What makes a good cleaner...

[ChristmasCrumpet]

We've had no end of bad luck with cleaners.

I think we were a little naive when we looked on FB for recommendations, and didn't twig that 99% of people were recommending their neighbour, solely because it was their neighbour, and not because they had any experience of their cleaning service.

We've had 4 now. And they've all been really bad. I don't expect royal standards, but I do expect when I'm paying a person who advertises a service, for them to know how to do it better than I could. It's a bit like how ten years ago, everyone seemed to set up a home business because they liked making cupcakes, yet had no particular flair or cake making ability, but still declared themselves a professional baker.

Now it seems the bandwagon is to set up with your best mate as a cleaning company.

The first ones (second time they came) were only there for 2hrs, and had microwaved some food, and left one of the packets still in our microwave. Stunk the house out, and if we're only paying for 2hrs, you can't be sitting about eating for 20mins of that! House wasn't clean either, they had used disposable wipes on everything and filled our bin with them. Second ones cleaned the floors with something sticky and it was like walking on a thin layer of tar. Left it all streaky too. Third ones we caught on the ring doorbell leaving after 45mins, when should be there for 2hrs. They left streaks everywhere too. The 4th used something so abrasive on our composite sink that they took the whole top protective layer off, then when we pointed this out, told us the sink was "shoddy."

If your cleaner is good, who is he/she?

Do you have a proper cleaning agency that you use and are they very good? Mum thinks we need someone from her generation who "knows what actual cleaning is" (yes mum )... but I do agree that the thing all our cleaners have had in common is they were early 20s, so maybe just in general what they do is acceptable cleaning now. My friend has a male cleaner who works alone, and says he's ten times better than the two female cleaners she had prior...has anyone else found this?

I just can't see how anyone would be happy with what we've experienced, I genuinely don't think it's us, I'm not a clean freak. But I know how to clean, it's not hard to do a good job. Who would pay to stick to their floors? And yet that particular pair of women are constantly posting their new clients on FB.

Please tell me how you found your brilliant cleaner.

Not strange at all! It's a different job.

Jobs that are paid by the hour still have set responsibilities. You still have a contract under which you have agreed to do X and Y, but not Z. As an example, people teaching seminar groups at a university may well be paid by the hour (the permanent members of staff will be on salary, but many courses have PhD students filling in the gaps). If you hired someone on a GTA contract to teach Property Law and then told them to spend an hour cleaning the room instead, they'd rightly think this insane. Likewise, if you hired someone to work at Waitrose on the tills and setting out stock on the shelves, you couldn't then demand that they make dinner every day for all their colleagues.

You don't even know that she dos this in her own home at all. Maybe she has a partner who does all the cooking and food preparation. Maybe she hates salad. Certainly, it's not the job she's being employed to do as a cleaner.

It sounds, however, that you're actually advertising for housekeeper/housekeeping assistant sort of role.

We use an established local cleaning company due to so many inconsistent cleaners from fb. They are amazing, every cleaner we have had from them has been great. The company gives training and has an expected standard. Some cleaners on fb are literally doing it for extra cash. We had one who only wanted to work term time would expect her child (under 7 and a whirlwind) to be able to tag along if she had to work holidays or the child unwell. We had another lady that wanted 5 hours work regardless of size of house or tasks required. Turns out she had quite a name on our local fb page for longing cleans out for 5 hours.

If they don't steal that's a bonus as we've had so many that have. (That's obviously not to imply that all do- I must have just had bad luck).

My present cleaner was recommended by friends, she's been with us 8 years. She's ok but incredibly slow, so we more or less pay double the rate as it takes her twice as long- she's paid by the hour.

She's going back to Brazil for a month and I know she's going to ask to be paid for some of that time..

I'm on the verge of giving up on cleaners OP. I think it's just how the rest of the country is at the moment - mediocre, half arsed, can't be bothered.

I've had sticky floors that spread to the carpet, one who didn't clean toilets, not cleaning skirtings or tiles, one who didn't do high dusting, one who dusted around things - not the actual thing or underneath them, going home 20 minutes early, and my new one last week didn't hoover!

I'm sick of paying for something that I have to finish off myself.

I’m a cleaner. Good ones are hard to come by. I’ve never had a complaint or lost a client and I’m constantly fully booked so I hope I’m one of them haha!

My mindset is that I am there to make my client’s life easier, not to do some easy work and waste time.

I work non stop during the time I am there. If I need to stop to take a short break, I stop my clock and tell the client I am having a breather so will expect to leave a little later. I am nice and will chat when I leave/arrive but otherwise will just get on with it. If I have extra time, I ask the client if they need help with any other jobs. If washing is left out, I put it away. If the washing machine is finished, I’ll hang it out. I will use my initiative.

on top of that, cleaners really just need common sense and an attention to detail. Everyone knows how to clean, the difference is a cleaner should want to impress you so will do it to a different level you would in your own home. If they’re leaving streaks and using the wrong products, they don’t care.

it’d be good to ask them what products they use.

For now, I’d probably just get cleaners to come to do a clean of the bathrooms and kitchen only as a trial. Do not sign anything until you’re happy. If you’re not happy, cancel them. Be upfront about your standards straight away

You can’t ask a cleaner to make you lunch and be surprised that they blocked you. That’s ridiculous. A cleaner is there to clean, not cater to you and do your laundry

You can’t ask a cleaner to make you lunch and be surprised that they blocked you. That’s ridiculous. A cleaner is there to clean, not cater to you and do your laundry.

I don't think anyone else is disputing a cleaner is categorically not there to make lunches.

That poster actually wanted a home help.

You get good cleaners and bad, same as customers.
Sadly many cleaners are not professionals and think that because they can keep their own house clean, they can match professional standards. They can’t.
You also get customers who want to pay £10 an hour for a first class job and can’t accept that actual cleaners have to cover overheads and aren’t a stay at home mum making a few quid on the side
In respect of the lady who wants a salad prepped, you need to request a home help. Cleaners do not prepare meals and don’t have the food hygiene qualifications or insurance to do so