Suspect house cleaner is stealing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my whole life I’ve never known of a housecleaner who actually stole anything.

It makes no sense. The whole business is built on trust and reputation.

BUT, more than one of my least favorite people have said that they think their housecleaner is stealing from them.

So my money is on OP misplacing things, her kids stealing them, or something else like that. Why would the housecleaner take this stuff? It makes no sense.

except that it actually happened to us before.
My kids haven't been in my house for months and wouldn't steal.
I hope I misplaced them and that they turn up.

She’s probably out there living it up in her white dry fit shirt and used dress.

I know, right? I mean, why that?

[Anonymous]

My mother gave our cleaning lady “hand-me-downs” to deter stealing.

[Anonymous]

OP, I would simply trust your instincts on this & just ask your housecleaner not to come anymore.

Hire a new cleaning crew + make sure they are licensed and properly bonded.

I am kind of confused here…..

In one response you stated that your kids were older and not living in your home yet in another response you stated that you and your DH hired cleaning help so that on your days off you didn’t want your child at the doorway while you were “scrubbing a toilet.”

Which one is it??

[Anonymous]

It would be pretty bold steal the iPad because you can always do a Find My with those.

How about the next time she goes to your house ask her to keep an eye out on those items or ask if she has seen your iPad, your hat, your dress because you can’t find them and maybe she seen them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I would simply trust your instincts on this & just ask your housecleaner not to come anymore.

Hire a new cleaning crew + make sure they are licensed and properly bonded.

I am kind of confused here…..

In one response you stated that your kids were older and not living in your home yet in another response you stated that you and your DH hired cleaning help so that on your days off you didn’t want your child at the doorway while you were “scrubbing a toilet.”

Which one is it??

that was a new poster who wrote about the child in the doorway. My kids have been gone for 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Another former nanny---I used to get late night or day off texts asking where stuff is. Most of the time I knew because either I saw it at some point during the day or I put it there because I got tired of the big pile of crap on the kitchen counter when I needed to prep dinner. Until the last family I worked for it hadn't occurred to me they may have thought I stole it--I figured they just knew I spent more time in their house than they did was more likely to know.

The last mom I worked for texted me regularly about this stupid pair of lounge pants. Their house wasn't very big but it was packed full of stuff---borderline hoarder level. It was insane, and then her boyfriend moved in and brought all his crap too. Eventually, months later, those pants randomly turned up in her closet.

Nine times out of ten the stuff you're looking for is right under your nose, but you can't see the forest for the trees. OP Are you sure that dress isn't at the cleaners or hanging in a guest closet? Are you SURE you didn't take that iPad to a coffee shop, on vacation, wherever and leave it there?

[Anonymous]

What does Find My say?

[Anonymous]

Who would steal clothes?

[Anonymous]

My husband does this. Literally accused the housecleaners (to me, not to them) of taking his eyeglasses. Why. Would. They. Want. His. Old. Frames. It literally makes no sense. Now he's accusing them of taking a tee shirt. Right. A bunch of young women want your random, XL tee shirt you wear to the gym.

I said fine, I'll get rid of them, but you have to find a new group to come, and do all the cleaning until we do find them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mother gave our cleaning lady “hand-me-downs” to deter stealing.

Because it’s a given that cleaners will steal so you have to head them off? Nice.


We hired undocumented workers. Marni was a saint. Never a day off, always reliable. She broke a vase once and was in tears. We told her it was ok, it wasn’t worth anything, it didn’t mean anything to us.
After ten years she and her family moved back to Brazil and bought a farm. She recommended her friend to take her place.

A neighbor asked why she didn’t refer her friend to work for her. I knew it was because she was a demanding b@tch. Cheap too. No bonuses. No paid holiday or vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would trust your instincts. There is probably something about your interactions with her that lead you to feel this way.

I personally only hire cleaning companies who are bonded and insured. I ask for their insurance company’s contact information and let them know during the interview that I have filed claims in the past. I also tell them that we have cameras and that I have a zero-tolerance policy towards stealing.

I would never hire an individual to clean. Too much paperwork with taxes and too much risk.

Haha! OP doesn't pay taxes for her housekeeper. It's all under the table, I'm sure. Since her housekeeper is cool with that and understands OP is too, I'm sure housekeeper has no moral problem taking what she can from OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mother gave our cleaning lady “hand-me-downs” to deter stealing.

That's insulting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband does this. Literally accused the housecleaners (to me, not to them) of taking his eyeglasses. Why. Would. They. Want. His. Old. Frames. It literally makes no sense. Now he's accusing them of taking a tee shirt. Right. A bunch of young women want your random, XL tee shirt you wear to the gym.

I said fine, I'll get rid of them, but you have to find a new group to come, and do all the cleaning until we do find them.

Think about what you just wrote. “I’ll get rid of them.” Like they aren’t people who work to pay their bills, feed their families. You’ll “get rid” of people like they are trash because your creepy husband thinks someone stole his old man glasses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She always cleans when I am at work, so I don't have much interaction with her. She does know we have cameras outside the house and can see her coming and going.

You’re a gool

Do you mean ghoul? Yes, OP sounds deranged but I don't know if she's ghoulish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband does this. Literally accused the housecleaners (to me, not to them) of taking his eyeglasses. Why. Would. They. Want. His. Old. Frames. It literally makes no sense. Now he's accusing them of taking a tee shirt. Right. A bunch of young women want your random, XL tee shirt you wear to the gym.

I said fine, I'll get rid of them, but you have to find a new group to come, and do all the cleaning until we do find them.

Think about what you just wrote. “I’ll get rid of them.” Like they aren’t people who work to pay their bills, feed their families. You’ll “get rid” of people like they are trash because your creepy husband thinks someone stole his old man glasses.

Team husband. They stole it to make a cleaning rag. This is how they keep costs low.