to ask cleaners a question

[FestiveFruitloop]

Question to those who are (or have been) professional cleaners.

How do you feel when confronted with a house that's really in need of a deep clean? I mean, nothing skanky or disgusting (and certainly nothing awful like dirty toilets), just everyday dust and grime that's built up over a bit longer than one would normally go in between cleans. Does it gross you out or is this just something you'd normally come across from time to time as part of the job?

I ask because I'm hoping to start getting a cleaner in as soon as Covid repercussions start to die off a bit. We've had one before, then finances dipped a bit and we started doing the cleaning ourselves. In theory, anyway. The problems with this are:

1. I work full-time and suffer from chronic fatigue, a sleep disorder and various pain issues which severely hamper my energy levels, time and physical ability to clean.
2. DH, although good about doing his share, also has limited time and energy due to long working hours and a few mobility issues.
3. My elderly mother lives with us, and does what she can to help, by choice, but of course there's a limit to what she's able to do - I don't actually expect her to do any, but she chooses to help out which I'm very grateful for.
4. DH and I are in a sort of house-share arrangement with my mum and (latterly) my dad with separate living spaces for each household so to speak, which means (no stealth boasting intended) that the house is pretty darn big!

Certain areas of the house i.e. kitchen and bathroom are kept rigorously clean, but in most of the other rooms the sort of stuff one would normally do as part of a deep clean (eg moving furniture to clean around/under it) is getting woefully neglected, as is stuff like dusting and cleaning windows. We do what we can, it's just not sufficient to keep the whole house as clean as it should be.

Finances have picked up now, so I'm wanting to get back to having a cleaner. I'm thinking (assuming I can even find someone any time soon!) that I'd need to start off by asking them to do a deep clean followed by regular 'maintenance' cleans.

The problem is, I feel so ashamed that we've let the cleaning slide in the first place, that I'm feeling like we'd have to do a deep clean before I'd be willing to even let a cleaner at it! cringe I know that might sound stupid, but I'm just worried that someone might think we're slobs. Rationally I do know this can't be how people who clean for a living view their clients, but I'm really struggling with this hang-up and would welcome thoughts.

YABU = we should do some 'preliminary' cleaning ourselves before engaging a cleaner;
YANBU = a cleaner won't think we're gross if we ask for a deep clean before the regular cleans start.

Hope that makes some sort of sense and doesn't sound too stupid - it's quite a sensitive topic for me atm.

My cleaner has said to me that cleaning somewhere that really needs it gives her a better sense of satisfaction, as you can see the before and after and what you've accomplished (as opposed to going over an already tidy house where you can't really tell).
I would concentrate on organising so she can get straight to cleaning, but honestly if she does the deep clean herself it would probably be better so she knows what's been done and can then prioritise everything else better?
Never be ashamed, it's their job! They probably won't bat an eyelid and just get stuck in

When our cleaner started she took a few trips to get the whole house to ‘her standard’. She would do a couple of rooms each week and the bathrooms and kitchen. Gradually it was all good and she does the whole house each time. (Whole house sounds grand.. It’s a 3 bed terrace!)

I would not clean first

I’d ask for a quote for a deep clean first then a regular weekly/fortnightly clean. Nothing to be ashamed about.

How do you feel when confronted with a house that's really in need of a deep clean?

Usually I wish I had longer time booked so I could actually get properly stuck in. Most clients book for 2/3 hours and realistically they should book a deep clean before they book me for the regular clean. I always offer it but they always say “oh just do what you can in the two hours”. At the end of the day it’s their home so it’s up to them if they just want the top layer doing. As a perfectionist it really niggles at me that I can’t do the properties justice.

Good to get some viewpoints, thanks... actually just typing out my question helped put it into perspective for me as well, in terms of it being daft to clean before a cleaner comes.

I’d tidy / declutter as much as you can so cleaner can get stuck into deep clean.

I like a ‘dirty’ clean. The sense of achievement when you leave it sparkling is bonus to getting paid. Having said that - I do like to be allocated the time to do the job properly. Otherwise it’s more of a ‘work in progress’ clean which can take a few sessions to get the place sparkling.
I like a challenging rather than a coasting clean - or as my boss says, I like to be busy.
Don’t worry about it. It part of the job!

Your house sounds like mine every week! My family's superpower is making a nice neat home into a squat in five minutes flat. Seriously, my house is on the market and I had it spic and span on Monday and by Tuesday you would have thought it hadn't been done in weeks. That's teenagers for you (and I take some share of the blame).
My cleaner did a deeper clean first couple weeks and now does maintenance (I have to clean before she comes every week obviously).

"YANBU = a cleaner won't think we're gross if we ask for a deep clean before the regular cleans start."

As a cleaner I reckon better late than never, and putting it off won't fix it. Make it clear from the start you need a thorough deep clean, you could look for a one off service, then go with someone else for a regular clean going forward.

The thought of someone else deep cleaning my own house, fills with me with shame/dread, yet I could deep clean someone else's with no judgement. Pride can be weird like that.

Enjoy your cleaner/nice newly deep cleaned house

I agree with a pp, de clutter as much as you can, get rid of as much rubbish (old magazines etc) as possible. Try to tidy away books, clothes, dirty laundry in hampers or bags etc as much as possible. Clear the likes of window sills, around the tv etc of anything that doesn't live there. It'll make it easier for them to get stuck into scrubbing.

Thanks peeps :-) I think I will find it hard to let someone see the house as it is now, but booking a deep clean does seem like the next logical step.
Definitely agree re de-cluttering first - that's already under way. It's not exactly a minimalist household but we tend to be better at tidying up after ourselves when we've got a cleaner coming in.

We booked our cleaner for a whole day to get the house up to scratch before we started having him come regularly.

@KatyN

When our cleaner started she took a few trips to get the whole house to ‘her standard’. She would do a couple of rooms each week and the bathrooms and kitchen. Gradually it was all good and she does the whole house each time. (Whole house sounds grand.. It’s a 3 bed terrace!)

I would not clean first

This is exactly what my new cleaner did, & that was after I’d had (rubbish!) cleaners for a while.

OP, please don’t worry about what she thinks of your house. She will have seen much much worse, I’m sure.