Should you do any clean-ups before your cleaner come?

We’re using cleaning services when we want to save time and free ourselves on Saturdays or Sundays so we can spend more time with family. Instead of scrubbing, dusting, washing, we’d rather focus on something that we enjoy doing. That’s why you need to be prepared when professional house cleaners will show up at you door.

Think about professional house cleaners only as cleaners. They’re usually not specialize in organizing (or decluttering), crime-scene clean-ups (and dog poop too) or magicians who can transform an old house without renovations. So what you should do before cleaners come and what shouldn’t?

You should: organize your countertops.

We all prefer different cleaners and value different things in cleaning. Majority of people like their countertops organized in a particular way. They prefer to find things in the same place where they’ve been left before the cleaning. But what if you left your hair dryer by the sink? It needs to be moved in order to clean properly. Cleaner doesn’t know where to place the hair dryer afterwards and will spent extra time trying to figure this out.

You should: declutter your space.

Obviously, some items can be picked-up during the cleaning but some places will need serious decluttering and organizational skills. Professional house cleaners usually don’t have time to declutter, so you probably won’t be satisfied with the cleaning as well.

You shouldn’t: leave out unsafe items.

There are many items in your home that might present a risk to a cleaner. Some biohazard items, any type of weapons that were left unlocked or anywhere within a reach. Make sure that some personal items are also hidden if you don’t want your cleaner to discover them.

You should: wash your dishes.

Usually this service is not included in general cleaning by professional house cleaners. So in general, it’s a good idea to empty sink before your cleaner comes and either just load a dishwasher or simply wash dishes. In that case, everything around will be cleaned properly, including sink.

You should: communicate your expectations.

If you’re hiring a new cleaner, you must be upfront about your expectations. This will increase chances for a better outcome of the cleaning. As we discussed above, people prefer different things when it comes to cleaning. If you discuss your preferences with cleaner and do a final walk-through, there are higher chances that you will be happy with the outcome.

Photo by Katie Pearse on Unsplash