So you’ve hired a professional cleaning service, and your cleaning lady (or gentleman) is coming by this afternoon. Should you tidy up before they arrive? How much? Isn’t it kind of silly to clean for the cleaner? A lot of clients have these questions, but may feel awkward asking. So we decided to devote a blog post to the topic.
It does sound kind of ridiculous to clean up before your cleaning person arrives, and no cleaner expects your house to be spic and span. They are there to clean, after all. But there are a few things you can do to prepare for your cleaning, in order to get the biggest bang for your buck.
Wash the Dishes
The kitchen is usually one of the most labor intensive areas to clean in any house, so you want to leave it in “ready to clean” condition so that your cleaner can work efficiently and move onto other areas of the house. The most important thing you can do is make sure the dishes are washed or loaded into the dishwasher before your cleaning professional arrives.
Put Away Food
Make sure to put away any leftovers, put things like bread and pasta boxes in the pantry, and clear away any food scraps before the cleaner comes. Not only does it allow them to work more efficiently, but you probably don’t want to risk getting cleaning products on your food. That goes double if your cleaning service uses conventional, chemical-laden cleaning products, but even if your they use green, non-toxic products like we do at Green Home Cleaning, a lot of sprays contain essential oils that you probably don’t want to taste on your food!
Declutter
It’s a good idea to remove clutter from counters, tables, and floors so that your cleaning professional won’t have to move stuff around too much in order to clean. It might only take a few seconds to move toothpaste tubes and hairspray cans off the bathroom counter and back on again, but if they have to repeat that process in the kitchen, bedroom, and living areas, those seconds will add up and cut valuable minutes out of the time she could have spent doing deeper cleaning. So do a quick sweep of the living areas, putting away shoes and other items that might have been left on the floor, and clearing items off of tables and other surfaces. Temporarily remove all of your bathroom accessories (toiletries, hair dryers, etc.) from the counter and place them in a drawer or cupboard.
Make the Bed (or Leave Fresh Linens Out)
As your cleaning professional works her way around the bedrooms, it will make her job easier if the bed is already made so that she can focus on dusting, vacuuming, and other bedroom cleaning tasks. If your housecleaning agreement includes making the beds, then make sure to leave fresh linens out so that your cleaner will not have to stop her work to rummage through closets.
And that’s it! If you do just a little preparation for your cleaning by checking off the four items above, your cleaning professional will be able to get more done, and you’ll get more value for your money!
If you live in the Asheville, NC area and are in need of a great professional home cleaning service, give us a call at 828.505.7320 or get in touch via our contact form today!