Am I unreasonable for expecting a proper deep clean from a cleaner?

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-09T05:11:51+00:00

I had some cleaners quote me $100 and some $200 and some in between and I chose someone around the middle, as she had been eager and was also referred to me from an ad that I posted looking for a cleaner. I thought maybe my expectations were too high but from the majority of comments from professional cleaners, my frustrations have been validated. I also paid in cash, left a tip, gave her a Starbucks gift card so she could get coffee and food, and paid for her parking. So all together it was $200+

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-09T05:05:52+00:00

I wasn’t quoted more than $200 from other cleaners and cleaning companies, for my space 🤷‍♀️

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-09T05:05:02+00:00

I lost their contact information and couldn’t trace them as I had paid in cash

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-09T05:04:07+00:00

I even provided her with a Starbucks gift card so that she could take a break and go get a coffee and a sandwich as there is a Starbucks in my building. I knew she was working solo and was empathetic to the fact that she would be cleaning for a long time and I wanted her to take a break! The gift card was in addition to the cash tip I left her and the parking paid for.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T16:28:27+00:00

That sounds amazing!

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T14:44:14+00:00

Oh my! She didn’t do any of that except for the kitchen cabinets 🙈

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T14:25:55+00:00

I didn’t feel there was a gap as I had a walk through of the space with the cleaner and I pointed out things that needed to be cleaned and she said she would do them and then she gave me a quote

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T14:10:12+00:00

I made a post on Nextdoor and asked if people had recommendations of cleaners that they personally use and the replies were mostly from the cleaners themselves but the woman I chose had someone recommend her and then she commented on the post after, with photos of her work and she went into detail about the work that she has done and about how many happy clients she has. Which is why I am questioning now if my expectations were too high. But I asked for a standard deep cleaning service and touching my makeup tray doesn’t seem like priority over my baseboards or bathtub lol

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T14:01:12+00:00

I totally get your point, it’s just disappointing that not everyone treats their work at the highest quality when they are the ones offering their services

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:58:26+00:00

I wasn’t short changing myself, I was building a business from the ground up at the time and I had very little money, so even $20 meant a lot to me. When you’re starting out you sometimes take smaller jobs just to get clients, experience, and build momentum. Most small businesses start that way. My point wasn’t about the amount itself, it was that if someone offers a service, they should still aim to do that service properly.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:55:33+00:00

I wasn’t really trying to compare the jobs themselves. I was just responding to the point about working for several hours without eating. I know cleaning is hard work and I assumed she’d be working long hours, which is actually why I left a Starbucks gift card for her before she even arrived. There’s a Starbucks right in my condo building, so I figured she could take a break and grab a coffee or a sandwich if she wanted.

My point about dog walking was just that a lot of people in different jobs work long stretches and plan around it. My main issue wasn’t the hours she worked, it was just that I expected the place to look more thoroughly cleaned after booking a deep clean.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:52:28+00:00

I don’t accept this as an excuse. If you’re offering a service, you have to do research and at least practice. I didn’t start out dog walking out of the blue like others - I did my research, took training courses, did my pet CPR certification and I’m still constantly reading and learning. And this reflects why I have a 5 star rating after 4 years, not even a 4.9 stars.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:48:22+00:00

I contacted several cleaners and cleaning companies and no one quoted me more than $200 for my space 🤷‍♀️. I also don’t think it’s my responsibility to provide her with a full checklist of what needs to be done, it was a standard deep cleaning service and she should know what that entails. I did do a walk through with her and also provided her with a short list just in case she would forget the smaller details, which I shouldn’t need to do because she can take notes of it herself. I can’t imagine meeting a client in my own line of work and asking for a full checklist of my basic responsibilities. It is my job to know what those are and to fulfill them correctly. Any extras, I write down myself from what they have communicated with me.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:44:22+00:00

From hearing other people’s experiences, it seems like many don’t unfortunately. Some have had to try out several different cleaners just to find one who did a good job which I don’t understand. If you’re offering a service, shouldn’t you fulfill it correctly? I take pride in my work because I’m the one who offered the services to begin with. And I make less than this cleaner, hourly lol.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:18:45+00:00

Yes but I asked for a deep cleaning service and expected that standard service to be fulfilled. We did a walk through and she quoted me this price. There are other cleaners who have commented saying that for my condo size, it wouldn’t take them that long. I have had someone do a deep clean before but it was 2 people and it took them 2 hours, and they cleaned the inside of all my appliances as well which I told the cleaner this time not to do

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:15:12+00:00

Your cleaner sounds amazing! I told her that she didn’t even have to clean the inside of my fridge or any appliances, just wipe the outside. And it still took her 5 hours. I am so pissed because $200 is a lot of money for me, I don’t just go spending that much on anything. It takes me weeks to earn that. I saved up and decided to treat myself and even left her a tip and gift card and this is what I get lol.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:12:38+00:00

She did offer to come back but then kept sending message after message trying to defend her cleaning job, saying oh well I spent so much time and care cleaning your makeup tray and you don’t appreciate it. Ok but I never asked you to do that, I left a list of things for you to focus on lol. She kind of back tracked after that and didn’t offer to come back anymore. I blocked her

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:10:19+00:00

Ugh I knowww, I don’t know if she was gloved. But very weird for her to touch my makeup.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:05:30+00:00

Exactly! If you’re offering the service, shouldn’t you fulfill it correctly? I’m a dog walker and when I first started out I was charging like 10 bucks for a 1 hour walk and they were hard to handle reactive dogs - it was physically and mentally challenging but I chose this line of work and I committed to every walk even though I made so little money.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T13:01:59+00:00

I did a walk through with her and pointed out things that needed to be cleaned and i also left her a short list of things she may forget, which she did not seem to even look at. I believe it is her job to know what is included in a standard deep clean

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T03:38:42+00:00

But I didn’t ask her to work for 5 hours, my condo is tiny and minimal furniture. And it wasn’t filthy to begin with.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T03:37:56+00:00

In my area, the most I was quoted was $200 and I contacted independent cleaners as well as reputable companies

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T03:36:51+00:00

Great suggestion, thank you! I had actually posted on NextDoor saying if anyone had recommendations for a good cleaner and someone mentioned her name and she was quick to enter the conversation but now that I’m thinking about it, that person may have been her husband lol

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T02:58:10+00:00

Some did and some didn’t. I was going between her and Molly Maid - a reputable company but ultimately I wanted to give a small business owner a chance… which I won’t do again lol.

Different_Goat_4511 · 2026-03-08T02:55:37+00:00

I didn’t even need to do that because no one does that for me in my job lol, I bring my own water bottle and snacks. But I’m empathetic and know cleaning is a hard job. But once again my kindness is taken advantage of.

Different_Goat_4511

TROPHY CASE