Cleaning Ladies don´t have a clue sometimes?

[AlanMexicali]

We have used my sister in law's cleaning lady for several months on Thursdays all day, 8 1/2 hours. A few times I was home recently and she was wasting most of the day scrubbing bathrooms and floors of the bedrooms that are closed doors and only used when visitors are here. I finally told her to stay concentrated on the things that are actually dirty, please.

Well this snowballed into her first not doing much the rest of that day and missing the next Thursday and when we went away for 2 weeks telling her not to come in.

I have been cleaning everything the same as she had been doing minus the redundant cleaning she always did and finish in 90 minutes or so and have found many more things to clean that she never bothered with for another 90 minutes each week and still find more every week and the house looks better than ever.

This is the 3rd cleaning lady we have had and the same thing happened with the other two.

I have been thinking of just cleaning lightly and forgetting the cleaning ladies altogether and once in a while get some help do do some heavy cleaning.

Yesterday this latest cleaning lady after a few weeks of not coming told us she has a new Thursday house to clean. We are actually relieved she decided to go where the routine fits her style of cleaning.

We still see her several evenings a week at my in laws house but there she is happily cooking and ironing and scrubbing all the 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms most of which are never used anymore.

I am now thinking some of you might have noticed this same system with your cleaning ladies.

[conklinwh]

Originally Posted by AlanMexicali

We have used my sister in law's cleaning lady for several months on Thursdays all day, 8 1/2 hours. A few times I was home recently and she was wasting most of the day scrubbing bathrooms and floors of the bedrooms that are closed doors and only used when visitors are here. I finally told her to stay concentrated on the things that are actually dirty, please.

Well this snowballed into her first not doing much the rest of that day and missing the next Thursday and when we went away for 2 weeks telling her not to come in.

I have been cleaning everything the same as she had been doing minus the redundant cleaning she always did and finish in 90 minutes or so and have found many more things to clean that she never bothered with for another 90 minutes each week and still find more every week and the house looks better than ever.

This is the 3rd cleaning lady we have had and the same thing happened with the other two.

I have been thinking of just cleaning lightly and forgetting the cleaning ladies altogether and once in a while get some help do do some heavy cleaning.

Yesterday this latest cleaning lady after a few weeks of not coming told us she has a new Thursday house to clean. We are actually relieved she decided to go where the routine fits her style of cleaning.

We still see her several evenings a week at my in laws house but there she is happily cooking and ironing and scrubbing all the 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms most of which are never used anymore.

I am now thinking some of you might have noticed this same system with your cleaning ladies.

Amen! I can't show this to my wife or she will really go off. Worse thing is that we had a really good cook/housekeeper when we rented in San Miguel. After moving to Pozos we did have somebody that was more than adequate. Unfortunately after 4 years she said that had started a business. Our ability to find replacement has been less than successful for all of your reasons.

[joaquinx]

This is what happens when you micro-manage workers. Let them do the work. When my cleaning lady comes to clean, I move outside or take my laptop to my neighbors. I return when she is done and the apartment is clean.

[Ken Wood]

Our cleaning lady hung the moon. She is absolutely precious, and is very skilled, as well as quite innovative when the need arises. She only comes once a week for a few hours, so it is not a huge expense for us, but, I suspect that it means a lot to her budget. She has a family at home, including twin 6 year old girls, and they are obviously the priority in her life. She occasionally allows us to send something home to the girls, at Christmas, birthday, first day of school, etc, but, is very adept at keeping our relationship strictly as it should be. To keep out of her way, we take off on her arrival and ask her to lock up when she leaves. We are moving into our new house very soon, and have tried to work something out to continue her weekly visits, but, it would be a one hour bus ride and is not going to work. We will miss her, she is one who always seems to exist within a little cone of happiness, and her ever present smile is infectious to us.

[conklinwh]

What you both describe would be very true for our 1st two experiences but not ours since.
We do not micromanage but the place just doesn't get cleaned other than superficially.
Now we live in a very small town with less than 30 expats so the experience pool is very shallow as well as small.

[RVGRINGO]

When we first hired our maid, she asked us what we would like her to do. I told her to do whatever was needed and that she was the 'expert'. That has worked pretty well for almost a decade. She's still with us & often brings daughters to help and to shorten her hours. She has access to everything and house & pet sits whenever we travel. Never a problem.

[chicois8]

I have a small home so 4 hours is enough time for my housekeeper, she arrives and I take off, when I return all is clean and the house smells Fabuloso........

[Longford]

Originally Posted by AlanMexicali

We have used my sister in law's cleaning lady for several months on Thursdays all day, 8 1/2 hours. A few times I was home recently and she was wasting most of the day scrubbing bathrooms and floors of the bedrooms that are closed doors and only used when visitors are here. I finally told her to stay concentrated on the things that are actually dirty, please.

Well this snowballed into her first not doing much the rest of that day and missing the next Thursday and when we went away for 2 weeks telling her not to come in.

I have been cleaning everything the same as she had been doing minus the redundant cleaning she always did and finish in 90 minutes or so and have found many more things to clean that she never bothered with for another 90 minutes each week and still find more every week and the house looks better than ever.

This is the 3rd cleaning lady we have had and the same thing happened with the other two.

I have been thinking of just cleaning lightly and forgetting the cleaning ladies altogether and once in a while get some help do do some heavy cleaning.

Yesterday this latest cleaning lady after a few weeks of not coming told us she has a new Thursday house to clean. We are actually relieved she decided to go where the routine fits her style of cleaning.

We still see her several evenings a week at my in laws house but there she is happily cooking and ironing and scrubbing all the 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms most of which are never used anymore.

I am now thinking some of you might have noticed this same system with your cleaning ladies.

Lack of education is the root cause. That's been my observation for a very long time.

Why have a cleaning lady if you don't reallly need one? Just, as you said, get one several times a year for a top to bottom house cleaning. Or, hire one for a half-day instead of a whole day. Leave a list of what's to be done and check-off the list when she's one. No need to leave home for the time period. Just stay out of her way.

I've had both good and not so good cleaning ladies. Mostly, I've cleaned my small place(s) myself when in Mexico.

[conklinwh]

Originally Posted by Longford

Lack of education is the root cause. That's been my observation for a very long time.

Why have a cleaning lady if you don't reallly need one? Just, as you said, get one several times a year for a top to bottom house cleaning. Or, hire one for a half-day instead of a whole day. Leave a list of what's to be done and check-off the list when she's one. No need to leave home for the time period. Just stay out of her way.

I've had both good and not so good cleaning ladies. Mostly, I've cleaned my small place(s) myself when in Mexico.

My wife is an artist. We retired to Mexico so that she could go to her studio and paint. Also, I'm not going to start taking the lead in cleaning even if my back could hack it.
Yes, we have had good experiences but presently not so good and that problematic under Mexican work laws but we are working to get resolved.

[terrybahena]

We are the only expats in town, at least right now. We have the high school age daughter of a friend come on Mondays for about 3 hours. At first we wanted her to do windows, but hubby wants them just so, so he does them. She does bathrooms, kitchen, and all the floors, plus dusting (the salt water film that gets on everything). She also sweeps our huge patio even though the wind is always blowing. The thing is, it's good for her, she makes a little pocket money- it's alot to her and not much to us- and it's good for us cause I don't want to clean toilets. It's not a super immaculate job but we don't pay a super salary either. And if I want something "just so", I can tell her and she's happy to do it. Our place is not too big, either.