to be so pissed off with cleaner I fear my head may explode?

[geordieminx]

Started back f/t work 4 weeks ago.

Have struggled on for the past few weeks, but eventually decided it was time to get a cleaner, as I am out of the house 12 hours a day, and prefer to spend weekend doing nice things

So, instead of hiring from an advert in the newsagent I contacted a few agencies, had a lady come out on Tuesday to see me - she reckoned 3 hours for the first one, then 2-3 hours every week after that. I said that this was fine, agreed for one of her staff to come in today.

Gets home tonight, so excited about having a sparkly home.

Porch not swept
Bits still on floor
Rug half way up the wall... bits still under rug
Cushions not arranged
Glass on doors not cleaned
hob top not cleaned at all... still has last nights tea on it
None of applicances wiped down
Bin not emptied nor wiped down
No dusting at all -
tv not cleaned
sink not washed.. still bits of food in the plug bit
None of the window sils wiped down
Mirrored wardrobe doors not polished.

The list could go on. It isnt just that things havent been done very well - they havent been done at all. What kind of fool would not even clean the top of the cooker or make the cushions look nice.

As far as I can see she has cleaned the bathroom (well admitedly), and hoovered(ish)

I have spoken with owner of company -she is going to sort it on Monday but tbh I am completely disillusioned with them.

I cant believe anyone would think that it was acceptable to leave a house like this after you were paid to clean it. If it had been me I would have cleaned to a reasonable standard, and then mentioned that it took longer.. not just fucking left it.

Oh and I live in a 3 bed detached with 1 bathroom, so not exactly a mansion. Oh and there is only 3 of us.

Grrrrr

The only way to find a cleaner IME is to get a personal recommendation from someone you know and trust, who has similar standards to your own.

I have tried agencies in the past, always with disastrous (and very expensive) results.

MuminNWLondon - her boss visited my house earlier in the week, told me how long she would recommend, and gave me a full list of everything that she would do, so I wasnt expecting her to be a mind reader.

Unfortunately being out of the house for almost 12 hours a day doesnt leave me a lot of time to stand over her, holding her hand explaining that she nees to dust and wipe surfaces. I presumed that this was part of cleaning. More fool me eh?

GM, I stand by my original comment, some people are cut out to be cleaners some aren't.

It may be helpful for you to type up a list, just so she knows your personal preferences around pillow plumping etc and to be fair even the best cleaner in the world won't do everything the way you want it, mine has an annoying habit of wrapping the flexes round my hairdryer and straighteners but yet doesn't have time to wipe round the bottom of my taps, but these should be minor irritations only.

We got a bad cleaner once and I was all for giving her a chance working with the agency etc etc, but DH much more direct about it, phones them up and says we would like a different cleaner and we got one and she is fab ( flexes and taps aside)

I have never been there to provide a cleaner with a full induction for the 3 hours, to be honest if this level of micromanagement is required, the agency should be providing it, not you.

I like plumped cushions. That is not an anal request. It shows you've got standards!!!

Agencies can be a mixed bag
I have a really good agency and 95% of the time the cleaners are brillinat . Even so I have still had a cuple of reall crap ones. But that is why i use an agency. You just phone them and tell them that she is no good and next week you get a different one...

Don't waste time being all outraged. Just tell the agency to sort it outr and they will. If not sack them.

Plumped would have been fab, actually picked up off the seat of sofa, and 2 placed at each side would have been good.

She's coming tomorrow to correct all the stuff that she missed and spit inmy-- milk no doubt, although tbh I have done all of the things that she missed myself over the weekend as we had family coming

I feel your pain and agree agency have been crap. I would not be happy at all with their response. A good cleaner is an invaluable asset.

Mine has several irritating habits but is otherwise excellent so I live with them. One is plumping the sofa cushions and placing them at on their points in the middle of the sofa - v. 1980s ish but at least I know she has been!

She has also rearranged my pot cupboard so I can't find anything :-(

I have had several cleaners over the years as I live with very untidy boys - I run around and make beds and tidy before they come so that they can just clean.
I have my present cleaner twice a week for 2.5 hours each time and she does the whole house - 3 bed/2 bath/downstairs loo/lounge/diner/kitchen.
She always empties the bin and puts all the recycling in the right place - she is an absolute treasure - she is at college and works at a nightclub at weekends to make ends meet - if she could fit it in I could get her loads more jobs - and guess what?? She comes from Lithuwania. Fab work ethic.

Oh and btw - all those asking where I am, and offering to come and clean for me - I'm in South Lanarkshire.

Just had agency woman on fone, cleaner is coming back tomorrow to do 2 hours, and do the stuff that she missed on Friday. Here's the thing - I have no idea whether I am actually supposed to pay her for coming tomorow and didnt ask.

get back on the phone and ask the agencey

So what is the financal arrangment on this additional visit to clean up what wasn't done last week?

I would check and I would ask for a different cleaner TBH. She is likely to be a bit peed off with you for complaining - though I think you were totally justified in doing so. If you are hoping to have a permanent cleaner then presumably you don't want this one.

she's probably cleaning the toilet with my toothbrush and spitting in the milk carton as we speak

The really annoying thing is that most people who have cleaners have them because they dont have time to deal with petty housework issues.. you want to apay someone to do it for you. Its very galling when you then have to spend your day calling agencies and complining, arranging new cleaners eurghhh why cant they just tdo the job theyre paid to do.

