Our cleaner is no good!

[disneys]

Hi all , I’m hoping to get some advice on how you handle picking up your cleaner on some issues please because I’m not great with confrontation

we’ve had a cleaner now for about a year , and it’s a life saver with 2 little ones . She comes every Monday from 10-12 and is supposed to clean the kitchen and bathrooms , and give all the other rooms in our 3 bed new build a once over (hoover , dust , etc) . I am currently on Mat leave so when she comes over , I usually take my children over to my MIL’s , or out to the park or to meet friends for coffee and stay out of her way

it all started fine and she was doing very thorough cleans and doing everything that we had agreed . However , after a few months I started to notice that she was leaving early (caught on the ring door bell a few times leaving 20 mins or so early) , which was fine really as the house was clean . A few months ago , my husband had to pop home from work on morning break because he’d forgotten some bits he needed for that day , and caught her at 11am sitting on our sofa on her phone . She was embarrassed & said she was only having a rest to message her husband , but it just seemed odd she was clearly relaxing in our home while we weren’t there and she was meant to be working

I was willing to accept all of this as the cleaning was still good . However , in the last 3 months or so things have started to slip . We have 3 cats and they cause a lot of mess . Sometimes they knock their food about , they are currently shedding their coats a lot so there is a lot of fur everywhere and sometimes they kick litter onto the floor . She has started to stop cleaning up their fur , won’t sweep up any stray biscuits etc . She also has stopped hoovering the rug in our living room . I’ve now noticed the last 2 weeks she hasn’t mopped the bathroom floors . She also has stopped dusting picture frames and the TV , and wiping down our bedside tables . She is still continuing to leave early .

it’s got to the point now where I need to speak with her about why she is not doing certain tasks that she had done previously . She used to go above and beyond but recently she has taken a back seat . My husband usually deals with confrontation etc as I am no good at it , but as he works it is up to me to speak with her . I’ve decided on Monday next week (she came today and the house is still filthy which is the final straw for me) to speak with her about it , but I have no idea where to start and what to say .

she is a lovely lady and very sweet , she bought my son an egg at Easter and feeds our cats for us if we are away and in a bind as she lives very close by . I don’t want to upset her but at the same time I can’t keep paying for a service that I’m not getting .

has anyone been in a similar situation and can advise on how to approach this please ?

 

[lurkingaround123]

I had a near identical situation with my old cleaner!

She was amazing to start with. She commented that there wasn't all that much to do, as I was living alone in a 2 bed flat and I am a tidy person as it is, so she just had to clean, no clutter. There wasn't all that much need for her to come, it was just my treat to myself to come home to a clean house with fresh ironed sheets etc. After a few weeks she started missing things, which made no sense at all.
One day I had a bath with a Lush bath bomb the day before she came, and thought I won't bother scrubbing the bits from the bath considering she's coming tomorrow. I got back from work the next day and it wasn't cleaned at all!! Thought maybe it was a one off but the next time she came I noticed things had slipped, like there was still toothpaste on the bathroom taps. The straw that broke the camels back was the time after, when I spilt a splash of curry on my floor, left it there because she supposedly mopped every time, and with the other issues I'd noticed I wanted to make sure she was. Came home after she'd been and low and behold the curry was still on the floor. I invited her back once more and asked if she could leave the key she had because I needed to give it to someone as I was going away, and I'd contact her when I wanted to book in again, and I just never did.

If I was in the same position now I'd probably just say 'noticed you haven't done xyz, is there enough time within the paid slot?'. Obviously you know there is but it then gives her the prompt to either sort herself out, or ask you to extend the amount of time, to which you could politely end the services.

 

[laughing]

Ask her if she is well and that all is ok as you have noticed that things have started to slip with your cleaning.

May just make up her game. If not get rid of her

 

[pepe le pew]

Let her go. Get someone new. Give them a comprehensive list and let them know you have cameras in all rooms at all times when you leave your home. Lie if you have to. Cat hair needs to be vacuumed up in areas where kids tend to play on the floor. Empty your vacuum regularly and let the new staff understand clearly they are being monitored. She’s not your friend. She is a person you pay to clean your house.

