5 strange things people do before the house cleaner arrives

If you’ve read any of my other articles you’ll know that cleaning is my thing. It’s my job, and therefore, the reason I get out of bed in the morning.

These days, more and more people are opting to have their homes cleaned by professionals. Due in no small part to the demands placed on everyone’s time. A consequence of this is that I’m exposed to all different types of behaviours and personality types.

Everyone has little quirks or giveaways that help you understand them, and one of those quirks is what they do before we arrive at their home. Most customers behave in a way you’d define as completely normal. Others are borderline whacky!

Here are a few of the most absurd things I’ve seen people do before we come over:

1. Clean the entire house

Cleaning before the cleaner arrives isn’t uncommon. I’d wager most people give the house a quick tidy-up. Removing clutter from around the home actually helps cleaners do their job faster. Don’t get me wrong I love it when my life’s made a bit easier, but some people take that idea to the next level.

One particular customer of mine cleans her entire house before I come by. On top of that, she’s actually proud of it and boasts with comments such as “I probably don’t even need you, I cleaned everything yesterday afternoon”.

I’d love to see some scientific research on why people do this. I can only imagine its some combination of embarrassment, wanting to leave a positive impression and good old-fashioned OCD.

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Don’t look under the doona! Photo: iStock

2. Make the bed (but not the way you’re thinking)

A good way to begin each morning is to start by making the bed. It puts you in a good frame of mind and the rest of life’s challenges don’t seem as daunting.

It’s common for us to go to a house that has the bed made. But the absurdity sometimes lies under the doona! The old saying “out of sight and out of mind” applies here.

We’ve have multiple customers who throw every piece of clutter in their home on the bed. Then make the bed over the top of it. What results is the lumpiest made bed you’ve ever seen.

3) Substitute the oven for the dishwasher

Nearly everyone has a dishwasher these days. It’s a great way to keep dirty dishes off your sink and keep the kitchen looking clean. But what happens when the cleaner is coming over and the dishwasher is full?

You use the oven of course! I’ve been to homes that just couldn’t find the time to clear out the dishwasher. Instead, they ram every dirty glass, plate and pan into the oven so we can clean the kitchen without mess in the way.

You’d be surprised how many dirty dishes can fit in an oven. Photo: iStock

4. Getting the neighbours involved

Some people really misunderstand the role of a house cleaner. A while ago I visited an apartment that had the biggest pile of washing you could imagine. The hope was that I’d put it all in the washing machine, clean and fold it. Now, some maid services may provide this but we definitely aren’t one of those.

The funniest part of the whole experience? When I politely explained that it wasn’t included in the service she called her neighbours over to reclaim their clothes. People from three separate apartments came by to grab from the pile.

5. This room is out of bounds

Often we’ll clean a house when no one is home. That’s understandable, we have a nine-to-five workday like everyone else and sometimes that’s the way it works out. For this reason it’s not uncommon for the home owner to leave us instructions or notes. One in particular springs to mind:

“This room is out of bounds.”

I had a very good relationship with this customer and I must admit that my temptation got the better of me. I peeked inside. What laid before me was garbage bags full of empty bottles, cans and all sorts of other party items. It was like a bomb went off! When I asked about it later he told me they’d had a party the night before and that was the best he could do to straighten things out before I arrived. My only regret is that I wasn’t invited to the party. It looked like a great one.

Michael Brooke is a home and carpet cleaner based in Sydney. If you’ve thrown a party or are messy by nature there’s no need to clean before he arrives. If you do insist on doing so be sure to check out some of the carpet cleaning tips on his blog.