13+ Things Your House Cleaner Won’t Tell You

By Jennifer SteilUpdated: Mar. 20, 2019

Learn what your house cleaner is up to when you’re not around, plus the simple steps to getting better value for your money with these insider tips.

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1. Please Trust Me

You hire an AC guy and take his advice, you hire a plumber and do what he says, but I come in and you think you know more about how to clean than I do.

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2. Be Realistic

Don’t ask me to clean your five-bedroom house and then say you need it done in two hours. Make sure you give me enough time to clean everything properly.

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3. Help Me To Help You

Make sure you have all the cleaning products I will need. Sometimes I show up and my clients have nothing for me to use.

You know best what kind of cleaners you want used in your home. Some people want only organic cleaners, some are picky about brands, and others have allergies.

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4. Remember, I’m a Housecleaner

Please don’t ask me to sew on buttons, clean the wheels of your bike, scrub out your mailbox, or pull out the refrigerator in order to clean behind it.

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5. I Need Equipment

One of my bosses kept forgetting to get me a mop so I had to wash her floors on my hands and knees with a cloth. For weeks she did this. It’s really inconsiderate.

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6. Give Me a Head’s Up

I need reasonable notice if you are going to move or stop hiring me. Too many clients don’t think to tell me until the week they’re moving.

A month’s notice would be nice. You give your landlord a month’s notice. Please do me the same courtesy.

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7. Curiosity Does Sometimes Get the Best of Me

I really love to look at the books people have and the food they keep in their refrigerators.

Sometimes I can’t help reading something for 10 minutes. But I always make up the time by staying 10 minutes late or working faster.

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8. Drop In Once In a While

Come home unexpectedly and see what we’re doing. Good housecleaners won’t watch your TV, talk on the phone, or eat on your bed.

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9. For Best Results, Let Me Know What You Want

Please write a list of the things you would like me to do, as well as giving me verbal instructions, to ensure I don’t forget anything.

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10. I Know More Than You Think

I see the piles of bills marked “past due” and know you’re having money problems. I find drugs and condom wrappers in kids’ bedrooms. And I can tell who’s unfaithful because the cheaters always start hiding laundry.

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11. Be Wary If I Give You My Price Over the Phone

Reputable cleaners come to your home and give you a free estimate.

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12. Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Just because someone looks polished on the outside doesn’t mean their home is spotless.

One lady I cleaned for, a divorce attorney, always looked great, and she had a beautiful house in a gated community, but inside it was the filthiest, nastiest place in the world. It was like a hoarder hut, filled with junk.

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