 

[Ingognito.Queen]

Ask her if she is well and that all is ok as you have noticed that things have started to slip with your cleaning.

I would take this approach too. Ask her is everything alright lately as you noticed that there were a couple of things not done. She probably knows herself that her standard has slipped and this will give her a nudge to get back to it properly.

Let her go. Get someone new. Give them a comprehensive list and let them know you have cameras in all rooms at all times when you leave your home. Lie if you have to. Cat hair needs to be vacuumed up in areas where kids tend to play on the floor. Empty your vacuum regularly and let the new staff understand clearly they are being monitored. She’s not your friend. She is a person you pay to clean your house.

There is no need to take this approach in my opinion. Yes, she needs to be confronted about it but there is no need to be nasty, just be firm.
It's not like she was like this at the start.

 

[disneys]

Thanks everyone . Sounds like it is common !

I know she has the capacity to be good because she used to be great , but I think she has just got comfortable . Don’t want to be rude or anything , I’ll give her a chance to improve but if she doesn’t then it will be game over and we will find someone else !

I’ll post an update next week with how it all goes

 

[BettyCrockerr]

She does 2 hours once a week?


Is there really any point in having a cleaner for that? If all she’s there to do is basics like throwing a hoover around and basic cleaning of the kitchen and bathrooms do you really need a cleaner? I think I’d save myself the bother and just do it myself!!!!!

Did you stipulate from the outset that you’d want her to tidy up after the animals, including cleaning up food and litter debris?

Is she aware yet that you know she regularly leaves early??


I’d just say to get straight - you aren’t happy with what’s being left undone, she’s leaving early and things have slipped since she started. If you don’t see any improvement in a week, ditch her.

 

[disneys]

She does 2 hours once a week?


Is there really any point in having a cleaner for that? If all she’s there to do is basics like throwing a hoover around and basic cleaning of the kitchen and bathrooms do you really need a cleaner? I think I’d save myself the bother and just do it myself!!!!!

Did you stipulate from the outset that you’d want her to tidy up after the animals, including cleaning up food and litter debris?

Is she aware yet that you know she regularly leaves early??


I’d just say to get straight - you aren’t happy with what’s being left undone, she’s leaving early and things have slipped since she started. If you don’t see any improvement in a week, ditch her.

haha I’ve got 2 kids , one of which is only 4 months old . My hands are tied with them , plus I’m doing an OU degree as well , so when they’re asleep i’m studying . Although why I’m trying to justify myself to strangers on the internet I don’t know , it’s my money and if I want a cleaner its totally my prerogative to have one . I wasn’t asking for advice on whether or not I should have a cleaner , just how to approach this with her it’s totally worth it for me , but I guess we all have different views on what is worth the spend or not .

Our cats aren’t new - we have had them as long as she has been cleaning . They are older than my kids !! She never complained about hoovering up their fur or litter or anything previously - as I said in the previous post it is only a recent thing . They are malting a lot more as it’s been hot , but she’s never had an issue with cleaning up their mess before . It was discussed when we hired her .

i haven’t mentioned the leaving early because before now the work was being done , and to a good standard so I know it can all be done in the time .

 

[Kim Mild]

If you don't like confrontation just tell her you don't need her services anymore. Write her a letter if you have to . Then find a new cleaner.

 

[BettyCrockerr]

haha I’ve got 2 kids , one of which is only 4 months old . My hands are tied with them , plus I’m doing an OU degree as well , so when they’re asleep i’m studying . Although why I’m trying to justify myself to strangers on the internet I don’t know , it’s my money and if I want a cleaner its totally my prerogative to have one . I wasn’t asking for advice on whether or not I should have a cleaner , just how to approach this with her it’s totally worth it for me , but I guess we all have different views on what is worth the spend or not .

Our cats aren’t new - we have had them as long as she has been cleaning . They are older than my kids !! She never complained about hoovering up their fur or litter or anything previously - as I said in the previous post it is only a recent thing . They are malting a lot more as it’s been hot , but she’s never had an issue with cleaning up their mess before . It was discussed when we hired her .

i haven’t mentioned the leaving early because before now the work was being done , and to a good standard so I know it can all be done in the time .

