

To (privately) disapprove of my friend having a cleaner

(537 Posts)
Unami Mon 29-Apr-13 16:08:54


But I still privately disapprove. AIBU?






dogsandcats Wed 01-May-13 23:16:19

One quick thing I can think of.
Do they actually clean any better?

Rosesforrosie Wed 01-May-13 23:23:28

IMO they don't clean better.

But, I think they are more likely to take Katy's approach to cleaning. Learning the trade, doing the best job possible and having the balls to demand decent money and run the business properly.

It is not that women can't do that. But that they don't all do that/feel empowered enough to do that.

I bet those that do earn the same money, but the average is skewed by those that don't.

KatyTheCleaningLady Wed 01-May-13 23:27:42

I don't know if they clean better or not. One of them, I think, probably does. He's very, very, very into cleaning and takes a great deal of pride in what he does. He charges per job rather than per hour and he told me that he's averaged out what he makes per hour, and it's about £18.

I'm not as sure about the second one, but I do think he cares a lot about doing a good job.

The third one actually owns a company in Harrogate. I think he used to be like the first guy - really into cleaning and taking great pride in it - when he used to be a solo cleaner. Now, he has a company built on the American model (similar to Molly Maids, which is an American franchise). I know they charge about £20 an hour, which is what you need to charge to keep good employees, pay VAT, and make enough profit to make running the company (a massive headache) worthwhile. Like Molly Maid, they charge by the job (but, when you have employees, it's crucial to price by the hour.)

Charging by the job rather than the hour is a way to avoid people getting bent out of shape over how much a lowly cleaner is making. I've discovered that a lot of my cheaper hourly competition aren't really cheaper than I am because they'll say it's three hours to do a two-hour job. You just have to make sure that you deliver on your promises to do a really good job.

KatyTheCleaningLady Wed 01-May-13 23:32:49

Running the business properly is actually a lot of work, Rosesforrosie. I may say I make £X per hour of cleaning, but there's a lot of extra, unpaid work involved, as well as the overhead for things like laundering cloths, driving all over town to do no-obligation quotes, leafleting, book keeping, scheduling, etc.

We're always in competition against people who are totally cash-in-hand, not paying taxes, uninsured, and willing to work cheap for a little extra money. I am sure that many of them are very good cleaners who work hard and take pride in their work. I don't think that price is really an indication of quality. But, it does keep me on my toes.

Absolutelylost Thu 02-May-13 07:10:30

I've had cleaners for 10 years, whilst I ran my own business from home and just didn't have time. We sold the business and were left in debt, so the cleaners went. Whilst trying to get new jobs, I thought I might start a cleaning agency, not doing the actual work myself, you understand. But then I thought I would just do a bit to start with, so that I would know how to assess a new client.

I felt I had to have the framework of it being for a new business venture because I did feel embarrassed about it. I am a graduate, worked in social services management for years, ran my own business for 5 years employing 25 staff.

But I actually quite like it - after the grief of my own business, I find it rather meditative and soothing. I have two clients, both school mum friends and neither house is remotely skanky. I almost prefer the messier one, its nice to bring order. It pays better than my current 'day job'' too.

I didn't like my 5 year old daughter telling everyone I was a cleaner. And I now have a part time job working for a charity, as a community development worker, which I love and, if I am brutally honest, I like to tell people about it.

So I have some sympathy for the OP, I can't work out my own feelings on the whole subject at all!

Rosesforrosie Thu 02-May-13 09:20:10

Katy, of course running the business side is hard and time consuming I didn't mean to imply any differently. I was saying that it is not an innately gendered thing, men and women can both run the business equally well. But because of social norms men are more likely to pursue that angle.

Fecklessdizzy Thu 02-May-13 09:25:32

I think it's viewed as "demeaning" by some people because it's traditionally done by women for nothing - If the pay and conditions of those doing it professionally are reasonable then more people will see it as a job which needs doing and requires some skill and application to do well ( we had a male cleaner at work - he thought it was beneath him and said so at every oppotunity - he was bloody awful at cleaning! Very much Oh-women-do-it-how-hard-can-it-be ... Twat grin )

So everyone who has/ is/ was a cleaner should sing their praises and force up the job's profile!

Mimishimi Thu 02-May-13 21:45:51

I suppose, so long as you keep those feelings private, you can disapprove of whatever you like. I do feel YABU with your reasons though - maybe she just doesn't like cleaning and she is giving someone else a job.

RawShark Thu 02-May-13 21:54:21

Am I missing something - do people lie on their deathbed regretting they didn't do more cleaning? confused

ComposHat Belgium Thu 02-May-13 22:04:56


Daft thing is my mother probably will!

I am perfectly capable of changing the oil in my car, but it is time consuming and messy ao I get the garage to do it. Does the op feel that this is demeaning for the mechanic, to get grubby doing a routine job, that anyone could do?

thermalsinapril Fri 03-May-13 09:27:04

So what if someone does find a hoover too complicated to operate? It's still none of the OP's business.

dutchyoriginal Fri 03-May-13 10:23:12

Still think the not unsubstantial amount of money I pay my cleaner, is the best money spent every week! Also, having her around, usually means I start tidying and cleaning other things as well.

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