Anonymous wrote:Funny you should ask. I JUST spent about a half-hour on this very task. Threw the sheets in the wash, picked up toys and clothes, cleaned the litterbox and the fridge (stinky stuff all in one trash bag; rats are less likely to tear up the bag to get at the spoiled food if there's cat poop in there too).I really enjoy picking up before the housekeeper comes. I can focus on putting things away, and not get distracted by the dirt. She'll take care of that.

This is incorrect. My wife used to live at an apartment on the first floor where the trashbin was like 100 feet away from her apartment. She would leave bagged trashed on her balcony and the rats woudl come and eat through her bag and eat the poop in the dispossed liter. She was at a high dollar building too I think they built it over an old trash site or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't pickup before the cleaners come, and I have them come weekly. What I have been trying to do is slowly de-clutter the house. That has helped a bunch.

I don't use a service, but wondered whether the service wouldn't clean your house anyway if you didn't "tidy up" first? Are you trying to make less work for them? Or are you trying to create an impression that you are not quite as sloppy as you really are?

Not that poster, but I get a lower rate for not having tons of crap and knick knacks everywhere. Time is money, and if they see a relatively-clutter free house, they know they can do it more quickly and move on.

I like that having a cleaning service forces me to declutter once every couple of weeks. Takes me about an hour as well.

I would say about 30 minutes. We have the kids (2,5 & 7) help pick up their room. We tell them the cleaning ladies will throw their toys in the trash if they don't put them away. The problem is the dishes. Sometimes they unload dirty dishes from the dishwasher and attempt to put them away. Sometimes they'll take dirty dishes from the sink and put them on top of clean dishes in the dishwasher. We learned this the hard way!

Also, if we don't have time to pick up before they come, we give them a larger tip to compensate.

we always declutter before our cleaners come, like put away shoes, clean off desks, counter tops etc... We want them to spend their time washing surfaces, dusting, cleaning the floor etc... NOT decluttering. On top of that when they do put things away we always can't find them. They do change our sheets.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't pickup before the cleaners come, and I have them come weekly. What I have been trying to do is slowly de-clutter the house. That has helped a bunch.

I don't use a service, but wondered whether the service wouldn't clean your house anyway if you didn't "tidy up" first? Are you trying to make less work for them? Or are you trying to create an impression that you are not quite as sloppy as you really are?

They will clean it, but then they have to put stuff away - and if they put stuff away you may not be able to find it.

I try to follow a "rule of 5" - Every night I put away five things from the living room, bedroom, etc - even if not everything is clean, I'll have put away at least five things in that room. Sometimes the momentum builds up and I put away more things. I try to spend about 15 minutes after DD's bedtime straightening up.

Anonymous wrote:I don't pickup before the cleaners come, and I have them come weekly. What I have been trying to do is slowly de-clutter the house. That has helped a bunch.

I don't use a service, but wondered whether the service wouldn't clean your house anyway if you didn't "tidy up" first? Are you trying to make less work for them? Or are you trying to create an impression that you are not quite as sloppy as you really are?

I spend a couple of hours the night before decluttering. If I take the time to do this, she is able to get my house SO much cleaner since she is not spending time lifting the clutter and putting it out of her way, and then leaving it there because she doesn't know where it goes. The FlyLady has a great decluttering method. www.flylady.net

Probably 30-45 mins for each of us. We focus on getting stuff off the floors and the kitchen counters. I think having to do that every 2 weeks is one reason we have someone come in.

About an hour, although the first time I tidied ahead of her for nearly the entire time, about three hours.

We are also getting better, though.

30 minutes. All I can say is to at least pick up a room a few times a week. You will feel so much better walking into a clean room once in a while. Btw it only gets worsevwith kids and their standards will e whatever they see you doing.

I don't pickup before the cleaners come, and I have them come weekly. What I have been trying to do is slowly de-clutter the house. That has helped a bunch.

Funny you should ask. I JUST spent about a half-hour on this very task. Threw the sheets in the wash, picked up toys and clothes, cleaned the litterbox and the fridge (stinky stuff all in one trash bag; rats are less likely to tear up the bag to get at the spoiled food if there's cat poop in there too).

I really enjoy picking up before the housekeeper comes. I can focus on putting things away, and not get distracted by the dirt. She'll take care of that.

Trying to clean up right before the cleaner comes is a losing proposition. The key is to force yourself to keep the clutter under control - do it on a daily basis. Throw out junk mail (or at least have them in one big pile), pick up clothes etc.

30-60 minutes. I focus on making sure the kitchen and bathrooms are completely clutter free because that is where I want them to clean the most thoroughly. We clean up clutter in the other rooms too but if I can't get rid of it all then I don't sweat it. I'll do better in that room the next time.

My husband and I are both not the neatest people. We're trying to reform!

We hired a housecleaner to come every other week. She's been coming for about 3 months now and things are a little better but not a lot better.

I had hoped that knowing she was coming would force us to get better about tidying up at least before she came. It did help some but we still spend what seems like a LOT of time scurrying around the night before she is coming.

If you are like us -- about how long would you say you spend tidying up before a housecleaner comes? An hour? Three?

And does it help you stay more on top of things if you have the cleanner come weekly instead of every other week?