Advice re cleaner

[creamcheeseandlox]

So I'm loosing the will to live with my cleaners. I've probably had a about 4 cleaners in the 6 years I've lived at my house. Every one always promised the earth and the first few weeks are always good but gradually the standards slip. I have a 4 bed house with a bathroom, en-suite and cloakroom loo. Two receptions rooms, kitchen and hall. My cleaner does it in 3 hrs for £36. I have her fortnightly. I don't think my standards are particularly unusual but expect the basics of dusting, cleaning the kitchen/bathroom, vacuuming, mopping. I even went and bought a new mop as she said she only had a steam mop and not a normal one. Today I get back from town and she hasn't mopped any floors. There's still muddy prints in the hall and toothpaste marks on the bathroom floor as well as the tiles. I have spoken to her before about it before and she apologies. Every week it's something else that I have to message her about. I work 3 days a week in a stressful job and so my treat is to have a cleaner twice a fortnight so I don't have to spend my days off cleaning and can use them for household errands etc. She doesn't do the shower or glass door so I do this myself. I only realised this when it wasn't done twice in a row and didn't bother bringing it up with her as it would just be something else she probably wouldn't do.

My last cleaners were also bad but I kept them longer than I should as I didn't want the hassle of finding new ones. This lady was recommended so went with her. She has long term customers so I don't get it. Am I being particularly fussy to expect the basics? It's not like I'm asking for a deep oven clean every week or all the windows to be done!!

I think they probably need more time. My cleaner takes 4 hours for a 3 bed house every 2 weeks.

They charge the equivalent of GBP 70 though (not UK)

I have told her that If she's rushing and needs more time then to tell me. She's never said anything

Hmm - hate to say it but time for a new one then. I'd definitely want my floors and shower done.

I'd say it's time for a new one too. My house is same size as yours according to number of rooms and I pay mine for 3 hours fortnightly and the place is spotless. Mine is €12 per hour and I give her €40.

I love nothing more than wandering round my clean house for 5 mins just before the kids get home to destroy it in 10 mins flat

I end up spending time going round doing stuff she haven't done which isn't the point.

I have a very small 3 bed tidy house and I pay for 3 hours weekly. I don’t think there is enough time for your cleaner. I found that a lot of cleaners don’t like doing. 3 hours. Could you get two cleaners doing 2 hours each. Also we pay more than £12 and hour for ours .

Can you leave her a list of must do tasks rather than just 3 hours to fill? Might help focus her and if she still isn't doing things then you'll know its time for someone new.

Gave up on cleaners due to the same issues!

I probably spend a total of 3 hours a week cleaning my house, it's smaller than yours and only 1 loo and still looks like it could do with longer. Don't think 3 hours a fortnight is really enough with 3 bathrooms/loos. I presume that gives you about 10 rooms to do in 3 hours, could you honestly say you could do each room thoroughly in 15-20 minutes?

Can you do a check list for each room of what you want doing each tine she comes then other things to add on like oven clean, pull out furniture etc?

Could you have 2hrs weekly?

I wonder if you are expecting too much? I have a cleaner for two hours a week. She does one bathroom, my bed room, hall, stairs, living room. Kitchen and dining room floors. She usually has time to do all kitchen surfaces. My hall is very large and has a lot of glass, she dusts all surfaces.

I have asked her and she always says it's fine. I've said if she needs more time let me know and we can either adjust it or she can do different things each week.

Let her go its not working

Ours is 2.5 hours a fortnight for a 2 bed, one bathroom. You're definitely expecting too much in the time. And you're paying rock-bottom rates too.

£12 per hour is a rock bottom rate? Really?!

Time to let her go. I think 3 hours is the least time I would allow for it but to be sure I would offer 4 hours so you can get a thorough job rather than an “everything is done but it was rushed” job. I’m a cleaner and I wouldn’t work for less than £12. I used to offer a reduction for booking more hours but I don’t anymore. It’s £12 flat rate. It’s tough going working solidly for 3/4 hours. Doing it for £2 less for the last hour does not make that last hour any easier for me.

Would it work better if I got 2 people for 1.5 hrs so 3 hrs in theory. Means one does the upstairs and one the downstairs?

Easiest question in these scenarios is can YOU clean your house to the required standard in the time allotted? If you can't, generally a cleaner can't.

Granted cleaners are supposedly professionals and, should in theory, be a little bit faster - especially as time goes on and they've developed a system in your home.

But ultimately, it's a job that, if they're being truthful with themselves, they would rather not be doing - NO ONE is going to clean a home like it's owner/person living there is . But you're not being unreasonable to expect floors cleaned (it's a basic).

It may work better with 2 people doing 1.5 to 2 hours each.

So I sent her a message about the mopping and then a few days called her and left a message asking her to give me a ring so we can have a chat about not having enough time etc. She hasn't got in touch at all. I think it's rude not to even acknowledge someone's message/call. Time for the boot I think.

Sounds like both sides will be relieved to move on then.

PP asked a good question. Can you clean the house to the standard you want in three hours, two weeks after it has last been done?
I have three hours a fortnight for a two bed two bathroom house.

I have cancelled our cleaner after having her in our house for about 6 years.

At first she was brilliant, would come home and house would be shining, but gradually it has deteriorated. I have known for a while that she wasn't doing her full time - and as that was 2 hrs there was definitely enough to keep her busy - so whilst the place was vacuumed and some bleach slung down the toilet, there was very little evidence of anything else.

I'd advise getting a robo hoover . Means that at least the hoovering- bar the stairs - is taken care of so thats half an hour saved and beauty of it means you can hoover the place every day if you want.

Then break it into half hour stints. So yesterday I changed the bed sheets and dusted in the half hour. I'd much rather someone else did it, but I'd rather not be paying for a poor job.

Dun. I do clean in between her coming but more of a cursory clean as I go around the house. It's hardly like my house is a shit tip every time she turns up!

Did tour cleaner turn up after ignoring your message, OP?