Whether you’ve just booked your first house cleaner ever, or your first cleaner in a while, it’s always good to do a refresher on how to prepare for a house cleaner. After all, there are some nuances to this relationship you’re building that will make it a smoother, faster, and more economical option for everyone.
Bringing someone new into your home to clean it is a vulnerable experience: they’ll see your house at its worst, and help you bring it back to its best… but that can be quite nerve-wracking, especially if you’ve never done it before. (Or if you’re using a new company for the first time.)
In this post, we’ll cover all the basics you need to keep in mind when preparing for your house cleaning. There are some simple things you can do to ensure that your house cleaner is able to do their best work and that your home will have that deeply satisfying deeply clean feeling when they’re done working. Ready to go through the quick checklist of what to prepare for your Cleveland house cleaner? Let’s dive in!
Declutter Your Floors & Counters
This guide on how to prepare for a house cleaner will start off with the most basic tip: have the surfaces you want to be cleaned clutter-free.
This single action will ensure two things. First, there will be no confusion regarding where items go; you’ll put away the important ones. Second, your house will be cleaned faster – which saves you money when you use a service like Summit Maids that is priced based on the time your cleaner takes.
While a house cleaner may help tidy up toys, shoes, and stray items in general, their main job is to clean, not to organize personal items. If all surfaces are ready to clean, they’ll do a better job – and in less time.
Deal with Your Dirty Dishes
What’s included in a house cleaning service differs from company to company. But, as a general rule, most house cleaners don’t wash dishes or deal with food messes. At the most, they load the dishwasher.
Washing and putting away your dirty dishes allows your house cleaner to access areas they do clean: like your sink and kitchen countertops. Again, dishes are a tricky one. So make sure you read the “what should I do to prepare my house for the cleaner?” section of the cleaning company you’ve booked, to see how you should deal with them.
Put Away Your Valuables
This is one of the most important tips for how to prepare for a home cleaning service. House cleaners are utterly careful from the moment they set foot in your house. However, accidents happen. If there’s any item of value that could easily get broken, please put it somewhere safe.
Additionally, if you have smaller valuables (jewelry, coins, etc.), it’s always best to ensure those are secure before inviting anyone into your home. While Summit Maids (and most cleaning companies) go through rigorous background and criminal check processes for every cleaner, it’s best just to ensure that the items you value are not laying around when your cleaner arrives.
Move or Secure Fragile Items
In the same line as valuable objects, if there’s a delicate item, move it or store it somewhere safe. If you’d like your cleaner to take care of it, but needs to be cleaned in a specific way, let the company know in advance.
Secure Your Pets
Each company has a different policy for pets in their guidelines for how to prepare for your house cleaning. Summit Maids is absolutely a pet-friendly house cleaning service in Cleveland, but it’s still important for everyone’s safety to make sure your furry friend is secure.
However, whether you need to secure your pets depends mostly on how your pet behaves and feels around strangers. If you’re sure your pet and clear will get along, there’s no need to secure them. On the contrary, if there’s the slightest chance that your pet may not feel comfortable around strangers, you should separate your pet(s) from your house cleaner.
For example, in my home, we have three cats: two of them hide when our cleaner comes over; the third is very ambivalent and just naps in his standard spot throughout the cleaning process.
Leave Special Instructions for Your Cleaner
When homeowners ask how to prepare for a house cleaner, this can’t be stressed enough: always communicate with your house cleaner, especially if you have specific requests within the bounds of the work your house cleaner will do.
If you want your cleaner to pay special attention to an area of your house, leave out another, or tell them there’s a problem with a faucet, communicate with them verbally when they arrive at your home. A note on the fridge – or somewhere obvious and visible – is always welcomed as well.
Follow Proper House Cleaner Etiquette
Both you as a homeowner and us as house cleaners want the cleaning session to go as smoothly as possible. For that to happen, following proper house cleaning etiquette is essential. There’s not much else to it than what’s stated above. Don’t worry if you forget something the first time a house cleaner comes. You’ll get the hang of it, the more cleaning services you hire.
Have any other questions about how to prepare for a house cleaner as you await your first visit? Feel free to reach out – at Summit Maids we’re here to help you feel comfortable and find a great house cleaner for a long-term relationship.
