How do I tell my cleaner she's doing a rubbish job?

Just wanted to add that our cleaners came from the one agency. Someone from the agency came to visit to discuss what I wanted and how long it would take. We agreed 2 hours was enough to do what I wanted done every time, with time left over to do other things from a list I would leave. The cleaner would decide what she had time left to do and it worked well because TBH, I was happy enough just getting the regular stuff done, so anything else was a bonus. I know couldn't do as good a job in the same time.

I'm not sure I would be comfortable employing a cleaner myself for all the reasons given on this thread. An agency keeps it on a professional level - in theory any way.

I've heard a few nightmare stories about cleaners and also from cleaners about the homeowner. From cleaners that try on designer clothes ( have heard one once took a dress over a weekend as they were going to a swanky do ) to a householder that liked a grass stripe look from her lounge carpet and you had to do it in a way that finished at the door and not 're enter the room again.

Many of you are saying you don't know how to cope with this situation and it is embarrassing. As Synonymous says this is a contract between you and her to clean your house and it looks as if you are going to have to tell her what you expect from her and what you need her to do. If you don't say anything then as far as she is concerned you are happy with her work.

You need to tell her in a polite and clear manner and point out where you are disappointed in her work. To do this you will need to at home for some of the time to point out areas where she hasn't met your standard. If her work continues to be of a poor standard then you must look for another cleaner. Next time make it clear what you want before they start.

If you took a dress to the cleaners and it came back will dirty marks, I am sure you would take it back and point this out to them.

One thing, if you don't tidy up before the cleaner comes, it will take her a lot longer to do the cleaning.

Tell her that you were with a group of women, and the conversation was about cleaning, and that you thought their ideas about getting a system going ie as in getting some things done one week and then others the next, was very sensible. Then suggest that the two of you sit down to organise it.

I used to get fed up with my cleaners when I was working full time and vowed that when I retired the house would look nice...dream on!

When I got my first promotion job, as a mum with young children and a big old house- my first prority was to get a cleaner who came for 3 hrs on the Friday.

Soon learnt that if you have a cleaner, you have to be a bit philosophical and accept they won't do things the was you do them, and may have slightly different priorities and see different things as important- or the tension will build. Much better to ask them to have a cup of coffee with you (in paid time) and say how wonderful their help if and how grateful you are- but a few things are 'grating' and you feel its best to talk about it rather than let it fester.

No had cleaning help for a very long time- but my neighbour has started to clean for me due to my knee op- and she does it all much much better than me, and is much faster. Only employ her for 2 hrs a week, but she is happy for me to call her for more as and when is required. She is very thorough bordering on the finnickity- but that's ok. My last cleaner in the UK happened to be French, and became one of my very best friends- and still is. She was a bit too fast, and did break a few things but hey ho, it was a small price to pay for her great help. She looked after our pets when we went away too- priceless.

You are right Bluecat communication is everything! I first had a cleaner, who was really my childcare provider..a lady who came to my house so when my pre-teen /teen DDs came home from school someone was there. When they were younger she would play games with them but as they got older she asked if she could do a bit of ironing etc. It grew from there. Since then I have had two different cleaners and now the lady I currently have. The other two were 'instinctive' and I guess did what they would do at home cleaned well and made rooms look tidy too! As that was my experience when we moved house I did not think to detail everything. When I met my current cleaner we talked generally, she told me how long it would take and her rates and I said OK! She is very nice but I have probably let things go too far to change it. I could do all my own cleaning... it is laziness on my part and total dislike

I've never done residential cleaning but I've done lots of commercial, and it's a hard job - very hard. The main problems were having too much to cover in too little time, or clients adding extra jobs that were not on the original quote and, again, could not be pulled into the allotted time.

I'm not saying all cleaners are good - I've known some skivers in my time - but there are some bad employers too. Particularly those who think they have got a slave, not an employee, just because they are paying minimum wages for someone to do a job that society often considers demeaning (but can't do without.). Some employers are fine, some are unreasonable - I particularly disliked those who spoke to me as if I was simple-minded....

I have a friend who does house cleaning and she seems to experience similar sorts of problems, i.e. being expected to cover too many areas in too little time. She's also had problems that don't arise if you're a commercial cleaner, thank God - such as the client who wanted her to deal with their nasty dog, the one who wanted her to take their children to school or the one who wanted her to give their granny a bath!

Basically, if a cleaner's not doing what you want, see if you're asking her to do more than can be done in the time. If you're not, then maybe it's just a failure to communicate....maybe your definition of priority tasks isn't the same as hers, and you need to sit down and talk about it.

I was out today when my cleaner came. There were two rinsed mugs in the kitchen sink. So she did not clean the sink :-/ Am going to have to say it is OK to move stuff!

My daughter has a cleaner and she finds that leaving a note of what needs doing is the best way. She's about 80% happy with her!

My cleaner comes through an agency. There are never any problems but I know if there were, they would be sorted with a phone call or email to the company owner.
It's flexible and if we are away for weeks I don't have to pay if I give a couple of weeks' notice.
It's expensive but worth it to me to know that the agency pays for insurance for the cleaner herself and for public liability. VAT is paid and employers NI too, so I know the cleaner will have a proper NI contributions record for herself.

I meant if you've finished, not fished!

