Those who have a house cleaner...

[~Hestia~]

what do you do with your clutter? I'm getting a cleaner who is starting next week. I don't expect or want her to 'tidy' but does this mean I clear all the surfaces for her prior?

TIA!

[Catastrophic]

I would always do a general clean, tidy everything away. And she would come and scrub/vaccume/mop etc.


Love MN ;-)

[Bloom]

Yup, I'd expect that you'd put most of your clutter away or into neat piles. I always make sure I pick up DS1s toys before they come. I generally keep a pretty clutter free house though.

[willow5]

I am a cleaner and some of my clients just chuck any kids or husbands mess etc up onto beds so the floors are clear. A couple have a basket/washing basket that they put any mail, notes, paper work, you know general stuff like that that can living on bench tops. That's if they haven't had time to sort it and put it away properly. Another thing I find handy is when people have heaps of toiletries on the vanity, if they have a box or plastic tub to put it all in so you can get in and clean with out having to move it all, find somewhere to put it, then move it back and all that, it's great. Even if you leave the tub there it's easier to have one place to put stuff, then clean the vanity and put it all back.
HTH

[~Hestia~]

Thank you girls, very helpful. I want it to be easy for her but the thought of going through all this stuff that has accumulated was quite daunting! Great idea about popping it all into a basket for the time being, I can do that

[Cally]

I do a tidy up, but we don't have a lot of clutter around our place anyway. I will sometimes put things up on the beds if I have time, will try and put everything that has accumulated on the vanity during the week away too. I don't move things off bookcases etc if that is their usual place. I prefer to tidy up before than try to find where the cleaner has put them afterwards.

[feeb]

I have piles of crap around place and i put all washing needing put away in DS2 cot before she comes.

[Boo Boo]

I do a big tidy up...but I tidy up every night lol....

[LionsandBears]

We do a tidy up. Get everything off the floor. Put the dining chairs up, move washing etc. sometimes that involves chucking things on a bed. I've started doing that container thing willow mentioned in the kitchen for the million of vitamins we leave out. I need to do it for bathroom things.

I still feel like a bit of a slob when the cleaner sees my untidy desk.

[*EJ*]

I try to make it as easy as possibly... with 3 kids around

[~Hestia~]

Thanks girls, very helpful!

[Jennifer13]

Same as the others, I tidy up. DD is responsible for tidying up her bedroom and the playroom/toys. It's an incentive - I tell her if she doesn't tidy it away then how can Annie clean properly and she runs the risk of losing things up the vacuum cleaner.

I also make sure I take out all the rubbish and if I can do the washing up so that the kitchen is completely clean. If I don't get a chance, Annie does it for me.

Love the container in the bathroom idea, I often put almost all of our toiletries in the drawers but there is always something still on the bench. Also like the paperwork container on the bench idea.

[willow5]

DD is responsible for tidying up her bedroom and the playroom/toys. It's an incentive - I tell her if she doesn't tidy it away then how can Annie clean properly and she runs the risk of losing things up the vacuum cleaner.

This is what one of my mum's does too