Six Things You Need to Do Before the Professional Cleaners Arrive
You might think that once you hire a cleaning company to take care of your mess, you can just forget about it and leave it all to the cleaners—after all, that’s the whole point of paying for a house cleaning service. But if you want the cleaning to be as effective as possible and your home to be spotless, you need to do some prep work before the cleaners arrive.
Yes, you need to put some things away before the professional cleaners arrive to get the most out of their work. Otherwise, they will waste their time and effort (and your money) struggling. If you want to get the most out of your professional cleaning services, here are some steps to take before you clean.
Decluttering
The first thing you should do before a professional cleaning is to pack up and remove clutter . If cleaners have to pack up and remove things, they will spend less time cleaning and are less likely to arrange everything exactly the way you want. Here are some key points to consider when cleaning:
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Floors: Make room for vacuum cleaners and mops.
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Countertops: Make it easy for your cleaners to clean and wipe down surfaces. This includes cleaning small appliances and keeping all cleaning tools off the sink or countertop.
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Valuables and personal items. Do not leave unattended items that you would not like others to see or touch.
Organize laundry
The line between cleaners and housekeepers can be blurry, and laundry is one job that not all cleaning companies do. If your cleaner is going to do laundry as part of their regular visit, you should organize the laundry before they arrive. This means gathering everything in one place and ( possibly ) sorting it into whites and colors at a minimum. You should also separate dry-cleanable items from delicates that require special handling. You can do this yourself or give specific instructions, but never assume that cleaning professionals will automatically know what to do.
You should also make sure you have a supply of detergents, fabric softeners, and other products that your employees will use to wash your clothes.
Wash the dishes
Some cleaners will wash your dishes if you leave them in the sink, but many won’t, and for some, it’s an extra service you have to pay for. Of course, if your cleaning service includes washing dishes, you should let them do it. But if your cleaning service doesn’t include washing dishes for you, don’t leave a pile of dirty dishes in the sink that will prevent the cleaners from cleaning the sink and surrounding area. Also, a pile of dirty dishes implies that you’re trying to force the cleaners to wash them, even though it’s not their job.
Fragile and personal items
Anything fragile or requiring special handling in the house should be cleaned by yourself. If cleaning requires a memo describing the process, the chances of the cleaners doing it wrong (or even damaging the items) are not zero.
Also make sure nothing intimate or personal, such as financial documents or personal letters, is left in place. This should be part of your cleaning routine mentioned above, but it’s worth doing an extra cleaning of your home. You don’t want your cleaners to know what you’re doing, your cleaners don’t want to know what you’re doing, and if you don’t want something touched or moved, don’t leave it there.
Clean the refrigerator.
Note that I didn’t say “clean the fridge” — cleaning is something your cleaners should do. But if you want your fridge to be sparkling clean, don’t leave it cluttered with old plastic storage containers, takeout containers, and suspiciously dented food items. The more time your cleaners spend throwing these in the trash, the less time they’ll have to clean your unit, so take a few minutes and give it a thorough scrub. If there’s a noticeable spill, it’s best to wipe it up, but otherwise, leave the fine work to the pros.
Clean the tray
If you have a cat, clean the litter box before the cleaner arrives. Check the company’s policy — some cleaners don’t touch the litter box at all, while others are happy to move it around and under it. But given how much litter there is usually in the litter box, it’s just common courtesy to make sure it’s clean before anyone else gets near it and possibly touches it.