Do you have a cleaner?

[Catrina]

Hi HeyWayne Sorry to hear you did not like your cleaners finishes on black work surfaces I work for someone with the same stuff but twice as much area. I dont do many hours but I bring all my own cleaning materials because I have sensitive skin and cant use just anything. I also swear by E-Cloths from Lakeland. Not cheap but last forever. You use one wet and polish with the dry thinner one. So no chemicals. They leave no marks on granite or stainless steel. I also use Stardrops on the floors and paintwork. If she was really good she should have left the kitchen immaculate. If she is no better next week I should ditch her. I must say your kitchen does look fab.

[Catrina]

Hi HeyWayne. Just thought I would enquire how your cleaner was getting on. Have you still got her?

[HeyWayne]

Hi Catrina

Yeah, she's still working for us. I think we were maybe being a little too picky - the whole point of us getting a cleaner was for us to be able to relax. So we're relaxing a bit more about the standard of cleaning. It's still clean, but it's not "clean" clean if you know what I mean...

I have an aversion to smears I think.

[Shortie]

So we're relaxing a bit more about the standard of cleaning. It's still clean, but it's not "clean" clean if you know what I mean...

Sorry HeyWayne, playing Devils Advocate here.... if you're relaxing your cleaning standard to accomodate a cleaner, why not clean youself, but to the lesser level, save some money and not be so stressed about being super clean?

I only ask because this is excatly what I 've been toying with since thinging of getting one myself

[Catrina]

No I dont think that you should relax and accept what she is providing. Just explain nicely what you would like. I think if you have a cleaner she should clean to your standards. You want to be able to see that she has been. Dont accept what you would not be happy with yourselves.

If she is a good cleaner she should not be offended if you steer her in the direction you want. Explain about the smears. Otherwise you will always feel stressed when you come home to her cleaning. In my earlier post I mentioned about certain cleaning products which dont cost a lot. Maybe you could suggest she try them i.e. Ecloths which dont leave smears. If you have to provide all your own cleaning products why not try HG products available from any good hardware stores. The bath cleaner is called "white bath" ? cleaner and is very concentrated and only needs a very small amount and cleans very well. They also do a window cleaner which again dilutes and only needs a small amount and if you use it on a glass shower screen leaves no residue add it to water and then wipe over the window or screen and scrape off with a squeegee and a quick wipe. Very good products.

If all else fails use good oldfashioned Stardrops in a spray bottle topped up with water. It will clean almost everything. Dont accept second best. You are paying!

[HeyWayne]

The main thing is, LadyWayne's happy with her. We've got one more week and we'll evaluate it then.

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions - I'll put them to LadyWayne and see what she says, it's her call really. It is quite nice coming home to a clean home once a week.

I'm uncomfortable criticising truth be known.

[willowstar]

hello

we have a cleaner who comes once a week for two hours. in that time she only does the communal areas, so no bedrooms basically. we decided to get a cleaner because me and OH have very different ideas about cleaning, I do it once a week and try to stay on top of it, he is of the mindset that you should leave it till its really bad then have a good blitz. so, I was doing all the cleaning all the time. hence the cleaner. I am a bit like you HW...our cleaner doesn't clean to the standard I would, but I am so happy to walk into a clean and tidy house once a week and i realise that i am a bit of a perfectionist....so actually I don't mind at all that it isn't exactly how I would do it because the stress is totally taken away from me. its almost like if it was my responsibility it would have to be completely perfect, but because it isn't, I don't feel bothered by it at all. not sure if that makes sence? as for cleaning products...i generally buy what I like but if Carol recommends something in particular I'll give it a whirl.

[HeyWayne]

hello

its almost like if it was my responsibility it would have to be completely perfect, but because it isn't, I don't feel bothered by it at all. not sure if that makes sence?

My sediments exactly! Makes perfect sense.

[Mikey]

I think the reality is nobody will do it as well as we do ourselves, its just a case of finding someone that you feel takes the effort to ensure its done properly.

I'm happy with our current cleaner, though she does nag an awful lot, I try my best not to comment on any shortcomings for fear of having to do it myself.

[zazen999]

Blimey...
Ours still comes in, once a fortnight, does the house for £24, I have a clean house, no smears, she uses all her own environmentally friendly products; she even cleans the computer keyboard! The only thing she doesn't do is the higher up dusting [our rooms are very high] and the windows; seems everything else she whizzes through.

No nagging, no problem, clean house, and I am a very happy bunny. Admittedly, I make sure I am out of the house when she is here as I don't want to interrupt!

Perhaps you need to trial a different cleaner HW; I certainly wouldn't be buying product on a trial!!! Perhaps if you were happy and agreed to proceed but never on a trial!

Can't believe she turned up late on the first day as well.

[Catrina]

Hi HW Just thought I would check and see if you still have your cleaner? If so is she any better that when she first started?

[HeyWayne]

Yeah, she's still with us. Smearing seems better on the stainless steel. I think I've just become less fussy about it, but not too keen on the amount of chemicals used or the bin full of kitchen paper that we come home to, but LadyWayne's happy and we have more free time together at the weekends which is one of the main reasons for doing it.

Who knows what the future holds with things likely to get tighter...

[SueA]

Having watched those programmes recenty about hotel cleaners where they use the same cloth to clean the sink bath, basin, inside the toilet bowl, showerscreen, mirrors & cups (!) I'm quite glad that we don't have a cleaner! I'm sure most private cleaners who are paid a decent wage are very good though, it's only the poor souls who have to clean 10 hotel rooms in a couple of hours for peanuts with no equipment who have to clean like that!

[Kristen]

Before employing a cleaner how about turning up unannounced at their home to see how house-proud they are?

[Alison]

Saw a trailer on the TV the other night about some programme trialling home helps (not sure if they were all cleaners though). It claimed that one in 3 households now have some for of outside person working in their house. Find this VERY hard to believe. I work in a professional organisation and there's only one or two here that have cleaners, no nannies, no PAs etc. Might be very common if you work in the city but not for normal people!