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Teach cleaning lady to tidy up?



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amother
Turquoise


 

Post Wed, Jul 19 2017, 9:33 pm
Hi, this is a question about general tidying and specifically with regard to cleaning ladies - I'm going through a difficult pregnancy and am finding it very hard to keep my house clean. I finally found a lovely cleaning lady who comes 3 hours twice a week. Ideally I wanted her to tidy up, wash dishes, and do a bit of deep cleaning during that time.

The problem is that she doesn't understand much English at all. She will nod her head when I ask her to do something but I'll discover later that she didn't understand me in the least (I.e. I ask her to bring clean laundry upstairs, she changes the wash from the washer to the dryer instead). I've tried google translate and printing out instructions, talking to her with google translate app on her phone, but she still doesn't seem to understand me.

That said, my real problem is that two of the things I need her for - tidying and washing dishes - don't seem to be working out. She cleans around the mess - she'll sweep and mop the floors, clean counters, etc. but instead of doing any kind of tidying up, she'll just move things around. For example, if she's cleaning the living room, she'll sweep the rug, move all the easily movable furniture onto the rug (or even the couch - she put a standing desk on the couch today!) take everything off the floor and place it on the couch, sweep and mop the floor - and then leave the room looking that way. It's hard for me to explain to her what to do/where to put things because of the language barrier.

I've also given up on her washing dishes - I've explained kashrus boundaries to her several times and even wrote up a whole thing and translated it in google translate - yet she still mixes things up.

Any ideas on ways to teach her how/where to put things away and/or do dishes? Should I just give up and cut back on her hours so that all she does is the deep cleaning? Anyone have any experience in this area?
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Wed, Jul 19 2017, 9:38 pm
You need to find a new cleaning lady! This one isn't doing what you need.

I've had many, many cleaning ladies, Most with limited English. Never had a cleaning lady pick things up / move furniture to clean floor and not put it back!

I also have them do dishes, and have had very little mix ups.

Get someone new.


Last edited by amother on Wed, Mar 13 2019, 3:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
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amother
Bisque


 

Post Wed, Jul 19 2017, 10:47 pm
Sometimes it's a language barrier. Sometimes it's a brain barrier. She sounds not too bright and not too helpful. Find someone else.
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amother
Powderblue


 

Post Wed, Jul 19 2017, 10:58 pm
Some ladies are just not neat and don't have a desire to tidy as they clean. I've seen it and I think it's a mentality. I haven't seen those who do it change.
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 20 2017, 8:18 am
amother wrote:
Hi, this is a question about general tidying and specifically with regard to cleaning ladies - I'm going through a difficult pregnancy and am finding it very hard to keep my house clean. I finally found a lovely cleaning lady who comes 3 hours twice a week. Ideally I wanted her to tidy up, wash dishes, and do a bit of deep cleaning during that time.

The problem is that she doesn't understand much English at all. She will nod her head when I ask her to do something but I'll discover later that she didn't understand me in the least (I.e. I ask her to bring clean laundry upstairs, she changes the wash from the washer to the dryer instead). I've tried google translate and printing out instructions, talking to her with google translate app on her phone, but she still doesn't seem to understand me.

That said, my real problem is that two of the things I need her for - tidying and washing dishes - don't seem to be working out. She cleans around the mess - she'll sweep and mop the floors, clean counters, etc. but instead of doing any kind of tidying up, she'll just move things around. For example, if she's cleaning the living room, she'll sweep the rug, move all the easily movable furniture onto the rug (or even the couch - she put a standing desk on the couch today!) take everything off the floor and place it on the couch, sweep and mop the floor - and then leave the room looking that way. It's hard for me to explain to her what to do/where to put things because of the language barrier.

I've also given up on her washing dishes - I've explained kashrus boundaries to her several times and even wrote up a whole thing and translated it in google translate - yet she still mixes things up.

Any ideas on ways to teach her how/where to put things away and/or do dishes? Should I just give up and cut back on her hours so that all she does is the deep cleaning? Anyone have any experience in this area?


Once I find a "lovely"cleaning lady, I am willing to work with her. If this lady has a nice personality and she isn't expensive, then I would work with her. The cleaning ladies do not live the way we do. I imagine her home isn't tidy because she doesn't see not being tidy as bad.

Don't overwhelm her with instructions on kasherus or otherwise. They are often uneducated and can't process complex things instantly. It is a process, but it works.

Have the lady correct everything she does wrong. If necessary, take pictures. Tell her with gestures and eye contact. Learn a few key words in her language. Thank you, good, bad, clean, dirty, now, later, gentle, red, blue, green, milk, meat, neither, this way, here. You only need the most rudimentary vocabulary. Forget Google translate for the moment, and only use it for the most complex things. Certain cultures will tell you they understand when they don't, so it is important to learn their tells when they don't.

Every time she leave something out, tell her even the next morning. In the beginning of training my lady, I greet her in the morning with a coffee, a mazones, and a list. Later on, she still gets the coffee and mazones and the list only when something is skipped.

What is your situation with kasherus? Do you have two sinks with things clearly marked in colors? You need to make it as idiot proof as possible. Assume the lowest level for every cleaning lady even those that claim experience working in kosher homes.

