We have house cleaners, who generally do a great job cleaning. What’s annoying me is that it doesn’t seem like they try very hard to put things like decor back where they found them. Like, they move the coffee table to vacuum the rug. Great! But then they leave the coffee table there, instead of moving it back. When they leave, I feel like I have to walk through every room and straighten everything up that they’ve moved.
In typing this out, I’m realizing it sounds silly. But I don’t remember this happening with previous cleaners.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Apr 29, 2021 7:21:33 GMT -5
My cleaners kind of do this. Specifically I'm always putting the bath mats back. Buuut they also move the coffee table and kitchen chairs and they always put that back. I feel like that's kind of big?
Post by Leeham Rimes on Apr 29, 2021 7:23:36 GMT -5
I would be annoyed to have to put everything back on a constant basis. especially big things like furniture. I might be a less irritated if they put something like picture frames in a clump instead of spaced out. But I don’t have cleaners so this is hypothetical.
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My cleaners do stuff like this and it drives me crazy but not enough to say something. Like, my dining room table has 6 chairs total, 2 are the same and go on the ends and the other 4 go on the sides. They never put them back in the right places. When they dust, I think that they are just taking every thing off the flat surface and then end up putting the stuff back all willy nilly. I've just come to accept it, but I know that it drives my H batty. Meh. He can fix it if he cares that much.
Mine do the same. I’ve suspected it’s to make it visible that they cleaned under/behind things.
I'm sure this is a part of it, but I would be annoyed by FURNITURE being moved and not put back.
Small stuff - I KNOW my cleaning lady puts stuff in sometimes odd places because she wants us to know she cleaned there. (WE've "lost" stuff before because of her odd placing of items!) So that wouldn't really upset me.
That would drive me crazy, so I would maybe at least mention it for furniture. I feel like I would end up tripping because I am clumsy.
Also, why would someone move decor to clean? Don't they just pick it up, clean, then put right back down?
When I clean certain surfaces, like recently the picture window-sill behind a couch, I took EVERYTHING off and wiped the whole thing down and then - as I put stuff back - I wiped the individual items down too. So I can very easily see how a cleaning person would put stuff back in a different spot.
My cleaners do this to a small extent, but it doesn't bother me, and that's kind of incredible, because I sometimes feel like everything bothers me!
If big things were always moved and it was a pain to put them back, that would be another story and seem odd to me, but mine are usually little things. I actually find it mildly satisfying to see evidence someone is doing more than the half-assed job I would do. I have the same reaction when I see random stuff on a dresser and realize they found something one of us lost months ago.
Do you plan to mention it? I'm just curious - not judging at all - because I wonder if I'm alone in avoiding that kind of thing. In general, I'm perfectly comfortable giving feedback (ask my H - lol), but with my cleaner, it's another story. For me to mention something to her, it would have to be serious.
Mine do the same. I’ve suspected it’s to make it visible that they cleaned under/behind things.
I'm sure this is a part of it, but I would be annoyed by FURNITURE being moved and not put back.
Small stuff - I KNOW my cleaning lady puts stuff in sometimes odd places because she wants us to know she cleaned there. (WE've "lost" stuff before because of her odd placing of items!) So that wouldn't really upset me.
I have two small sofas (like chair and a half size) and a large ottoman that are never in the same place. I’m fine with it. I know they’re working hard and may not remember exactly the placement.
Yes it would annoy me. Our cleaners generally try to put things back how they were. I still have to go around and make slight adjustments but at least they're attempting. I'd be super annoyed at furniture not being put back.
My cleaners do this to a small extent, but it doesn't bother me, and that's kind of incredible, because I sometimes feel like everything bothers me!
If big things were always moved and it was a pain to put them back, that would be another story and seem odd to me, but mine are usually little things. I actually find it mildly satisfying to see evidence someone is doing more than the half-assed job I would do. I have the same reaction when I see random stuff on a dresser and realize they found something one of us lost months ago.
Do you plan to mention it? I'm just curious - not judging at all - because I wonder if I'm alone in avoiding that kind of thing. In general, I'm perfectly comfortable giving feedback (ask my H - lol), but with my cleaner, it's another story. For me to mention something to her, it would have to be serious.
No, I probably won’t say anything. Lol. I’m happy enough with the cleaning job they do.
It would drive me bananas, but I wouldn't do anything about it. My cleaners do similar shit that annoys me. The most annoying is my H and I have separate hooks in the bathroom for our wet bath towels. The cleaners take these towels and fold them neatly and place them on the side of the tub. But then we have no idea whose is whose and they're wet so they don't dry. So then I need to wash the towels. It's nonsensical to do this, but whatever.
They also waste TP and paper towels making little designs.
