Have you kept your cleaner this lockdown?

[flowerycurtain]

We've been 4 weeks without ours now. I'm struggling with home schooling and working from home and it's one thing I could do that would make life easier.

We need to keep our risk as low as possible - family run farm so not teams of staff to help if we get sick. Not sending our kids to school for that reason.

She could work just in one section of the house (ie one week do all upstairs, the next just fo kitchen/playroom) with all windows open and wearing a mask. It's a big house and there's a big hallway between us home learning in the dining room and her. We could even leave the upstairs to air for a few hours.

How risky is that? Dh and I aren't sure. She works in other houses through the week. Mainly elderly. Case rate in our area is about 350 per 100 000.

Would you have her back?

[Jangle33]

And presumably we still believe you can pick up Covid off surfaces? So windows open etc doesn’t really help that?

[Words]

When I say with much regret, I mean cleanliness of house, not regretting taking measures to do my bit.

I have weighed the risks and think this compromise in my area is realistic in terms of minimal transmission in either direction.

[TimeForLunch]

Yes, and we did for most of the first lockdown too as it was always the case that those who couldn't work from home are allowed to go to work.

[Words]

Cleaners weren't allowed during first lockdown until it eased. I do remember that.
Re surfaces - that does concern me, but she deep cleans all surfaces with dilute bleach, and I am scrupulous about hand washing.

[heidbuttsupper]

Yes I kept mine

[ceeveebee]

We are homeschooling, working from home full time and get our shopping delivered. We follow the rules religiously. We are about as low risk as we could possibly be. And our cleaners come by car. So it’s us that are taking the risk, not them.
During lockdown 1 we carried on paying them in full throughout and we were their only clients who did so apparently.

[Callmecordelia]

No. I miss her. Cases were incredibly high in my bit of Kent over Christmas and we reluctantly decided it was too risky.

Up until Christmas we'd all be out, she'd open the windows and wear a mask. The risk felt minimal, and if it was during the holidays we'd go out for a walk.

Now there's someone working in almost every room. We couldn't avoid her. The children are working 9-3, and when school finishes the weather is too bad and it's too dark to stay out for 2.5 hours.

Assuming DH is unfurloughed and not made redundant like last year, I'll have her back as quickly as I can.

[sassbott]

Yes

[CrunchyCarrot]

No. Gave up our cleaner last March and we decided we'll manage without one for the foreseeable. It's too risky and I don't mind a bit of grime, it's actually made me a bit more active!

[TDogsInHats]

I'm a cleaner and drive or walk to my customers. I am not going to all my jobs this lockdown.
Those I'm still cleaning for, I open doors and windows and wash my hands like an automaton .
I don't wear a mask, practice social distancing and I don't clean in (home)offices or rooms people are in.
I have paused cleaning for some people, various circumstances.
Not one of my customers offered to pay during the first lockdown, but I am self employed so I claimed the SEISS grant.
I didn't think they should pay me either, but I thought those that were paid were very lucky.
I'm in an area where they offer non symptomatic covid testing, especially good for those who can't work from home. I take these rapid flow tests.
I know several people who have died of/with covid. I'm aware of the risks involved and take steps to mitigate as far as I can.
Going out to work, part time, helps my mental health.

[Minster2012]

Kept our cleaner, last time she had only just started (literally the week before) so i didn't pay her for not coming as we had no track record, but we can distance in the house & she's happy too as am I & she works with cleaning products so why not. A lot of her other customers last time let her go afterwards so I don't want to do that

[khg1]

Yes our cleaner is still coming. I don't ask her to wear a mask. Having had two kids at school last term, I'm comfortable living with the risk of being infected. A lot of people in our local area work from home which reduces the risk of her passing it on to us.

[marmitecake]

In reply to a PP, cleaners have always have been allowed to work including during lockdown in March. I am a cleaner and checked the www.gov rules and it stated that if you worked in other people's homes and couldn't work from home, just like plumbers, electricians etc then you could continue to work. I worked throughout last time bar a couple of jobs but this time, because they are elderly, out of my 6 I'm 'on hold' or on a retainer with either half pay or full pay retainer and still have two clients I'm going into.

[OnceUponARainbow]

We cancelled during the first lockdown and haven’t reinstated since. It was firstly because we were scared if the risk but then we got covid anyway. Now the practicality of it just doesn’t work, there are normally 2-3 of them and they wanted us out of the house or in other rooms which doesn’t work when 4 of us are in online lessons/ work all day.

We’ve had a cleaner for the last 15 years so it hasn’t been a good change but I can’t see how it would work unless they came on a weekend.

[Hobbesmanc]

First lockdown our cleaner cancelled all her work although we kept paying her. This time she is continuing to clean one day a week. I'm the only person now in the house and I can easily keep out of her way. As this is very low risk, and within all the rules I feel totally comfortable

[VitreousHumour]

[quote MRex]@VitreousHumour - Clearly you have the time to clean or don't mind dirt, fabulous. If someone can catch covid from a different floor with the windows open and mask on, then we are all truly fucked. It's always fun to be judgemental, but worth considering that other people work, or have young children, or have health issues, or deal with all 3 at once.[/quote]
It's not fun, nor is it necessarily judgemental - though it might be more comforting to believe this than question your own values.

[carcarbinks]

No. We paid ours during the first lockdown even though they didn't come. Now we can't afford a cleaner but I wouldn't have one at the moment anyway.

[Starlight39]

Yes, we have this time. It's usually just DS and I so we camp out in my bedroom with devices as she comes 8-10am.

[Hairydilemma]

TDogsInHats thanks for sharing your perspective.

I was really in two minds about asking our cleaner to keep coming in this new lockdown - and have said it’s up to her - but she seemed so pleased to be back working.

I paid her all through the first lockdown but your point about mental health is a really valid one I think - getting paid to do nothing is nice on one level, but doesn’t give the same satisfaction as being paid for a job well done.

[dazzlingdeborahrose]

Yes. At the moment she only does downstairs. DH, Dd and I stay upstairs working and homeschooling.

[Frazzled2207]

Yes other than a six week or so period in lockdown 1. We obviously keep out of her way. If weather accommodating we go for our walk when she is there.