What Should You Expect From a House Cleaner?

It’s easy to lose track of time during the week. Between family life obligations, going to work, and running errands, it can be challenging to muster the energy for vacuuming and mopping or doing the dishes. At the end of a long, hard day, wouldn’t you rather take it easy?

When you hire house cleaners, you can relax instead of worrying about keeping your home clean and tidy. With so many cleaning companies around, though, it’s hard to know where to start looking.

You might be wondering, ”What should I expect from a house cleaner?” At Brilho Luxury Home Services, we offer house cleaning services throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Give us a call at 416-923-3300! Our experience in providing a personalized cleaning solution and providing all the information you will need to make an informed decision is reflected by the reviews and number of customers who use us repeatedly.

Ask What the Cleaning Will Include

The best way to learn what to expect from a house cleaner is to ask the cleaning service directly. However, it can also be helpful to ask the cleaners directly when they arrive at your home.

Below, we will discuss how essential it is to clarify specific tasks with your cleaners. Always start by asking the cleaners general questions about what they plan to do and provide an estimate for an area or the entire property. If what they say doesn’t match your expectations, you’ll know to negotiate with the cleaners directly, if appropriate, or to get in touch with your cleaning service and request specific services.

Typically, standard cleaning services cover every room of the house. The house cleaners may need to pay more attention to the rooms with higher foot traffic like a bathroom or where there is a special carpet, but that doesn’t mean they will ignore other rooms unless you specifically direct them to do so.

Keep in mind that when you negotiate with the cleaning service, most cleaning companies will allow you to make special requests. These requests can range from asking them to not disturb a specific room to inquiring about a deep clean for your multiple-pet household.

Cleaning the Average House or Apartment

Generally, when you hire a house cleaning service, you can expect them to include the following tasks:

Scrubbing countertops, stovetops, tubs, large appliances, microwaves, toilets, showers, and sinks
Vacuuming and mopping all of your floors
Taking out the recycling and trash
Wiping down or dusting hard surfaces such as the kitchen or the bedrooms
Removing dirt and dust from high-visibility surfaces such as windows and mirrors

Most house cleaning services do not “declutter” homes since that requires sorting through household objects and knowing where they should go to put them into their proper places. That is a job better left to the resident of the home, unless you have a regular house cleaner who has learned your organizational scheme over time.

Prepare Your Home

When wondering what to expect from a house cleaner, doing some of your own pre-cleaning first may not have been your first impulse. However, it’s generally a good idea to do some tidying up and decluttering before the house cleaning service arrives.

It might seem counterintuitive to clean in preparation for a cleaner, but asking a housecleaner to spend time picking things up means less time for them to spend on the heavier tasks.

When you know the cleaners are on the way, set aside an hour to put away toys, gadgets, computer or phone chargers, placing clothes in a hamper, and generally move miscellaneous things off the floors and the countertops to remove the clutter so that the cleaner has full access to your surfaces.

Start With a Tour

When your house cleaners arrive for the first time, we highly recommend taking them for a tour of your house. The tour gives you the chance to explain your expectations about the cleaning process and them the opportunity to ask questions.

The initial tour is also the perfect time for you to ask any questions for potential house cleaners that the cleaning service has not explained. You can also point out problem areas or note specific rooms for them to focus on. Try not to be too chatty, though, since most cleaners are on a tight schedule.

Remember that the first few cleanings may not live up to your high standards for your home. Cynically thinking, “Well, what should I expect from a house cleaner?” isn’t a good mindset. Professional house cleaners need to learn the ins and outs of your house before they hit their stride.

Differentiate Between a House Cleaner and a Housekeeper

One of the most significant issues that customers deal with when wondering “What should I expect from a house cleaner?” is confusion about the term “house cleaner.”

A house cleaner and a housekeeper are two different roles and perform different duties. A housekeeper is a position involving the management of household tasks, and it often includes cooking, doing the laundry, and handling day-to-day tasks. You should not expect a house cleaner to do everything that a housekeeper would.

A house cleaner (similar to a maid or cleaning lady) visits your home on a set schedule, which may range from once a week to once a month, depending on your needs. During their visits, a house cleaner will often stay for a few hours to a whole day.

In contrast, most housekeepers work at a home full-time.

Communicate With Your Cleaning Service

If you aren’t satisfied with your home after a cleaning, it is vital to contact your cleaner or cleaning service. Communication between a service business and its clients is key to ensuring a satisfying ongoing business relationship.

Often, a cleaning company will send the same cleaner or team to your house for each visit. If that is the case, then the next time they come, you can explain to that person any changes you would like to see in how they clean your house. For example, you may want the kids bedrooms or the guest room cleaned with specific cleaning products or when they are cleaning specific kitchen appliances like the microwave or oven you expect certain level of care especially after having people over.

Be kind and gentle when making corrective suggestions to a house cleaner’s work routine. As the customer and homeowner, you are entitled to give instructions or request modifications to their routines, but remember that it will take a few visits before they learn your house and your expectations well.

If mistakes are frequent or egregious, you can escalate your complaints to the cleaning company. You can also ask for a replacement cleaning person or team if you believe someone else could perform a better job.

Learn more about our home cleaning services and see how we at Brilho Luxury Home Services can keep your Toronto house in pristine condition. You can check our Google Reviews for unbiased feedback.