I find this unacceptable. Not the fact that everything was cleaned, but that things weren't in their original places.

Of course, a few things out of place would be understandable, but laundry soap out of reach? Pantry items more or less rearranged, food thrown away? Did the estimate have details on how things would be done?

I would complain about the service to the company.

Wow! I can see how that items could be replaced incorrectly when shelves are cleared for cleaning. To deep clean with that many people must have been organized chaos while it was happening. It sort of reminds me of what happens when packers arrive to pack up your house. Some things you find in the oddest places and others disappear forever. I'm sorry she feels violated. I hope she didn't lose any precious objects.

Wow - how strange. I once had a well-known (at least in my area) cleaning company come for a deep clean (and of course that was more money). Once they were done I couldn't tell any difference between what they'd done and what a regular, twice per month service would do (yes, I detailed things for them ahead of time to make sure we were on the same page). The stuff was done, but not really WELL done. Superficial.

I contacted the owner/manager and mentioned it (not aggressive or accusatory). She was defensive (saying how hard her people worked). I paid them and never used or recommended them again.

For your friend's situation, I think I'd be pretty furious. They should make notes of where things are and put the back exactly where they were. They're there to CLEAN, not organize. Unless that was part of the agreement.

Oh ... and 14 people?!?!? How big and bad was her house???

Sounds like they did a deep clean.

I have never had my home cleaned but when I "deep" clean, its moving furniture, standing on stap ladders, scrubbing baseboards and windows, decluttering,reorganizing, etc. The people who cleaned her house don't live there and are not going to remember where every single thing goes,or what was plugged in and what wasn't. When I deep clean I often forget where things that i dragged out came from. They probably took the food out to clean the shelves,and put it back where they THOUGHT it went. The food that was thrown out might have been bad. Or maybe it wasn't thrown out at all, she just hasn't found it yet.

I find it odd that she had to leave her home while they cleaned. Perhaps to prevent interference or distress? Either way, I would NEVER consent to leaving my home to let 14 strangers roam through it,cleaners or not.

I agree, amylou

"Either way, I would NEVER consent to leaving my home to let 14 strangers roam through it,cleaners or not."

That would be my practice as well. There is no way I would leave a bunch of strangers unsupervised in my home for 3 hours, cleaners or not. And I would also specify what exactly was to be addressed and what to ignore or leave alone. IMO, anything in a drawer, cabinet or cupboard is not the purview of cleaners. Organizing is NOT cleaning in my book....that is a very personal activity that should be done with close and constant supervision if not able to manage it on one's own.

And what type of service was this? It almost sounds like other than a regular housekeeping service, more like a team for a long neglected or verging on hoarding type setting. I know those types services do exist, a friend and neighbor who sells real estate hired such a team for an elderly woman needing to downsize but had let her home (no fault of hers) become out of control. The first service who arrived for an estimate refused the job. The second brought in dumpsters and began cleaning....after the owner had moved her most important to her things to a smaller more manageable home....and then they arranged a sale for those things she wasn't keeping.

Any cleaning service I ever hired for my mother had instructions to not move anything at all if that was not written into the contract. That meant a photo frame had to be returned to its exact same place on the mantel, same throw on a chair, blinds in the same position after cleaning...all of it. Most professionals know that's important, especially to our seniors. To move things to different shelves, areas, leave things unplugged? Totally unacceptable. I'm so sorry for your friend and have no doubt she feels violated. She deserved more respect than that.

ETA: Amy, I'd meant to add....the last service cleaning for my mother before she sold her house and moved to senior residence didn't count on remembering where things were placed before they began dusting and vacuuming. They took photos and referred to those when placing everything back. Not disturbing things beyond cleaning them was not a new concept to them and they didn't find the importance unusual at all.

Leave my house??? Never! And how large is this house to need 14 people? I have a 4 bd 3 bath 2 story home and 14 people would be tripping over each other. Throw out unopened food items? Where were they? In the cabinets? Why?

"told her that she would need to be out of her home while being cleaned, and would receive a text when to return."

That would be a red flag for me, they would not have gotten my business.

Thanks for all the comments. My friend’s home is no more than 1200 sq ft. I can’t imagine the chaotic, crowded seen it presented to her when she returned.

I‘m sure there was no contract but there was clearly a difference in expectations. My friend has lived there alone for 35+ years. With her health problems I know she had things just so to accommodate her limitations. I didn’t probe too much in our conversation because I sensed she was near tears. She did say that she was going to have a talk with the business owner once she processed the whole event.

I plan to follow up soon to see where she is in her processing.

I want to add that when I used to help my BIL with his contracting business as a way to make extra money, i was amazed at how many people were okay leaving us alone in their homes or leaving a key for us. Some of these homes were multi million dollar homes,full of valuables. Lucky for them we aren't crooks....

