If you’re hiring a professional house cleaner for the first time, you may be wondering: Do you leave the house when cleaners come?
The simple answer is you can, but you don’t have to.
Many homeowners choose to leave while their house is being cleaned because it gives the cleaning team room to work without having to clean around people. Others work from home, have young children, or simply prefer to stay.
Professional house cleaners are accustomed to both situations.
If you’re comfortable leaving, giving your cleaners an empty house can often make the cleaning process easier and more efficient. But a good cleaning company should also be able to work around you if you need to stay home.
Should I Leave When the House Cleaner Comes?
There’s no rule saying you need to leave.
It’s your home.
If you’re more comfortable being there during the first cleaning, stay home. This can also give you an opportunity to meet the cleaners, show them around and point out anything they need to know.
Once you’ve developed a relationship with your cleaning company, you may feel more comfortable leaving while they work.
Many recurring cleaning customers aren’t home at all when their cleaners arrive.
They may be at work, running errands or simply enjoying their free time somewhere else.
After all, getting your time back is one of the biggest reasons to hire a house cleaner in the first place.
Do House Cleaners Prefer You to Leave?
Many professional cleaners appreciate having the house to themselves.
It’s usually not because they don’t want you there.
It’s simply easier to clean efficiently when rooms are empty.
Think about vacuuming a living room while someone is watching television, cleaning a kitchen while someone is preparing lunch or mopping a hallway while people are walking through it.
The cleaner can still do the job, but it may take longer.
An empty home allows cleaners to develop a rhythm and move systematically from one room to another.
What If I Work From Home?
Working from home is extremely common, and it shouldn’t prevent you from hiring a house cleaning service.
The easiest solution is usually to let your cleaner know where you’ll be working.
For example, you might tell them:
“I’ll be working in the office. Just let me know when you’re ready to clean this room and I’ll move somewhere else.”
That gives the cleaning team the opportunity to work around your schedule.
You might work in your office while they clean the rest of the house, then move to the kitchen or another finished room while they clean your workspace.
A little communication usually makes the process easy.
What Should I Do Before the Cleaners Arrive?
You don’t need to clean your house before the house cleaner comes.
That defeats the purpose of hiring them.
However, there’s a difference between cleaning and picking up.
If possible, put away things such as:
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Clothes
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Children’s toys
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Papers
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Shoes
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Dishes
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Personal belongings
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Items covering countertops
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Excessive clutter on floors
The more accessible your home’s surfaces are, the more time your cleaners can spend actually cleaning them.
If a cleaner has to spend 20 minutes picking up toys before vacuuming a bedroom, that’s 20 minutes that could have been spent cleaning.
Should I Be Home for the First Cleaning?
Being home for at least the beginning of your first professional house cleaning can be helpful.
You can show the cleaner around and point out anything unusual.
For example, you might explain that a certain door sticks, one countertop requires a particular cleaning product, the dog needs to remain in a certain room or there’s a room you don’t want cleaned.
Once you’ve provided those instructions, you don’t necessarily need to remain home for the entire cleaning.
Some customers meet the cleaning team, walk through the house with them and then leave.
How Do Cleaners Get Into Your House If You’re Not Home?
Professional cleaning companies regularly clean homes while their customers are away.
The exact procedure depends on the company and what you’re comfortable with.
Customers might provide access through:
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A keypad or smart lock
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A lockbox
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A garage code
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A key
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Another agreed-upon entry method
If you provide a code or key, ask the cleaning company how access information is protected.
You should feel comfortable with the company’s procedures before allowing anyone into your home when you’re away.
Is It Safe to Leave House Cleaners Alone?
This is one reason choosing the right cleaning company matters.
Before giving someone unsupervised access to your home, learn about the company you’re hiring.
Consider asking whether the company is insured, how employees are hired, whether cleaners are employees or independent contractors, how the company handles keys and entry codes, and what happens if something is accidentally damaged.
Online reviews can also help you understand other customers’ experiences.
You shouldn’t feel pressured to leave your home until you’re comfortable doing so.
