Prep for a cleaner

[Icecreamsunshine]

Hi all,

We have a cleaner coming for the first time this week to do a 6hr clean.

Between the kids, work & illnesses were really struggling & the house is both messy & on the grim side. How much is feasible for her to do? We’re hoping a she’ll get the kitchen, bathroom, living room, hall & stairs done at least.

I’ve never had a cleaner before so don’t know what to do before they come. While I don’t plan on cleaning anything, we’re currently tidying so there’s less clutter for her when she gets here.

Is that enough or do we literally have to clear all the surfaces? Do I need to take the kids “artwork” off the kitchen cupboards/tidy the insides?

I’ve already bought everything the agency said so it’s ready & waiting. Is there anything else I’ve missed? Of course, tea, coffee, cold drinks & biscuits will be on offer.

Six hours is a lot so she should get round your whole house in that time unless it's a massive mansion. Ours does two hours a week and that includes the kitchen every week and the rest of the house once a fortnight (so she does upstairs one week and downstairs the next)

Are you getting 6 hours every week? Or is that just a one off because your house is very messy? If it's 6 hours a week, I'd expect quite a lot for that - maybe some laundry or something too. Cleaners normally want to agree a set list of tasks with you that they do each week so they can just crack on with it each time.

I wouldn't worry about the house being messy - I kind of think cleaners must surely be used to mess, or else what's the point in their job?!

Tidy up, and put everything away, even if it's just pushed into cupboards - otherwise you'll waste half of that 6 hours with her trying to tidy, which will be infuriating for you after she's gone as you won't be able to find anything. And then your clean won't be as thorough.

Basically any surface you want her to clean needs to be as clear as possible - so you don't need to remove children's artwork unless you want that cupboard door wiped down.

6 hours? Ok so my cleaner comes weekly for three hours. For this visit she cleans
Two bathrooms - sinks, bath/shower/2 toilets and washes floors
Hoovers 1-2 bedrooms and the hall on the bedroom level. Dusts master bedroom.
Cleans downstairs loo and floor + sink
Cleans kitchen surfaces, sink and floor
Hoovers dining room and front room. Plumps cushions on sofa in front room. Dusts front room.
Cleans all floors on living level.
I always ensure the house is tidy and all
surfaces are as clear as possible. Remove toilet mats and bath mats etc.

For the additional three hours I would ask for
cleaning of microwave, cleaning of any additional bedrooms - so dusting and hoovering.
Wiping down kitchen cupboards.
Cleaning of some windows
Cleaning of window ledges
Cleaning of fridge - shelves and salad drawers can go in the dishwasher and be washed in there. Decant all items from fridge into a box and leave outside. Then the fridge just needs to be wiped down.
or she could pull the cushions off the sofas and hover the sofa and then replace cushions
You may also need to check the level of dust in the hoover - I’m surprised that I have to empty mine after every second visit.
I did find I have to be quite specific about what I wanted for the first couple of visits so communication is also important

DH has a cleaning business. He always tells new customers that tidy rooms are faster to clean (meaning that the cleaner will get more cleaning done if they're not having to tidy rooms first).

In other words (i.e. mine) while the usual low-level family clutter is easy to deal with (move clutter, clean area, replace clutter), cleaners are not there to tidy mess up or organise any heaps of crap, not should they be expected throw your rubbish away for you.

Hope that helps

Six hours is loads of time unless you have loads of nik naks and time-consuming to dust around.

I aim for surfaces mostly tidy and as clear as possible and gave my cleaner an instruction that if my DD's room isnt tidy she can skip it and shouldn't tidy it up (as that is DD's job). The more clutter, the more time wasted.

If you want cupboard fronts done in the kitchen then yes, take pictures down.

If you have a cordless vacuum then make sure it is charged (obvious.... except when you forget).

I pick up toys and things for my little DS - don't want Lego in the vacuum.

Aside from that,

When I get a new cleaner after not having one for a while they do a first clean which is more thorough. Like taking the cushions off sofas etc. It may take more than one weeek, though six hours is a good amount of time (depending on how big your house is).
I'd definitely do a tidy up - you want them to clean, not put toys away. But leave the kids artwork unless you are asking them to clean the cupboards. Doing the insides of cupboards would be a special request I would have thought.
Do detail what you expect them to do. When they arrive take them around and tell them - for example sone people want them to change the bedding, others don't, some want the shutters dusting and so on. They should then tell you what is feasible in the time.
Going forward if it's a weekly thing, again discuss what your priorities are. For me it's floors, bathrooms and kitchen. I'm not that fussed if they don't get to doing the bedrooms each week.
Don't worry about refreshments too much. In the six hours maybe, but in a normal weekly three hour clean providing a cup of tea/ making it available is enough.

Are you expecting her to clean inside kitchen cupboards and the oven? That would be unusual if you are.
My cleaner cleans, they don't tidy.

As well as the above that everyone has mentioned, it's polite to give the loo a quick clean...

Our cleaner only cleans. No tidying. I make sure all surfaces are clear. Unless you are having a deep clean and have requested the inside of the cupboards are clean I doubt she will.

Same, we can tidy ourselves and know where things go. I'd rather our cleaner spent time cleaning not moving our crap around and out of the way.

No, not a mansion. Just a big standard mid terrace.

It’s a one off clean. Not expecting the oven/insides of the cupboards to be done & spent today clearing some general mess so hopefully she’ll be set once she’s here.

Despite living with 3 boys the toilet generally isn’t bad. Although, there’s a little discolouration that was there when we moved in that I just can’t shift 😖I’ll check it before she arrives.

I'm encouraged that it sounds like she should get to the bedrooms as well in the time she has.

Thanks all. Im looking forward to having a clean house for a few days at least anyway. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep on top of it after that 😊