Should I clean before the cleaner comes?

Key facts

Tidy, don't clean

This is the question people are most embarrassed to ask and it has a simple answer. Cleaners are not judging the state of your house; they have seen every version of it, and a dirty house is the entire reason the appointment exists. What slows them down is not dirt, it is objects.

Every item on a surface is a decision: move it, clean under it, put it back, and hope it goes back where you wanted. A clear counter is cleaned in one pass. A counter with twelve things on it takes four times as long and gets cleaned less well. So clear, do not scrub.

Pre-cleaning is actively counterproductive on a first visit. If you scrub the shower the night before, the cleaner cannot see what your shower normally looks like, cannot judge whether it needs a deep clean, and spends the time somewhere it was not needed. You are also paying twice for the same work.

• Clear countertops, tables and desks of everything that is not decorative
• Pick things up off the floor, which is most of the visit
• Run or empty the dishwasher so the sink can be cleaned
• Strip beds if you want linens changed, and leave fresh sets out
• Put away cash, jewellery, medication and documents. That is normal practice, not an accusation
• Note anything fragile or off-limits, in writing rather than in passing
• Contain nervous pets in a room with a note on the door

Should you be home?

For the first visit, be there for the first fifteen minutes if you can. Walking a cleaner through the home, pointing out the two rooms that matter most to you and mentioning the shower that never comes clean, is worth more than any amount of instruction by text. Then leave, or work in a room they have already finished.

After that, most clients are not home, and it works fine. Access is arranged through a door code, a lockbox, or a building concierge, and in Brickell, Downtown and Miami Beach buildings the concierge route is the norm. Coming home to a finished house is most of the appeal.

Hovering is the one thing to avoid. Following a cleaner from room to room slows the work, and it signals distrust to someone you have chosen to trust with your keys. If you are not comfortable leaving, that is a sign to ask more questions about the company rather than to supervise the visit.

Supplies, products and the things worth saying up front

Professional companies arrive with everything, including vacuums. Independent cleaners vary, and it is a fair question to ask when booking. Either way, tell them at booking if you want specific products used: pet-safe, fragrance-free, no bleach on a particular surface, nothing acidic on natural stone. That is a shopping decision, not a day-of decision.

The first visit is also the moment to name your priorities. Every home has two or three things that decide whether the visit felt worth it, and they are rarely the things on a generic checklist. Say them out loud: the bathrooms, the kitchen floor, the sliding door tracks. A good cleaner will weight the time accordingly.

Related questions

Sources

• Should I Clean Before the Cleaner Comes? — Care.com
• The Going Rate for House Cleaning — Bob Vila (Supplies convention)

Figures are quoted from the sources above and were current when this page was last reviewed. Prices move, and tax thresholds and statutes are amended, so check the source before relying on a number.

Related reading

• What won't a house cleaner do? — The jobs house cleaners decline or charge extra for: laundry, dishes, heavy furniture, clutter, pet mess, mold remediation, exterior windows and more.
• Is it safe to let a cleaner into your home? — How to know a cleaner is safe to leave alone in your home: what bonding and insurance actually cover, the checks worth making, and Florida's camera and audio rules.
• Do you tip house cleaners? — Whether to tip a house cleaner, how much, and why the answer differs for an independent cleaner and a company employee. Plus holiday bonuses and cash etiquette.