Should you clean before a cleaner comes?
My Cleaning Lady Is Coming, Should I Clean before She Arrives?
It’s the night before the cleaning company you hired is scheduled to arrive.
Needless to say, your house is messy. There’s nothing wrong with that since that’s the reason why you hired a cleaning service in the first place.
But you start to wonder, should I tidy up my place even a little bit?
Doing so will give my cleaning lady the best opportunity to clean my house effectively, and thus I will get the most out of my money, right?
Many homeowners struggle with this dilemma, whether that’s because they do not understand what type of cleaning service they requested, want to capitalize fully on what they’re paying for, or are afraid the cleaning lady will think their family is super messy.
Whatever the reason may be, if you find yourself struggling with this dilemma, then this blog will come in handy.
Help Your Cleaning Lady Help You
To get straight to the point, while you should leave the tough cleaning tasks up to your cleaning lady, you should also tidy up. What we mean by this is to put things back in their proper places.
Remove things from the floor. A cleaning lady vacuums under almost everything, so the less stuff on the floor the better.
Countertops are often a catch-all for mail, school papers, and miscellany so try to straighten these things up.
While your cleaning lady is more than capable of picking up items and organizing each room, remember that if they spend too much time organizing, they will have less time to deal with the real cleaning tasks that you expect them to do.
Any time spent picking up is time not spent cleaning.
This is especially important if you’re paying her by the hour. Undoubtedly, when you’re paying your cleaning lady by the hour you want her to get things done quickly and effectively as possible. You’d be upset if she decides to milk the clock and do things slowly. So don’t give a reason to do that. Pick up after yourself, but let her handle the strenuous cleaning duties.
If it’s your cleaning lady’s first time visiting your home, you should have written instructions prepared for her in regards to what you want her to focus on cleaning. This way your cleaning lady will easily recognize what things you want her to prioritize and she won’t forget about them.
Several studies suggest that reading things on paper can boost memory retention and focus.
"When you read on paper you can sense with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing, and shrinking on the right," said the lead researcher, Anne Mangen, of Norway's Stavanger University. "You have the tactile sense of progress ... Perhaps this somehow aids the reader, providing more fixity and solidity to the reader's sense of unfolding and progress of the text."
What to do before a house cleaner comes
Clear out your clutter. A well-organized home will give your house cleaner a head start. Instead of focusing on putting toys away or picking up clothes from the floor, they can center their attention on cleaning the baseboards, sweeping the floors, and so on.
This will help ensure your house cleaner spends the majority of their time cleaning, not organizing your house. Believe it or not, there’s a big difference between a professional cleaner and a professional organizer.
Moreover, this will help ensure that your personal belongings won’t get moved around, stolen, or be placed in weird places. This is why it is important to hire a trustworthy house cleaner.
Clean but only a little. Make sure you clean anything that’s easy before your house cleaner arrives. For example, wash your dirty dishes and put them away. A tower of dirty dishes can make it difficult for your house cleaner to clean the sink. Consequently, it will ruin the finished look of the kitchen.
In some cases, there are certain tasks your house cleaner is not required to do such as, but not limited to, washing the dishes, doing your laundry, and window washing. If you need help with these additional tasks, feel free to ask them if it is something they would be willing to do. Just be prepared to pay extra for the additional services that are more thorough than a standard cleaning service.
Here is something else to consider, a house cleaner is not responsible for moving pieces of heavy furniture. A great number of house cleaners are not prepared to lift or move anything that weighs more than 30 pounds. This is due to their insurance, and the limitations that it places on them. Moving heavy furniture opens up the potential for hurt backs, damaged tendons, and pulled muscles.
So, if you want them to clean underneath your large couch, then you have to be willing to help them move the piece of furniture so that the space under it can be cleaned. After they’re done cleaning, you will then have to help move the furniture back into place. As long as you don’t mind helping out, then this is a very easy solution to the problem.
In case you have pets, find a good spot for your pets so they’re safe and secure while the cleaning is in progress.
What to expect from a house cleaner
When you pay for a standard cleaning service, keep in mind that this does not include cleaning things like the inside of the refrigerator, washing dishes, window washing, doing laundry, and so on.
When more arduous cleaning tasks emerge, you may want to consider adding on a specialty service like deep cleaning, move-in/out, or seasonal cleaning to your invoice.
The following are standard cleaning tasks you can expect our house cleaner to do upon hiring Seattle’s Green Cleaning Fairy:
Clean and disinfect surfaces
Clean, disinfect, and shine showers and tubs
Clean and disinfect toilets inside and out
Clean and disinfect doorknobs and light switches
Clean and disinfect the sink
Clean, disinfect, and shine outside of the refrigerator
Clean kitchen table
Clean microwave inside and out
Remove cobwebs
Make beds
Vacuum and mop floors
Dust cabinets, door panels, and baseboards
Dust blinds and window sills
Dust furniture
Dust pictures frames
Dust lamp and lampshades
Dust and clean mirrors
Empty all trash
When you book with us, you will receive a confirmation email that outlines the tasks included in your service.
All of our professional house cleaners undergo a comprehensive background check and receive extensive training before they are sent to your precious house.
We arrive with all-natural green cleaning supplies, equipment, and a smile, ready to deliver an amazing service.
If you’re home during the scheduled cleaning service, then our team will happily work around you, allowing you to carry out your normal activities.
If you’re not home, our team will take excellent care of your house while you're enjoying your day.
Our teams spend the time needed to provide you with the best possible results.
We take all of our cleaning appointments very seriously here at Seattle’s Green Cleaning Fairy. Give us the opportunity to refresh, reorganize, and declutter your home. We will clear the cobwebs of winter and set the stage up for sunny days ahead. Let’s clean things up, shall we?
Cleaning Lady Etiquette Summarized
In conclusion, be clear about exactly how big and dirty your home is, so the customer service representative can help you book the appropriate type of service.
Double-check your quote to know all the details included in your flat rate.
Does your cleaning service include cleaning things like inside the refrigerator, oven, or washing machine? If yes, then leave that up to the cleaning lady.
A professional cleaning lady is there to help you handle those tougher cleaning jobs that you either can't do on your own or do not have time for right now.
Still, it is important to clear up as much clutter around your house so the cleaning lady can clean everything thoroughly.
Also, clean a little.
If you don’t know where to draw the line between your job and the cleaning lady’s job, write out two lists: one of the lists will be filled with cleaning tasks you wish someone would do for you, and the other one will be made up of cleaning tasks you don’t mind doing yourself.
With these basic things done, your cleaning lady will be free to concentrate on the real cleaning you hired her to undertake.
References:
Flood, Alison. “Readers Absorb Less on Kindles than on Paper, Study Finds.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 19 Aug. 2014, www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/19/readers-absorb-less-kindles-paper-study-plot-ereader-digitisation.