house, they like everything done to HIGH standards, so she does upstairs 'properly' one week and downstairs thoroughly the next.

raindroprhyme · 17/04/2009 21:28

flibb there were 2 of them!!!

poshwellies · 17/04/2009 21:46

I do a 3 bed house in under 4 hours usually-on my own...hours dependant on how it's left.

Dusting each room,making 5(1 double and 3 singles) beds,cleaning kitchen and dining area,cleaning 2 bathrooms and a utility room.That includes mopping downstairs and doing the windows as and when they are required to be done.

Taking the piss imo.

poshwellies · 17/04/2009 21:46

4 I meant a double bed.

Heated · 17/04/2009 21:50

Get rid. The whole point of having a cleaner - or in your case cleaners - is that they do as good a job or better than you.

WantThisWantThat · 17/04/2009 21:54

I'm afraid I think you are being unreasonable - or at least very high expectations. My cleaners, again 2, do the same work in 3 1.5 hours, we have a 4 bed house and a playroom as well and they don't do half the things yours do.

They don't seem to be particularly thorough though, so maybe worthwhile mention it to the cleaning co. Particularly icky about the baked bean! I do think there are things that I do so much better myself but there are others I don;t notice, but that's probably for all the right reasons.

would you be able to do all those things in the 3 hours? On the ocassions I've had to do it myself it's taken more time in all, although I might to over the space of a whole day rather than being condensed.

ABetaDad · 17/04/2009 22:19

YANBU - that is not good enough.

I could do what they did on my own in 2 hours and the initial tidy up as well.

It just sounds like what I call a 'light clean'.

Original poster
LoveMyGirls · 17/04/2009 22:34

Thanks to those who said IANBU I've since found they have wiped under everything in the kitchen and even left oil on the side from the deep fat fryer where they moved things about.

I can do the whole house from tip to immaculate in 3 hours easily including my own bedroom whihc they didn't touch because I said there was no need.

OP posts:
Original poster
LoveMyGirls · 17/04/2009 22:35

Sorry they have NOT wiped under everything, just moved it all around!

OP posts:
blossomsmine · 18/04/2009 00:04

Would it be rude to ask how much they charged for this? Were they from a cleaning company or do they work for themselves?

I think YANBU but i also think some customers always seem to notice what cleaners 'haven't done' and don't notice the things they 'have done'

In your case though, you seem to have a fairly staightforward list of what was expected to have been done so at least there shouldn't have been any confusion over exacttly what was expected.

I also do cleaning, but i am never asked to clean a leather suite, i would give it a quick flick with a duster as a matter of course though. Oh, i also never change bedding, never been asked to, so i spend more time actually cleaning....skirting boards, door frames, cobwebbing etc.,

hatesponge · 18/04/2009 00:20

There is no way I could do all that in 3 hours so personally - as I dont think I could do it - YABU (by my standards anyway)

going through it all, this is how long it would take me to do my own house:

-clean bedding on dd's beds : say 20 mins in total?

hoovered and mopped 3 bed house: hoovering at least 10/15 mins a room, so say an hour and half, plus another 20 mins or so to mop floors - assuming not every room is to be mopped!

cleaned my leather suite- this would have taken me at least 30 mins

wiped the sides dining table and chairs: 10 mins

wiped sides in living room: 10 mins

cleaned both bathrooms: 20 mins each at least

cleaned patio windows: 15 mins maybe

folded a small pile of clean washing and put it upstairs 10 mins

that would take me a good 3.5-4 hours, and to be honest probably more if I was moving furniture etc. amamazed at anyone who can do it all in less time....maybe im just slow?

trixymalixy · 18/04/2009 00:26

Have you had a cleaner before?

IMHO it is always disappointing and I have had many many cleaners. They are never going to clean to your standards.

I think what your cleaners have done seems reasonable in the time.

If they have missed specific bits then you need to point it out to them to make sure they do next time. If you have a regular cleaner they will get to know your house and how you like things done and they will get into a routine and become quicker.

LastOrders · 18/04/2009 00:33

My cleaner was the opposite.

She started off brilliant and then went downhill to the point where I let her go as I'd come home from work and it lokked the same as when I left

She was selfemployed though, so couldn't see her manager about it!

In the end I dropped my working hours to have a day at home. And also rope DS into helping me now!

wolfnipplechips · 18/04/2009 00:42

YANBU
I used to have 2 for an hour and a half but never found them much good they were from a cleaning co and made it look superficially tidy. They used to chat quite a bit and were constantly late. They were bloody expensive too.
I now have one woman for 3 hours and she gets loads done infact she does the whole house and any ironing i leave her too. Her standards have started to slip lately but i think its just because she's been working for me for about a year so now i try and leave her notes of anything i would espscially like done.

