Not very happy with cleaner.

I have a cleaner because mobility issues make it difficult to do anything which involves prolonged standing or bending. I have always detested housework. I now run a business which I enjoy running so I resent anything which takes me away from that. Having a cleaner is one of the ways I reward myself for all the years of work and taxes I put into the community when I skivvied for an employer. I also have a gardener and a handy-man who does little DIY jobs I can no longer manage. So part of the money I make through my business is going directly back into the community by providing work for others.

Hi all
I'm with LRavenscroft on this one, I think it's very satisfying and rewarding to do one's own cleaning if we are able and have time to do so.
Nandalot, I don't think you are being unreasonable in the amount of work you are asking to be done.
Maybe you should have a chat with your cleaner and renew your instructions.
We don't use a cleaner these days, as we are both retired, and are reasonably fit and healthy, so can manage ourselves.
Sometimes DH hoovers and I come after him with the mop so it's easy, and I do upstairs and downstairs on different days.
However, when our DC were little we had a weekly cleaner/helper for the whole day. She did everything that needed doing as well as watch our little boy occasionally, while I worked for a few hours.
Maybe in a few years down the line, we'll need help, but I think I would prefer to take someone on recommendation, as being trustworthy as well as doing a good job would be a priority.

Because I’m never here when they are, I don’t want them to dislike me, there’s no telling what they might do behind my back.
So I never complain about anything, although sometimes am a bit disappointed.
I don’t mind cleaning most things, but I hate bathrooms, and as we have frequent guests, I would have to keep them spotless, so the cleaners stay.

I used to have cleaners when I was working full time. I had several over the years but some were no good, no matter how detailed my instructions. It was always very disappointing when a good one left.
Now I have so much stuff everywhere that it makes cleaning very difficult. And spiders keep making cobwebs! Once I get rid of stuff I might get cleaners in to do a one off deep clean, then I can try and keep on top of it myself. I have certainly lowered my standards these days.

We always tidy up before the cleaners come, seems sensible really, but I rarely do other than clean the toilets and the sinks between visits. Obviously, work surfaces are done when they are used.

Our house is fairly big, quite old and very dusty but we find that 2 hours per week (using the best cleaners in the village!!) is plenty.

I had a single woman cleaner who worked a half day and was excellent! I’ve also had an agency where a team comes - like 4 or 5 people and each person takes one room to do spic ‘n span, top to bottom - and they’re gone in one hour! They actually were the BEST! (Nothing was ever missing.) I miss them. They were a family operation, then all retired and moved to Florida. “Sayonara”

My problem? I always felt like I had to clean before the cleaner came. 🙄

OH brought a cleaner. She makes her own decisions on what needs doing but cleans the oven and skirting boards. She is excellent and dusts all the ornaments I am selling on eBay and also under the sofas. I have cataracts in both eyes so that doesn’t help. If I lived alone I doubt I would bother as much as him.

My point Fael is that should I become physically unable to do my own cleaning I would be a psychological mess! I have rituals that have to be done in a certain way with my ocd. Naturally the task of cleaning would have to be done but I would be a very difficult task master .

EmilyHarburn

Some cleaners need to put on their reading glasses to see the dust and so do not notice things including cobwebs

I have just had a procedure on a cataract in my right eye. I cleaned our bathroom yesterday for the first time since the operation and was appalled by the things I had missed before. I am going to give each room a good clean over the next week or so and will probably be equally appalled.

Isn't that the whole point ? When you can no longer do it yourself you need someone to clean for you. I always did my own housework too but with a large house and being less mobile can no longer cope !

I couldn’t have a cleaner as no one would clean to my standard. I am quite ocd and have to have certain areas cleaned my way! I’m fortunate though as I am retired and reasonably fit, I clean thoroughly and would be so out of my comfort zone if someone else was cleaning my personal space. I don’t spend all day cleaning but chip away doing different parts of the house for an hour or so each day.

I am a cleaner and you are not being unreasonable! However some cleaners just dont see where u and I would notice dirt ie behind doors and in corners As long as she has been provided with good equipment and some employers dont have decent hoovers mops and sometimes even cloths there is no excuse ask her if there is anything she needs and say u know it is hRd to get in corners etc therefore no conflict I do a 3 bed 3 bath home completely in 3 hours With my own hoover lol x

I have a typed schedule with all the rooms in the house listed and tick appropriately each 2 hour visit.
The kitchen, bathroom, stairs and landing & downstairs toilet are done each visit which is once a fortnight. On top of this I will include another room, e.g. a bedroom or a downstairs room. My lovely cleaning lady does not take a break in the 2 hour slot and a bonus is that she is very strong and does "heavy lifting" and "furniture moving. We clear rooms for her to be able to do a floor and surface clean without wasting time moving "stuff" around e.g. clear bathroom window sill and take out towels.
All round the answer is to say exactly what you require a cleaner to do. Circular rooms is not good though - took me some time to work this one out!