Sounds like it could have been a misunderstanding. There are cleaning services that work for landlords, elders relocating to assisted living, people preparing to move, etc., and they come in and CLEAN. They open and clean every door and drawer, haul trash, organize storage, etc. It's possible your friend and the business owner mutually failed to communicate expectations. The first clue that something was off was the request to vacate the house during cleaning. I wouldn't jump to a conclusion that the business was shady, but instead blame a communications breakdown.

My heart goes out to your friend. Perhaps the business owner could send someone over for a couple of hours to help her restore her home. Does she have nearby family who can help her manage her home going forward?

To respond just to "what is a deep clean": I would be washing (not just dusting, except for fine furniture finishes) every surface (eg baseboards, blinds, window frames/glass, cupboard exteriors - including the walls in the kitchen and in areas where hands tend to touch), moving the furniture - addressing all the little decorative nooks and crannies on the furniture that collect dust but aren't hit by a surface dusting - emptying the kitchen/bath shelves and drawers and cleaning them before refilling - washing the globes of the overhead lights - scrubbing the tiled walls in the bath - either washing or at least vacuuming the curtains - vacuuming lampshades - wiping, washing or vacuuming all decorative items. In other words, tearing the place apart and cleaning every single item in it.

This sort of extreme cleaning is not done by a cleaning service in my experience. Some things, but far from all, definitely not the things like wall washing, curtain cleaning, drawers and shelves, and detail on furniture.

If that sort of cleaning is what she got then I can see the large group of workers.

If I were to hire such a service I would not leave, and would keep all smaller valuables with me, or lock them in the car. I learned the hard way after hiring a cleaning service when I was ill and later discovering my mother's and my wedding bands had been stolen.

That seems crazy to me. The most I've ever had for a deep cleaning is 4 people in a ~2100 house and they never asked me to leave.

I wasn't particularly happy with their idea of a deep clean. They also advertised they used only green cleaning products but I caught them using Pine-sol and Windex so I wondered what else they lie about.

TIA, you say you are a friend for awhile but have you actually been to this friend's house recently? The reason why I ask is that it could have been a very bad situation - more than just a few years' worth of dirt buildup. And as for the items that were pitched unopened - it's possible that they noticed the items were long past the expiration dates. Your friend might not be able to have good judgement over such things if the environment has been in bad shape for a long time. I kind of agree with M Miller on the situation and that it was necessary for all those people to come in and your friend either doesn't understand it or doesn't want to admit how dire the situation was. If it was horribly bad I can't say I would blame them for some items being misplaced, especially if your friend's place would have been classified as a hoarding case.

I also wouldn't leave strangers alone in my house.

For those not used to scheduled house cleaners, I guess it could seem like a “violation” of sorts. Yes, they have to touch and move things in order to clean them.

Since they came and actually saw the exact condition of the house, I am assuming this is the way this company handles things.

I don’t agree with telling her to leave but again maybe because this home could have appeared to be like a hoarding situation. Hoarders are very protective and emotional about their things. And in some cases become violent when they see something being thrown away.

I find it interesting that people say they would not leave. If you have your home cleaned, do you follow the cleaners from room to room? I think not. There has to be a level of trust.

In your friends case all valuables should have been removed and taken with her.

For me, I stay when cleaners are at my house because I'm more comfortable doing that. I don't worry about theft but I do worry they might accidentally let my cats out.

eld6161, ritaweeda, et al, y’all may be on to something. It’s been 3 years since I’d last been in her home. We see her frequently at our home, another friend’s, etc. but we haven’t had an invitation to visit her. She used to entertain quite a bit but no longer.

There are too many possibilities and odd things in this tale concerning all parties involved to comment on.

I don't see how a "deep cleaning" could be finished in 3 hours. How did they wash and dry all bath rugs, tablecloths, curtains, sheers and throws in the house in that short of a time? In my house that would be at least 5 loads of laundry.

Everybody I have worked for has left me alone when cleaning. In fact most of them like to go away and do other things. However it is just myself and they trust me.

I'm usually home when my cleaning ladies come. While they are here I do laundry, bill paying, organizing, sorting, etc. If I have nothing to do, then I might take the dogs for a walk, or run some errands. They never put anything back exactly in its place ... they want you to know they dusted the item and the surface it is on!

I have to agree with Elmer. No way for us to discern what or why in this situation, particularly since the scenario described is way out of the norm.

I can't imagine staying around when house cleaners are doing their job. How could you schedule a time to have your house cleaned if you and your spouse both worked?

