What is normal when it comes to having a cleaning lady?

[Anonymous]

If you are unhappy with their work, how do you terminate the relationship?

[Anonymous]

They all do worse of a job with time. It’s normal to hover if you want quality. Or at least inspect and let them know what needs to be redone. They are like teens - constant control or the quality slips very fast. It’s not you office workers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are unhappy with their work, how do you terminate the relationship?

After a cleaning you ask for your keys back right away and tell them you can’t afford cleaning anymore.
Changing the code or locks is a good idea.
Don’t let them come back after you fire them! It’s up to you if you want to pay severance. I wouldn’t pay someone who is fired due to doing a poor job

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it normal to have broken items on a very regular basis? We've had the same cleaning company (often different people) for 8 or 10 years. Every third time or so, there is a broken vase, picture, or something else.

This time we came home and the paper towel holder is gone. It was a marble stand that sits on the countertop (not super fancy, from Target or World Market or PB I think.) I assume they broke it? It's not the cost that bothers me so much but the fact that I constantly have to fix or replace something. And at least leave a note!

Fire them!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's important to keep expectations low. Cleaners make things look clean but they never clean as well as you would if you had the time and inclination.

This!
Their whole ideology is to make it look presentable fast.
Don’t let them think you aren’t looking! They’ll be lackadaisical in no time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours show up anytime between 8am and 3pm (we use a company vs an individual due to DH's security clearance and not wanted to deal with taxes/immigration snafus.) It is typically the same 2 women and it takes them about 90m to do our 2200sqf house. They dust, vacuum, clean bathrooms/kitchen, mop hardwoods.

I wonder if we will have them back....DH and I have figured we can do it with our 2 teens in about an hour on Saturdays. Nice $400/month savings.

You’ll also do a better job if you put your mind to it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Normal is that you will find cleaning ladies who will do a good job the first couple of times and then they start to flake out on you.

I think everyone has a different take on what works and what does not work for them. My relationship with my cleaning lady did not follow a "norm" but I did everything to retain her because I found a gem after having gone through many cleaning ladies through the years. Was she the perfect worker? No. But she fitted well with what I wanted. I have had this lady for 17 years and I have been all shades of WOHM/WAHM/SAHM/PTWM in the meantime. She is no longer working for us since the pandemic but I have given her money, supplies and encouraged her to get other clients. She is working full time but she has called me and told me that whenever I want her back she will make time for me. Let's see.

She came twice a week. I got total of 6 manhours for $150 a week. 3000sqft home. 4 beds, 3.5 baths. No pets. Non-smokers. Family of 4. We are first owners. I obviously did not need her to clean my home so often - so we negotiated that she would do chores for me for $25 an hour. This meant that she was folding clothes, organizing, decluttering, chopping veggies, prepping for parties, putting up holiday decorations, recycling, cleaning pantry/fridge/freezer, taking care of my indoor plants, cleaning basement and garage, helping with yard work, vacuuming my cars, grocery shopping, picking and dropping my dry cleaning, warming and serving food and drinks during parties etc. I realized that this was the kind of help I needed to maintain my home, instead of just getting my house cleaned.

All of this was happening when I was home and I was supervising and at times training her. In 17 years she knew my house inside and out. And over the years a fondness and appreciation grew - I was giving her meals, doing her shopping using my warehouse membership, giving her generous gifts, being flexible with her days, tutoring her kid, loaning her money, connecting her with county services, going with her to court to get her child support, gifting her her child's back to school supplies and clothing every year, paying for her winter gear, paying for everyone in her family to get flu shots, letting her stay in my basement when she was between apartments, and giving her all the old clothes, shoes, household goods, tools, furniture that I would have donated otherwise. I was her easy, happy gig. She was my man friday. It was a win-win for us. She was efficient, creative, honest and had a ready smile and positive demeanor. She was also a fast learner and knew how I wanted things done. Obviously, she was also doing a lot of things to make life easier for me and pitching in when I needed more help. She could work and do projects for me during summer break because her kid could come to my house, hang around with my kids, eat meals, do homework etc...and she could save on childcare cost. As she was a working single mom, I made sure that I made life easier for her. Plus, I was paying her very well.

I miss her a lot but there was no way she could work for me because she is an essential worker at a local hospital. I am able to keep my house clean without her because everyone is pitching in, I am not entertaining at all and things have become simplified. My house was also pretty organized to begin with thanks to her.

Having a cleaning person at your home is a business transaction. Somehow, it is very rare to find a person who can do the work consistently, honestly and with a good attitude.You will go through a lot of people and if you are lucky you will find a good one. If you find a good worker, you must treat them with respect, pay them well and try and retain them for as long as you can.

This person clearly knows her stuff.
I would add that doing the work honestly, consistently and with a good attitude is a quality that makes one successful, therefore such people don’t clean houses forever. Well maybe they do for some celebrities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you tip your cleaners?

Good question. Was also wondering. If you are thinking about hiring a company and plan is to have them come for around 3 hours seems like you should leave something but how much?