I’ve got 2 kids, and a full time job. Still wouldn’t need to pay someone to do a bit of hoovering or tidy my kitchen 2 hours a week

 

[Snippysnips]

Honestly I'd be letting her go, think of it in this way you are the employer an she is your employee, if this was a buisness would you be allowing it? If she was slacking on the job while being paid, I wouldn't see any buisness allowing workers to be like that so why should you

I myself clean an it is hard work, of course am just cleaning my folks home while I look for work but even then I wouldn't slack on it, an I'd honestly feel embarrassed if I was taking money from someone who was paying me to clean, that house would be coming out showroom quality if that was the case so it sounds as if she's taking advantage an just can't be bothered with it anymore

Is there any cleaners you can hire that's through a company instead? At least then there's a boss to phone to if they did that

 

[Rose28454]

I’ve got 2 kids, and a full time job. Still wouldn’t need to pay someone to do a bit of hoovering or tidy my kitchen 2 hours a week

My daughter owns a cleaning business and has plenty of clients who have a 2 hour clean each week. You can make a house look really clean in that time if you have no distractions like children etc. proper cleaning is not that easy. My daughter has been in business 4 years and had 6 employees. You would be surprised how few client would message her to say there was a problem but she has had to sack 2 girls who left clients early ( one of whom was having an affair at the time ).

 

[BettyCrockerr]

My daughter owns a cleaning business and has plenty of clients who have a 2 hour clean each week. You can make a house look really clean in that time if you have no distractions like children etc.

But then a house with kids isn’t going to stay looking like that - that’s sort of my point. The cleaner does 2 hours on a Monday. Then you use the house as normal, you make lunch and dinner, the kids are playing, the cats are wandering around - by Tuesday it must need hoovering and tidying again? So what’s the point? I Hoover my house each day. I clean my kitchen every day. Bathrooms everyday. What’s the point in paying someone to do 2 hours of basic cleaning one day a week?!

 

[Hmmmjustreading]

Betty you are making me laugh. I need a cleaner to come to my house 5 hours everyday

but to answer the question. Text or email her asking her to do the things she’s missed next time...?

 

[Scorpihoe]

Tbh it’s your money, if you want a cleaner, that’s up to you. This post wasn’t about arguing whether a cleaner is needed or not. That said, I went to uni and lived with a girl who would hire a cleaner to clean her room and the living areas. Her course was very laid back so she was barely in, she was just lazy I wasn’t complaining though, she asked the lady to clean our living room and kitchen sometimes too, and would never take any money for it

to be honest, I’d have a word with her and say you’ve noticed that X is still dirty, was she able to clean it this time? I know confrontation is hard, but you’re paying for a service here

 

[judgejohndeed]

Confrontation doesn't have to be horrible or an argument. This is someone you pay to provide a service who isn't doing that anymore.
Do you pay her by the hour or by the job? If it's for the job it's not a problem that she leaves early, obviously by the hour it's not on.
I would start by saying you've always been happy with the service she provides, but recently you're noticing certain things aren't up to her usual standard and certain jobs aren't being done, so you're wondering whether there's any particular reason for that, or whether it would be helpful to go over the list of jobs you want doing. See what she says and take it from there.

 

[Lac1985]

But then a house with kids isn’t going to stay looking like that - that’s sort of my point. The cleaner does 2 hours on a Monday. Then you use the house as normal, you make lunch and dinner, the kids are playing, the cats are wandering around - by Tuesday it must need hoovering and tidying again? So what’s the point? I Hoover my house each day. I clean my kitchen every day. Bathrooms everyday. What’s the point in paying someone to do 2 hours of basic cleaning one day a week?!

Betty I’ve noticed your responses on a number of threads now, and you seem to enjoy putting other people down so you can brag about yourself. Like you asked the original poster, what’s the point?

Instead of commenting put downs on nearly every thread on tattle, perhaps just leave people be if you don’t have anything constructive to add.

The poster asked for advice on how to deal with an issue but all you’re interested in is why she has a cleaner for 2 hours!

