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Cleaning Company Calls Woman’s House Disgusting, She Feels It’s Unwarranted But Netizens Disagree
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Cleaning Company Calls Woman’s House Disgusting, She Feels It’s Unwarranted But Netizens Disagree

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I would not go as far as to say that I have OCD (because I don’t), but I like things to be squeaky clean, and there have been times when I have been unable to sleep thinking about the mess, and I ended up cleaning my house in the middle of the night.

Now, speaking about cleaning, this original poster (OP) was unhappy with the cleaner she hired from a company, so she refused to hire cleaners from them again. Well, they called her kitchen disgusting and blocked her, leaving her feeling violated!

More info: Mumsnet

Wanting to live in a clean space is a given, and we can hire cleaners when we are unable to do so ourselves

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels (not the actual photo)

The poster’s old cleaner left so she hired a new one who was supposed to deep-clean the lower story of her house in around 4 hours

Image credits: ChicExpert

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Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

According to the poster, the new cleaner didn’t do a good job and clean everything as she had expected

Image credits: ChicExpert

Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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The living room window sill was unclean, and she broke her glass chopping board, left chemicals in the oven which she was asked not to clean, and the floor corners were dirty

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Image credits: Liza Summer / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Due to this, she refused to hire her again and told so to the cleaning company, but they sent a pic of her house which the cleaner had secretly taken

Image credits: ChicExpert

They even called her house disgusting and then blocked her, so she felt violated by this and even shared a picture of her kitchen before cleaning

In today’s story, OP tells us how a cleaning company took a jab at her after she said that she was unhappy with their service. What happened was that her self-employed cleaner went back to her own country so she hired a new one to deep clean the downstairs story of her house. She mentioned that it generally takes her 2 hours, but she pays for 4 hours to get it cleaned properly.

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However, when the new cleaner came, she didn’t really do all the work expected of her within that time. The living room window sill wasn’t cleaned, she broke OP’s glass chopping board and didn’t say anything, she left chemicals in the oven even when she was asked not to clean it, and also left the corners and many areas dirty.

Despite everything, the poster didn’t say anything, just made a mental note that she wouldn’t rehire her. Well, the company messaged her and asked why she didn’t want to hire and OP replied that she wasn’t happy with the service; seems pretty reasonable so far.

However, the cleaning company suddenly got abusive, sent her a picture of her dirty floors, which apparently the cleaner had secretly taken, and called her house disgusting. Before OP could even react, she was blocked by them, leaving her feeling completely violated. 

This left her feeling very uncomfortable hiring another cleaner, but her husband felt that she was overreacting. When she vented online and sought advice, she also attached a photo of her kitchen before the cleaner came to clean, and netizens were divided in their opinions.

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Image credits: ChicExpert

Research states that 1 in 10 British households have a domestic cleaner, and almost 25% of all households with an annual income under £20,000 use the services of a home cleaner. Just like so many other people, even OP hired one for her house, as she is not able to do it herself because of her work.

In the comments, the poster mentioned that she lives with her extended family, a total of 6 of them, and also has a few pets, hence, the floor can get messy. Many people pointed out that the purpose of hiring a cleaner is exactly that, to clean, so they found it absurd how the company reacted even after providing bad service. They were also suspicious of the cleaner for secretly taking pictures of OP’s house.

On the other hand, there were a few people who were aghast after looking at the picture provided by OP. They felt that it was quite messy and they sympathized with the cleaner about how difficult it must be to clean. These people even went on to question how the people in the house could live with such a mess until the cleaner came to do the weekly cleaning.

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OP also received some responses from cleaners and they said that she could hire someone else as the cleaner had not done a proper job. Research shows that in 2021, the total number of cleaning businesses in the UK grew to around 69,005, so the poster won’t find it too difficult to get in touch with another cleaning company.

Well, that’s all from our end and now we hand the platform over to you. If you were in the poster’s shoes, how would you feel if a cleaner secretly took pictures of your house and what would you do in such a situation? Feel free to jot down your thoughts in the comments section!

While most netizens backed up the poster and said she had a right to complain, there were a few who felt that her house was very messy

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Image credits: ChicExpert

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Rutuja Dumbre

Rutuja Dumbre

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Hey, am Rutuja! A storyteller at heart and a writer at Bored Panda. Coming from a family of farmers, I love to spice up our gardening articles with a lot of flavor. Although a rookie in the home design category, I enjoy exploring everything about it, writing about it, and slowly implementing the extraordinary ideas in my house, too! When am not writing, trekking, or falling down, you can find me staying up late (to match the European time) and watching every match of Football Club Barcelona.

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Rutuja Dumbre

Rutuja Dumbre

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Hey, am Rutuja! A storyteller at heart and a writer at Bored Panda. Coming from a family of farmers, I love to spice up our gardening articles with a lot of flavor. Although a rookie in the home design category, I enjoy exploring everything about it, writing about it, and slowly implementing the extraordinary ideas in my house, too! When am not writing, trekking, or falling down, you can find me staying up late (to match the European time) and watching every match of Football Club Barcelona.