[Anonymous]

In 30 years, I have had 2 cleaning people. The first was with me for 7 years, through a marriage and move from a condo into a house. Then she started not doing such a great job, so it was easy when we did a full reno/gut job to let her go right before. The other woman has now been with us for over 20 years, and she's still amazing. We pick up (a lot less now that there's no kids living at home), and she takes care of the rest. If it's been a particularly easy time for her and she finishes quickly (kids havent been home to visit, for whatever reason the house is in good shape, etc.) she will do extras like clean the refrigerator (I think that also depends on how full it is).

If we go away and skip a week, we pay her anyway. At Christmas, we pay her a bit more than double (think rounding up), and when we both realized skipping during snowcrete was a good idea, when she next came, I paid her double for having to miss that week. She is like an employee that does good work, so I take care of her appropriately.

She does not eat with us, nor do I make her food. She is here 3ish hours every other week.

[Anonymous]

That is very kind if you cook breakfast 🍳 for your housecleaner but it is not a typical duty.

Before your cleaner begins to clean, it is wise to have the house picked up prior.
That way the cleaner does not have to waste time moving stuff out of the way.

It’s okay to be home for the first few cleanings in case your cleaner has any questions and on your end to build trust. 🪣🧽🧹🧼
However it is best if no one is home when she cleans so that way she can clean w/o anyone in the way.

Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours show up anytime between 8am and 3pm (we use a company vs an individual due to DH's security clearance and not wanted to deal with taxes/immigration snafus.) It is typically the same 2 women and it takes them about 90m to do our 2200sqf house. They dust, vacuum, clean bathrooms/kitchen, mop hardwoods.

I wonder if we will have them back....DH and I have figured we can do it with our 2 teens in about an hour on Saturdays. Nice $400/month savings.

You’ll also do a better job if you put your mind to it

+1
Our cleaner that we had for about 3 years at our new house never moved things or cleaned behind things. Floors were surface cleaned so smelled fresh and looked shiny. But if you had a spill, the rag is black because she was never actually mopping and changing out water. I do all these things now, and I'm pretty slow at it, so my house is never all "fresh clean" at once, but it's consistently really clean over parts of the house over time. I'm happier this way, and I fortunately have the time to carve out to do it due to my work and not having small children. I know others are happier to come home to a "fake clean" house and that's perfectly ok too! WOH and small kids, that would have been my only dream.

[Anonymous]

So...I joke that my husband and kids have a cleaning lady . She comes in and does chores that they would have needed to do otherwise. My family is crunched for time and so I don't mind this arrangement.

I really don't know what is normal about having a cleaning lady. I am an immigrant who grew up privileged with domestic staff at home. My cleaning lady is also an immigrant who grew up in the countryside in her home country. Both of us have zero idea of what is normal for cleaners in the US. Our cultural viewpoints are also very different but it is a respectful, good and trusting relationship. I have never got my home cleaned by a cleaning company and I have always had cleaners who are independent. I am always home (SAHM) when this lady comes so that I can supervise and help. It will not work for me if I cannot supervise. I don't need a hotel's room service. I need someone to do the cleaning while I organize etc. I need a deep clean every two weeks for my peace of mind.

I still end up working alongside her -
a) To ensure that things are done the way I want. I can prioritize stuff and instruct her. Not everything needs to be done every time. For example - she can skip the basement most times - though the negotiated price has been for the whole house including the basement.
b) She is not burdened in doing everything. And areas that can be skipped are skipped.
c) I make her lunch to her preference and both of us sit and have lunch together. Same for tea. Both of us are working and we both need to eat.
d) Her wellbeing and health is critical to my own wellbeing and health.

This is what all I do before she comes.
a) All the runners and rugs - I pick them and shake out and get them out of her way. She puts it back after she finishes cleaning.
b) Do all the dishes.
c) Declutter and put away all the stuff around the house.
d) Make sure she has all the supplies that she needs. I provide all the supplies. Have a list of what can be skipped, since I am cleaning daily anyways.

What does she do?
a) Bathrooms - Scrub and sanitize all 4 of my bathrooms from top to bottom and takes her time doing it. Puts the bathmats in place, hangs fresh towels, tops up the hand soap, checks to see that there is adequate TP and tissue paper, removes trash from the bin and puts new liner. Also cleans out the sinkshroom and tubshoom and periodically change it if they become too funky.
b) Foyer - Vacuum, mop, dusts and cleans the doors - wooden and the glass storm door.
c) Entire house - dusts the blinds and windows, dusts surfaces, vacuums and mop, remove trash from all the waste paper baskets everywhere, clean baseboards and air vents, make sure that we have kleenex in all rooms etc.
d) Kitchen - cleans inside of toaster and microwave. Cleans the outside of all appliances. Cleans the stove top, scrubs the sink, cleans the outside of all the cabinets, cleans all counters and most important of all removes the filters on my exhaust and cleans it in the dishwasher. Tops up the dish washing liquid, hand soap, multipurpose cleaner, bounty, scrubbing pad etc, plinks the sink. Washes the filter of the dishwasher.
e) Puts away all the garbage bags in the bin, wheels it outside to the curb, ditto for the recycling bin. She comes a day before recycling and trash pick up day.

