9 Signs of a Bad Cleaning Lady
Whether you’re looking for a cleaner or already have one, knowing the signs of bad cleaners is really important. Identifying if a cleaner is doing a good job or not allows you to make a decision about whether to keep using that cleaning lady or look for someone else.
Below, we have all the clear signs of a lousy cleaning service and some of the early warning signs that may help you decide to look for a new, better cleaning service.
Warning signs of a bad cleaning lady
If you already have a cleaner and you are looking at this article, that is quite a good warning sign that your cleaner isn’t providing the services you need them to. After all, if your cleaner was doing every right, you wouldn’t be reading this!
The biggest warning sign of a professional cleaner not doing their job correctly is disinterest. If they are not focusing on the cleaning tasks that you have asked them to do, perhaps they are arriving later than usual, or their head really isn’t into the cleaning process when they begin working.
All of these signs show that a cleaner is not connecting with the cleaning jobs you are giving them, and it may be time to start looking elsewhere. Let’s take a deeper dive into clear signs that a cleaning company isn’t doing the job correctly, shall we?
Clear signs of a bad cleaning lady
Sadly, choosing a reputable cleaning service doesn’t always mean the cleaner you get is going to be a good one. A good cleaning lady will be able to do all of the cleaning tasks you ask them to do and do them with conviction. A bad cleaning lady, on the other hand, will show clear signs of doing a bad job, possibly from the moment you hire them.
Here are some clear signs of a cleaning service and cleaning lady that are just bad news!
Lack of communication
A superb cleaning service should always start with excellent communication. This ensures that you (the customer) know precisely what cleaning services are on offer, and the cleaning lady knows exactly what cleaning services you need.
House cleaning services must have clear communication throughout the relationship because the tasks change weekly. If there is a very obvious lack of communication from your cleaning lady, this can make changing the cleaning tasks they are doing weekly extremely difficult.
Cleaning services of any kind must be flexible. The cleaners must be fully trained in all aspects of the role and should be more than happy to do all of the cleaning tasks a customer may need. This means that open lines of communication between the customer, the house cleaners and the cleaning company are vital.
Always late
A cleaner running late every so often can happen. Delays on public transport or traffic issues can cause anyone to be late. A cleaner will usually apologise and stay for the allotted time anyway.
Where lateness becomes an issue is when it continues to happen and becomes more frequent. A tell-tale sign that a cleaner has lost interest in the role is when the apologies for running late begin to sound more like disinterested excuses.
A good cleaner will let the cleaning company and the customer know they are running late. If you are noticing that your cleaning lady is making a habit of running late, it is worth speaking with the cleaning company. If they have no knowledge of it, it might be that they are avoiding work altogether.
Items going missing
Trusting anyone in your home is a scary thing, to begin with, and many people will share horror stories with you about cleaners stealing things during cleaning sessions. Sadly, this does happen in some cases, and it is up to the house cleaning services you’re using to put this right!
If you do notice that any items have gone missing from your home while receiving a maid service, you should contact the company directly if you have proof that it was the maid who took it. Most cleaning services will resolve the matter quickly and ensure that the cleaner no longer works in your home and, most likely, any other home.
Using their phone
While many cleaners use their phones to receive information about cleaning jobs throughout the day and, therefore, may need to check their phones from time to time. This is vastly different from being on them throughout the entire cleaning session.
Anyone with a smartphone will know that being on your phone a lot means that you are not focusing on the task you are doing, and so the cleaner is likely doing the same. Now, the cleaner may also have something going on in their life. Perhaps their child is off school ill. So, giving them the benefit of the doubt the first time might be for the best.
However, if it continues, speaking with the cleaner about it may shine some light on the situation.
Careless with your belongings
Another bad sign for house cleaners that have given up is that they are no longer giving your home and its contents the respect they deserve. This is your home, and a good cleaning service will respect it. A bad cleaner may not!
That’s not to say that a bad cleaner will intentionally break things during a visit to your home, but they may start to be less careful with things.
Does not follow instructions
As we said above, cleaning should be flexible; it is the best way of ensuring that as many of the cleaning tasks you need doing are done during the cleaning session.
So, when a house cleaning service arrives, they should be asking what tasks you need them to do. This will help them plan their time better, organise the cleaning supplies and cleaning tools they need and allow them to get to work straight away.
Of course, this only works if the cleaners are open to following clear instructions. Most people are not in when the cleaners come to their homes. So often, a list of cleaning tasks is left for them.
If you notice that the cleaning tasks are not being done, let the cleaner know exactly where you are leaving the to-do list. If nothing changes, get in touch with the head office of the cleaning business, and they can speak with the cleaner about why they are not following instructions.
Ignores your feedback
Feedback is a really important part of the customer and cleaner relationship. If a cleaner has done a task exactly the way you would like it done, tell them, and they will know to do it exactly this way in future. If the cleaner didn’t do something correctly or maybe missed an item on the cleaning list, let them know.
Most house cleaners are more than happy to take on feedback and ensure they can provide a better job next time. If a cleaner refuses feedback or ignores it, this is a sign of a bad cleaner.
Cleans too fast and skips tasks
If a cleaner is rushing to get jobs done or skipping tasks altogether, this is not a good sign. We know that not everyone can offer 100% of their energy every day, but if you’re paying for quality cleaners, you expect good service.
If you notice that a cleaner is regularly skipping tasks or rushing through all of the tasks you are setting, speak with them. Maybe you are giving them more than they can manage in the time they have, and reducing the tasks may help. Or it could be that the cleaner feels they have a better place to be.
Pleas read our article: What can a cleaner do in 2 hours?
Old and outdated cleaning techniques
There is nothing like a bit of elbow grease and some good old-fashioned hard work when it comes to cleaning, right? Well, there are modern cleaning methods that good cleaning companies employ that offer a really efficient way of cleaning.
In many cases, older methods use more harmful chemicals and take longer to achieve. So, outdated methods of cleaning may cause your cleaner to be slower than you’d like.
How to find a good cleaning lady
The right person for a cleaning job is difficult to find, but good quality cleaning companies have already done the hard work for you. When looking for a cleaner, speak with family members and friends. Ask them which cleaning companies they’ve used in the area and which they have had good experiences with.
Also, take a look at online reviews from real customers from the cleaning companies. They offer a real insight into what’s it like to have cleaners in the home.
Also, look for cleaning companies that fully trained their staff and those that have good quality liability insurance. In most cases, this shows the cleaning company is serious about providing a high-quality service and only hires the very best cleaners.
Looking for cleaning services in London? Please read our guide on how to find a cleaner in London
Experienced too many signs of a bad cleaning lady?
Now that you understand all the signs of a bad cleaning lady, then why don’t you have a look at our regular cleaning services? Cleaning Express offers high-quality regular domestic cleaning services across London. All of our cleaners are fully trained by us using online training videos created by our most experienced cleaners and head office staff. Our cleaning sessions are totally flexible and tailored to your needs each time we visit.
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