Am I expecting too much of my cleaner?

[Sleepthiefsmum18]

I'm going back to work after mat leave and have been trialing a cleaner to make life easier. She's coming for 3 hours once a week. We have a pretty standard 3 bed semi. Standard amount of mess from a family with two small boys. I tidy before she comes to make sure it's easy to clean/no dishes to do etc.

Last week was her first week and I wasn't impressed. Nothing was cleaned properly. She didn't have time to do bedrooms or en suite. Turns out she couldn't find the cleaning products (long story) so gave her benefit of the doubt.

This week things look a bit better. She still didn't have time to clean the bedrooms or en-suite. But up close, lots of things haven't been cleaned properly. Bath is still visibly dirty, sink needs a wipe. TV unit has been mostly cleaned but can still see dust on parts of it so not done properly.

She seems nice but just a bit rubbish. Am I expecting too much? I thought 3 hours would be enough but I'll still need to clean the en-suite and bedrooms and redo the main bathroom (just a quick wipe over should do it)

Yes that's not good enough. We had cleaners fortnightly for 2 hrs. They got a 3 bed plus study clean. Occasionally the odd bit wasn't done to my standards but hey I wasn't having to do it. If you are on a trial terminate it and find someone else.

How much are you paying? And is she through an agency or just a sole trader?

Sounds like you may need to up hours to 4 and / or set some clear priorities. I.e. as a minimum standard you need kitchens, bathrooms inc en suite cleaned, all rooms vacuumed. Dusting etc and cleaning of surfaces in living space and bedrooms might be alternate weeks.

I note you already say you’re leaving things tidy (so she’s cleaning, not tidying) so that can’t be used as an excuse.

She sounds terrible, and in my experience cleaner's get worse not better as time goes by. Let her go.

That's crap. We've had various cleaners over the last 10 years, some good, some not so, but they'd all manage to do that.

We have 3 hours weekly, and like you, tidy in advance. In 3 hours they clean sitting room, kitchen, dining area, halls and stairs, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, usually change a bed or two. And then add in extras like clean fridge one week, clean the study/guest rooms another week. It's not perfectly cleaned, but pretty good.

The first week or so can be a bit rough as they're getting used to the place, but your cleaner sounds really under-performing. Especially as they often try really hard at first.

She sounds rubbish. We have 2 hours once a week for a 3 bed house.
She always does all of our rooms, including 2 bathrooms and sometimes has time left to do a few other bits.

Before having a go at the cleaner, everyone's idea of normal family mess is VERY different. I am
A professional cleaner & always suggest a deep clean initially so I have a platform to work going forwards. At times I had had to deal with some absolutely filthy houses where I do a proper clean the first few weeks & this takes time often leaving rooms untouched initially if they don't have a deep clean at first . I always ask for a list of priorities from my customers as I aim to please them & every customer is so different. A list of your requirement & priorities is essential.

Thanks @sausages75 and @Boobindoop it's useful to get a professional opinion. It genuinely isn't messy. I cleared all sides/did all washing up/put away all clothes/toys etc. I totally understand it's difficult to clean if it's a total mess.

I don't mind if she doesn't have time to do everything. I just would rather not have to go over things that she has done. She did leave 4 rooms and did the kitchen/diner, living room, hall and main bathroom, just not very well!

I think I might give someone else a go.

My cleaner does my four bed house (though I only ask her to do two of the bedrooms) in two hours a week, and does a really good job. It's insane that yours isn't managing to complete a three bed in three hours. Definitely get someone else.

We have a 5 bed house and our cleaner does 3 hours a week and gets at least 90% of the house done and sometimes finishes everything early and asks for extra jobs (unless there's ironing - that takes longer!). Yours should definitely manage a 3 bed in 3 hours!

I'd have a chat with her and if it doesn't improve get someone else.

I did just this with my cleaning company. Frankly they were crap. In the end I decided that I didn't want to run down in great detail every week how to clean a kitchen...It's not open heart surgery...in fact it's pretty clean anyway!

There are plenty of companies out there.

Let her go she’s not doing a good enough job and you know it.

My partner had a cleaner for two hours every second week. Now I’ve moved in with my cat she stays for three hours.

She cleans out and reorganises the cupboards!! It’s amazing - I’m terrible at organising things.

Sometimes she’ll reorganise and clean the fridge.

The bathrooms are really clean.

I don’t think she washes the floor boards regularly, so I’ve started doing that. It takes about 15 minutes with a microfibre mop.

I can’t expect her to do everything. Three hours, one bedroom, two living areas and 3 bathrooms + kitchen and laundry.

I still wipe down walls, vacuum and clean the toilets on the regular.

My partner also cleans without being asked.

It’s just so nice another person coming in and putting the house in order to their standard.

You have two young kids. Of course she doesn’t have time to do everything in 3 hours.

Previously, I had a robot vacuum cleaner (it’s currently in storage). I used to have that going every single day.

If you get something like that and use it every day then she can focus on the kitchen and bathrooms.

We have a cleaner who comes 3 hours every 2nd week. We also have a 3 bed semi. She manages to clean all rooms (living room, bedrooms, en-suite , main bathroom, downstairs loo, kitchen and hallway) in that time and also empties my dishwasher if full and hangs up washing if it finishes in the machine while she’s there.

Oh and she cleans it all to a very high standard!

There's no reason at all that she can't do it unless your house is ridiculously messy. I used to clean a few house. One being a huge 3 bed 3 bath bungalow with 4 reception rooms. The kitchen was a bloody tip every time ! As was her kids rooms - I never did the teenage girls room but did do the younger boys and that took me 3 hours with tidying on top! It's doable - your cleaner is just not good by the sounds of it!
Get a new cleaner

She should be able to do it and you should also tell her what are ‘musts’ each week. But she doesn’t sound good enough so I’d get another one.
I have a large house (4 receptions plus kitchen, four beds, and three full bathrooms and one half) and my cleaner does 4 hours but doesn’t do the bedrooms generally (teenagers - too messy and they are supposed to do it themselves, which they do occasionally). Not my room either. She doesn’t get the two main bathrooms both done. We are a fairly untidy family though I do tidy before she comes. But I told her to prioritise the floors, kitchen and alternate the bathrooms if she didn’t have time. She’s thorough and always looks busy but not as quick as I’d like. My last cleaner managed to do it but she was a hotel cleaner too so was very quick. My one before that in another house the same size did it all plus some ironing in the same time.
Good cleaners are hard to find but no point having one if you have to redo stuff or it’s bit done properly (a friend was unexpectedly working from home and overheard his cleaner tell her daughter who she was ‘training’ that if the room looked tidy she’d just spray some air freshener about and leave it)!