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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

What are your complaints about cleaners........?

42 replies

blossomsmine · 06/05/2008 22:51

I noticed on another thread a couple of people mentioned about not being happy with their cleaning service and having to get them back to do 'a few bits' they had missed. Well..........seeing as i am a cleaner at the mo i wondered, from the customers point of view, what are your main complaints and/or what do you wish your cleaner would do more thoroughly and is there anything that most cleaners seem to miss out????
Would love to know your views as i kind of do stuff 'my' way and maybe i drive my customers mad lol!

OP posts:
alibubbles · 07/05/2008 12:39

Not looking above their heads for cobwebs! Having selective vision that excludes doing round the skirting boards where we get woodlice collecting.

Seriously, my cleaner is great, and she tidies and makes beds beautifully! I have her for 8 hours a week, not enough!

meep · 07/05/2008 12:47

not seeing dusty skirting boards!
not pulling the sofa out from the wall and hoovering behind (tis a light sofa and easy to move) even when asked!
not using the scrubby sponge that I leave in the bathroom to clean the tiles properly in the shower

apart from that I love my cleaner and therefore am not that bothered by the above - I just do it myself!

mazzystar · 07/05/2008 12:51

I love my cleaner
Sometimes she doesn't put the mop and bucket away again. And she is very petite so it is hard for her to reaxh the cobwebs, should she be inclined to have a go at them.

But it would be utterly churlish of me to complain because she is so brilliant, even babysits for me. I lvve her I really do

LessThanImpressed · 07/05/2008 12:52

Agree with meep! Mine tends not to see the dust on the skirting, also our sofa is the type that has 'legs', IYKWIM, and you can easily see if there's fluff collecting under it... but it gets missed too.

However she is otherwise great so I haven't said anything about it!

HaventSleptForAYear · 07/05/2008 14:33

Yup - cobwebs are a biggie here too. They are getting ridiculous but our cleaner (lovely too, babysits our chickens when we are away ) doesn't seem to see them or doesn't think they are in her job description (not that we have one).

Mop and bucket here too. A bit annoying when you come back to an "almost" perfect house - we do a big tidy on Sunday night, she cleans Monday morning, but when we come in it's all sparkling apart from the mop & bucket out and a few cleaning products left lying about.

Original poster
blossomsmine · 07/05/2008 17:49

Aaaah! So not too much to complain about then!!! I always do the top dusting so thats good. But i think i might be guilty of the 'not moving the sofa' thing.......will try harder!!!
Anything else?

OP posts:
popmum · 07/05/2008 17:54

mine tidy up too much and i can never find stuff! my dh can never find his slippers and they recycle the mags/newspapers by my bed i haven't read!

2blue · 07/05/2008 17:57

Lol @ the cleaners who 'tidy up too much!'

Anna8888 · 07/05/2008 17:58

Selective vision is one of the biggest problems. A cleaner who only cleans part of a room when I ask her to clean all of a room is worse than useless as then I have to go around after her to do the bits she left, scrutinising all the while to ensure I don't do things which actually managed to do.

Also - not moving furniture to clean (there is no point at all on parquet floors to hoovering around the furniture as dust collects under it and redistributes itself very fast indeed); not cleaning mirrors.

scanner · 07/05/2008 17:59

Mine mops around things and doesn't move them. She also does an hours ironing and has the iron too hot so everything is shiny.

mckenzie · 07/05/2008 18:00

mine is a lovely lovely lady but her english isn't great and I dont think she fully understands the E cloth thing! Also, she doesn't rinse the bath round enough after she has cleaned it so although it is clean it seems to have a film over it. But, they are minor things and I love everything else she does also the fact that she is very cheerful and delightful with my DCs.

squeaver · 07/05/2008 18:02

I also have a lovely, lovely cleaner but, in fact, I wish she used her initiative a wee bit more, instead of waiting for a list of instructions.

Millarkie · 07/05/2008 18:13

Not cleaning the tops of skirting boards.
Using a hoover on the wood floor and never mopping it so that sticky marks remain.

poodlepusher · 07/05/2008 20:31

I have a very good cleaner, she loves doing the ironing and is happy to do every aspect of cleaning, but she's not very orderly - she doesn't tidy anything, in fact she chucks it out of her way into a big mess sometimes. I am not going to say anything to her because I think this is just the way she is and there are worse things. She's never broken anything, is completely reliable time wise, I trust her with the kids etc and hope that she stays with us for some time!