" I don't see how a "deep cleaning" could be finished in 3 hours. How did they wash and dry all bath rugs, tablecloths, curtains, sheers and throws in the house in that short of a time? In my house that would be at least 5 loads of laundry. "

We've had cleaners for decades and none of them do laundry. A housekeeper (there for many hours on repeated days or all day) might, house cleaners don't. Why would you pay someone to wait until washer and dryer cycles finish? If there's something I don't want third parties to operate, it's our household equipment like the washer and dryer. .

14 people x 3 hours = 42 hours, A normal work week for one person is 40 hours, this is more. Over a week's worth of working time for one person.

My house is just under 5000 sq ft and excluding windows (which I have a lot of), the interior of this house could be very, very thoroughly cleaned in one week if working 8 hours per day and there would be many hours to spare.

As above, there are too many unclear factors to comment on the specifics.

When I go away and my pet sitting company comes to care for my pets I lock my valuables like check books,medication, extra cash and pretty much anything in a locked closet, that only I have a key for. I really don’t understand why they would be throwing away your friends food that’s just weird.

Elmer, if someone washed my sheers, curtains and throws, they would have a big claim heading their way, because they would have ruined thousands of dollars worth of fabric that can't just be thrown in the washing machine, or worse, the dryer. I would never assume that those things can just be thrown in a washing machine and I would hope no reputable cleaning service would assume that either.

My house cleaners will actually do laundry while here. They just do the sheets and towels, if I'm not around.

"She’s been this way for a few years now and it had gotten to the point that she no longer had guests over because she was embarrassed for them to see the inside of her house."

If it ends up that the only things missing are old cans of food, and if the house is beautiful and clean, and if she invites people over now and enjoys herself, then all's well that ends well.

Chispa - all of my sheers, throws and curtains are washable, otherwise they wouldn't be in my house. I've always heard window coverings that must be dry cleaned called drapes or draperies. And yes, I would consider a deep cleaning to include having all draperies dry cleaned.

@jrb451: I was in the same state as your friend. After saying many times that I needed to hire someone to come in on a routine basis to clean, I finally stopped procrastinating and did it. They came and gave me an estimate and said the first clean would be a deep clean.

Eight people arrived with mops, mop buckets, vacuum cleaner, not step ladders but real ladders, cleaning rags, their own cleaning solutions, etc. They did not tell me I had to leave and if they had, I would have found someone else. They actually used the ladders to clean all of my walls; I could not believe it. They dusted and mopped and cleaned for 4 hours. Everything shone and I scheduled them to come one a month. I was quite irritated to find that, as time went by, many things were not put back in place, especially arrangements of items I had made on tabletops. As one of my Granddaughters said, they could have taken pictures with their phones in order to put the items in their rightful places.

They came once since then, and I was not as pleased with their work then. Also, I was very disturbed to find, when I was ready to go shopping, that my purse was missing. My granddaughter came over to search for it and was sure she would find it. Looked multiple times in the garage, all throughout the house, in all closets and cupboards, you name it. The searches did not locate my purse. I texted the owner and told him I was embarrased to even ask the question, but would he check with his staff to see if they recalled where my purse may have been placed because it was not where I always kept it. He replied that he would check and when he got back to me, he advised that no one remembered because it had been two weeks. That irritated me, I knew it had been two weeks.

However, they are scheduled to come this week, so I will give them one more chance. Also, think it will be interesting to see if my purse turns up after they have left. To be honest, I have already decided I am not going to use them anymore, but wanted to have time to contact another cleaner and get estimates from her and schedule a starting date. I do have pictures of items that were truly not cleaned the last time they were here that I have not shared with the owner, but do plan on sharing with him when I let him know they will no longer be needed. The terrible thing is that this service has been so very highly recommended by so many people; just makes me take all reviews with "a grain of salt" from now on.

This is long; there is more than could be said, but I think you can read a lot into what I have written.

Also should have said that all eight people did not stay the entire time of the deep clean, because they had to go to other jobs that had been scheduled for that day; mine was the only deep clean for the day.

The situation sounds a lot like a hoarder situation. Someone I was close started to hoard things and stopped having people over, and stopped throwing food away...eventually stopped being able to cook. She went through a difficult childhood during the Depression, and then lost a lot of life savings during the Great Recession, which was when a lot of the hoarding started.

Walnut, if someone on that cleaning crew took your purse, they're not likely to bring it back. Are you sure you want that group back in your home? Please be careful.

I was not and am not a hoarder. Just severe back problems, a long hospitalization of three months, and then once home, a 4 month in-home therapy program 4 times a week, and still having to use a walker to get around and constantly aching back. Created lots of limitations, and I kept lying to myself that I was going to make a full recover and be back to my "old self." And, although I am quite aged, I was not even born during the depression.

