If You Have a Cleaning Lady ... Lower Your Expectations?

I've had the same experience . . . starts out great and goes downhill. That being said, $50 sounds like a good deal for someone who mostly does it right and that you trust.

Hand her a list, provide the tools to do the job, show her what you want to have done and how you want to have it done, and pay her more money-give her two tries to accomplish what you want-and if she fails-hire someone else.

Sorry hon, but if she were my cleaning lady, she would have been let go of after the first 3 times of this.

It's just not true that people get worse. Only bad employees do that. I had wonderful ladies who worked with me for 2 years and they were GREAT. I would have kept them if I hadn't moved. I have a wonderful lady now (after firing one after two weeks). If I hadn't continued to expect good work, I wouldn't have found the lady who I have now.

Keep looking. It's worth paying more money to have a good cleaner.

It's the same with any position, I guess. When you're new on the job - in an office, in a store, in a restaurant - you're excited and you concentrate on doing your very best. Then the work becomes kind of commonplace, and other aspects of life butt in, and you go more on automatic mode - and your work slides.

It's a truism that an employee will do not as much what the boss expects as what the boss inspects.

You seem to like most of what this lady and her sister do. So if it were me, I'd just keep leaving notes. "Good morning, Clarice and Amy - Hope you're having a wonderful day! Thank you a million times for cleaning out the fridge so well last time (or whatever - make sure you say something positive about what they have done!). Can we banish the dust bunnies in the bedrooms? Thanks again!"

It can't hurt and it could help. Be less of an absentee boss. Be non-finger-pointing; show a positive, friendly attitude; but mention what was forgotten before. Do it regularly.

I no longer have a cleaning lady becuase I work part time and I don't have the money anymore. But it's true - a cleaning lady is never going to clean your house the way you would. But you will also take a lot longer to do it.

Now that my teens want to earn money they are my cleaning people - talk about lowering your standards! But I make a checklist for them and I've make a document and printed several copies. That's how it's done for hotel and store cleaning people.

For my teens I am very detailed for each room - bathroom is a whole page long starting with the lighting fixture, mirror and cabinet and eventually working down to the floor and toilet. The bathroom has to be cleaned in the order of the list.

When I had a cleaning lady I would make a different list evey week - it would look something like this:
dust & vacuum all rooms - please be sure to get window sills and under the couch,
clean bathroom - the shower walls need attention
mop kitchen floor
clean oven and microwave

Every week I'd rotate different "projects" to be done in addition to the regular cleaning like clean the oven, the refrigerator, dust the inside of the china cabinet, etc.

My first cleaning lady was someone I still keep in touch with - but she used to break stuff all the time... (like that Allstate "mayhem" commercial)

Bottom line is this - a cleaning lady will never clean the house as well as you would - but she'll do a better job than you not doing it at all. It's more important to spend time reading to your kids, going to the park, teaching them to ride a bike, etc. A clean house is nice - but it's not required. Last time my house was clean, and stayed clean was before we had kids...

I use to clean houses, and I never missed any details. I did a good job because I was happy with the pay, averaging 25-30 an hour--great self-employment gig for grad school. In any case, 50 bucks for two people seems slave like for a place like California.

I don't have a cleaning service because I can't imagine paying someone 120 bucks and them not doing things like baseboards. I bought a roomba to help me out, and I love it.

I would immediately fire anyone that didn't dust a room. If you clean for a living, you have a system, and this system makes sure nothing gets missed. For me it was: dust and get cob webs, clean bathrooms and kitchen, vacuum, wash floors. But for 50 bucks? I may forget a room, especially if the house is really dirty.

I think you are expecting way too much for $50. It is not just the size of the house but, how many people that live there too.

Plan to spend $20 per hour per person, not including supplies.

Can you clean your entire house in 2.5 hours?

I pay by the hour because sometimes it's quick and easy and other times it's not. Mine does the laundry too and when I am behind, that adds time, so when that is the case, I will ask her to do the frig or some other random thing that needs attention.

I've had several cleaning people over the years.
In my experience, the most consistent - but also the most expensive - way to get a clean house is to do with a service. They use checklists and don't accidentally miss anything. Of course, they also never do anything extra and you never know who will actually be in your house because they have a lot of turnover.