Tryharder · 18/04/2009 08:01

Hmmm..

I used to do some cleaning and I can hand of heart say that I worked my full hours and extremely hard.

BUT, while some clients were appreciative, there were others who you could just not please. I found there were 3 kinds of clients: the first were generally untidy, working people who were genuinely grateful for the order I could bring to the chaos.

The second were usually SAHMs who had immaculate homes anyway but wanted a cleaner - perhaps for the kudos? They used to do things like saying they were going out for the afternoon and wouldnt be back but then come back 5 minutes before I was due to leave to check that I hadnt left early. They would also leave patronising, complaining notes about imagined dirt marks and dust on the lightshades or something. I even had one woman ring me up in the evening to accuse me of sending someone else to clean in my place as the writing on the note that I had left her (to ask for more cleaning products) was not my writing (or so she thought). Quite barking.

Anyway, to the OP, it's difficult for me to say whether YABU or not as I can't see your house but if you are so unhappy, do your own cleaning

Tryharder · 18/04/2009 08:02

Sorry should be hand ON heart. Must preview my posts in future....

Tryharder · 18/04/2009 08:04

And that should be 2 kinds of clients, not 3.

Aaargh. Far too early in the morning - had to get up at 5am to come to work (not cleaning though, have moved up in the world)

MuffinBaker · 18/04/2009 08:07

I booked a thorough clean.

She was 20 minutes late.
Spent the whole time talking to my son.
Didn't use the oven cleaner I wanted her too.
Didn't finish one room.
Stayed longer than I asked, and then charged me for it, even though she had been late.
I made up an excuse about when I would sort out a return trip.
Wish I had had the nerve to tell her I wasn't impressed.
What she did was okay but I could have got more done and to a better standard.
I think you are definitely not being unrealistic.

Tryharder · 18/04/2009 08:17

MuffinBaker, was your cleaner from a franchise company or someone you found privately? If the former, she will have been told that she should not clean the oven or use any abrasive product such as oven cleaner or bleach as the insurance doesn't cover those.

But you should have paid her for her exact hours. I.E if she turned up 20 mins late she should have done her 3 hours exact (or whatever) and then you should have then insisted that she left.

As for your son, you should have taken him somewhere out of her way... I have a nanny to look after my 2 DCs (I work FT), she does some domestic cleaning in other houses and one of her bugbears are kids that won't leave her alone while she's trying to get on.

Also, oven cleaning is a crap job. I mean, really crap. I personally book one of those specialist companies for mine every 6 - 9 months. Best £50 I spend as it comes out like new.

MuffinBaker · 18/04/2009 08:23

Yep a company.

She didn't say she had to use a certain product. And it wasn't a full on oven clean , just a good wipe over. DH does it normally.

I was trying to keep my son out of the way but he was 3 and very excited to see someone new in the house. The problem is not with my parenting thank you. She was rubbish even without all the talking.

Tryharder · 18/04/2009 09:15

I stand corrected [amile]

(Wasn't questioning your parenting skills at all btw!!)

dilemma456 · 18/04/2009 09:15

Message withdrawn

MrsMattie · 18/04/2009 09:21

YANBU to expect better than what you described but the best way to get a cleaner to clean to your standards is to give them a trial period - of say 4 weeks - and during that time, tell them each week what else you want doing and how.

I've had fab cleaners, but they didn't always start off fab. They became my 'perfect cleaners' because they got to know exactly what I wanted them to do.

HarrietTheSpy · 18/04/2009 10:41

Hmmmm...am in two minds about this.

We have a similar situation with our cleaner - she is now bringing a friend, they stay for four hours. It sounds a bit like yours might need some 'feedback' and also an extra half an hour a piece to do everything more thoroughly. If they're doing windows too, maybe it's not quite enough time?

Mine started out excellent, but now leave piles of laundry unfolded, miss out bedrooms, pretty much come when they want (have had to have words as it drives the nanny MAD when they're still there when she collects the dds after school), a couple of times stayed for 2.5 hrs and getting paid for four. Most of my friends have sacked (had recommended her to loads of people when she was doing well for us .) But I want to try to work with her given her previous track record. I am one of those employers whose just grateful for any help at all.

I would consider this option - bit of feedback and a bit more time - and then give them another week. How much are you paying?