Does your cleaner...?

[notanaturalmum]

I've just got a cleaner and I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much so I thought I'd ask here first.
So, she hoovers around stuff eg there were books on the floor by my sons bed this morning. Scattered and not in a pile.
I think I would expect her to maybe stack them and then hoover. But it looks like she has hoovered around them.
And this morning before we left, my son left his crayon box on the stairs. It's still there now, but I'm guessing she hoovered round it?
And she hasn't made the beds - is this normal? I always roughly make it before I leave but I would have expected it to be all nice and straight.
The bathroom is lovely but the house still feels a bit messy.
Clean but not necessarily tidy.
Is this to be expected?

So varied responses across the board it seems.
I don't expect her to tidy as such because she doesn't know where stuff goes.
So we do a pre-tidy the night before. I pick the rugs up off the floor so she can hoover and I put all the toys back in the toy box for example.
But I was just surprised by a few things. Like this morning my shower gel fell out of the basket. I just left it on the floor of the shower (bending is hard at 35 weeks pregnant). It's still there now but she's cleaned the shower.
If there's some sort of pick up/put down rule then that makes things clearer I guess.
I won't mention it but will just be aware that she's more of a cleaner than a tidier.
Thankyou wise mumsnetters.

Mine doesn't tidy, she may neaten piles but generally cleans around them. She moves things a little when she's dusting shelves.
She make the beds because she changes our sheets.

We've had a couple of temp cleaners over the last couple of years and found it's best to be very clear about your expectations of each room. What needs to be cleaned every time, what can be done every other visit, also what rooms should have more focus on them e.g Kitchen and Bathrooms. I can hoover the living room quickly and easily, kitchen and bathrooms are not quick or easy jobs to do especially with a curious toddler around.

What did you agree with her when she started? I’ve always found that you need to be clear about your expectations eg “every week please clean all the bathrooms but only wash floors every other week”, rather then just say “clean the house”.

Also be realistic about what can / can’t be done in a given time.

I’ve never had a cleaner change beds - if you want that you need to ask them to do so - I imagine some cleaners would not want to.

I don’t expect my cleaners to tidy - their job is to clean. If you want them to pick things up etc you need to have this conversation with them. I also personally feel it’s treating them as a skivvy expecting them to clear up books spread over the floor etc.

In my experience treat people well, make expectations clear and reasonable and leave the house tidy and they will work hard for you. Time spent tidying books is time when you are preventing them from cleaning.

Also take an interest in them, their children etc and give gifts (money) at Christmas. Clarify in advance how you will deal with holidays, short notice cancellations (them and you), do they want to work school holidays? Do you want them to work school holidays?

She's there to clean, not tidy up. There's a difference

Our cleaners mopped aroind the floor Mat which is a bit much. Anyway I today everything away but she would lift and stack if I’ve left something. I don’t get her to do bedrooms but when I did they did make the bed over and changed if I asked .

We tidy, they clean. I've never known a cleaner to make beds.

If I ask her to, our cleaner will strip and change my dc beds (I'd never want her to do that with mine). I wouldn't expect her to make beds just because they are unmade.

My cleaner does tend to stack things in piles and clean round them. I'd rather she left everything where it is tbh.

Housekeeper - Does everything a mum would do, tidying, cleaning, making beds, putting dishwasher on, ironing and making beds.

Cleaner - cleans.

Most people want the cleaner to do a whole 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house done in less than 2 hours. No time to do anything else!
Also, housekeepers come more often, so do more.

No, generally cleaners clean NOT tidy, they wouldn't necessarily know where things go, probably don't want cause inconvenience by moving something and if something goes missing, the accusation of theft.

Expecting a cleaner to pick up after and make beds that aren't being changed isn't what cleaners do - that's what nanny's or maids do.

Of course every cleaner client relationship is different and if discussed and agreed may be something that can be arranged.

I am always a bit puzzled by this absolute "clean not tidy" thing; while I definitely don't expect someone to pick up dirty clothes from the floor or to file receipts, surely it's very basic to gather a few books into a pile or replace a bottle in the shower. And surely someone who comes to your house several times a week would have a vague idea where things are likely to be kept?

I tidy before my cleaner comes, and if there are any untidy areas I leave a note to tell her to leave them.I reckon I pay to clean, not tidy although she does move pictures and magazines and empties the dishwasher!

I think many people mistake cleaning for tidying up. If you keep your house organised then the cleaner can do a more thourogh job

I've had a private cleaner and a cleaning company - neither of them made beds or tidied. They picked up and put down if it was left in the way.

99% of the time I tidy for the cleaner. Kids have to have all things off the floor so she can hoover but I don't have time to make their beds on a morning. If anything has been left out (stuff on stairs that no-one sees but me) then I'd expect she would move stuff instead of cleaning around it.

Am wondering why you would not have a cleaner make beds?

Crikey my cleaner tidies changes beds puts washing away and sorts out kids rooms from time to time. If something needs doing she does it and doesn't get huffy about anything. I would be very about a cleaner who hoovered around books on the floor. I wouldn't do it!

You have to tidy first, but hoovering round books/crayons or cleaning around shower gel is ridiculous!
Normally a cleaner would pick up/stack/gather a few out of place things and leave them on the side in order to clean properly.