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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Am I being unreasonable re stroppy note left by my cleaner? She says she is NOT A HOUSEKEEPER.

136 replies

WideWebWitch · 27/11/2006 14:55

OK, so we are a messy house. But nothing really awful, just stuff like clothes on the floor, plates in the front room, mugs in the bathroom etc. Previous cleaner has gone to take another job (not cleaning, a job she is qualified for and which is more money and less work) and introduced new cleaner to us who, up til now(past 2 weeks) has been doing a good job.

We pay £8 an hour, which is over the going rate for this area (I gather it's £7) and I don't care when it's done as long as it's between 8am-5.30pm. She comes 2/3 times a week.

Today I got back today to a clean house but to a note that says

"I am little bit disappointed with the way your house was left this morning. It took me 40 minutes (her underlining) to gather dirty washing from your floors and collect cups and mugs...so I could start cleaning properly. As I said before, I understand you work full time...but I am a CLEANER NOT A HOUSE KEEPER (her caps)
I will contact you or I can even come over and see you to discuss how we can help each-other. SORRY, I hope I haven't upset you too much, but I find that 2 hours is NOT enough for me to do cleaning.
I hope you'll understand.
MY NUMBER IS xxxxxx

And she did 3.5 hours, which I will be expected to pay for (fair enough but I didn't agree it up front) and I'm PISSED OFF (My caps!). I Do work f/t oth, I have 2 children, I'm fucking knackered and my first instinct is to tell her to fk off and bring my key back. I want someone who's prepared to tidy otherwise there's no fking point imo. We're NOT talking shit smeared walls here, we're talking clothes on floor, cups on surfaces.

So, get rid or start tidying up before the cleaner comes and let myself be bossed around by this woman?

I have pmt and have tried to call but no reply from her house, I'll try later.

TIA for your views.

OP posts:
Rummum · 27/11/2006 17:06

You know wickedwaterwitch... I'd do your cleaning for that much if you lived closer!... it seems that cleaners are like golddust, so maybe you could just ask her to change her job discription to a housekeeper... ... sorry not much help am I... but maybe she was PMTing too!

Bluebear · 27/11/2006 17:15

You're right Bran - it's the 'disappointed' that really annoys me about the note.
Sorry, she either wants to make your life easier or she doesn't - standard of cleaning aside - if having less sparkles and no stress means more than perfect cleaning but having to find time 3 nights a week to tidy (and then manage not to mess it all up in the madness of a morning rush) then I would (gently) sack her
And then I'd try and find a new cleaner and maybe go for 3 hours at a time, twice a week - giving them time to clean and tidy in each session maybe?

bakedpotato · 27/11/2006 17:25

She is a cleaner, not a professional gag-writer or international diplomat (although I suppose you never know)
She felt disappointed, so that's the word she used

pointydog · 27/11/2006 17:27

Not read all this but I think you do need to check out what is expected of a cleaner and get that clear.

I wouldn't have thought it was necessarily the job of a cleaner to tidy up stuff. Most weill expect to start wiping, polishing, cleaning, hoovering straight away and not tidy up after everyone.

Your cleaner has a point and I don't think she's trying to piss you off.

Certainly cleaners in workplaces do not tidy up mess left by others.

chocolatedot · 27/11/2006 17:34

I persoanlly can't bear to think of our cleaner wasting time on doing things like bringing down mugs from the bathrooms and picking clothes off the floor as these are things I can do when I have 5 minutes free here and there. Before our cleaner comes, I make sure every work surface is clear, all toys are put away and no clothes are around for her to fold up needlessly. I just want her to concentrate on actual cleaning.

mousiemousie · 27/11/2006 17:38

I think most cleaners expect to clean, not to tidy up, so her expectation may not be the same as yours, but she is not being unreasonable.

You need to say that you would like her to tidy up too, then agree what jobs will be done and how much time is allocated. She may not be willing to tidy up even if you are happy to budget for time for this...I don't think tidying up is part of the standard job description for a cleaner. Similarly, a nanny might expect to cook for the kids, but not for the whole family, that isn't the standard deal.

You need to talk as your expectations don't match - there may or may not be a way forward - but I don't think she is being unreasonable.

Blu · 27/11/2006 17:55

You don't have to fire her!
My guess is that she is anxious that because of the tidying time, she hasbn't got enough (in her view) cleaning time to do the job to the perfectionist standard she would like to do it to, and is anxious that you might be thinking she is doing a slack job - and that this is just her rather clumsy way of saying so.

