Your cleaner is in your home, while you’re at work – but you can’t help wondering – how much cleaning are they actually doing?
Are you wondering if you can trust your cleaner to deliver a great clean when you’re not there? Maybe you’ve spotted some tell-tale signs that they are cutting corners.
But before you wade in and accuse your cleaner of watching TV when they’re supposed to be working, here are a few things to consider.
1. Take an honest look at your home
When it’s our own space, it’s easy to become a little delusional about how clean it really is, day to day. Are you expecting miracles in the time available? It’s much easier, and quicker, to thoroughly clean an uncluttered, tidy home. If your cleaner is spending time washing dishes and clearing surfaces, there’ll be less time for cleaning surfaces and vacuuming floors.
2. How long should your cleaning visit take?
As a guide, at Just Helpers we work on a minimum of 2.5 hours for a top quality clean in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom new-build flat which is averagely clean and tidy. Anything less will mean cutting corners (which we don’t recommend).
3. What are your priorities?
When you walk into your home after your cleaning visit, what do you want to see? We’re all different. Some people will happily live with an unmade bed, and wouldn’t want their cleaner to spend time on this. Others will be on the look-out for dust and would feel short-changed if their cleaner had missed a bit. I wouldn’t feel my home was clean if door handles and light switches hadn’t been sanitised.
Make sure you talk to your cleaner about your priorities. Together, you can plan the cleaning schedule so all your important tasks get done, even if this means rotating others.
At Just Helpers, we discuss this with new clients as part of our site visit, so we can manage their Helper’s time and make sure every clean brings a smile to their face.
I send a voice note to my Helper Sylvie before each visit to let her know if there’s anything particular I want her to look at. And because she’s a brilliant Helper, she also uses her initiative on tasks I haven’t asked her to do. This week, she tackled the stained kitchen splash-back I’ve inherited – it was a lovely surprise to see it sparkling clean.
4. Have regular check-ins
It’s a great idea to take time to talk to your cleaner about what’s working and what’s not. Sylvie and I do this twice a year – we walk around the house and talk about any areas that need attention. Be ready for a list of things to do or think about, and make sure you do as much as listening as talking so there’s an equal power balance in the conversation.
5. Ask for a visit report
You could ask your cleaner to take photos or send you a video walk-through talking you through what they’ve done on their cleaning visit. This should give you the reassurance you need so you can trust your cleaner – but be aware it will eat into their cleaning time.
6. Use a “nanny-cam”
If you’re really concerned, you could use internal CCTV to monitor what your cleaner is doing in your home. Be aware that there are restrictions on the use of cameras in rooms where people can reasonably expect privacy (e.g. bathrooms). You’ll also need to tell your cleaner about the cameras and their rights to access the recordings, to comply with data protection laws. Which brings me to my last point…
7. The Bottom Line
It’s important that you trust your cleaner while they’re working in your home. And just as you wouldn’t want to be micro-managed by your boss at work, you should be able to respect that your cleaner will get on with delivering a professional job when you’re not there.
If you’re worrying about what your cleaner is up to when they’re in your home, you should find another cleaner. A great clean should bring you joy, not stress.
