If you have a cleaner, you know that from time to time things aren’t done how you’d like. So if you’re not happy with your cleaning service, it’s time to learn how to give feedback to your cleaner. 

Don’t fret. Many people dread having awkward conversations. But think of it as business. It’s simply about calmly and clearly specifying what you do and don’t like. 

When you know how to give feedback to your cleaner, you both get a better outcome. You get the improvement you need and the cleaner gets the clarity on how to make you happy.

So, really, it’s a win-win situation. 

Is it possible that the cleaner doesn’t know exactly what is required? Often problems arise because the communication between you and the cleaner are not clear. 

So the first step is always to clarify exactly what you expect to be done during your cleaner’s appointment. It’s also helpful to get feedback from the cleaner at this stage. Is there anything the cleaner needs to share? Perhaps a task takes longer than expected so they are cutting corners to get everything done on time. Or perhaps they aren’t sure what the priorities are. 

As most people who hire professional cleaners are busy working, it’s often the case that you don’t see the cleaner. But you can always arrange a time to have a phone call to discuss your requirements. Give the cleaner advance notice that you’d like to chat about their service. 

It’s particularly difficult when you aren’t there to know exactly what your cleaner has done during the visit. There is an element of trust.  

If you’re not home, you can leave written instructions and a priority list for the cleaner to focus on during the allocated cleaning time. 

Once you’ve taken steps to clarify your expectations of your cleaner, you will hopefully find standards improving. But if you’re still not happy, it’s time to take on giving your cleaner feedback. 

We suggest following this approach: 

If you use an agency like us, you can contact a team manager to resolve the issue on your behalf. You can also request a different cleaner if you don’t believe you and your cleaner are a good match. Sometimes it’s as simple as trying someone different to find what you are looking for in the service.

It all sounds rather formal, but the key is clarity. Simple instructions help the cleaner understand that you are not happy and exactly what needs to change to turn things around. When this happens, you have a much better chance of getting the outcome you want. 

Hopefully, they will be professional about it and take it constructively as a chance to improve. But we are all human, and no one likes getting bad feedback. They may be shocked to hear your complaints, or just offended to be criticised. They might have an explanation, or feel that your criticism is unfair. So it’s useful to give them a chance to respond, to see if they agree with your feedback, or feel that it is unreasonable. If they do feel you are being unfair, then have a discussion about why so you can understand their point of view better.

This makes life a bit easier. When you use a house cleaning service like Absolute Domestics, you can simply contact your coordinators. However, we still recommend giving your cleaner a chance to improve first. But if you’d rather skip that awkward step and just change cleaners, it only takes a phone call to make it happen. 

We all like appreciation. Sure, your cleaner is getting paid to clean, and should be happy with that. Everyone likes praise for a job well done, because it feels pretty good! You can show your appreciation in little ways, from time to time:

Of course, you don’t need to send flowers and chocolates each week and chat about life during every visit. Keep your gestures of thanks reasonable and fair, so you are not adding more jobs to your mental load. 

Investing in the relationship with your cleaner pays off, because you enjoy more loyalty and better customer service from your cleaner. Plus, it’s a nice thing to do as a good human!

Get a quote in sixty seconds with our easy cleaning quote calculator. Simply tell us where you live and the type of cleaning you need and we’ll do the rest. You could be welcoming a new cleaner to your home as early as next week! 

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