A housecleaning service can be a wonderful thing. You’ll get to skip the chores you don’t like and have more time to do things you enjoy. If certain household tasks have become challenging for you, a housecleaner can take them off your plate.
But it can be overwhelming to invite someone into your home—especially when they’ll learn all about your life and habits. Here’s what you need to know to prepare yourself for a visit from a housecleaning service.
You might feel like you need to clean before your cleaner arrives, but that’s counterproductive. Housekeepers will have seen worse. Just put away anything you don’t want to be seen, touched, or cleaned. The person cleaning your house has much more important things to do besides judge you.
Housekeepers are a little bit like Santa Claus. They know when you’ve been bad or good. Cleaners will get an intimate peek at your life as they go about their tasks. If you want to protect your personal life, be vigilant about putting away personal items, bills, and other items. You don’t need to hide who you are, but you can also put your most personal business out of sight.
If you want the cleaner to do a particular task, ask! If it’s outside the scope of the normal cleaning process, they’ll let you know and you can decide how to move forward. You should also make it clear if you prefer a particular brand of detergent or can only tolerate unscented products.
You don’t need to show the housecleaner how to do everything around your home. They know how to wipe down baseboards and clean windows. Following them around to give instructions is not a good way to build a strong rapport with your housecleaner. You shouldn’t feel as though you need to leave the house when your cleaner arrives, but it might be best to complete a task in another room.
Your housecleaner isn’t your friend or therapist. Although they’ll see more of your home than anyone but your closest loved ones, it’s important to maintain boundaries. They’re not visiting for a chat, and they’re not paid to clean up your personal life.
You should also be aware of what falls under the housecleaner’s jurisdiction. They aren’t pet sitters, for one thing. And it’s not fair to insist that they perform additional tasks that weren’t part of your initial agreement.
Your cleaner is being paid to perform a service for you, but if they go above and beyond, show them appreciation with a tip. It’s also considered good etiquette to give your housecleaner a holiday bonus.