I launder and change the sheets of all my beds on my own. She comes once in 2 weeks and I need the sheets changed weekly. Also, I do the daily dishes, vacuum some areas, clorox wipe the bathrooms, use the toilet cleaners, clean counters, do dishes, do laundry, make beds, take out trash, cook - daily. So, I don't let the house become too dirty just because she is coming to clean.

Other things that she does separately from her bi-weekly cleaning
1) She also comes to help me with specific tasks on days off @ hourly rates. So, helps me to sort out the kitchen, pantry, fridge, freezer, stove. Organizing. Clean the garage. Do the closets. Basement. Cleaning the deck and patio. She helps with parties etc. Food prep.
2) And she texts me if I am running low on any cleaning supplies etc.

All in all, I have created my own support system of people who work part-time for me at my home as needed - cleaners, sous chefs, cooks, party helpers, handyman, landscapers, seamstresses, hairdressers/barbers, jack-of-all-trades - and I treat them very well. Why would they stick around if I am not their support system too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal is that you will find cleaning ladies who will do a good job the first couple of times and then they start to flake out on you.

I think everyone has a different take on what works and what does not work for them. My relationship with my cleaning lady did not follow a "norm" but I did everything to retain her because I found a gem after having gone through many cleaning ladies through the years. Was she the perfect worker? No. But she fitted well with what I wanted. I have had this lady for 17 years and I have been all shades of WOHM/WAHM/SAHM/PTWM in the meantime. She is no longer working for us since the pandemic but I have given her money, supplies and encouraged her to get other clients. She is working full time but she has called me and told me that whenever I want her back she will make time for me. Let's see.

She came twice a week. I got total of 6 manhours for $150 a week. 3000sqft home. 4 beds, 3.5 baths. No pets. Non-smokers. Family of 4. We are first owners. I obviously did not need her to clean my home so often - so we negotiated that she would do chores for me for $25 an hour. This meant that she was folding clothes, organizing, decluttering, chopping veggies, prepping for parties, putting up holiday decorations, recycling, cleaning pantry/fridge/freezer, taking care of my indoor plants, cleaning basement and garage, helping with yard work, vacuuming my cars, grocery shopping, picking and dropping my dry cleaning, warming and serving food and drinks during parties etc. I realized that this was the kind of help I needed to maintain my home, instead of just getting my house cleaned.

All of this was happening when I was home and I was supervising and at times training her. In 17 years she knew my house inside and out. And over the years a fondness and appreciation grew - I was giving her meals, doing her shopping using my warehouse membership, giving her generous gifts, being flexible with her days, tutoring her kid, loaning her money, connecting her with county services, going with her to court to get her child support, gifting her her child's back to school supplies and clothing every year, paying for her winter gear, paying for everyone in her family to get flu shots, letting her stay in my basement when she was between apartments, and giving her all the old clothes, shoes, household goods, tools, furniture that I would have donated otherwise. I was her easy, happy gig. She was my man friday. It was a win-win for us. She was efficient, creative, honest and had a ready smile and positive demeanor. She was also a fast learner and knew how I wanted things done. Obviously, she was also doing a lot of things to make life easier for me and pitching in when I needed more help. She could work and do projects for me during summer break because her kid could come to my house, hang around with my kids, eat meals, do homework etc...and she could save on childcare cost. As she was a working single mom, I made sure that I made life easier for her. Plus, I was paying her very well.

I miss her a lot but there was no way she could work for me because she is an essential worker at a local hospital. I am able to keep my house clean without her because everyone is pitching in, I am not entertaining at all and things have become simplified. My house was also pretty organized to begin with thanks to her.

Having a cleaning person at your home is a business transaction. Somehow, it is very rare to find a person who can do the work consistently, honestly and with a good attitude.You will go through a lot of people and if you are lucky you will find a good one. If you find a good worker, you must treat them with respect, pay them well and try and retain them for as long as you can.

This person clearly knows her stuff.
I would add that doing the work honestly, consistently and with a good attitude is a quality that makes one successful, therefore such people don’t clean houses forever. Well maybe they do for some celebrities.

Agree with you both.

Even our nanny was pointing out cob webs the day after a bimonthly cleaning visit.

And we also NeVER agree to provide the cleaning supplies. They’ll dump it everywhere and blow through so much a month it’s ludicrous. And no scrubbing. They need to bring their own- even if water & vinegar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never heard of anyone cooking meals for their cleaner.

I do. My cleaner eats what I am eating. I make lunch for myself, and she eats with me. When I fix my tea and coffee, I also make it for her. All my friends who have cleaners also do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They all do worse of a job with time. It’s normal to hover if you want quality. Or at least inspect and let them know what needs to be redone. They are like teens - constant control or the quality slips very fast. It’s not you office workers

OP definitely do not do this.