I hate having someone in my house that isn't nice and pleasant. A pleasant person can be trained.
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mommy_r




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 21 2017, 7:17 am
Thanks for your advice, all. It's pretty hard to find a cleaning lady - this is the third one I've had in this pregnancy! - so I'm not dropping her entirely that fast... I really just wanted to know if there is any benefit to try to teach her or just to cut her hours and have her do deep cleaning only. Squishy, thanks for your advice - it's very helpful. Hopefully that will help somewhat...
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mommy_r




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 21 2017, 7:18 am
and I forgot to post anon - I am OP Wink. I guess the likelihood of someone being pregnant and having cleaning lady difficulties is pretty high for imamother so I shouldn't be too worried about being outed Wink.
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yOungM0mmy




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 21 2017, 7:52 am
No advice re her not putting furniture back rxcept keep telling/motioning to her every single time. I hardly ever get my cleaning ladies to do dishes, kashrus is too complicated for most of them, so at this point I'd switch to disposables - totally worth it for your sanity.
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Fri, Jul 21 2017, 5:31 pm
Not all cleaning ladies are able to read well or have good reading comprehension. I found the best thing to do with them is translate it in google and use the speaking version of the translation so that they can hear it.
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cinnabuns




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 21 2017, 7:44 pm
Not sure if this would help- my mother would tell the cleaning lady 'whatever is in this sink, wash only here with only this sponge. This sink, only here with only this sponge.' and we would make sure to put the dishes into the proper sinks.
Not putting back furniture is strange though... I agree, if possible find a cleaning lady that her annoying things bother you the least..
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 23 2017, 1:01 am
mommy_r wrote:
Thanks for your advice, all. It's pretty hard to find a cleaning lady - this is the third one I've had in this pregnancy! - so I'm not dropping her entirely that fast... I really just wanted to know if there is any benefit to try to teach her or just to cut her hours and have her do deep cleaning only. Squishy, thanks for your advice - it's very helpful. Hopefully that will help somewhat...


Also praise her a lot for what she does right. I use the term for pretty. I tell my lady to make things pretty because tidy is not something they can relate to as well. I also tell my cleaning lady that my husband wants the house this way. The cleaning ladies, where I live, come from machismo societies, so even if they can't relate to tidy houses, they relate to demanding husbands.
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amother
Slateblue


 

Post Sun, Jul 23 2017, 11:37 am
the first time a new cleaning lady comes to my house, I show her EVERYTHING. I clean and she watches (obviously she helps me), but I talk and show her through all steps: IDIOTPROOF

I start and let her finish...

I try to be nice, and smile, and compliment her etc. I say if she has questions or isnt sure she can always come and ask me...


next time she comes, I expect ehr to know: I work fast and detailled, I expect it also from her, but I understand if she is not AS fast the first/second time.

I always offer a snack/ drink, she can takle a break if she needs to (like before pessach if we clean for hours and do hard things).

I try to be understanding etc, but I also set limits and am very precise with what I expect.
usually the ladies appreciate it, my cleaning ladies always know I have an open ear, and they know what I want thej to be done - they stay for many years b´´H.

I hope that helps.
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mame1




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 23 2017, 2:35 pm
Sounds like she's doing what she can get away with. Google translate "You're fired" and find a new cleaning lady.
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mommy_r




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 23 2017, 10:17 pm
thanks for all your responses! a neighbor just told me about a cleaning lady she found who has hours, so we may just switch...
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dancingqueen




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 23 2017, 10:59 pm
Squishy wrote:
Also praise her a lot for what she does right. I use the term for pretty. I tell my lady to make things pretty because tidy is not something they can relate to as well. I also tell my cleaning lady that my husband wants the house this way. The cleaning ladies, where I live, come from machismo societies, so even if they can't relate to tidy houses, they relate to demanding husbands.


This post comes off as racist to me.
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 23 2017, 11:14 pm
dancingqueen wrote:
This post comes off as racist to me.


How is it racist?
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amother
Dodgerblue


 

Post Mon, Jul 24 2017, 12:08 am
Squishy wrote:
How is it racist?


Racist was the wrong word.

Do you really think that your cleaning ladies come from a country where people don't keep their homes tidy? How do you know this?
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amother
Powderblue


 

Post Mon, Jul 24 2017, 1:25 am
Squishy wrote:
How is it racist?

Racisim vs Stereotyping

Racism is based on religion, ethnicity, and nationality of a person or group. Stereotyping is based on an impression formed by a group of people for another group or individual irrespective of their origin.
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 24 2017, 1:41 am
amother wrote:
Racist was the wrong word.

Do you really think that your cleaning ladies come from a country where people don't keep their homes tidy? How do you know this?


Of course racist is the wrong word, but you are also jumping to an absurd conclusion that I think the people from their country of origin don't keep their homes tidy.

The cleaning ladies are cleaning ladies because they are poor and unedcated. They have little choice in the matter. Their homes are cramped and overcrowded. They often have multiple families and unrelated adults living in homes designed for single families. I have been in quite a few of these homes. They are definitely not neat and tidy, not organized. Some things we take as a given are alien concepts in their country. I have had to instruct almost all my cleaning ladies to wash their hands BEFORE they touch my kitchen. I also have to teach them how to clean the toilets not using the rag from the toilets anywhere else.

My gardener tells me he has 4 male adults share a bedroom and they sleep in shifts in mattresses on the floor. They clean the house Saturday night and it is dirty the same night.

I used to hire Haitian nannies when my kids were younger, and they didn't know how to use a bathtub because all they had was a communal spigot.

I believe those back in their country who have a certain level of wealth keep their homes tidy, but I don't believe the poor underclass do.
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 24 2017, 1:48 am
amother wrote:
Racisim vs Stereotyping

Racism is based on religion, ethnicity, and nationality of a person or group. Stereotyping is based on an impression formed by a group of people for another group or individual irrespective of their origin.


rac·ism
ˈrāˌsizəm/Submit
noun
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

I believe the root of the cleaning ladies living in poor overcrowded conditions is economic rather than the fact their race is inferior.
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