Tidy before the cleaners arrive, but do not clean. You do not need to be home, though the first ten minutes help so your preferences get written down. A first clean on a two-bedroom usually takes three to five hours. Tipping is not expected. If something is missed, say so within 24 hours.
Hiring someone to clean your home for the first time is a strangely awkward thing. You are letting a stranger into your private space and you are not sure what the etiquette is. Here is the whole thing, plainly.
Should you tidy before they arrive?
Tidy, yes. Clean, no.
The distinction matters. Putting away clothes, dishes, toys and paperwork genuinely helps, because a cleaner cannot wipe a counter that is covered in mail or vacuum a floor covered in laundry. Every minute spent moving your belongings is a minute not spent cleaning.
But do not scrub anything. People routinely clean before the cleaner arrives out of embarrassment, and it is wasted effort. Nobody is judging your kitchen. It is the job.
Do you need to be home?
No, and most clients are not after the first visit. What matters is that we can get in, which in Chicago is less trivial than it sounds. High-rises usually require the building to be notified, a certificate of insurance on file, and sometimes a freight elevator reservation. Walk-ups need a door code or a key arrangement. Sort this out when you book rather than on the morning.
For the first clean specifically, it helps to be home for the first ten minutes. That is when we walk the home with you and write down your preferences, and it is much faster in person than over email.
How long does it take?
Longer than you expect, and longer than subsequent visits. A first clean on a two-bedroom typically runs three to five hours; a deep clean on the same home can run considerably more. Recurring visits after that are usually shorter, because the home starts from a better baseline each time.
If someone quotes you ninety minutes for a first-time whole-home clean, ask what they are leaving out.
What about pets?
Tell us in advance, always. Not because pets are a problem, but because a cleaner who is surprised by a large dog behaves differently than one who was expecting it, and because we need to know which doors must stay shut. If your animal is anxious around strangers or vacuums, the humane option is usually a closed room or a few hours out of the house.
Do you tip?
It is not expected and it is not built into our pricing. Some clients tip after a first or deep clean, many do not tip at all on recurring visits, and both are completely normal. If you want to do something that actually helps, a review or a referral is worth more to a small company than cash.
What if something gets missed?
Say so, the same day if you can. Any honest cleaning company would rather hear it than have you quietly not rebook. Our policy is a 24-hour re-clean: tell us within a day and we come back and redo that area at no charge, with no forms and no argument about whether it counts.
The thing worth understanding is that a missed spot on a first clean is usually a communication gap, not carelessness. We do not yet know that you care about the inside of the microwave more than the baseboards. That is what the first-visit walkthrough is for, and it is why we write your preferences down rather than trusting whoever shows up next time to remember.
What should the home be like afterwards?
The home will smell like almost nothing, which surprises people. Heavy fragrance is usually covering something rather than indicating cleanliness. You may also notice that the first clean reveals problems you had stopped seeing, a stained grout line, a scuffed baseboard. That is normal and it is not damage; it was there under the dirt.
If you are still deciding what to book, the difference between a deep clean and a general clean is worth two minutes of reading first, because booking the wrong one is the most common reason a first experience disappoints.
Common questions
Should you clean before the cleaner arrives?
Tidy, but do not clean. Put away clothes, dishes and paperwork so surfaces and floors can be reached. Scrubbing beforehand is wasted effort.
Do you need to be home for a house cleaning?
No, and most clients are not after the first visit. Arrange building access, door codes and any certificate of insurance when you book rather than on the day.
How much do you tip a house cleaner?
Tipping is not expected and is not built into flat pricing. A review or a referral is worth more to a small company than cash.