Otherwise, I've found people who are terrific, people who start out pretty good and then fade, and people who I'm really not on the same page with right from the beginning. I admit I have hired and let go a number of cleaning people until I found someone who is consistently really good. Now I'm happy, don't have to lower my expectations, and I hope she never retires! I do pay a lot more than you do (and more than I have paid some others in the past), but she is worth every penny.

Our cleaning lady comes every Thursday. I love Thursdays! She is wonderful. She even cleans out the frig! There are times that I think she is in a hurry and does an okay job, then others when the house is spotless and the laundry is done! We have had her for 8 years!

Discuss your expectations with your cleaning person. If she is not dusting (which she should) then I would let her know.

My thought is why should I lower my expectations when I'm paying someone for a service?

I think you need to understand the distinction between "not having it done exactly the way you would do it" and "not having it done at all".

At my job, I am expected to help my clients. If I respond to a client, giving them advice as is my job, and my boss thinks she would have done it differently, fine. All great minds will have different ideas. However, if I just completely ingore a client, I should be terminated.

Your cleaning lady simply not cleaning your daughter's room (or not dusting the entire thing) is completely unacceptable since she knows that is expected. She isn't doing her job, period.

I have had 4 cleaning ladies in the past. One of them did what they were supposed to, and I was devistated when she moved out of state. The others, I would come home and something wouldn't be done. So I knew I wasn't expecting too much, since the "good" one did what was expected and didn't complain, and did it at the same price the others charged who weren't doing as well. She also did it the "right" way consistently for over a year.

I encourage you to not give up. There is good help out there. And you deserve if you are paying for something like that to have it done well. If she dusts and misses a spot, unlike you would do, let it go. Not dusting at all, not ok. She shouldn't have quoted you $50 after you told her what you wanted done if she didn't intend to do it.

And I agree, this has been my experience also. That doesn't mean it is ok, nor does it mean there aren't people out there who will do it the right way. I encourage you to let her go and find someone who will provide you that much needed peace when you come home. I work full time with 3 children and it is so extremely disappointing and stressful to come home from work after the cleaning lady has been there to see things not done. Don't allow someone to do that to you. You are paying them.

The conversation prior to hiring my current cleaning lady went like this:
"I need someone who can do the deeper stuff, as that is what I don't have time to do. I can sweep quickly and run a rag over the countertop, but I need someone who can get under the furniture dust all rooms, etc." I then proceeded to demonstrate how easy it was for me, 5'7" 125lbs and not that strong to move the couch just enough to clean under it (it slides super easy on the hardwood). I asked if that would be a problem for her to do. She assured me it wouldn't. I paid her $110 for 2300 sq feet.

I have yet to have under my couch cleaned among many other things and she was hired a year ago. She has recently been terminated.

Ps - I don't have a cleaning lady right now, I gave up and just started doing it myself. =(

No one will clean my house the way I will. But of course, I can get someone to do it almost as well for a TON of money.

I have my cleaning lady come every other week and only do certain rooms to keep costs down (I don't have her do the formal rooms that no one really goes in). But the longer I've had her, the more she tends to let go of. I think it's time for someone else - I just hate to lose the trust factor. Plus it will end up costing me a lot more to make the switch. I'm just grateful to get the bathrooms, kitchen and floors done.

ETA - I agree with Robin. An extra $10 will go a long way.

Well, I stink at cleaning, so anything is an improvement. But...my experience with cleaning people, they do a great job the first few times and then they slack off each time after that. I usually ended up with a new one every few months for this reason.

Does she know what you expect her to do? Do you have a list of things you want done or expect to be done? This isn't about leaving notes. This is about setting expectations. So have a meeting with her. Tell her what you expect her to do. If she needs to charge more - then negotiate.

We have a cleaning crew come in once a week. They know what I expect to be done. There are times it doesn't get done and I will talk with them about it.

In some cases, you get what you pay for. Communicate. Tell her what you expect. If she can't do it. Let her go. Find a company that is willing to work with you and do what you expect.

Good luck!

Ours does the things we expect her to do an occasionally we ask her to clean the fan blades or vacuum the vent in the living room wall or something. If someone consistently missed something I need/wanted done, something I had hired her for, and didn't change that with repeated reminders, then maybe she's not the person for you. You may need to speak to her directly vs leaving a note.

ETA: I kind of chuckle because once WE were fired. They left a list, they said they did the checked things. DH followed behind them and called them back to do the things they had checked off because they really hadn't. They decided we were too much trouble. Moreoften with our current person, I will tell her "don't worry about x's room, it's a disaster" and she'll focus on something else.

