When will you let your cleaner return?

[twosoups1972]

My lovely cleaner is desperate to come back to work. I've been paying her the full amount as I don't want her to be out of pocket but she's embarrassed and really wants to work.

Under the latest advice, it seems that people who can't work from home are being encouraged to return to work. But that doesn't mean it's any safer for her to come to us.

At what point would you do it?

I am shielded until end of June, so hopefully after that.

I am disabled and have a cleaner because there are things I can’t manage. A family member has been coming once a week to give me a hand during lockdown but not every job each week. It’s getting a bit desperate for a full blitz clean.

I won’t be having my cleaner back. She was new about a month before lockdown and there were teething problems. I hope to ask the agency sending me carers to increase a couple of the visits so they can help clean but I’m not seeing more people. That won’t be before mid June at the earliest.

Why is ironing not a good idea?
I still haven’t gone back to my cleaning job but have just started taking ironing home. I’m wondering if that was a silly thing to do and what risks it could pose to either of us?

Not for a while yet, she has children as do we. Once the kids are back at school there seems little point her keeping away so it will be then. She's paid in full anyway.

I don't get the ironing bit either. They're clean clothes.

The bit I would be concerned about is cleaning people's bathrooms and toilets.

Mine is returning next week. She works for an agency, and we emailed the agency asking if there was anything we should do to make it easier and make her feel more comfortable and safe, so we'll go along with what they say. She always wore gloves, and changed shoes at the front door. The last couple of times we saw here, before lockdown, she wore masks, so I assume that will continue.