Is it wrong to clean before a professional cleaner comes over? Plus, the 6 things you should always do before they arrive

Inviting a cleaner into your home for the first time can be daunting. They are there to help, obviously, but is it wrong to clean before a professional cleaner comes over?

The answer is a little more complicated than you might think. Mostly, cleaning before a pro arrives is unnecessary, but there are some important caveats you need to know before your expert arrives.

Here, a professional cleaner breaks down the cleaning tips you should and should not follow before they arrive to help you lessen any awkwardness and make everyone's lives a little simpler.

Is it wrong to clean before a professional cleaner comes over?

Generally speaking, yes, it is ‘wrong’ to clean before a professional cleaner comes over.

Aminah Vieira, of InspireClean, explains, ‘Hiring a professional cleaner should make life easier and help you spend less time cleaning, so we don't expect you to clean before we arrive. We expect your house to be lived in!’

Most of the chores you would tackle before the pro arrives are cleaning tasks that are a waste of time.

However, there are some things you can do in advance to make the professional cleaner's job easier.

Whilst you don’t have to tidy up the whole house in less than four hours or declutter a home room-by-room, Aminah says, ‘We’re able to clean more effectively when the space is generally tidy. If the worktops are clear, floors aren’t covered in toys or clothes, and any private paperwork is tucked away, it helps us get straight to what we do best.

‘Our job is to clean your home, not rearrange it. Like most cleaning services, we don’t put away personal items, wash dishes, move heavy furniture, or handle anything hazardous. We stick to cleaning visible surfaces unless something more specialized has been arranged ahead of time.’

What to do before a cleaner arrives

To set your home up and help you to negate some of the inherent awkwardness that comes with someone else cleaning your home, we suggest trying these six steps before help arrives.

1. Clear counters: Decluttering countertops is a quick and easy way to prepare your home for a professional cleaner’s arrival. It doesn’t have to be a labor-intensive process; simply pop anything out back to their correct cabinets or drawers. Alternatively, for items you leave out because you use them regularly, use a woven basket, such as this set of two water hyacinth baskets from QVC, to tuck the items out of the way for the cleaner to tackle surfaces easily.
2. Load your dishwasher: Or hand wash dishes, depending on your kitchen setup. This is one of the most hated chores, but getting items out of the way means your professional can clean a kitchen sink and degrease counters with ease. It’s a small price to pay for a sparkling kitchen. This folding wooden dish drying rack, from QVC, can be quickly moved out of the way when your hired help arrives.
3. Pick up dirty laundry: Unless pre-arranged with your professional cleaner, many will not tackle your laundry for you. Before they arrive, pick up any dirty laundry from floors and surfaces – a pre-divided laundry hamper such as this Joseph Joseph Hamper, from Amazon, makes it easy to sort clothes for laundry ready for laundry day.
4. Remove clutter: On the note of clutter, picking up any items that have been used in the week and not yet put away is another great way to prepare your home for a professional cleaner. This could be charging cables, books, products on vanities – anything that might get in the way of a vacuum or dusting cloth.
5. Set out supplies: Many cleaning professionals will bring their own essential cleaning supplies, but if they do not, or you have specific product requirements for certain areas or surfaces, organize cleaning supplies before they arrive and leave them in an easy-to-access spot. This cleaning caddy, from Walmart, makes it easy for them to take and use what they need around your home.
6. Hide important information: A good, trustworthy professional cleaner will not bother with any important documents or personal items, however, it is always a good idea to tuck vital information such as paperwork, medications, and identification, or very expensive or delicate items, out of the way. This ensures that nothing is accidentally moved, damaged, or lost, should a professional need to move items to clean surfaces.

What to shop

FAQs

Should I stay when a cleaner comes?

Whether or not you stay in your home when a cleaner comes to clean, or arrange the job for when you are out, is a personal preference.

A professional cleaner may find their job easier if there is no one home, so long as they are able to easily access the property, but you might not be comfortable having someone you do not know in your home on their own – in which case, it is fine to stay.

Just avoid following them around or watching them like a hawk, lest you make things awkward.

What will a professional cleaner not do?

What your professional cleaner will and will not do in your home comes down to the service you have chosen, and any pre-arranged extras that you might have added to your plan.

Some cleaners, for example, will tackle washing dishes, while others will not. It is important to communicate openly with your professional cleaner before you agree to hire them, to set expectations and understand the boundaries.

Punteha van Terheyden, Head of Solved at Homes & Gardens adds, 'When I've had a cleaner in the past, I've found some are happy to go along with a list each time they come by, whilst others, usually those working with big companies do a standard set of cleaning jobs as part of the session.

'I had one excellent cleaner who wouldn't touch the fridge, as cleaning inside it constituted a 'deep clean' in her employer's costings. As long as you communicate before the work begins, there shouldn't be any confusion.'

If you have spotted some of the signs it’s time to hire a cleaner, but are not too sure where to start, you’re in luck. We have worked with the experts to answer all the most common questions about hiring a cleaner, to take some of the guesswork out of the hiring process, and help you find the perfect professional for your needs.