@User, that is what my Granddaughter said, too. I may just call tomorrow and advise them not to come anymore. Since two people have said this, it is making me a bit leary of having them in again.

I agree. Better safe than sorry. So sorry your experience was not a good one.

WalnutCreek - I had the impression that Hemina's post was about the person in the OP. It happened to fall right after yours, but I don't think Hemina was saying you are a hoarder.

Sorry WalnutCreek! I didn’t see your post when I posted. It was about the original poster!

More just to say that the confusion/anger/frustration, especially about unopened, expired food being thrown away, most likely stemmed from having had a very difficult childhood for the person I knew.

@ Rae Smith: To me deep cleaning means moving furniture, vacuuming, mopping, standing on ladders to clean ceiling fans and light fixtures, scrubbing baseboards and the inside of windows, dusting and cleaning windows ledges, cleaning the outside of all appliances plus the inside of the oven and microwave, cleaning blinds, dusting and cleaning/shining all surfaces, cleaning all items on top of surfaces, cleaning showers/bathtubs, cleaning tile walls, cleaning shower heads and all faucets, cleaning toilets, cleaning lamps and vacuuming lampshades, cleaning light switches, cleaning all doors, cleaning outside of cabinets/cupboards, cleaning chair rails, cleaning picture molding, dusting shelves in bookcases, emptying trashcans and relining them, cleaning washer and dryer and folding table and sink in laundry room, just a thorough cleaning, but never laundry. As raee stated: “tearing the place apart and cleaning every single item in it” by vacuuming, cleaning, and/or polishing. Then on follow-up visits, I would expect a rotation for some cleaning, such as blinds, light fixtures, scrubbing baseboards, all those items that are not absolutely necessary on a weekly/monthly basis.

@Shannon: Gotcha.

@hemina: Thank you.

Guess I have a "deeper" cleaning in mind that others. I wouldn't consider a room deep cleaning until not only are the hard surfaces clean but all the soft surfaces also.

If I were doing the deep cleaning, I agree with you, Raye. However, I honestly don't want someone I hire to wash curtains, tablecloths, table covers, etc. I am very particular about how they are washed, how they are dried, and how they are folded, and just could not expect a hired house cleaner to completely follow my methods.

For the first time ever I have hired a cleaning lady. I would prefer not to but with my arthritic hands bathrooms are becoming more and more difficult to clean, holding a broom or a vacuum wand are becoming hard. So she will be here to clean three bathrooms, vacuum and to wash floors.

I already know that they won't be cleaned to how I would do it but I have to let that go.

Re throwing out food - I'll bet every one of us has something in our cupboards, fridge, pantry that has gone bad or is past it's due date. I suspect that when the person came in to give a quote in the OP's friends situation they knew what they would find and for me that would be part of deep clean. It's part of my deep clean.

I emptied all of the trash cans on the SAME day?

You really just cannot clean someones home without moving things around and straightening up the shelves and all manner of things. I cannot imagine anyone coming into my home and what they would do with my stuff that is all so personal.

How to clean up someones kitchen when the countertop may be strewn with assorted objects? If you move them all and clean the countertop and then put them all back where you found them, the act of cleaning is negated. That is the same for any other room in the house.

What your friend really needs is to pare things down and rearrange her lifestyle to match her lack of ability to care for it. That is where a deep cleaning needs to start for your friend.

No amount of mops and vacuums and bottled cleaners is going to amount to anything against a house that is strewn with things that have been unattended and that she is unable to attend to.

I suspect that your friend needs someone to help declutter and pare down before anyone can actually clean anything. Sure, she felt violated. I would too. You have to take charge of your own stuff and you have to own less stuff if you have limited ability to take care of it. First, you clear the deck then you have someone come in and wash the windows, clean the carpet, scrub the bathrooms, etc.

I would not let anyone roam around my house like that, getting into everything with no supervision. No way!

This really does sound as if it may be a case of hoarding and hiding behind dysfunction. Her house very likely needed what it got and what is related here is her side of the story. The people who came and cleaned could probably tell a different tale of what they found.

A deep clean can have different definitions - and the company should have had that discussion with you friend up front. To some, they say they want a deep clean - but then you give examples of what that entails (emptying drawers and cabs and cleaning them, then replacing items), for example and they say no not that!

To some it just means a good mopping. To others it means literally clean every so clean item and surface you can find. I’m guessing that with a crew of 14 (!!) people done in 3.5 hours... they were under the impression your friend wanted a true deep clean - in every sense. Sounds like it was shocking to your friend, and I totally understand it.

My advice to your friend is to call the company h and simply explain she didn’t share the same expectation with the crew.

This is the kind of story that I see as having holes in it. The homeowner needs to question the cleaners as to why this occurred. 14 workers is extreme.