While we all know that house cleaners are there to clean your home, there can be a lot of confusion around what they can actually clean.
We get these questions all the time and we’re happy to answer them!
There are obvious questions like whether or not a house cleaner will clean the oven or other appliances, but what about more specific items…like toys?
Do house cleaners pick up toys?
Picking up toys is not a standard part of a house cleaner’s job and to get the most out of your service you should make sure toys are neatly put away. If that’s not possible, you can try working out a deal with your house cleaner to have them pick up toys.
Let’s take a closer look at why this is and what you need to know about having your house cleaner pick up toys.
Why House Cleaners Don’t Usually Pick Up Toys
There are two main reasons why house cleaners typically don’t pick up toys- let’s break them down!
Picking Up Toys Takes Too Much Time
House cleaning is hard work and it’s one of the few specialty jobs that almost everyone can appreciate since everyone has had to clean at some point in their life!
And if you’ve done any serious cleaning, you already know how much distractions can slow you down. Whether it’s kids hovering, unexpected phone calls, or even worse an unexpected mess any change to your cleaning routine can really slow you down. That’s one big reason why we usually suggest folks leave the house (if they can) and let the cleaning team do their thing.
Toys are no different than any of these other distractions and they can easily break up your house cleaner’s routine and impact the speed of the overall clean. To make matters worse, house cleaners don’t know where the toys are supposed to go and it’s not always obvious- especially if kids have brought their toys halfway across the house to another room.
Extra Tasks Make Giving Estimates and Planning Days More Difficult
If you’re paying hourly, then you’ll end up paying your cleaning team to pick up toys which doesn’t require a cleaning expert to do. If you’re paying a flat rate for the job, then throwing in extra tasks like picking up toys makes it harder for your house cleaning team to accurately give you a quote and someone won’t be happy at the end of the job- either you or your cleaning team!
It’s not easy to run a house cleaning business and while the idea is straightforward cleaning crews have dozens (sometimes hundreds) of clients that they need to manage. Even adding an extra 20 minutes to a job that normally takes two hours can have a domino effect on the daily schedule that leaves other clients unhappy.
House cleaners need to stick to what they’re great at so they can stay on schedule and it’s usually not finding the right spot for toys!
How To Ask Your House Cleaner To Pick Up Toys
Okay, what if you really want your house cleaner to pick up toys…is it possible to set this up?
Yes, but it will depend on who you hire!
Larger companies and chains may not have as much flexibility but smaller local businesses and individual cleaners will sometimes be willing to work with you.
Just make sure that you’re upfront with just how many toys will be around the house and make it obvious where they belong. If you set your house cleaner up for success, they may be open to picking up toys but you should expect a few to pass on the offer.
Just like changing the sheets or other special add-ons, if you’re upfront with your house cleaner, you can usually make a deal.
The big problem occurs when house cleaners don’t know in advance that there will be toys on the floor.
Not only is it an inconvenience to clean around them but when it comes to smaller toys, it could even damage expensive vacuums!
So always make sure you’re clear about the state of your home and what needs to be done!
What Do We Do At MOP STARS?
At Denver MOP STARS Cleaning Service, we don’t include picking up toys as part of our standard cleaning service.
However, we’d be open to the conversation of picking up toys or other special add-on projects as long as we know upfront.
Whenever possible, we try to provide individualized service so just let us know if this is something you need!
Closing Thoughts
Like many house cleaning questions, the short answer to whether or not house cleaners pick up toys is…it depends!
So while some companies and cleaning service providers will be up for the job, almost none will consider part of their core offering.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t get it done if you need it to be a part of your individual service!