House cleaners potentially stealing -- how to address?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t argue with people who have access to my home. Either I give minor pointers or I drop them and find someone else.
You’ll never go back to normal and the owner will have to speak to the entire team to figure out what happened. You don’t know how people react to being accused like that. I know that’s not fair, but I feel safer. I never give cleaners the reason for switching. I always tell them our finances have changed and we can no longer get cleaners. I do not want to get into what they’re doing wrong as we stand inside my house.

Also, I would say in the future that you should be home when they clean unless you really trust them. No way would I have my cleaners come and bring random helpers when I’m not around.

The power they have over us is quite astonishing,no? We need cleaners like in the old country.

[Anonymous]

LOL were you the poster who tried to negotiate the prices? I told you they would retaliate by stealing. Good luck finding a new service...

[Anonymous]

OP, you just have a load of laundry that has been misplaced. You're going to find it in the back of your closet, someone else's room, or in a basket under bedding or something.

[Anonymous]

I had cleaners that stole jewelry, and I once had a camera stolen by hotel housekeeping. In both cases, I said something. In both cases, they denied it. They really can't do anything other than deny, and you don't have a way to prove it. The only option is to drop them and hire new cleaners. Also, I never have cleaners touch my closet. Just mark it as off-limits.

[Anonymous]

I never use any cleaning services. You can't be sure of how well they're vetted or if they share info a out your home, possessions, and daily routine with boyfriends, teenaged kids, friends, etc. I've always used one trusted housecleaner. That's three total over the years in 3 different cities where we've lived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t argue with people who have access to my home. Either I give minor pointers or I drop them and find someone else.
You’ll never go back to normal and the owner will have to speak to the entire team to figure out what happened. You don’t know how people react to being accused like that. I know that’s not fair, but I feel safer. I never give cleaners the reason for switching. I always tell them our finances have changed and we can no longer get cleaners. I do not want to get into what they’re doing wrong as we stand inside my house.

Also, I would say in the future that you should be home when they clean unless you really trust them. No way would I have my cleaners come and bring random helpers when I’m not around.

+1

[Anonymous]

I need to hear stories of people who are really happy with their cleaners. It's making me worried I'll never have cleaners that I can trust and that clean well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I need to hear stories of people who are really happy with their cleaners. It's making me worried I'll never have cleaners that I can trust and that clean well.

I've had the same housekeeper for 12 years. We have a safe for a handful of things, but I leave my purse and day-to-day jewelry out and have never had an issue. In fact, she's found jewelry for me that I've lost.

She's reliable and trustworthy and works hard. The only issue is that she needs a certain number of hours, and she's not cheap. It's within our budget, so we stick with her.

[Anonymous]

We had a woman that was excellent and trustworthy for a number of years. Then, she started to bring her daughter as a helper instead of her previous partner. Things started disappearing. I thought it was me but after an item that I was 100% sure about, I had to let her go. I can be confrontational but I just couldn’t figure out how to tell her that her daughter was stealing. I still feel bad about it, because I know it wasn’t her fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I need to hear stories of people who are really happy with their cleaners. It's making me worried I'll never have cleaners that I can trust and that clean well.

Maybe they stole my red shorts that I can’t find and haven’t even worn yet!

I haven’t had a cleaner in ten years. Before that we had a Brazilian woman who had triplets. She was undocumented so back then I paid her $45 per hour under the table. Her English was terrible but she was as honest as they come. We were never home when she came over but one time she broke a vase or something like that. She came back that night with her children to interpret. She was in tears she was so upset. I told her it was ok, it was just a cheap vase.

She had to go back to Brazil because one of her triplets needed surgery that was unaffordable in the US. They wouldn’t let them come back to the US when the surgery was over but she had saved so much money that they bought a family farm in Brazil.

I know quite a few undocumented immigrant families and they are reliable, honest and hard working. They have to be because no one is handing them anything. Unlike some of the lazy Americans whose families live in public housing for generations because they are taught how to get benefits and free housing by having the first child in their teens. Not everyone of course but American born youth are more likely to be committing crimes and be unemployed.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the hopeful stories. Seems like it's very rare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the hopeful stories. Seems like it's very rare

It's not rare if you use cleaning services. Better to hire one trustworthy cleaner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get rid of all of them.

+1

They would be done. They will also progress to stealing more significant things if they think you don’t notice these items.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand hiring cleaners where you, the customer, allow them to bring a rotating cast of characters into your home. You should hire your cleaners knowing who will show up and be in your house. You need cameras on. And I completely believe that these "small" things are being stolen. The theif is choosing things that she wants and thinks you won't miss.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP, but you need to start over. Fire and next time make it clear you are hiring certain individuals to enter your house and clean. If they can't make it one week, they aren't cleaning or being paid. Period.