My cleaner just moves stuff to the side, cleans that area and slides them back. So at most it’s like a few inches from where it was before or in the same general area. We have a really sweet lady come once a month and it’s so nice to not worry about doing deep cleans. I do basic cleaning in between if stuff gets really dirty.
I think the problem is the girl not you. If you asked her politely, she said no, and then you backed down, there is no reason for her to bad mouth you to friends. I could understand maybe asking one trusted person for advice but spreading rumors through a friend group is a serious issue. Not just the girl but also the friends spreading the rumor. I think a lot of people are really bad at communicating and it leads to more issues. If she had simply talked to you about how she felt, I’m sure you both could have worked through it.