What About Pets?
Pets are another consideration.
Some dogs couldn’t care less that a cleaner is in the house.
Others definitely care.
If you have a dog that’s nervous around strangers, territorial or likely to get in the cleaner’s way, it’s usually best to secure the dog in a separate room, crate or another safe location.
You may also decide to take your dog with you while the house is being cleaned.
Cats are often less of an issue, but cleaners should know about indoor cats so they can be especially careful when opening exterior doors.
Let your cleaning company know about your pets before the first appointment.
What About Children?
You can certainly stay home with your children while cleaners work.
However, small children can make cleaning more difficult simply because they’re constantly moving through the house.
Freshly mopped floors and toddlers don’t always work particularly well together.
If it’s convenient, taking the kids to the park, library, lunch or another activity can give the cleaning team time to finish the house.
Then you get to come home to a clean house.
Should You Follow the Cleaner Around?
Generally, no.
You should absolutely communicate your expectations and point out anything important.
But once the cleaning begins, give the cleaner room to work.
Standing nearby and watching every task can make almost anyone uncomfortable.
If you’ve hired a reputable professional cleaning company, explain what you need and allow the cleaners to do their jobs.
If there’s a problem afterward, communicate it with the company.
Can I Stay in One Room?
Absolutely.
If you don’t want to leave the house, staying primarily in one room can make things much easier.
This is especially useful for people who work from home.
Let the cleaner complete most of the house while you remain in your office or bedroom.
When they’re ready to clean that room, simply move to an area they’ve already finished.
This keeps everyone from constantly working around each other.
Does Leaving Make House Cleaning Faster?
It can.
Consider a cleaning team trying to vacuum, mop and wipe surfaces while family members are walking through rooms, making food, using bathrooms and moving belongings.
The cleaners may need to stop and restart tasks several times.
When the house is empty and picked up, they can generally move from one task to another without interruption.
That can make the cleaning process more efficient.
Where Should I Go While My House Is Being Cleaned?
This is actually one of the benefits of hiring a house cleaner.
You don’t need to spend those hours waiting for the cleaning to finish.
You could:
Run errands.
Go grocery shopping.
Take the kids somewhere.
Go to lunch.
Take the dog for a walk.
Meet a friend for coffee.
Go shopping.
Or simply go do something you enjoy.
If you’re in Northwest Arkansas, there are plenty of ways to spend a couple of hours while someone else handles the cleaning.
The idea is simple: you’re paying someone to give you some of your time back.
Use it.
Do I Need to Come Back Before the Cleaners Leave?
Usually not, as long as you’ve made arrangements with the cleaning company.
If the cleaners can securely lock the house when they leave, you may not need to return until it’s convenient.
Make sure everyone understands how the home should be secured.
If there’s an alarm system, smart lock or special procedure, provide clear instructions beforehand.
What If I Don’t Feel Comfortable Leaving?
Then don’t.
You should never feel obligated to leave your own home because a cleaner is there.
Stay for the first few appointments if that makes you more comfortable.
As you get to know your cleaning company and develop trust, you may eventually decide you’d rather leave.
Or you may always prefer to be home.
Either option is perfectly reasonable.
So, Should You Leave the House When Cleaners Come?
You don’t have to leave your house when professional cleaners come, but leaving can make the cleaning process easier and more efficient.
If you work from home or prefer to stay, try to remain in one area and move to a finished room when the cleaners need to clean your workspace.
If you’re comfortable leaving, make sure the cleaning company has a secure way to enter and lock your home.
Most importantly, hire a cleaning company you trust.
Professional House Cleaning in Northwest Arkansas
Groovy Maid provides professional residential cleaning throughout Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, Bella Vista, Pea Ridge and surrounding Northwest Arkansas communities.
Whether you’re home during your cleaning or out enjoying your day, the goal is the same: come back to a clean, comfortable home without spending your own free time cleaning it.
So go ahead and run your errands, grab lunch or enjoy Northwest Arkansas while we take care of the cleaning.
