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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Are we the only household still not letting our cleaner back in? What is everyone else doing?

52 replies

slightchill · 07/09/2020 14:46

Sorry for the first world issue!

If you usually have a cleaner, whose visits you cancelled owing to Covid-19, have you invited them back to work in your home yet? What is everyone doing?

We live in a country (not UK) that's been badly affected by Covid-19. During lockdown it was against the rules for our cleaners (a married couple) to come to our office and home. The state paid 80% of their wages (as they are employed through a state subsidised agency) and we have made up the other 20%. As I work p/t doing admin for our business, I have been doing all the cleaning in the cleaner's absence (DH working 60+ hrs per wk keeping the business going as all other staff still WFH) and it's a hard job because of the configuration and age of the properties involved. Now restrictions have been lifted somewhat (but not totally) I would like to invite the cleaners back but my DH says it's too risky as they live with their adult daughter who works in a care home. And the husband also has an evening bar job too.

What does everyone else think about the risks involved? Just for context: my daughter is going to secondary school every day and is on public transport twice a week to get to the school's sport centre (this is obligatory). And we live in a country where nearly everyone (including dd's classmates) seem to have gone abroad to visit grandparents in Italy//Spain over the holidays.

DH says the start of the academic year with everyone flying back in from various locations, and schools starting back after six months, is a particularly risky period which we shouldn't add to by adding cleaners back in to the mix and we should watch and wait for a bit?

Does anyone else agree with this? Or is he being over cautious? I would dearly love to stop having to spend so much time cleaning!

OP posts:
TDogsInHats · 07/09/2020 16:32

You might like to know that I use colour coded cloths, blue for loo and pink for sink. It rhymes and is easy to remember.
Thank you OP, my customers do seem to appreciate me and we all try our best

Original poster
slightchill · 07/09/2020 16:40

Thank you everyone for more responses. They are much appreciated.

I've read out some of them to DH. He says (and he is a person who works on logic) that he is still not convinced or "why would there still be an argument about singing in the Albert Hall" ?

[sigh]

OP posts:
TorkTorkBam · 07/09/2020 16:42

Time to swap some jobs around. You take over some bits he is doing to give him time to do the cleaning seeing as you are sick of it.

TorkTorkBam · 07/09/2020 16:44

He cannot possibly be working on logic. The logical answer is to have the cleaners back now. He is weighting the facts to meet his desired conclusion, which is an emotional conclusion, not logical, he gets the answer he has already decided is right.

Original poster
slightchill · 07/09/2020 16:49

If only we could job swap Tork!. Sadly I'm not qualified to do his!

OP posts:
Candyflosscookie · 07/09/2020 16:49

Yes because singing loudly and vigorously expelling zillions more respiratory droplets in an enclosed and highly crowded hot space, is exactly like a cleaner working quietly alone in a house with doors and windows open. HmmHmmHmm

What a fucking tool, and mean with money too when it affects you, not him. Nice. Hmm

TorkTorkBam · 07/09/2020 16:50

Surely there are parts you could do? Not everything is high skilled surely?

Why does he have power of veto over the cleaning given it is you doing it?

TDogsInHats · 07/09/2020 16:53

The singing in the Albert hall is irrelevant to the debate.
The cleaners are working in the Albert Hall.
The singers emit (aerosol) spray which projects further than normal expiration (breathing) or talking.

Original poster
slightchill · 07/09/2020 16:53

@Candyflosscookie

Yes because singing loudly and vigorously expelling zillions more respiratory droplets in an enclosed and highly crowded hot space, is exactly like a cleaner working quietly alone in a house with doors and windows open. HmmHmmHmm

What a fucking tool, and mean with money too when it affects you, not him. Nice. Hmm

Grin Candyflosscake he is a good husband in other ways I promise! His family lived in chaos though and he thinks that's normal, also that it's "bourgeois" to worry too much about domesticity Hmm

As for the singing/breathing thing, I imagine he is thinking of someone heavy breathing over the bathroom taps or something Grin. Who knows!

OP posts:
Original poster
slightchill · 07/09/2020 17:12

I do some admin Tork (boring stuff like filing and updating journals etc) but he is a secretary and an intern down and we have two very vulnerable employees who are WFH, so DH has taken on quite a lot of extra work as well as his own. And times are hard ATM when you are running your own business as clients are more wary of spending money and dh can't travel to drum up work as he normally would. So I understand he wants to be careful with the budget, especially as our office premises aren't being used by clients at all.