I only had a cleaner once, when I was working full time, who was an Eastern European girl and it was her first cleaning job. . She didn't clean as well as me (and that's saying something!) - I paid her for 2 hours twice a week - upstairs one day and downstairs the other. She didn't clean effectively and when my MiL came to stay she said cleaner had left after one hour saying she'd finished! So I started leaving noted saying things like if you've fishes could you do this as well etc. I was dreading firing her as she needed the money but after I started leaving the notes she said she was leaving to go to college full time to learn English . I was so relieved, I've never tried having a cleaner again and feel I'm not justified in getting one now I'm retired.

We used to have a cleaner when I was working but my husband said he could do a better job so, as he's self employed, he did the cleaning on Mondays. Unfortunately, now I've retired, it's me doing the cleaning, although he does the vacuuming still.

We moved because we couldn't tell our cleaner she was crap, she was very popular in the village where we lived. A big woman who cleaned like a robot and woe betide us if we left any signs of life around.

My cleaner used to work for an agency but went on her own some years ago. My neighbour had had her through the agency but went with her when she started on her own. It was on her recommendation that I employed her and she is excellent.
She does work for SS and also does work with people who are disabled on a private basis, so she understands my H's foibles and is very good with him which is a bonus for me.

I'd just like to thank those on this thread who are or have been cleaners for their advice and comments. It's always good to get the other side of any story and I'm sure we can all learn something about how to approach issues which can crop up from time to time.

This is the reason why I have a cleaner through an agency. Our last one was taking the p*ss , even when I was there she would leave half an hour early! I gave her a few chances, like leaving her notes saying what needed to be done but eventually called the agency and told them I wanted another cleaner. No embarrassment! The new one seems fine and knows my expectations.

Four years ago when my arthritis made it difficult for me to clean I employed a company and a different cleaner turned up every week and most were hopeless apart from one. She decided to go independent so I started to employ her three years ago. She is a treasure. As my mobility has worsened she comes daily to help me dress, do all the housework, ironing and even gardening. is very good company. Takes me to the doctors and hospital and gets any bulky shopping. I don't have to tell her what to do. I would be lost without her. I do pay her well over the going rate.

I was a cleaner in a commercial property.Many people asked if I would clean for them at home.Not on your Nellie I had heard of too many woman being difficult to please..My boss left me to decide what needed cleaning I had a rota and did an office day by day.Toilets and canteen twice every day.It was a fantastic job well paid and nobody breathing down my neck.Unfortunately I had to leave due to health reasons.If you are not pleased with your cleaner just say you had noticed that A and B hadn't been done could they make sure they do it next time.If they miss some thing else say the same thing.If it happens again just say we will have to sit down together and draw up a list.Good luck.

I don't have a cleaner now, but when I did I had to find a way of kindly getting rid of her. I told her that DD2 was coming home to live for a while (true) and that as part of her contribution to the household she was going to help with housework (a bit true).

I have had an excellent cleaner, who was both taller and stronger than me. We agreed what needed to be done in each room and she then worked at it and found out how long it took her. The each time she came she would say what she hadn't done last time and we would work out the priorities and she would say if she thought she could get an additional job done in the time 4 hours. Sadly, she wanted a social life and went to work in a village cafe.

I now have one who has to put her reading glasses on to see the dust. Furthermore her contrast sensitivity is poor so she fails to see cobwebs etc. I point them out asking her to do them this time. She does not come with a plan in mind. When we decide what she is doing if I don't put enough in she just lets the work fill the time. And she is shorter than me so I am often the one on the ladder putting things back or taking them down!

I live in the countrywide and the cleaner was recommended by a neighbour. All in all it is simpler to keep her and try to train her up. So I have printed out a list of the rooms and tasks. And each quarter go through with her what needs doing. We had some new leather chairs and some old ones so I asked her to do them all, in one hour with the two types of cleaning stuff and explained to her that I had rung the makers of the stuff and they advised the following etc. She knows they should be done every six weeks but I think I shall have to rota this. I am starting a folder of instruction. For the first year she did not hoover under the bed and the Chinese carpet got moth. I bought a new Bosch vacuum that does go under the bed. I have sat with her with a utube of how to change the bag. I helped her the first time, she nearly spilled the dust back into the clean section before she had pt the new bag in!!!. So I plough on. I make sure that I give compliments when things look fine and that any 'instruction' is part of making sure we are getting it right!!

DD's cleaner puts stuff away for her - like a pile of my tupperware which was left out in the hall for me to pick up, paperwork is put in tidy piles even though it was in tidy (but relevant!!) piles already.

This is all galling. Try being a cleaner. How much are you paying her? I was a cleaner once and had to give it up, not because I wasn't doing it well but because I was too slow. It is so hard, believe me. One job was to clean a whole house once a week in two hours. I was still clearing up the enormous kitchen in that time.
Also; I don't think any two women will ever have the same views on what is 'clean'.

I've had my cleaner for around twenty years. She came when our first cleaner left for another job. The first cleaner went OTT and started making little frilly doyleys for the dressing tables and washing curtains - which shrank!

I'd rather have the present one who just dusts and vacs. Anything more 'in depth', I either muck in with her or do myself some other time. At the same time, she treats me like a therapist, talks through all her family woes whilst cleaning. So I think I have a sort of dual role We rub along.

My DiL has a professional cleaner, own tools and van with proper signwriting on it. Very thorough, tidies and puts things away. I lost a pair of shoes that way once when I was staying. I found them amongst DiLs things, all neatly in a row. But you have to go out whilst she is there...