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You may have grown up in a house — or live in one now — where there’s disagreement about what preparing for a house cleaning should entail. Some people spend hours getting things ready for the crew’s arrival, others don’t do much at all and many fall somewhere in between.
To settle the debate, we asked the professionals to tell us what’s actually helpful for clients to do in advance and what you can skip. Below, they share seven tasks that matter and one that’s not only unnecessary but could even be a hindrance.
Clear off counters and other surfaces.
Doing some tidying up before the cleaners arrive — think: decluttering countertops, tables and other surfaces — is well worth your while. It helps them maximize the time they’ve allotted to get your home spick and span.
“If you hire me to clean for a three-hour period and I cannot get to any counter space, that is a problem,” Charleston, South Carolina, house cleaner Sara San Angelo, founder of Confessions of a Cleaning Lady, told HuffPost.
“I can’t tell you how many times I have walked into a client’s bathroom to clean, only to be visually accosted by what can only be described as a disheveled Sephora display strewn across every inch of the counter. If I have to spend 45 minutes moving your 15 half-empty jars of face cream, that is time I am not cleaning, but you are still paying.”
Bryan Griffin, founder of Patriot Maids Cleaning Services, told HuffPost that his team is there to clean the space, not organize it.
“When everything is picked up, they can actually focus on scrubbing, dusting, and disinfecting instead of moving piles around,” he said. “It makes a noticeable difference in the final result.”
Also, if you have any mail, documents or other important papers lying around, be sure to stash those in a secure place so they don’t end up in a random drawer where you can’t find them — or worse, in the garbage by mistake.
Pick stuff up off the floor.
Similarly, items on the floor, such as packages, clothes and children’s or pet toys, should be put away so the cleaners can properly vacuum and mop the floors.
“Just pick them up before we arrive,” San Angelo said. “I do not want to touch your dirty underwear to vacuum.”
And keep in mind the cleaners don’t know where you typically keep these items. So it makes more sense for you to put them where they belong rather than having them guess.
Do the dishes.
Many cleaning services charge an extra fee if you want them to wash the dishes, said San Angelo — something many clients may not be aware of.
“This is a very time-consuming process and cleaners have to adjust their schedule to accommodate,” she said. “Again, if the sink is full and overflow dishes are strewn across the counters, I can either clean around them or spend time moving them. Doing the dishes before I arrive would be a very nice thing.”
As house cleaner Carly Castro of the Clean With Carly TikTok account said in a video, “I also require the sinks to be empty, that way I can clean and polish it quickly. If there are dishes in the sink, I will be charging an add-on fee.”
You can ask your house cleaners about their policy on dishes. Some are happy to do them for you, as long as you understand it may take time away from doing deep cleaning tasks like dusting the blinds and cleaning the baseboards.
Anastasiia Voloshko via Getty Images
Remove any health and safety hazards.
This one should go without saying, but bears repeating: your house cleaner should not be responsible for anything that could put their own health or well-being in jeopardy — things like cleaning up blood, urine, feces or mold, to name a few.
“There are certain things that house cleaners can’t clean due to health and safety,” Katie Lambert of Clean Queen Maid Service told Better Homes and Gardens. “This includes items such as pet waste, human waste, and other biohazard items, so we would ask that these items be cleaned away before we arrive.”
Secure your pets.
If you have pets at home, it’s important to let your cleaners know ahead of time. Unless you’ll be home during the cleaning or have made special arrangements with the cleaners, it’s best to keep your furry friends in a designated comfortable space, like a crate or playpen, a spare room that doesn’t need to be accessed by the cleaners or, weather-permitting, a secure outdoor area.
“We love dogs and cats, but vacuums and new people in the house can stress them out,” Griffin said. “Even friendly dogs can get nervous. If pets are in a crate or separate room, the cleaners can move faster and it’s safer for everyone.”
Communicate your preferences and priorities.
House cleaners aren’t mind readers. If there are certain things you want them to focus on, just be aware of or avoid altogether, do let them know.
“If there’s something specific that matters most, like the kitchen before guests come over, just say so,” Griffin said. “We’re happy to focus time where it counts. A quick heads up helps us get it right.”
Kathy Cohoon, operations manager at Two Maids, echoed a similar point in an article for Southern Living: These conversations ensure you’re “aligned on the scope of work” and help “avoid confusion — like whether to skip a specific room or focus on a new area.”
Generally speaking, good communication between clients and cleaners “makes everything smoother,” Griffin said. “When clients are clear and respectful, the cleaning teams tend to go above and beyond. It’s a partnership more than people realize.”
Put any sentimental items and valuables in a safe spot.
Anything that you’d be heartbroken to see damaged or misplaced should be moved to a safe location that’s out of the cleaners’ way before they arrive.
“Secure your valuables and put personal and irreplaceable items safely away before the cleaner arrives,” Eliana Coca, founder of E.C. House Cleaning, told Better Homes and Gardens. “This helps prevent accidents and lets us concentrate on cleaning without concern for your personal belongings.”
Olga Pankova via Getty Images
What’s not necessary? Pre-cleaning the house.
Some clients feel compelled to actually clean (not just declutter or tidy) before the pros arrive. But there’s no need to do that, our experts said.
San Angelo said she sees this happen frequently before a new client’s first cleaning with her.
“I understand some people can get embarrassed about the state of their house, but this is why they hire me,” she said. “If you clean before I get there for the first time, I am not going to get a sense of the real state of the house, so I can make a judgment as to how much time I will have to allot or how much to charge.”
Griffin also said pre-cleaning for the cleaners is not necessary.
“Some clients will wipe things down because they feel embarrassed. There’s really no need. We’re not judging anyone,” he said. “We’ve seen everything. It’s literally our job to handle it.”