If you have a cleaner. . ..

[Nostrings457]

After a year of debating, I have a cleaner starting tomorrow. Now I'm freaking out thinking I need to clean the house before she comes and what will she think of X Y and Z rooms. I'm on the verge of cancelling because Im shattered and can't face getting ready for her arrival. AIBU, do you make a 'good impression' for cleaner comong first time?

Yeah you need to tidy (within reason) but not clean.

Do all your cleaners bring their own cleaning materials or do you supply them?

A list is a good starting point. You may find they get into their own swing after a while and can spot what needs done without you adding it to the list.

I’m a cleaner and tbh I don’t object to tidying. If a rooms messy, I tidy it, then clean. But homeowner has to accept this means there’ll be less overall cleaning done. I clean for some families with lots of children so there is just always mess. Doesn’t bother me, I do what I can in the time. I also clean a couple of hoarders houses which are never going to be tidy. Dishes are never clean, toilets Unflushed. Doesn’t bother me. I just get in and do my best until the time is up.

I'm having this problem a bit with new cleaners. Trying to get them to just clean rather than tidy stuff away that I want left out for whatever reason.

I don't find it helpful when people so called tidy which just means everything is in the wrong place and I waste time looking for it.

I just got a new cleaner. I told her, I’m naturally untidy. Always have been and it’s not going to change. I don’t want her to make the place spotless, I want her to do the cleaning jobs I can do or struggle with (I’m disabled). And I prioritised simply - these jobs each week, these in rotation.
I do a brief tidy before she comes in that I make sure floors are clear but not much else.

I do a quick tidy round, although to be fair it never gets properly messy anyway. My cleaner does every room, and then gives one room a deep clean each time, so they are all done in rotation (this involves pulling all furniture out and washing all skirting boards etc.) She also cleans the windows on each floor in rotation (townhouse so 3 floors) but does the bathrooms and kitchen ones each time. This was all her planning that she set out in the initial paperwork. Obviously I can change the order of things if I want but it works fine. She is here for 5 hours though, so if yours is doing a greater/fewer number of hours (dependent on house size as well) the manageable work will be different.

I like to make sure all rooms are tidy with no crap left out so all she has to do is clean.
Whenever we've had a new cleaner on their first visit I like them to do a deep clean. This tends to take a few hours, but it lets them get the house to standard and then they aren't playing catch up each week.

I make sure the loos are presentable, laundry lid closed, no bras hanging in laundry room etc (sometimes my cleaner brings her husband and they work as a team)
And really tidy up.
She’s here for the first time today in 5 months, nearly kissed her when she came in. God I’ve missed her.

We joke our cleaner brings us up to just above biohazard level. Sometimes I end up dumping toys and blankets etc on the sofas and stacking some dirty dishes on the side (yes I'm ashamed, yes I'm working on it) but as long as she can mop the floor and wipe the other surfaces it's not her problem.

My cleaner is my hero.

I don’t clean before her visits (a dirty toilet is an exception however), I do however make sure the flat is tidy so she doesn’t have to move things before she vacuums etc. She has been coming a long time so I don’t leave a list or anything. At first it is useful to leave a list and give feedback on their cleaning.

I always carry out what my family laughingly call "the pre-Sandra checks" the night before she comes. We are a pretty tidy family so usually not much tidying up to do but I do yell at my DS20 to ensure all glasses etc in his room are put in the dishwasher. I also empty the waste paper bins and check the toilets are presentable. She comes in for 3 hours every other week and we love her.

She's given up a lot of her cleaning jobs over the last couple of years but luckily has always stayed with us - I think this is because we are a pretty easy house to clean. I also ensured she was paid throughout lockdown and always pay her if we have to cancel her for some reason. I am also flexible if she wants to change days/times and ensure we spoil her at Xmas. She is so appreciated in this house I want to ensure we keep her.

I don’t do anything to prepare. If it’s tidy, it’s tidy but if it’s not, it’s not. They’re happy to do whatever needs doing which might be watering our daughters beloved succulent (if she writes a nice note), hunting for a lost remote or bringing in washing if it’s raining.

Why would you tidy up before they arrive?