Take up her offer to meet and talk and get it clarified - much easier than starting all over again to get a new cleaner.

Someone probably said all that further down...

xena · 27/11/2006 17:58

My cleaners have always tidied

PollyLogos · 27/11/2006 18:22

I am quite surprised that you are so annoyed by the note www. It seems reasonable to me. Am also surprised that you have not even met this woman, surely first of all you should check what the old cleaner told her about the job before making assumptions that she knew you were a messy family? And then obviously discussing very clearly what you as the employer want from her 2 hours in your house.

I understand that you don't want the hassle of nagging the kids to tidy up but (please don't take this the wrong way) you maybe should think about all of you taking a bit more responsibility for tidying up as you go along. It is good for the kids to learn to take their dirty plates and mugs to the kitchen and put dirty clothes in the wash basket.It takes only a couple of minutes and makes a huge difference.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 27/11/2006 19:03

Right, I've spoken to her.

I said "I wasn't very happy with your note, I felt told off so do you want to return the key and I'll arrange payment for today's 3 hours?" she said "no, no, I want to keep cleaning for you but I'm worried I won't get it all done" so it came down to she's a perfectionist and wants to get my house REALLY clean and didn't feel able to in the time given HER standards. i.e. she pulled out and cleaned behind the sofa today (doesn't need doing for abotu another six months in my book!) and was fretting about the state of the inside of my windows. So there you go! We agreed that:

  • Tidying is important to me and that I would rather she tidied and didn't get as much/as thorough cleaning done
  • her standards are lower than mine and she needs to realise this and clean/lower her standards accordingly
  • if she's not happy she will CALL me and vice versa. We won't communicate by notes except if I want something in particular done
  • we will see how we get on and have a chat when she's here on Wednesday as I'm off.

She really didn't want to lose the job, I gave her an easy out if she wanted one and I apologised for sounding cross when I first called and explained that I felt told off. She said she absolutely didn't mean it that way.

So, all's (for the moment) well that ends well!

I really hadn't thought about this but although her English is excellent it isn't her first language. She's lived here for 10 yrs. So maybe that also accounts for some of the misunderstanding/the note.

Well, that and my raging pmt. God, I'm such an old bag sometimes, thanks for all the fantastic advice here, I would NEVER have seen it her way without all you reasonable people.

OP posts:
Tinker · 27/11/2006 19:38

Ah, I like her.

UnderWItnessProtectionCod · 27/11/2006 19:39

me too
i am going ot poach ehr
tlel ehr you are crap nai will ahev NO dirty g strings on the floor

Tinker · 27/11/2006 19:41

Am going to use the word "disappointed" a lot now.

Quadrophenia · 27/11/2006 19:42
Smile
edam · 27/11/2006 19:45

I used to have a cleaner with higher standards than me. Shameful but A Good Thing nonetheless. Better than having one with worse!

scatterbrain · 27/11/2006 19:48

Oh well done www - good cleaners are hard to find and you've got one there with standards who actually gives a !

Most I've had didn't !

So pleased that you spoke to her !

scatterbrain · 27/11/2006 19:50

PS meant to say earlier - I have a cunning trick !! When house is absolute tip and I don't have time to tidy I have been known to gather clutter and dump it in one room - I then shut the door and leave a note saying "Please ignore spare room - is total tip !" and then I tidy it at my leisure !

pointydog · 27/11/2006 20:10

What an honest, hardworking, conscientious cleaner.

You don't deserve her. Wicked witch.

scatterbrain · 27/11/2006 20:11

Maybe you should promote her - to housekeeper !!

Fattymumma · 27/11/2006 20:13

sack her and send her to me...if she saw my place she would beg to clean yours.

UnderWItnessProtectionCod · 27/11/2006 20:14

tinker
try dsiappointed with a SIGH

Zog · 27/11/2006 20:17

Brilliant!

Piffle · 27/11/2006 20:18

I love a happy ending.
Such mature and civilised conclusion!

Eeek · 27/11/2006 20:25

Beware this tidying thing - we had a cleaner who was an absolute star. She would tidy up, make the beds and everything was sparkling. Then we realised that if we'd put something 'tidy' before her visit she would move it to where she thought it looked better. Including rearranging the ornaments on the mantlepiece. She once removed a photo of my ds because (I think) the frame didn't match the arrangement. Things were always squared at the corners. We had to get rid.

DimpledThighs · 27/11/2006 20:34

haven't read all the responses but have seen you around a lot and you come across as a reasonable person without shit on her walls.

Sack her, with knobs on!