I currently have a lady that has only been here 3 times, I previously had a gal that came once a month for about 2 years. I've never been thrilled when the cleaning gals (either of them) leave, there is always something that is just not done as well as I think it should be. I will say that my new lady does a much better job on the bathrooms and that makes me happier. I used to go back over things that the old gal missed after she left. I would think to myself "why am I paying you"? but it is helpful to have someone vacuum the whole house, dust, mop floors, etc.

I guess my answer is yes, you do have to lower your expectations.

M

I'm shocked to hear that she only charges you $50!! I know you say you have a small house, but I've never heard of a price that low. We have a 2000 sq. foot house (so, not huge, but not tiny) and pay $100 biweekly for our cleaning lady. I don't know if offering her more money would help, or if you're better off finding someone else? But yeah, for $50 I wouldn't expect much. Funny that that's what she said she'd do it for. She could probably charge $100 without even doubling her time there, and do a much better job. Definitely try to figure something out. You should come home on cleaning lady days, walk into your house, and feel awesome about how it looks!! Good luck.

i would leave a checklist for them and request that they check things off as they are done. If they check it off and it is not done give a warning then let her know that you will deduct from her pay a certain amount for each thing not completed from that point forward.

Entire rooms is a pretty big oversight... I'm not all that picky bc like you I figure at least the vast majority is done and it's a tough job they do. So I overlook some dust under our FR couch bc I figure it only takes me a minute to get it. Or maybe a corner. But big dust bunnies in plain sight? Or an entire room not dusted? That I've never experienced and don't think i'd put up with. I'd talk to other women you know and see how their ladies are. I wouldn't switch to someone cold but if you can find a good recommendation from someone else, I'd switch. You should be able to do a little better than this...

We've had the same cleaning lady for the past 10 years. While there have been some times that I've had issues with something she's done, overall, she does a good job, and the trust factor is a huge thing with me. I trust her completely to be in our home. So, for the times there have been inconsistencies or oversights, I accept that.

We pay her more than $20/hr., because it's a large home, and she's usually here 6-6.5 hours. I do not have her clean the kitchen (with the exception of the floor), because I do feel no one will clean it like I do and also because we did a major renovation recently, I don't want to have to worry about if she accidentally uses the wrong product or scrubs too hard (which she's done in the past) and ruins something. I also clean my youngest son's room because with his allergies and asthma, I don't want spray cleaners or chemicals in there. I tried in the past to tell her that, but she didn't get it or remember, so for years now, I've been doing his bedroom.

I think $50 is not very much compensation, even if your home is small. It's no fun cleaning toilets, know what I mean?

So maybe renegotiate with her. Tell her there are things that you really need to have done each cleaning session and that maybe it wasn't clear from the outset. Tell her you are willing to pay more provided that everything you ask is done each time. Decide ahead of time how much more you're willing to pay, and make sure she's clear on your expectations.

If she agrees, have the checklist ready for each cleaning session. You're likely to be much happier with the results, and she'll feel more valued as well and perhaps more inclined to do a better job.

If you do not want pay more than the current rate, just be glad she does the bulk of it for $50 and do the rest yourself. It's better than spending your precious weekends cleaning the whole house.

Good luck and hope you can work this out with her. Finding someone you trust is not always an easy thing!

J. F.

I you want constancy, hire a company with a cleaning crew, but be prepared to pay more money..

$50. for two people and every other week.. is cheap..

Since they are humans, they forget. Think about when you clean, you sit down on the sofa, take a deep breath, then realize you forgot...... They kind of do the same thing except they realize it when they get home.

Granted never had one call me up with an Oh my god! I forgot to clean... That would be kind of odd.

You can go with the big companies, they have checklists. The draw back is that if it isn't on the list they won't do it and they cost more.

So that is kind of the give and take.

I haven't had a cleaning lady in forever. Seemed like one I got everything picked up for when they came the rest was easy so why pay them.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with your hair stylist.

