This is one of the questions that everyone asks us—should I clean my home before you come to clean?

Our answer: Tidy, don’t clean! If at all possible, tidy and declutter what you can so that you maximize your cleaner’s time while they are in your home. You want the cleaning company to focus on the hard work of cleaning, so don’t waste your money and their time by requiring them to pick up toys, load the dishwasher, and clear off countertops before they can start cleaning.

Don’t worry if you don’t have time to pick up before your cleaners arrive. Most cleaning services will handle all of these tidying tasks for you if you need them to. But if you want your cleaners to focus more attention on the tough jobs like mopping the floors and scrubbing the showers, it’s best to ensure that they get to these harder jobs as quickly as possible.

Your best bet is to tidy up your home without actually doing any real cleaning before your cleaning service arrives. If you’re short on time, take a laundry basket and zip through the house dumping clutter into the basket to be sorted later. Otherwise, try to return everything to its proper place so that surfaces are cleared, floors are uncluttered, tables are empty, and the sink is free of dishes. Hang up jackets, put clean laundry away, and recycle your junk mail when you get ready for your cleaners to arrive.

Tidying is actually a great strategy to make your space feel clean when the cleaner isn’t due for another few days. One of the easiest ways to stay on top of things is to get rid of the clutter that has accumulated on a daily basis by doing some daily maintenance cleaning. Throw out trash and put everything back into its proper storage location each and every day.

But don’t worry about doing any actual cleaning before your cleaners arrive. Leave the scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, and mopping to the professionals. That’s why you’ve hired them in the first place!