And open all the blinds so I need to go through and close them.
I basically just walk through the house when they leave and take 10 minutes to fix these things. I think it's normal.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Apr 29, 2021 8:26:48 GMT -5
The quilt on our bed has a pattern on one side and a solid color on the other and they always make the beds with the pattern side down so that the solid color is the only thing showing. In the kitchen we have some pads for dish drying and under the coffee machine and they always put those pattern side down too.
That drives me NUTS (and makes me fee a tiny bit like they may be judging my pattern choices??). And yet I've never said anything.
The most annoying is my H and I have separate hooks in the bathroom for our wet bath towels. The cleaners take these towels and fold them neatly and place them on the side of the tub. But then we have no idea whose is whose and they're wet so they don't dry. So then I need to wash the towels. It's nonsensical to do this, but whatever..
I gave up on the towel thing and now I just plan to wash towels on the days the cleaners are coming. Gather them all up in the morning so there's nothing in the bathrooms, and then I don't replace them until after the cleaners have left.
Yes, there's always some stuff out of place when they're done, but I don't think it's ever been actual furniture. An ottoman, an anywhere chair, stuff like that is the biggest that doesn't make it back to its spot. I can't decide how annoyed I would be about bigger pieces of furniture being out of place, but I would definitely scratch my head.
The most annoying is my H and I have separate hooks in the bathroom for our wet bath towels. The cleaners take these towels and fold them neatly and place them on the side of the tub. But then we have no idea whose is whose and they're wet so they don't dry. So then I need to wash the towels. It's nonsensical to do this, but whatever..
I gave up on the towel thing and now I just plan to wash towels on the days the cleaners are coming. Gather them all up in the morning so there's nothing in the bathrooms, and then I don't replace them until after the cleaners have left.
Yes, there's always some stuff out of place when they're done, but I don't think it's ever been actual furniture. An ottoman, an anywhere chair, stuff like that is the biggest that doesn't make it back to its spot. I can't decide how annoyed I would be about bigger pieces of furniture being out of place, but I would definitely scratch my head.
I think this is where we are with the towels. I hate doing midweek laundry, but I think cleaners day is now towel day.
Post by thelurkylulu on Apr 29, 2021 8:42:29 GMT -5
I would be annoyed by not putting the table back and I’d probably just kindly ask them to put the furniture back. Home decor wouldn’t bother me because they might not know exactly where it was.
I gave up on the towel thing and now I just plan to wash towels on the days the cleaners are coming. Gather them all up in the morning so there's nothing in the bathrooms, and then I don't replace them until after the cleaners have left.
Yes, there's always some stuff out of place when they're done, but I don't think it's ever been actual furniture. An ottoman, an anywhere chair, stuff like that is the biggest that doesn't make it back to its spot. I can't decide how annoyed I would be about bigger pieces of furniture being out of place, but I would definitely scratch my head.
I think this is where we are with the towels. I hate doing midweek laundry, but I think cleaners day is now towel day.
I'm sure this is a part of it, but I would be annoyed by FURNITURE being moved and not put back.
Small stuff - I KNOW my cleaning lady puts stuff in sometimes odd places because she wants us to know she cleaned there. (WE've "lost" stuff before because of her odd placing of items!) So that wouldn't really upset me.
I have two small sofas (like chair and a half size) and a large ottoman that are never in the same place. I’m fine with it. I know they’re working hard and may not remember exactly the placement.
Oh, I'm not worried about exact placement - our larger couch is almost always slightly off center after she comes. But if she moved my coffee table entirely out of the way, I'd expect it to be put back in basically the right place in front of the couch. I'm not looking at leg marks in the rug to make sure things are EXACT.
A previous housekeeper did this with small stuff. I figured at least she knew she moved stuff to clean. The bigger stuff is weirder to me although I always straighten the barstools because I’m particular how they are.
Mine do this, too. The living room furniture is in like, complete disarray when they leave. But they do a great job cleaning so I don't say anything. They also do it with any decorative stuff that gets moved on tables...So the house is CLEAN but it looks a damn mess.
They also do the toilet paper designs that another poster mentioned, and while it's cute, I always have to tear it off before I can use the tp because it's so bunched up from the design.
I don't want to say anything, but it drives me crazy.
Post by thelurkylulu on Apr 29, 2021 9:58:55 GMT -5
This post makes me miss having a cleaner. I fired mine a few months ago because she didn’t move anything when she cleaned and never cleaned behind the toilets. She sucked but I suck more. lol
I think they should put the furniture back in its place before they leave. I always have to rearrange small things like picture frames and throw pillows after my cleaners leave and that doesn't bother me, but furniture is different IMO.