Should You Clean Before a Housekeeping Service? What the Internet Says
It’s been a debate for decades: should you clean before a housekeeping service arrives?
On one hand, you’re paying someone to clean your home.
On the other hand, it feels wrong to leave a place excessively messy.
What’s the right answer? What does the internet say? Let’s find out.
Should You Clean?
Generally, cleaning services don’t have strict rules on how clean your home should be before arrival.
However, most people spend at least a few minutes tidying their home before a housekeeper arrives.
If you expect your housekeeper to clean your kitchen countertops, for example, then you should consider removing items from your kitchen countertops.
Or, if you want your housekeeper to clean your bathroom, then you should put away things like your hair dryer or curling iron. Otherwise, the housekeeper has to put those things away – and they could end up in the wrong spaces.
At the very least, it makes the housekeeper less efficient, taking time away from more important parts of the job.
What Housekeepers Say
Should you clean? Apartment Therapy recently tried to answer this question by interviewing real housekeepers.
Justin Carpenter, who owns Modern Maids in Dallas, found it was helpful when people tidy up their kitchen and bathroom counters before a cleaning visit. If you leave these products out, cleaners could place them in the wrong drawer. After all, cleaners don’t know where you keep your curling iron or hair dryer.
Apartment Therapy also quoted Natalie Barrett of Nifty Cleaning Services in Australia, who recommended putting away important documents, bills, and papers. Although housekeepers are licensed, bonded, insured, and background-checked, you should put these documents away to avoid having them displaced or thrown away by accident.
Nationwide cleaning service Modern Maids, meanwhile, recommended doing minimal cleaning before a housekeeper arrives – like putting dirty clothes in the hamper and putting personal items where they belong.
Lazy Susans Cleaning Service recommends a bigger picture approach. They advise decluttering your home, securing your pets, and ensuring safe entry and exit routes instead of focusing on whether or not to clean specific surfaces.
What the Internet Says
There’s no internet consensus to a complex question like this one. However, people certainly have thoughts.
Generally, people agree the surfaces you want to clean should be empty of clutter.
Here’s what Redditor SomeNorwegianChick recommended:
“I don’t clean per se but I tidy up. They can’t do their job properly if my stuff is floating around everywhere.”
Another Redditor echoed those thoughts:
“I don’t “clean” but I tidy away stuff from the floors and put things away. Then they can focus on actual cleaning tasks.”
Even Redditors who wanted maximum value for their housekeeping services agreed: spending a few minutes tidying your home helps maximize the value of housekeeping. You’re paying maids to clean surfaces – not to pick up dirty clothes. It wastes their time and makes them less efficient.
Redditor Remy4409 summarized it:
“They are usually paid to vacuum, mop, clean windows, clean counters, etc… not to pickup dirty clothes and toys.”
Users are split on whether to clean laundry or dishes before housekeepers arrive. Some housekeepers include dishwashing and laundry service. Others charge extra. Some avoid it entirely.
As one Quora user explained:
“Some do [dishes and laundry] and some don’t. That’s why it’s important to make sure that your expectations are in alignment with [theirs].”
Dos and Don’ts
What does all of this mean? Should you clean your apartment before a housekeeper?
There’s no right answer to that question. It depends on your house, your familiarity with your housekeeper, and countless other factors.
However, here are some dos and don’ts to help follow best cleaning practices:
Dos
- Do secure your animals
- Do organize your home’s laundry
- Do put away personal items and important documents
- Do clear clutter from floors
- Do clean hazardous, private, dangerous, or toxic items or messes
- Do wash your dirty dishes or put them in your dishwasher (some cleaning services include dish cleaning, while others do not)
Don’ts
- Don’t wash floors
- Don’t scrub countertops or other surfaces
- Don’t take out your trash
- Don’t clean with your own chemicals or strong cleaners
Most importantly, don’t worry too much about what your cleaners think. You’re paying professionals to clean your home. In exchange, you’re getting peace of mind, cleanliness, and relaxation.
At Too Clean Homes, we customize your cleaning plan to you. So, whether you prefer to clean beforehand or not, our experts will clean according to your needs. Get a customized cleaning quote today and get the housekeeping your home deserves.