If you are like most people, the thought of doing household chores, like cleaning, mopping, and sweeping, is not fun. You don’t want to tidy up after a long day at the office. You might not even have time between work, taking the kids to sports practices, and dealing with other responsibilities. That is why more people are turning to professional house cleaners to help.
If you plan on hiring a house cleaner, then you need to do some prep work before their arrival. Here are some tips to help you prepare your home for the household cleaner:
1. Pick Up Items Laying About
The main objective of the house cleaner is to clean, not organize. In other words, if your home is in disarray, the house cleaner is going to have to spend their allotted time putting things away before they can do their job, resulting in fewer things cleaned completely. Since they will be putting things out of the way, this can also result in misplaced belongings. To avoid that, organize your home prior to their arrival.
2. Secure Valuables
Loose cash, electronic devices, jewelry, and other things are a temptation. While house cleaning companies vet their workers and conduct background checks, you don’t want to put anything to chance. You don’t personally know the house cleaner, so you shouldn’t leave valuable items lying around. Keep priceless goods somewhere locked, like in your car or another safe spot.
3. Tidy Up Important Documents
There are two reasons you don’t want to leave important documents out in the open. Similar to the above, some documents contain sensitive details. Secondly, it is very easy for a house cleaner to mistake a pile of disorganized papers as garbage and throw it out, no questions asked. If you don’t want a stack of papers touched, either put them somewhere safe or leave a “do not disturb” note on the documents.
4. Seek Out and Repair Any Broken Items and Problem Areas
Do a quick check of your home while tidying up and putting things away. See if there are any damages or broken appliances that you didn’t notice and make note of those things. You want to do this so you don’t accidentally blame the house cleaner for something they aren’t guilty of.
Next, remember that house cleaners are not minded readers. Find the places in your home that you want them to work on and let them know.
5. Put Pets Away
As a safety precaution, put your pets away. Some house cleaners will feel uncomfortable around animals (and your pets might feel the same around them), especially if it’s a recurring residential cleaning service and they’ll be around your pets multiple times. If your pets tend to be curious or do not handle strangers well, lock them in a room or crate for the time being.
Takeaway
Hiring a house cleaner is a wonderful investment, and you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner! However, if you want to maximize the benefit, you should set aside some time to organize your household, move valuable items and documents to someplace safe, and make sure your pets are out of the way. With that, the professional can do their job and leaving your home looking spotless!