Years ago when I had two babies (15 months and a newborn) I hired help for a few months. It was a corporate cleaning company ( I honestly don't remember the name) and when they started coming they did a great job. They came once a week and had a checklist of what needed to be cleaned. A whole team of ladies came in and I paid $120.00 wkly. Well one week they came in and I was there while they did the cleaning. I heard the team "leader" say "You don't have to wipe down the master bath, it already looks clean." Yeah it looks clean, that's because we are not slobs! Then the following week they came in and I heard her say "You don't need to vacuum the master bedroom or any of the upstairs, it looks done." They even knew I was there and I could hear them. That week I called the manager and told them my complaints and cancelled my service. Two weeks in a row they didn't do something that I was paying them to do because I was keeping the house semi-clean on my own. But they weren't giving me a discount!! Well now I'm just rambling, I was so upset that I couldn't count on a professional cleaning service to come in and do what they were being paid to do that I will never hire someone again. I know I can do a better job doing it myself!!!

i have a cleaning service come every other friday too. they rotate rooms and do deep cleaning on whichever rotation i am on. in the kitchen they sweep, mop, clean the stove, microwave, countertops, sink and take out garbage. in the bathrooms they clean shower/tubs, tile, toilets, faucets and take out garbage. they clean the living room, dust, clean baseboards, celing fans and vacuum. they charge me $101.00 bi weekly and they always have 2-3 ppl doing it at the same time to get done faster. for the most part i am very pleased with their service and only one time did they forget to clean the baseboards in the bathrooms, so it was very dusty. when i called to let them know they said they would send a person back out the next day to clean which i thought was ridiculous because it took me about 2 min to clean them myself. but i work full time and have a 4,000 square foot house and before the cleaning service would end up spending my whole weekend to clean, so yes, sometimes i have my expectations set to high... i think that is normal.

I've never had anyone clean my house as well as I do. Merry maids charged me 50$ an hour so that is a real deal!

Well, your MIL's take on the situation is pretty accurate. I've used a number of different cleaning people in the past (small companies, individual people, large companies, etc) and it's exactly as you've described.

They start out GREAT! OMG, my house SPARKLES! This is AWESOME! Then after a while, it's like, Hmm...this rug hasn't been touched. But the rest of it is still AWESOME, so I'll let it slide.

Several months later and it's like did they not see all the fingerprints on the fridge? And what's with the bathroom mats crumpled in the hallway? Why didn't they put them back? Ugh, there's still soap scum on the shower door.

Then I start trying to find ways to bring it up with them, but it's hard because I'm shy and don't like confrontation. So I just clean the parts they miss.

If you're anal about having your house perfectly clean, the ONLY person you can count on is yourself.

From what I can tell, most cleaning ladies have some jobs that they do every single time they come, and other jobs that they do occasionally or as-needed. For example, kitchens and bathrooms are done each visit, but windows, dusting picture frames or high up places are done every few visits.

If there are things that you absolutely want done every time, tell her again. When you discussed it the first time, she may have misunderstood and thought that is what you wanted that day, not always. Dusting every other week is great, but I know plenty of people who do it less frequently, so she may think it's only necessary every other visit. Tell her if you need it done each time.

As for the expectations, her cleaning won't necessarily be worse, it will just be different. My cleaning lady is great at actually cleaning - the bathrooms, kitchen, floors, etc are perfectly clean after she leaves (I'm a terrible cleaner so I know she does it better than I would). But, she moves things around and puts things away in the wrong places and that is my biggest frustration. So just remember, the more things you leave out, the more things she may hide away. : ) Sometimes it takes us a few days to track things down!

You get what you pay for. $50? Send her to me!

Hi, LeeLee,

I don't have a cleaning lady. Kind of wish I did sometimes. :) Then again, after reading some of these posts, it might not be worth it.

I'm curious about how much time she's SUPPOSED to be at your house. Do you pay her by the hour? Or does she leave when she is finished?

Can you do a 'drop-by' to check on things one Friday? Say she's supposed to be there from 1-3pm. Could you drop by one Friday around 2ish because you 'forgot' something that you really needed for a meeting at work? I would keep it real casual (not like you're checking up on her), explain that you forgot something, and you'll 'be out of her hair' in a few minutes. Take a quick glance around, grab something, run to the bathroom, and then go. This might tell you more about how things are going when you aren't there. Then you could decide if you want to make a change by what you see.

ADD: Sorry...just noticed that you said you don't have a time frame. Do you at least have a start time to expect her? I think it would be interesting to see how long she actually spends at your house... I could understand having a set time frame and her running out of time for some things, but if you have no set time frame, and you have agreed that she will do all of the items on your list, then there's not an excuse for her not getting it done. Also, not to say I'm in favor of time limits...that can also backfire by having her goof off for an hour and then rush for the last hour.