How to get ready for someone helping you clean

Choose the rooms that matter most

Time is the real constraint. A helper with three hours can do a thorough kitchen and bathroom, or a light pass over a whole apartment, but usually not both. List the rooms in priority order and say which ones you'd drop if time runs short.

Cleaning and decluttering are different jobs

Counters covered in mail and floors covered in laundry turn a cleaning job into a sorting job. If you can, clear the surfaces you want cleaned beforehand. If the clutter is the real problem, say so, or post organizing as its own Task. It's a different skill and takes a different amount of time.

Sort out supplies

Say whether you'll provide supplies or the helper should bring them. If you have surfaces that need specific products, like natural stone, unsealed wood, or a stainless range, leave out what you want used and mention what to avoid.

Pets, private things, and valuables

• Say if pets will be home and whether they'll be loose, crated, or in a closed room.
• Put away jewelry, cash, medication, and paperwork. It protects you and the person helping.
• Mark any rooms that are off-limits.

Agree on what clean means

"Clean the bathroom" can mean wiping the sink or scrubbing grout. Spell out the details you care about: inside the fridge, baseboards, the shower door, under the couch. If something shouldn't be touched, like a plant collection or a desk covered in papers, say that too.

After the visit

Walk through the space, or ask whoever was home to. If something was missed, message about it on the Task. On Momsity, if the Task wasn't done as described, open a review before you confirm, which keeps the payment on hold while it's looked at.