I've heard lots of agencies are crap

they pay staff as little as they can get away with and trouser the rest

...maybe someone needs to set up a Cleaning Co-op

[sings Red Flag]

You're absolutely right - I found out from our cleaner (that we use on one to one basis after the agency was sold) that she was paid £7 an hour by the agency and we paid £13 an hour. Agency owner assured me the staff were paid £10 an hour. I expressly said I wasn't interested if they were taking huge agency fee and paying girls the minimum they could. So of course she just lied to me and I believed her.

I wouldn't use an agency again.

Mine does 2 hours a week for a (small) 3 bed, 3 reception room, big kitchen, 2 bath house. There is minimal dusting but kitchen is clean, floors are all hoovered and mopped and the bathrooms are done. I think 2 hours is reasonable for that. An extra hour would get me good dusting, cupboard doors, inside windows etc but I can do that. And the cushions are plumped and arranged

We had Molly Maid when I went back to work and wasn't coping with the housework.They were expensive- approx £50 , we could only have them fortnightly. @ cleaners would come and were supposed to wipe down kitchen cupboards and tiled walls blah blah blah.
I would spend ages tidying up before they came so there was no crap around on the surfaces. After a few weeks DH was at home in his office (spare bedroom) which we'd told hem not to bother with, he heard them arrive and they left 45 mins later, needless to say they got the sack, and I've made DH pay me £100 a month to do the cleaning!!!

But that is the agency you used wishing - they are not all like that.
With my agency I pay them their fee but I pay the girls direct so I know exactly how much they get and know that it is correct.

I have just got back from holiday and it is like the fairies have been in. Bloody marvellous

I've just sacked mine. 2 visits and it was dreadful. Pointless waste of time.

Well she has been back - supposedly for 2 hours, but she has only done the stuff she missed downstairs so cant really see how it has taken her that long, still at least its done.

Will give it a week or 2 and see how we get on, just wish I could get a person recommendation from someone.

GM I'd seriously suggest not giving it any more time. She came once, did an unsatisfactory job, came back to fix it and it's still not done. She isn't going to get better, this is why you use an agency. Ask them to send someone else and if that doesn't work then change agency.

Haven't read the whole thread but ... Act now - if you have a clear list of requirements and they're not done then she's not doing the job yet still taking the money. Get the agency woman round and show her and insist that it's got up to standard with a different, proper cleaner.
I only sound so vehement because I have a cleaner independently IYSWIM and she's RUBBISH but I let it go for a bit and now I can't find a way to stop it (ie sack her!) because I am pathetically lily livered in RL! At least you can speak to the agency owner and not the cleaner herself...

I wouldn't bother GM.

I have a couple of cleaning clients, and love leaving their houses like photo shoot sets. It annoys me if they are in and clutter things as I am working . One house is really difficult to clean and far too much to do in the time I have but I still make sure I have 5/10 mins to plump cushions, straighten piles, refold bathroom towels etc. Walk out of room backwards so that I don't leave any footprints in the pile.

One house I do little extras because the time is a bit easier, empty dishwasher sweep patio, sort of thing.

I have worked for an agency and IMO they are appalling. It's your home, your space and you should come home and breathe a sigh of relief that it looks lovely .

Gonna let her do friday then sack them off I think.

I dont trust her already which is not good - neighbour reckons she wasnt here 3 hours o first visit, and I really doubt she was here for 2 today.

Not a good state of affairs really.

YANBU and I agree with you on the cushions.
if you had arrived back to find her still hard at work cleaning the inside of the oven and the house sparkling then cushions aren't a big issue, but it hoenstly does only take a moment to do.
our sofa cushions frequently end up in weird contorted positions courtesy of Ds bouncing on them while he puts his shoes and coat on, and I leave the house looking back at them half on the sofa, half on the floor and the back cushions all squished up so you slide into the crack at the base of the sofa.
tbh no matter how clean the living room was if someone who had been there for 3 hrs hadn't bothered ot take 1-2 minutes to straighten up the sofa and cushions I would be a bit . Its not about that slightly too perfect cushions balanced on their points look, its about making the room look tidy and nice.

btw In 3 hrs I would get my bathroom, ensuite and kitchen done (maybe not completly sparkling with skirting boards washed but all surfaces clean, loos cleaned, floor mopped, sinks and oven tops wiped, dusted and tidied.
dishwasher loaded, washed, put away
living room straightened up, Hoovered and sofa 'plumped'
A load of washing on
DS bedroom quick tidy and laminate floor swept
Main Bedroom quick tidy and hoovered
Rugs shaken out
bins emptied and relined
recycling taken out.

and psosibly managed a bit of ironing or putting clothes away depending on state of rooms.

YANBU! In my opinion, 3 hours is plenty of time for her to give your house a thorough clean.

I used to have a cleaner, well it was a husband and wife team. They used to come for an hour but I paid for 2 hours work as there were 2 of them,so it was £20 per week.

They were okay at first but as the weeks went on they did less and less. As I was paying them for the hour, if they finished the basics within that hour I would have expected them to find other jobs to do such as cleaning windows or emptying the dishwasher. However, they started finishing earlier and earlier, whizzing through the hoovering and dusting (and doing it very badly) and then going after half an hour. So in the end I asked them not to come anymore.

I'd love to get another cleaner but would be very fussy when choosing one next time and would make it crystal clear from the beginning what I expected from them.