Hillbilly · 09/05/2008 09:57

We have a great cleaner/babysitter but she has certain blind spots eg not cleaning around the basin plug, not cleaning skirting boards,mopping around things.

However I would not be without her. She is totally trustworthy and looks after dd once a week too, also cleans our office.

Whenever I moan to myself I wonder what life would be like without her and shut up!

She does all the ironing and changes the beds too. I love her!

candyfluff · 09/05/2008 11:20

my mum was a cleaner for a posh couple who lived nearby and when she got there to start work the lady of the house would be hoovering or dusting so my mum did'nt have to do it!!! now where's the sense in that.
i think she just wanted the company because often they would sit and chat for an hour while she was supposed to be cleaning.

shouldbeworking · 09/05/2008 12:08

My complaint about cleaners is I can't afford one!!!!The one I have (me!) is rubbish.

Poledra · 09/05/2008 12:14

Mine doesn't clean the plughole - she puts the plug in while cleaning the sink and doesn't seem to think to clean the plughole when she takes it out! However, the real problem with my cleaner is that she is retiring in June when I come off on maternity leave - she's given up all her other clients and is only working for me at the moment as I think she feels sorry for me.

Original poster
blossomsmine · 09/05/2008 14:11

I will tell you now what annoys me about my customers!!!! Leaving dirty knickers for me to pick up (!) unflushed loos with all sorts in them! Washing up (we have an agreement that there won't be any washing up!) loads of kids toys strewn around so i have to tidy before hoovering. But the worst is......when they don't pay on the day!! Mine should always leave cash/cheque for me but they make excuses that they didn't have time....i feel like saying "how would you feel if your boss didn't have time to pay you this month!"
I always do a less superior clean when they haven't left my payment, not particularly on purpose but because i feel about 'put on' etc.,!
Oh and it annoys me when, i have nearly finished my clean at their house and they suddenly ask for an extra job to be done that will take the best part of an hour...grrr!

OP posts:
LessThanImpressed · 09/05/2008 20:05

at people leaving dirty knickers lying out!!

And not paying you... That is despicable.

I always do as much tidying as possible before my cleaner comes so as she can simply get on and do her job. Ooooh, very for you!

wrinklytum · 09/05/2008 20:06

That I haven't got one.

Shitemum · 09/05/2008 20:14

Her assumption that if I don't say anything I'm happy for her to get less and less meticulous as time goes on!

Doesn't clean taps well enough, nor toothpaste off tiles behind sink, or splashes off wooden shelf above sink. Despite me reminding her.

Doesn't hoover my rugs HARD enough. They are tightly hand woven ethnic jobbies and are slightly wrinkled so the dust collects in the uneven surface. (It's a brand new Miele)

TBH I think she can't see too well...she's in her 50's.

Also, it's a decrepit old flat we rent so it seems a bit petty to want shiny taps when the 1930's bath enamel is so worn you could file the bottom of your feet with it...

Just wait till we move into our new house tho, there'll be no excuses then!

One thing I do like is she wears a hands-free radio/mobile phone thing so when people call her she just keeps on working!

snickersnack · 09/05/2008 20:15

My biggest complaint is that she cleans the oven every week whether it needs it or not. She's fantastic. She does have a slight blind spot about ironing and will go to great lengths to avoid doing it (dd often has immaculately arranged bookshelves on a Wednesday evening but no ironed shirts for dh) but I don't particularly mind ironing.

If you really want to know how your customers feel, why not say you'll sit down with them once every 6 months or so and go through the routine again as if you were just starting out with them? That way they might feel free to point out things they don't want to mention otherwise - you know, "could you just make sure you give the skirting boards a quick wipe?" type of thing. I find after a few months it feels quite awkward to comment - if I didn't say something at the beginning I don't like to later on. I think I'd be very impressed if someone did that.

flubdub · 09/05/2008 20:19

I didnt realise cleaners were meant to tidy? Am quite surprised.
I think Id quite like to be a cleaner in peoples houses Im a complete clean freak, and enjoy it also!!
There'd be no ironing though.

PinkPussyCat · 10/05/2008 13:13

Oooh, Flubdub, come to mine...!!