I always clean up before my cleaner gets here. Stuff that should be put away put away, and give the toilet a bit of attention also...

Can'tsay I'd do the same - lol -clean away.

Well, I can't afford a house cleaner anymore, but when I was married, we had (and she still has) one. We never "cleaned" for them, but we did pick up clutter and generally straighten up so they could focus on doing actual cleaing instead of having to move our crap around. LOL! How did Carliln put it? "Move your shit so I can put my stuff down." Cuz your shit is shit, and my shit is stuff. (not sure where that came from, but there it is)

Preparing for him is good. It means some things will get extra attention. And he can do some things that are not usual becuase of the extra time you have saved him.

But:: how will he learn if you do everything for him?

Do you have a male house cleaner just so you can watch a man clean?

I AM my house cleaner ...

My mother always cleans for the cleaner. On the flip side, I once nannied for a family of slobs and their house cleaner used to vent to me about how they never even picked up and how much longer it took to clean.

Oh yes, I do that. I believe everyone does that to some degree. You have to pick up s little so they can be effficient. I try not to leave dirty dishes cause I don't want them wasting time on that. And I don't leave piles of dirty close around. But I also don't clean the stove top all spick and Span before they show up.

I can't stand having someone else clean for me. I'm not the greatest house keeper but I'd rather live with the mess than have someone (even my mother though I can't stop her) (second thoughts, especially my mother. She did that for long enough.) clean up my place.
PS I have two teens, so the mess often approaches screaming levels.

I've never hired a house cleaner, but if I want the house to be cleaned, I have company over. It seems like the only time I notice the mess is if I know someone is coming. Then I'll clean like a madman.

I've done that too!

My mom does that, it’s so funny. She pre washes the dishes before using the dish machine too. Most people wash there jeans after one use too. It’s a waste of money, cleaner and water.

I’ll go camping run burnt wood coals on a plate and rinse it. Works for me and I don’t get sick. Jeans, Ha! The pen distressed look is in. Cheap too.

I have done this

My mother does the same thing. She feels like she has to clean the house up for the housecleaners.

The only way for him to learn where everything goes, is to experience putting it away.

Conversely: if you are employing him to clean a, b, and c, but not d, e or f, and you are cleaning d, e, and f before he arrives, then all is good as you are restricting his attention to that which you have contracted for him to do.

When we had a cleaner, I actually wanted them to do things like make the bed (at the time my wife and I were both professionals working for IBM and having them come in once a week and take care of the house was nice). They didn't do that. All they did was dust and vacuum, basically... we stopped that service as it seemed like, for the cost, we could do that ourselves. Were we asking too much?

It is not a confortable arrangement. Store everthing you like in a secore spot, and let them do their thing.

Seems like a foreign concept to me haha. I could never afford to have someone clean my house! Sounds awesome

Some frineds of mine have hired maids off and on over the years and it was always the same reason when they ended up canceling the service. They would go through this cleaning frenzy the day before because my friends are terrible house keepers and there were certain things that the cleaning service did not clean.

While I don't have a house cleaner, I have heard of others that do this. My first job however was cleaning rooms in a motel, so whenever I travel and stay somewhere, I always clean the room as much as I can to help the housekeepers...and I still leave them a tip.

If you're paying him to clean, let HIM clean.