Having a cleaner. Or not.

I have become more disabled over the last 3 years and I found a cleaner via age UK. Like yours she was coming later and later, I asked repeatedly if she could please come on time as I used to have a visitor later in that day and I needed time to have my lunch before they arrived. In the end I found another lady and this one comes on time and boy is she thorough, i pay her 4 2 hours every other week, she has got my step ladder and cleaned on top of the kitchen cupboards, I dont think they have been done in the 6 years I have lived here, I can't use a ladder. Her first week she stayed 3 hours instead of 2 so I paid her for the 3, she said NO, it was my choice to carry on, you did not ask me to stay., she has been 3 times up to now and has always done over her time but will not accept extra. She says it is her choice and once she gets it up to her standard she will be able to do it in 2 hours. So try age UK, they are all DBS checked as well

I think the kindest (and you are clearly a kind person, watermeadow, otherwise you would just tell her the harsh truth) would be just to say ‘thank you, you’ve helped me through this difficult time, but now I can manage my own cleaning.

Are you paying her to drink coffee? Talk to her, and tell her that unless she does what she is paid to do, you will not be employing her any more.

This is making me worried- my husband's COPD is so bad now he cannot help with housework anymore, and I have arthritic knees. I was thinking of getting someone in for a couple of hours a month to do the heavier work such as mopping and vaccuming. I'm now worried that I will get someone lazy - I don't have the poster's issue as I would be, shall we say, blunt about poor service but my husband is a very nice man and lets people take advantage of him. I'd have to lock him in the bedroom lol, to avoid him being too nice. I am reluctant to hire a cleaner, as a working class woman (my mother did it), but our flat is getting like a pigsty because I can't keep up with the housework on my own.

You say she sits for a coffee "afterwards "..she might think you need the company and she is doing you a favour. We all have very different standards when it comes to cleaning so you really do need to be extremely clear ( what, how often, priority ..) as to what you want done.She possibly thinks she can arrive anytime too, that as you haven' t said anything, it doesn' t make any difference to you. If you like and trust her , you could set those boundaries as of now, otherwise you might as well just say it' s not working out. She will find somewhere else quickly enough. Don' t worry yourself with it.

I would not tolerate this cleaner. If my cleaner is going to be late he telephones me if he is stuck in traffic or something unavoidable crops up. He has a cup of coffee, looks at the cleaning list I leave for him, gets on with it and if he finishes before the 2 hours are up he will do something else for me. He chats quite happily but does not waste time.

I was ill after my second child, and he was a difficult baby.
I hired a cleaner through word-of mouth and took her on,
I always tidied before she arrived.

She seemed to want to clean with me, as a partner. Wanted a coffee break during 2 hours and told me about her foreign holidays. This stuck in my throat as we couldn't afford any sort of holiday.
I told her I didn't need her any more and go used to a messy house.

I keep the house tidy and have a cleaner a couple of hours every other week. I would recommend being pleasant but not too friendly as it’s harder to complain about anything if she becomes a friend. I wouldn’t offer coffee after only one hour. Tell her you no longer need help and after a decent interval get someone from an agency and although you’ll pay a bit more she’ll probably whizz around and do twice as much in the time. as the other one.

You have a contract with her to do your cleaning therefore you are her employer. If she isn’t doing her job properly then there is no point in having her there. Your money, your house, your rules. She is taking advantage of your good nature, let her go, you will feel better afterwards. It is difficult.

write a list of everything you want doing, so that that it is quite clear what your expectations are?
Good luck....................

It sounds to me as she’s taking advantage of you! I’d get someone else, things like this really annoy me, you are paying this person you are ill but you are doing most of it yourself, tell her over her cup of coffee that things are not working out, so you have to let her go, best wishes hope you find another person soon x

watermeadow
Reference to your small cottage What to you is small
Payment should only be for the hours worked that day
It is normal for an employee to have a coffee break just don't make it a social occasion if you want them to get on with the work you are paying them to do.

Just tell her that from the end of August you can no longer afford her. Don't feel bad.

If you are uncomfortable about getting rid of her just say you arent around next week so need to cancel. Then do the same the following week and just say you’ll be in contact when you need her again.

GreenGran78

I have never had a cleaner. I hate housework, but also hate the idea of someone wandering around my house.
In your situation, Watermeadow, I think that I would do the following. Next time she arrives I would say, in a cheerful way, that all this coffee-drinking was holding up production, and stopping the work from getting done. I would then tell her that when she had finished her jobs I would put the kettle on.
It’s only fair to give her a chance to redeem herself, as you have been going along with her being so lackadaisical.
If she still fails to give satisfaction I could the fire her off with a clear conscience.

Good idea, try this first!

Gabrielle56

You employ a child to Do your cleaning? "Girl" ? Odd way of describing a young (presumably) woman? If a man used that term we'd all be up in arms!

Speaking as a Feminist, you are being unnecessarily pedantic!

I had a number of cleaners over the years when i was working. The first one was a friend who fell on hard times. I knew i could trust her. She was good at some things but not others so i adjusted my list.
Then i had cleaners via an agency. The first was excellent but she left to set upher own catering business. The rest were OK. But two were awful. They expected me to pay them for holidays which was not part of the contract, as the agency was meant to send someone else. Another one kept short hours.

If you work through an agency they can sort out any problems, and you know where you stand.
My mum had a home help, but she really valued sitting down with a cup of tea and chat. Not much work was done.
Watermeadow, i hope you have let your cleaner go and found a better one.

I changed a cleaner I wasn’t happy with as I feel I am choosing to spend my (hard earned) money as I want and I expect value for money

CLEAN one room per day! (Not eat).

Its hard to do but maybe talk to her and she may realise she is a time waster,and you cant keep her on, if she really wants the work she might buckup her ideas.You do need help.

I use a big national company, on the understanding that they will come whenever I feel that I need a big clean. I do it myself most of the time, but they have powerful equipment and are very thorough. They send two women (I always request the same two). They don't have breaks. They do the whole house between them in about 1.5 hours. We have a cottage with a loft conversion, so 3 double bedrooms, one single bedroom, two shower rooms, one bathroom, a large kitchen/ diner and two reception rooms. It costs £108 per clean. I have it done about every 4-6 weeks, with a big clean after Christmas every year. I am self employed and work from home, so some of the cost is tax deductible. Worth every penny, as I am 63 and semi retired. I justify the cost because I hate cleaning and would never do it as thoroughly as they do it. As the house is currently on the market, I will be having it done more often for the next month or so. Another solution which I have tried is to eat one room each day, which is feasible for most people. As long as your kitchen and toilets are clean, nothing else really matters. And remember that dull women have immaculate houses!

I had a private cleaner when I worked full time .She was great spotless house but had 2 operations and packed up.
Then when I was ill got a local firm cleaner she just hoovered the life out of 3 carpets and dusted the living room .We noticed the kitchen floor was dirty and bathroom not done. Terminated the contract done it myself since downstairs one day upstairs the next .

Have a quick word with and be honest - you’re paying her and she needs to know what you need her to do - good luck xx

Sounds like its time for a different cleaner, and set some boundaries about what you want doing and breaks.
Have you told her what you need doing? A list of regular tasks and then some extras like insides of windows, washing paintwork, cleaning out kitchen cupboards.

So much good advice. I can't contribute because I've never had a cleaner but would really like to know what Watermeadow decided.