Hi all , I’m hoping to get some advice on how you handle picking up your cleaner on some issues please because I’m not great with confrontation

we’ve had a cleaner now for about a year , and it’s a life saver with 2 little ones . She comes every Monday from 10-12 and is supposed to clean the kitchen and bathrooms , and give all the other rooms in our 3 bed new build a once over (hoover , dust , etc) . I am currently on Mat leave so when she comes over , I usually take my children over to my MIL’s , or out to the park or to meet friends for coffee and stay out of her way

it all started fine and she was doing very thorough cleans and doing everything that we had agreed . However , after a few months I started to notice that she was leaving early (caught on the ring door bell a few times leaving 20 mins or so early) , which was fine really as the house was clean . A few months ago , my husband had to pop home from work on morning break because he’d forgotten some bits he needed for that day , and caught her at 11am sitting on our sofa on her phone . She was embarrassed & said she was only having a rest to message her husband , but it just seemed odd she was clearly relaxing in our home while we weren’t there and she was meant to be working

I was willing to accept all of this as the cleaning was still good . However , in the last 3 months or so things have started to slip . We have 3 cats and they cause a lot of mess . Sometimes they knock their food about , they are currently shedding their coats a lot so there is a lot of fur everywhere and sometimes they kick litter onto the floor . She has started to stop cleaning up their fur , won’t sweep up any stray biscuits etc . She also has stopped hoovering the rug in our living room . I’ve now noticed the last 2 weeks she hasn’t mopped the bathroom floors . She also has stopped dusting picture frames and the TV , and wiping down our bedside tables . She is still continuing to leave early .

it’s got to the point now where I need to speak with her about why she is not doing certain tasks that she had done previously . She used to go above and beyond but recently she has taken a back seat . My husband usually deals with confrontation etc as I am no good at it , but as he works it is up to me to speak with her . I’ve decided on Monday next week (she came today and the house is still filthy which is the final straw for me) to speak with her about it , but I have no idea where to start and what to say .

she is a lovely lady and very sweet , she bought my son an egg at Easter and feeds our cats for us if we are away and in a bind as she lives very close by . I don’t want to upset her but at the same time I can’t keep paying for a service that I’m not getting .

has anyone been in a similar situation and can advise on how to approach this please ?

I had a similar issue and wasn’t sure how to approach the situation.

After letting it slide for a few weeks I decided to send her a message asking if everything was ok because I’d noticed a few things had been missed, things that had previously been done and were on the ‘list’ of things to do. She apologised and those things weren’t missed again!

Sometimes I find putting things in writing easier than having an awkward conversation face to face, although with hindsight I think it would’ve been fine now I know how she reacted! Good luck!

 

[Thecaddy11]

I had exactly the same thing happen! I was mat leave and wanted some extra help because I didn't want to spend my whole mat leave cleaning and my cleaner started off amazing and then very quickly things went down hill. In the end we moved house so I had a good reason not to carry on with her. Could you blame cost of living/mat leave pay on cutting down your costs and hence having to stop her services?

 

[Ingognito.Queen]

But then a house with kids isn’t going to stay looking like that - that’s sort of my point. The cleaner does 2 hours on a Monday. Then you use the house as normal, you make lunch and dinner, the kids are playing, the cats are wandering around - by Tuesday it must need hoovering and tidying again? So what’s the point? I Hoover my house each day. I clean my kitchen every day. Bathrooms everyday. What’s the point in paying someone to do 2 hours of basic cleaning one day a week?!

Wow - I don't even have kids and there is still no way I would have time to hoover, clean the kitchen and bathrooms everyday

My daughter owns a cleaning business and has plenty of clients who have a 2 hour clean each week. You can make a house look really clean in that time if you have no distractions like children etc. proper cleaning is not that easy.

Totally agree. If you can afford it, having a cleaner is SO worth it in my opinion.
Life is too short too work all day etc and then spend evenings/weekends cleaning

 

[BettyCrockerr]

Wow - I don't even have kids and there is still no way I would have time to hoover, clean the kitchen and bathrooms everyday


Totally agree. If you can afford it, having a cleaner is SO worth it in my opinion.
Life is too short too work all day etc and then spend evenings/weekends cleaning

It takes about 10 minutes to Hoover and then about half hour to clean the kitchen and bathrooms. I’m talking about a normal daily run around with the vacuum and a quick tidy and clean of the kitchen guys - not spending hours doing a Kim & Aggy!!!!!