The Post: 7 Things Professional House Cleaners Wish You’d Do Before They Arrive first appeared on Crafting Your Home
Hiring a professional house cleaner should mean fewer chores on your plate, not a frantic cleaning session before the doorbell rings. But cleaning professionals wish homeowners would handle a few things before an appointment.
And no, scrubbing the bathroom isn’t one of them. Small tasks like clearing clutter, putting away dishes, and securing pets can make a big difference in how smoothly a cleaning visit goes. Here are seven simple things that can help cleaners focus on the work you’re actually paying them to do.
Clear the Clutter Off Your Countertops
Your kitchen counter might be covered in mail, snack wrappers, and random items that have slowly taken over the space. To you, it’s everyday clutter. To a professional cleaner, it’s another obstacle standing between them and the surface they’re supposed to clean.
Before your appointment, take a few minutes to put loose belongings where they belong. Bathroom counters deserve the same attention. Makeup, skincare products, and other small items can make it difficult to reach the surfaces underneath.
According to Maid Brigade, homeowners don’t need to remove every single item from their countertops. Everyday essentials can stay in their usual spots. The goal is to make surfaces accessible.
Your cleaner shouldn’t have to figure out where you keep your mail or sort through a collection of bathroom products to wipe down a counter. And here’s the best part: You don’t need to clean the counters yourself. That’s exactly what you’ve hired someone to do.
Pick Up Everything Scattered Across the Floor
A professional cleaner might arrive ready to vacuum your living room, only to discover a maze of shoes, toys, laundry, and delivery boxes. Suddenly, the job involves moving belongings before the actual cleaning can begin.
The solution is surprisingly simple. Put dirty clothes in a hamper, return toys to their usual storage spaces, and remove packages from walkways. Don’t forget hallways, stairs, and the areas around beds. Items scattered across these spaces can make it difficult to reach floors and baseboards.
Professional cleaner Sara San Angelo told HuffPost that cleaners don’t always know where household belongings should go.
That means leaving piles of clothing and miscellaneous objects on the floor creates an extra decision for someone unfamiliar with your home.
You don’t need perfectly organized closets or neatly folded laundry. Just give the cleaning team a clear path to the areas that need attention.
Don’t Leave a Sink Full of Dirty Dishes
Picture your cleaner walking into the kitchen and finding a sink overflowing with breakfast plates, coffee mugs, and yesterday’s dinner dishes. There’s just one problem. Washing those dishes might not be part of the service you booked.
House-cleaning companies have different policies regarding dishwashing. Some may offer it as an add-on, but homeowners shouldn’t assume it’s included.
Maid Brigade explains that a large accumulation of dirty dishes can change the amount of work involved and may result in an additional charge under its policies.
Even when cleaners don’t wash dishes, a full sink makes it harder to clean the sink itself.
The easiest fix is to load the dishwasher or wash and put away the dishes before the appointment.
If you’d prefer someone else to handle them, ask your cleaning company about dishwashing when scheduling the service.
A simple conversation can prevent confusion and help you understand exactly what your appointment includes.
Tell Them About Unexpected Cleaning Problems
Professional house cleaners handle plenty of unpleasant household messes, but not every situation fits within a standard cleaning appointment. Pet accidents, human waste, and certain types of contamination may require specialized services or arrangements.
Imagine arriving for an ordinary cleaning job and discovering a problem that nobody mentioned during booking. That’s an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved.
Cleaning professionals interviewed by HuffPost explained that some tasks involving waste, blood, or mold may fall outside routine residential cleaning.
If your home has an unusual cleaning problem, contact the company beforehand. Explain the situation and ask whether it’s something their team handles.
That doesn’t mean you should try to remove every difficult mess yourself. Some situations require a different type of service.
The important thing is avoiding surprises and making sure everyone understands the work before the appointment begins.
Make Arrangements for Your Pets
Your dog might be the friendliest animal in the neighborhood, but a stranger entering the house with a vacuum cleaner can still create an unpredictable situation.
Cats may also become unsettled when unfamiliar people move around their favorite spaces.
Professional cleaners appreciate knowing about pets before arriving, especially animals that might run through an open door or become nervous around cleaning equipment.
Maid Brigade recommends sharing information about pets that may escape or react unexpectedly, along with instructions about doors that must remain closed.
Consider setting up a comfortable space in a separate room that doesn’t need cleaning during the visit. A suitable crate may also work for pets accustomed to one.
Let the cleaning team know where your animals will be and whether any special instructions apply.
You can still have a pet-friendly home without making your cleaner responsible for managing your furry companions.
Explain What Matters Most Before They Start
Maybe your kitchen needs extra attention, but the guest bedroom hasn’t been used in weeks. Perhaps you’d rather have the upstairs bathroom thoroughly cleaned than spend time on a room nobody enters.
Your cleaner won’t automatically know these preferences.
Instead of assuming every room deserves equal attention, communicate your priorities when scheduling the appointment.
You might say, “Please focus on the kitchen and upstairs bathroom. The guest bedroom can be skipped this time.”
According to Maid Brigade, discussing priorities during booking helps the company understand the requested work, establish appropriate pricing, and prepare its team. This also applies to tasks outside the usual cleaning routine.
If you suddenly request additional work halfway through an appointment, there may not be enough time to complete everything.
A short conversation beforehand can prevent misunderstandings and help the cleaner concentrate on the areas that matter most to you. Just remember that requesting an extra task doesn’t automatically make it part of your existing cleaning package.
Put Away Valuables and Important Papers
That delicate decoration sitting on your coffee table might be priceless to you. The cleaner arriving for the first time has no way of knowing its sentimental value. The same goes for important documents, loose jewelry, cash, gift cards, and paperwork scattered around the house.
Putting these belongings away before your appointment makes things easier for everyone.
This isn’t about questioning anyone’s honesty. It’s about preventing accidental damage, misplaced belongings, or unnecessary handling of private items.
Maid Brigade recommends securing small valuables and important papers rather than leaving them loose around cleaning areas.
If you have a fragile decoration or sentimental object that cannot be moved, explain its significance to the cleaner.
You can also request that a particular shelf or display be left untouched.
A little preparation helps protect the things you care about without turning the appointment into an awkward guessing game.
The bottom line: Professional cleaners don’t expect a spotless house when they arrive. They appreciate a little preparation so they can spend more time cleaning and less time working around your belongings.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