Denis Krotovas

Denis Krotovas

Author, BoredPanda staff

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I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

Read less »

Denis Krotovas

Denis Krotovas

Author, BoredPanda staff

I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

How would you feel if a cleaner secretly took photos of your home?
Add photo comments
POST
Caryn Zent
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Geez people you hire a cleaner to clean. So the floor is dirty? That's why they want a cleaner! A lot of the time cleaners take photos to use as before and after.

Ms.GB
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was really embarrassed when I had a cleaner emphasize my bathroom was "REALLY dirty" and my floor has never looked like that.

Load More Replies...
marcelo D.
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i find the comments so stupid "how can you have your floor dirty when the cleaner comes"

greenideas
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The business owner's behavior was very unprofessional. I wonder if they judged the owner based on the mess and thought a sloppy wipe-down would be good enough for her?

Fellfromthemoon
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1. OP paid for the service w/o complaint. 2. The cleaning service contacted HER to rehire them. 3. The cleaning service owner turned nasty AFTER the rejection. So, the service owner was really unprofessional, and the cleaner was CONTENT with the job (otherwise they wouldn't want to go back.) That is out of the way. Now let's turn toward the issue: taking photos of a private space w/o permission: REPORT THE BUSINESS. And change locks, ASAP, for added security.

Traveling Lady Railfan
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Based on the single photo that I saw of a dirty floor, if this is what constitutes a disgusting horrible mess of a house, well, I have to disagree. When you have six people and a bunch of pets in the house, the floors are going to get messy. That's why she's hiring a cleaner. It's not like it's a hoarders house and they're calling in the cleaner for a couple of hours work and they can barely make a dent in it during that time. Heck, I sweep, vacuum and steam clean my hard surface floors, vacuum and carpet clean my soft surfaces and within 6 hours the floor already looks messy again because I have multiple pets. You shouldn't take photographs inside someone else's house unless you ask first. That being said, if I were a cleaning company, I would ask /make the policy clear. Cuz that way you can prove how it looked before and how it looked after. But don't do it secretly, there might be a law against that, and definitely a good way to p**s off your clients.

Sarah Ellison
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a cleaner's job to clean??? It doesn't matter how messy the home is when they arrive, it's literally their job

Id row
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I could have wiped up that floor with a damp paper towel in 10 seconds, then I'd do a regular mop. And I hate cleaning. I think some cleaners show up expecting a show room that they really don't have to do anything to. "You mean I actually have to clean? That's not what cleaners do!" Yeah, hire someone else.

Kit Black
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The title is misleading - there are other pictures as well and 84% voted the o p to be in the right.

Roberta Surprenant
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those complaining about the floor being "disgusting", etc, must all have Felix Unger syndrome, of course the floor is dirty... why else hire a cleaner?

Amelia Jade
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We're a household of 5 with two cats and our floors never look like this. But I also have time to regularly clean. I'm on top of it. And floors always get dirty the quickest. My house can be neat and tidy, and if I haven't vacuumed in a few days, it still feels messy just because dust, fuzzies and the cats shredded paper balls. So, yeah this looks like a messy kitchen floor but probably of a busy household that hire cleaners because they don't have time to deal with it.

Roberta Surprenant
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People saying the floor is "disgusting" etc, must all have Felix Unger syndrome. That is the cleaner's job, to clean the floor!

Sarah Léon
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have autism, ADHD ans OCD. And no, OCD doesn't necessary mean I love cleaning all the time. I hate touching dirt, I was the cleanest child possible when I was little, even ice-creams didn't go on my hands ! So with autism I don't see the mess, with ADHD I see but I forget it rapidly, and with my OCD, even if I don't forget, I can't touch a dirty mop ! So when my cleaner comes, she knows why... And I love her for being her and doing what I can't do. I can't bear people who judge other's lives like that...

Paulina
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being upset about the pictures taken - maybe a bit overreacting. Cleaners sometimes take pictures for the boss to evaluate their job. BUT given how the pictures were used - to pick a fight and shame the OP - being upset becomes totally valid! And, off course, why would the owner of the cleaning company ask the question they're not ready to accept the answer to? You're a CLEANING company. Your job is to clean, no matter the state of the house.

Key Lime
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can see the cleaners taking before and after photos to show their work.

Undercover
Community Member
1 week ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

4 hours for a deep clean of this mess is not enough time. That is if you really deep clean.

Adz86
Community Member
1 week ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

4 hours to do a deep clean when the op admits they have a menagerie and 6 ppl and do no cleaning themselves? Might be 4hours if you had 2 ppl but one person is definitely an all day job cleaning up from those slobs.

Bailey
Community Member
1 week ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

If you are unhappy with a service, it is of course reasonable to stop it. However, I think poster is delusional about how filthy their house is. If the state of that floor is anything to go by, there is no way they would be able to do the whole ground floor, including things like all the window seals in 2 hours. The 4 would be needed just to do a standard cleaning. Just that section of floor in the picture would involve picking up all the larger bits of rubbish, then brushing/vacuuming, the mopping, then wiping the baseboards down. The cleaner likely took the pictures of the floor to evidence the mess they arrived to for their boss to explain why they could not do everything the poster was asking if them in the time.

