5 Things Pro Cleaners Wish You’d Do Before They Arrive, According to Redditors

Having a professional cleaner to help you with housework is nothing short of a godsend. Investing in this service not only saves you time but also eases your mental load. Still, hiring cleaners means giving people a front-row seat to your most personal spaces—and messes. Maybe you’ve wondered what exactly those cleaners think of you and your home.

Most of the time, cleaners aren’t thinking about your space—they’re just thinking about making it sparkle. But there are a few habits that the pros say they wish their clients would quit. In fact, professional cleaners took to Reddit to reveal their biggest pet peeves, so we asked our own pro to confirm (or deny!) these claims and give tips to rectify the situation. Ahead, find out what professional cleaners wish you’d do before they arrive, and how some small adjustments can make their jobs easier (and your home cleaner).

Remove Objects From Central Surfaces

One of a professional cleaner’s biggest pet peeves boils down to a simple phrase: “Just clean around things.” If you’ve said this before, now you know it’s a no-no.

“They always seem to think this will take less time,” writes one cleaner. “It takes much, much, more. I have to slowly outline every obstacle with my rag without knocking anything over. With clear surfaces (or even lifting things up), I can whip my rag around to my heart’s content.”

So, how much should you be decluttering before the pros arrive? According to Sarah McAllister, founder and CEO of GoCleanCo and House Work, simply nix the knick-knacks.

“When it comes to the little clutter items that gather on counters and tables, moving them slows us down. Before your cleaner comes, remove junk mail, pens, paper, etc., from your counters and tables,” she explains. “Some table decor and small appliances on your countertops are to be expected. But the less you keep on your counters, the cleaner those items stay. Leaving them on the counter exposes them to kitchen cooking splashes and accumulating dust.”

If you have the cupboard space to find them a home, McAllister adds, you should stow things like toasters and mixers away. The added bonus? This makes your kitchen look more neat and tidy.

Clear Dishes From the Sink

The kitchen sink is another spot where cleaners have strong feelings. One wrote about their hatred of food stuck all over the sink and drain, while another pointed to dirty dishes piled high. 

“One of our biggest requests to clients is please do your dishes and put them away before we get there, including emptying the dishwasher,” McAllister says. “Kitchens are one of the most time-consuming rooms to clean. If we are spending our time washing dishes and trying to figure out where you keep your salad bowls, that is taking away valuable scrubbing time where we could be focusing on cleaning your oven or baseboards.”

De-Gunk Your Brooms, Brushes, and Rags

If your cleaners use tools and products that you provide, it’s important to keep those things clean. This may sound like a no-brainer, but the cleaners on Reddit complained of brushes and brooms filled with hair, and dirty, hard-to-use rags.

“If you have a broom that is gathering hairballs and dust, I would suggest giving it a thorough suck with your vacuum hose,” McAllister advises. She notes it’s not a task that always needs to be done before a cleaner comes, but emphasizes emptying the vacuum cleaner bag ahead of each cleaning day.

Pick Up Items From the Floor

Your floors have probably been home to dirty clothes, dog toys, stray shoes, and other items. After all, you’re only human. But getting errant objects off the floors is a huge help to cleaners. “Floordrobes was my hate! When my clients just didn’t pick up their dirty drawers 🤢!” one cleaner wrote. Another steers clear of repeat offenders who leave “stuff all over the floors that I am expected to pick up.”

“I like to say we can’t clean your baseboards if we can’t see them,” McAllister says. “Put away the piles of clothes and get your kids to pick up their toys, too!”

Of course, nobody’s perfect, and cleaners understand that. “We ask our clients to leave us out a ‘go bin’ which is basically a box or a laundry hamper for us to put little knick knacks or things we find in and under the couch,” she adds. “They can go through it when they get home. This helps us clear the clutter so the home feels refreshed but stops people from looking for things after we leave.”

But Don’t Do a Deep Clean Before Cleaners Arrive

“I’ll say that my biggest peeve is, ironically, when the house is already clean,” a cleaner writes. “It just takes all the fun out of it! I’m just wiping clean surfaces. I also can’t justify my rate when I’m able to get it done so quickly.” 

Typically, a cleaner will pivot to a “detail clean” in these cases, like getting the tops of ceiling fan blades and the tops of kitchen cabinets. Still, most cleaners prefer you leave the cleaning to them.

“We appreciate our clients tidying before we arrive so we can focus on cleaning, but you hired us to clean, so let us,” McAllister says. 

Her main piece of advice? Just clear away the clutter. “If you do the preliminary ‘pick up’ before the cleaner comes, we have more time to scrub grout or clean your light fixtures,” she says. “I always ask: Do you want someone to tidy up or someone to clean? Some people want both—just remember that you get what you pay for and cleaning properly takes a lot of time.”