I'll tell him that the cleaners are working in the Albert Hall and see what he says TDogsInHats!

Why does he have power of veto over the cleaning given it is you doing it?

^ That's a very good question Tork

OP posts:
Words · 07/09/2020 18:06

Mine came back as soon as the regulations allowed. She wears mask and gloves, and I leave the house while she's here.

Doing my own cleaning simply underlined how valuable her work is to me. Smile

Obviously if things change we will revisit the arrangement.

Original poster
slightchill · 07/09/2020 18:36

Doing my own cleaning simply underlined how valuable her work is to me.

Quite so Words!

OP posts:
Original poster
slightchill · 07/09/2020 18:38

I should add that I started off with loads of enthusiasm - I am not afraid of getting stuck in and often used to work alongside the cleaners when they came - but the sheer volume and relentlessness of it is getting me down.

OP posts:
SorrelBlackbeak · 07/09/2020 18:44

@slightchill

Thank you everyone for more responses. They are much appreciated.

I've read out some of them to DH. He says (and he is a person who works on logic) that he is still not convinced or "why would there still be an argument about singing in the Albert Hall" ?

[sigh]

Small groups can sing again indoors with appropriate social distancing. The government haven't confirmed whether choirs should be limited to 6 (unworkable) or 30 (okay) but singing - even amateur indoor singing- can start again. So unless you're planning to have more than 6 constantly singing cleaners scrubbing your toilet, your husband's comment is nonsensical.
ShakeaHettyFeather · 07/09/2020 18:44

Our cleaner came back in July and I've rarely been so glad to see anyone in my whole life! We'd all been ill so minimal cleaning had been done for over 4 months...

We stay a few yards from her and try not to be in the same room, and.let her get on with it.

Original poster
slightchill · 07/09/2020 19:20

I quite like the idea of more than six constantly singing cleaners scrubbing the lav Sorrelblackbeak but I take your point! Grin

Our cleaner came back in July and I've rarely been so glad to see anyone in my whole life

^ Aye Shakeahettyfeather I think I will be garlanding mine with flowers upon their return.

OP posts:
Othering · 08/09/2020 00:25

@Words

Mine came back as soon as the regulations allowed. She wears mask and gloves, and I leave the house while she's here.

Doing my own cleaning simply underlined how valuable her work is to me. Smile

Obviously if things change we will revisit the arrangement.

The regulations never prevented cleaners from working in the first place.
AlwaysLatte · 08/09/2020 00:35

The regulations never prevented cleaners from working in the first place.
There might have been other reasons to do with the regulations, such as not being able to get childcare.

MrsGatsby99 · 12/09/2020 07:04

Just had our cleaners back yesterday. They are an agency and have strict systems which is reassuring. To be honest, I think the cleaners are more at risk than us as if they are doing a good job, the house should be clean once they leave! They wear gloves (I think they did pre-covid anyway), open windows in the rooms they are working in and we are not allowed in the same room as them if at home(at work anyway). It is such a personal decision though OP and depends on your situation. I am in contact with around 200 children per week now and my DH commutes to a big city for work so we are just sort of getting on with it, following systems and hoping things will be fine. If I had someone at home who was vulnerable it would be different.

Words · 13/09/2020 19:46

During early lockdown no one was allowed to work in your house, barring dire emergencies.

This was then relaxed.

The agency were hawk eyed about this.

I hate cleaning and my own cleaner is an absolute gem. I was so very glad when she was able to resume working.

I can't really put into words how much I appreciate what she does.

wedidntstartthefires · 19/09/2020 11:41

Your dh is just being tight and sounds like he wants to punish with the extra work and discomfort of not having cleaners - maybe because he is having to work harder too?

Are your cleaners going to leave your door open or are they looking for other work? It seems very unfair on them.

tobee · 19/09/2020 18:00

We haven't but only because my Dh is severely vulnerable and was shielding. Can't see it changing for a bit now. Sad

tobee · 19/09/2020 18:01

Spending some of what we were spending on cut flowers which makes me feel better.

FinallyFluid · 19/09/2020 18:05

SHe comes in, I go out.

DH working from the front room closes the door.

She leaves all the window open when she is leaving.

AnnaMagnani · 19/09/2020 18:13

The cleaner came back immediately.

I have no idea who is in the rest of her family, what they do for a living or their risk factors.

When she is at my house it's v easy to stay 2m away and most importantly she is cleaning!

And if she had symptoms she wouldn't turn up - and if I had symptoms I'd tell her not to come.

Neither of us has sung at any point Confused