Like many a homeowner you’ll feel an urge to clean before the housesitter arrives. And that’s likely a good thing, however, time is a limited resource for most of us so just where do you start? In this article we help with few suggestions for what to prioritise for cleaning and what might wait, given your limited time as a busy professional. Read on to learn more.

What to Clean Before The Housesitter Arrives and What Can Wait

The suitcase is open on the bed. There are dishes in the sink, the guest bathroom needs cleaning, and somehow this feels like the right moment to sort out the cupboard under the stairs. Suddenly you have an urge to clean before the housesitter arrives. But is it realistic?

Leave the cupboard alone. Unless your sitter needs something in it, you’ve probably got a better use for that last evening at home.

places to clean before the housesitter arrives include the kitchen — The kitchen is an important room to clean before the housesitter arrives
Photo credit – Tima Miroshnichenko

Before a house sitter arrives, consider what to leave the housesitter and how you are going to clean. For example you might consider it reasonable to clean the kitchen, bathroom and sleeping space they’ll use, clear the floors, and deal with food or rubbish that shouldn’t sit around while you’re away. Most of the remaining jobs can be judged by a fairly ordinary question: will this make their stay harder if I leave it?

That question helps with booking a cleaner, too. For a Raleigh homeowner considering Bright Oak Home Services, the choice between standard and deep cleaning should come from the condition of the house. Having a sitter coming doesn’t, on its own, call for the bigger service.

Leave somewhere to put a bag, make breakfast and sleep

Start in the room where your sitter will sleep. Fresh sheets matter. So does having somewhere to put a phone and a glass of water without moving your belongings first. Clear a bedside surface, make space for their bag and vacuum the floor you can reach.

A guest room can look ready while still being full of your stuff. You don’t have to empty it. Just decide which space the sitter can use and actually leave that space available.

Then check the bathroom. Clean the toilet, basin, shower or tub, and floor. Put out clean towels rather than leaving the sitter to work out which ones are fresh. If this bathroom rarely gets used, look inside the shower now. It’s an annoying surprise to find on departure morning.

In the kitchen, the useful jobs are straightforward: dishes, counters, stovetop, sink and any spills inside the microwave. Open the fridge as well. That half-used packet or bowl of leftovers won’t become somebody else’s lunch unless you’ve agreed it will. Dispose of food that won’t keep, explain what’s available to eat, and leave room for the sitter’s groceries.

Finish with the paths between these rooms. Shoes beside a doorway, a trailing cord or a bag on the stairs may be familiar to you. Someone arriving with luggage won’t necessarily know to step around them.

Deep cleaning vs regular cleaning: look at the actual work

Regular cleaning is for keeping up with a home that’s already reasonably maintained. Deep cleaning gives more attention to buildup and detail work. The distinction is useful, but the package names alone won’t tell you exactly what’s included.

Take the bathroom. If it needs the usual clean, do that. If the shower has accumulated grime you’ve been putting off, allow time to tackle it before leaving. Don’t add it to the sitter’s list simply because they’ll be using the room.

Bright Oak’s deep cleaning service in Raleigh includes washing baseboards and cleaning doors, frames, interior window glass and tracks. That makes it relevant when those are the neglected jobs in your house. It doesn’t mean every home needs all that work before a trip.

There are a couple of booking details to catch early. At Bright Oak, oven and refrigerator interiors cost extra with a deep clean. Bed-making and linen changes are optional extras as well. If fresh sheets are one of the reasons you’re booking, ask for that service instead of assuming the bed will be made.

A pre-vacation cleaning checklist, without doing everything twice

Get the spare room ready first if nobody will use it before the sitter arrives. Save the kitchen surfaces for later. Otherwise you’ll clean them, cook two more dinners and have to do them again.

A few days ahead:

Deal with bathroom buildup and other cleaning that needs extra time.
Prepare the sleeping space and wash the bedding and towels.
Wash pet bedding where needed, following its care instructions.
Confirm any cleaner’s booking, including extras and access.

The day before:

Vacuum or mop the accessible floors as appropriate.
Clean the bathroom and kitchen.
Sort out the fridge.
Put the vacuum, cleaning supplies and instructions where you’ve agreed they’ll be.

Before you hand over the keys:

Wash the last dishes and wipe fresh spills.
Empty bins that need it.
Check for anything blocking access to the sitter’s rooms or pet supplies.

An early flight changes the timing, of course. Do as much as possible the night before. There is no advantage in leaving a full bathroom clean for a morning when you also need to get to the airport.

prepare the guest bedroom to welcome the housesitter — The guest bedroom is important to prepare and clean before the housesitter arrives
Photo credit – La Miko

What can wait? Plan what to clean before the housesitter arrives

Dust inside a cupboard the sitter won’t open. Interior window glass in an unused room. Shelves in a study that will stay closed. Those jobs can usually wait, provided there’s no hygiene or access issue.

The same cupboard becomes a priority if that’s where you’ve told the sitter to keep their food. Context matters more than working through every item on a long cleaning list.

Pet care takes priority, too. A dusty spare room is one thing; a dirty area the sitter needs to use for feeding or caring for an animal needs attention before you go.

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Have the small conversation about cleaning

Your housesitter can agree to “keep things tidy” and mean quite different things. Be clear with your sitter what you’re asking for. Dishes used during the stay? Kitchen spills? Taking the bins out? Include pet-related clean-up in that conversation and write down the agreement. At Housesit Match we always recommend preparing an ‘Easy Sit Guide’ with all the essential details of the house and pet weekly routines.

If details matter to you then discuss them and make a list. Not everyone will want an oven scrub or a deep-cleaning checklist so consider it a separate request. Don’t let it become an unspoken expectation. Be clear and be reasonable about what you plan to clean before the housesitter arrives and what you can expect from them..

cleaning the living of a home with pets — It is important that the main living areas are prepared especially if you have pets, so do clean before the housesitter arrives in the living room and other communal areas.
Photo credit – Matilda Wormwood

Show the sitter the supplies, especially anything needed for a particular surface. Leave products in their original labeled containers. If your home receives City of Raleigh waste collection, look up your address in Raleigh Reuse or MyRaleigh Services and leave the collection details with them.

Before you leave, walk through the house together. Point out the space you’ve cleared, the towels and anything unfinished. Then give the sitter time to ask about the things you haven’t thought to explain.