Caryn Zent
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Geez people you hire a cleaner to clean. So the floor is dirty? That's why they want a cleaner! A lot of the time cleaners take photos to use as before and after.

Ms.GB
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was really embarrassed when I had a cleaner emphasize my bathroom was "REALLY dirty" and my floor has never looked like that.

Load More Replies...
marcelo D.
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i find the comments so stupid "how can you have your floor dirty when the cleaner comes"

greenideas
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The business owner's behavior was very unprofessional. I wonder if they judged the owner based on the mess and thought a sloppy wipe-down would be good enough for her?

Fellfromthemoon
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1. OP paid for the service w/o complaint. 2. The cleaning service contacted HER to rehire them. 3. The cleaning service owner turned nasty AFTER the rejection. So, the service owner was really unprofessional, and the cleaner was CONTENT with the job (otherwise they wouldn't want to go back.) That is out of the way. Now let's turn toward the issue: taking photos of a private space w/o permission: REPORT THE BUSINESS. And change locks, ASAP, for added security.

Traveling Lady Railfan
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Based on the single photo that I saw of a dirty floor, if this is what constitutes a disgusting horrible mess of a house, well, I have to disagree. When you have six people and a bunch of pets in the house, the floors are going to get messy. That's why she's hiring a cleaner. It's not like it's a hoarders house and they're calling in the cleaner for a couple of hours work and they can barely make a dent in it during that time. Heck, I sweep, vacuum and steam clean my hard surface floors, vacuum and carpet clean my soft surfaces and within 6 hours the floor already looks messy again because I have multiple pets. You shouldn't take photographs inside someone else's house unless you ask first. That being said, if I were a cleaning company, I would ask /make the policy clear. Cuz that way you can prove how it looked before and how it looked after. But don't do it secretly, there might be a law against that, and definitely a good way to p**s off your clients.

Sarah Ellison
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a cleaner's job to clean??? It doesn't matter how messy the home is when they arrive, it's literally their job

Id row
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I could have wiped up that floor with a damp paper towel in 10 seconds, then I'd do a regular mop. And I hate cleaning. I think some cleaners show up expecting a show room that they really don't have to do anything to. "You mean I actually have to clean? That's not what cleaners do!" Yeah, hire someone else.

Kit Black
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The title is misleading - there are other pictures as well and 84% voted the o p to be in the right.

Roberta Surprenant
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those complaining about the floor being "disgusting", etc, must all have Felix Unger syndrome, of course the floor is dirty... why else hire a cleaner?

Amelia Jade
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We're a household of 5 with two cats and our floors never look like this. But I also have time to regularly clean. I'm on top of it. And floors always get dirty the quickest. My house can be neat and tidy, and if I haven't vacuumed in a few days, it still feels messy just because dust, fuzzies and the cats shredded paper balls. So, yeah this looks like a messy kitchen floor but probably of a busy household that hire cleaners because they don't have time to deal with it.

Roberta Surprenant
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People saying the floor is "disgusting" etc, must all have Felix Unger syndrome. That is the cleaner's job, to clean the floor!

Sarah Léon
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have autism, ADHD ans OCD. And no, OCD doesn't necessary mean I love cleaning all the time. I hate touching dirt, I was the cleanest child possible when I was little, even ice-creams didn't go on my hands ! So with autism I don't see the mess, with ADHD I see but I forget it rapidly, and with my OCD, even if I don't forget, I can't touch a dirty mop ! So when my cleaner comes, she knows why... And I love her for being her and doing what I can't do. I can't bear people who judge other's lives like that...

Paulina
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being upset about the pictures taken - maybe a bit overreacting. Cleaners sometimes take pictures for the boss to evaluate their job. BUT given how the pictures were used - to pick a fight and shame the OP - being upset becomes totally valid! And, off course, why would the owner of the cleaning company ask the question they're not ready to accept the answer to? You're a CLEANING company. Your job is to clean, no matter the state of the house.

Key Lime
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can see the cleaners taking before and after photos to show their work.

Undercover
Community Member
1 week ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

4 hours for a deep clean of this mess is not enough time. That is if you really deep clean.

Adz86
Community Member
1 week ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

4 hours to do a deep clean when the op admits they have a menagerie and 6 ppl and do no cleaning themselves? Might be 4hours if you had 2 ppl but one person is definitely an all day job cleaning up from those slobs.

Bailey
Community Member
1 week ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

If you are unhappy with a service, it is of course reasonable to stop it. However, I think poster is delusional about how filthy their house is. If the state of that floor is anything to go by, there is no way they would be able to do the whole ground floor, including things like all the window seals in 2 hours. The 4 would be needed just to do a standard cleaning. Just that section of floor in the picture would involve picking up all the larger bits of rubbish, then brushing/vacuuming, the mopping, then wiping the baseboards down. The cleaner likely took the pictures of the floor to evidence the mess they arrived to for their boss to explain why they could not do everything the poster was asking if them in the time.

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