OP, if you request the bathroom to be cleaned thoroughly,
a cleaner should not need to be told what to do : if they are not sure they can ask.

It seems the cleaner you have is shiftless. 3 hours she is dragging it out.

Work expands to fill the time allotted to its completion -
Parkinson’s Law

ie I’m confident a motivated, fit, conscientious, able cleaner could satisfactorily complete your set tasks in an hour and a half.
You are paying this person to sigh and languidly flick a duster.

I have given up trying to find a cleaner since I moved and am now seriously thinking of using an agency. I was so against this, as I much prefer the person doing the work to receive 100% of the fee, but so far they have all been, lazy, work shy, and hopeless!!! When I admonished my last one for the amount of grot that was piling up on the window sills and skirting boards in every room, she complained that I hadn’t asked her to do them! Exactly what does “cleaning” cover? Do I have to list every aspect of every activity involved? My instructions were not to bother with the kitchen, except steam cleaning the floor, as I do this daily myself, ditto utility and main bathroom. Vacuum and dust two bedrooms, hallway, lounge and garden room and clean ensuite weekly, with a thorough clean, moving furniture, cleaning behind the beds, settee, windows etc of one area each week. Three hours per week. Is this unfair??? I am managing it myself at the moment but as I said, thinking of using an agency but as this will be more expensive, maybe just once every two weeks?

The yearly ritual of Spring cleaning made regular cleaning easier.
First the chimney sweep and fire set for Autumn, topped with fir cones and occasional sweetie wrapper, rugs beaten, turned upside down on the washed flags for kids to jump on, releasing 6 months vacuum shy muck, curtains flung over garden hedges, paintwork washed with sugar soap, edges of carpets stiff brushed, dislodging all sorts, moth larvae, spiders, then heavy furniture moved, the backs cleaned, two wo/man task, looong bamboo cobweb brush for coving and picture rails, smells of pink Windolene, Kleeneze lavender polish, soon filthy yellow dusters, neat pile of dead flies, O’Cedar polish mop for the parquet floor, dust motes dancing in sunbeams, home made lemonade for the volunteers, Aunties and neighbours, endless pots of tea, then, miraculously, everything returned to its place, summer cutains shaken and hung, rigs relaid, garden flowers in best cut glass wedding present vase on the buffet, clean fresh scented sitting room, shiny, polished, revived, renewed.

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Unless you have specified these jobs, she wont necessarily know that is what you want. Tell her if you haven't.

I’m at the stage in life where I can’t walk more than 20 steps and find it impossible to do basic housework.
In many respects I’m chair bound but fine as long as I’m sitting .
I found my first cleaner on line. From an advert saying”I clean, do what you can’t do and am honest”
That found me the first of my long list of Eastern European cleaners. Every one of them has been marvellous. And what’s more, as each find full time jobs or open their own businesses, they have invariably produced “ my friend xxxxx” to take their place. I pay £15 an hour, which in this area, is the going rate. I’m not a stickler for time or even day, as most of them have young children and we all know about drs and school Etc appointments.

I am toying with the idea of a cleaner, just for the occasional 'good clean' as I would rather sit in the garden with a good book, find it difficult to bend down to do the kicker boards under the kitchen units/ clean skirting boards etc. I waft about with a duster, and clean the kitchen and bathroom, but I need a bit of a top up I think.

Esmay.OMyGoodness Me. Poor you.

I must say I'm quite shocked that Sarah1954 has cleaners for 12 whole hours a week! That's one hell of a lot of cleaning! What exactly do they all do? Is your house the size of a small stately home? I presume you never pick up a duster for a quick flick round or get the hoover out? I certainly wouldn't want to of I was paying for 12 hours cleaning! Fascinating...!
We had a cleaner when I was still working. DH thought she was rubbish so decided to do it himself. I'm retired now, I do a bit, he does a bit - it probably doesn't amount to 12 hours a week but we don't live in squalor.

Sometimes you go have to gently point people in the right direction. I recently asked my cleaner to ensure she dusts/ cleans the bottom edges of the floors. Joked that when I sat on the toilet it was the first thing I saw. She was very apologetic and she snow does that every time she’s here. Unless you tell her she may not realise she’s missed it or it needs doing. I always phrase things like that as “ do you mind giving ……a clean? I think you may have miss3 it last time you were here. Works a treat

Just ask her nicely to do what you have mentioned here. If she wants to keep her job she will do it. Anyway,
plenty of cleaners out there.

I had a wonder worker for about nine years but she gave up during Covid.
The next one who was recommended as she cleaned the offices of the person recommending was a lovely lady but did more or less what she wanted.
When she had left the house didn’t look much different to how it was before she came except we had beautifully clean window frames and certain areas of the bathrooms.
She didn’t last long.
We are managing at present but I would have the old one back in a heartbeat, she charged £12.50 an hour but that would be more now.