Getting a Cleaner for a Very Messy Home, Without the Judgement

Cleaners see homes in every state, and asking for help when things have got on top of you is a practical step, not a confession. Describe the home plainly when you get in touch, ask for a longer first visit or a deep clean, and agree beforehand what happens to your belongings.

Homes get away from people for all sorts of reasons: illness, a new baby, a bereavement, depression, long working hours, caring for someone, or simply a hard year. You are not the only one asking. People in Ireland regularly look for non-judgemental cleaners, and the guilt and embarrassment that can come with hiring help is something Irish writers have discussed openly too.

You do not need to tidy first

A lot of advice about hiring a cleaner says to tidy before they arrive. For a regular weekly clean, a quick tidy helps. For a home that has become overwhelming, that advice can make hiring feel impossible, so ignore it.

If you have the energy, the one useful thing you can do is put aside anything you definitely want to keep and make sure it does not end up in a bag by mistake: important papers, photos, medication, keepsakes. Even that is optional. You can do it together with the cleaner on the day.

How to describe your home

The more a cleaner knows in advance, the better they can plan. You do not need to explain how things got this way. Just the facts:

• Size of the home: bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, any garden or outside space
• Which rooms are affected most, and which are fine
• Roughly how full the rooms are: can you walk through them, reach the sink, open the presses?
• Whether there are dishes, food waste or bins that need clearing
• The state of the bathroom and kitchen
• Any pets, and how they are kept
• Any mould, damp, pests or broken fittings you know about
• Whether there is a lot to be thrown out, and how you would like it disposed of

Photos help a lot, if you feel able to send them. They let a cleaner quote properly and avoid surprises for both of you.

A message you can adapt

Hi, I'm looking for help with a deep clean of my two-bed apartment. It's got on top of me over the last few months. The kitchen has a lot of dishes and rubbish, and the bathroom needs a proper clean. One bedroom has clothes and boxes on the floor. There's no mould that I know of. I'd like someone friendly and discreet. Could you tell me how long you think it would take and what it would cost? I can send photos.

Our cleaning brief builder can help you put together a similar message.

What to ask a cleaner or company

• Have you done cleans like this before?
• Would you suggest a deep clean first, then regular visits?
• How many cleaners would you send, and for how long?
• Do you take away rubbish, or do I need to arrange a skip or bin collection?
• Will you check with me before throwing anything away?
• Can you be discreet about parking, bags and timing?
• Is the price fixed, or hourly? What if it takes longer?

The first visit is likely to take longer than a regular one. Ask how many cleaners and hours they expect, and remember that two cleaners for three hours is six cleaner-hours of work. Our guide to how long a house clean takes explains how to think about time.

Cleaning, decluttering or a specialist?

Not every job is a cleaning job. Knowing which kind of help you need saves money and stress.

What you need	Who usually does it	Signs this is you
A deep clean	A cleaning company or experienced cleaner	Surfaces, floors, kitchen and bathroom need serious work, but rooms are mostly usable
Decluttering and organising	A professional organiser, or a cleaner who offers it	Lots of belongings, hard to find things, rooms used for storage
Clearance	A clearance or rubbish removal service	Large amounts to dispose of, furniture, a full shed or attic
Specialist cleaning	A specialist firm	Extensive mould, pests, sharps, bodily fluids, or after a death

Many homes need a mix: a clearance first, then a deep clean. Ask each business which part it does. Our deep cleaning checklist and the deep cleaning service page show what a deep clean usually covers.

When it is a specialist job

Tell any cleaner up front about:

• Mould. Small patches on hard surfaces can usually be cleaned. Practical guidance from England suggests that larger areas should be left to qualified professionals, and that cleaning will not stop mould coming back unless the moisture source is fixed. Mould can trigger allergies and asthma, so mention anyone in the home with breathing problems. See mould and damp cleaning.
• Pests, needles, or bodily fluids. These need specialist handling. A standard cleaner may not be able to take them on, and that is about safety, not judgement.
• Structural or safety problems, such as leaks or broken wiring, which need a tradesperson first.

Getting rid of things safely

Big clear-outs often turn up things that cannot go in the household bin:

• Old cleaning products and chemicals. Do not pour them down the drain or put them in ordinary bins. Take them to a civic amenity site or council hazardous waste collection, and check on MyWaste that the site accepts them first.
• Old electricals. Household electrical equipment can be recycled free at designated centres.
• Batteries. Recycling is free at collection points and shops that sell batteries, with no purchase needed, according to the EPA.

If you are clearing out old cleaning products yourself, never mix them. Bleach with ammonia or acids, including vinegar, can release toxic gases. The National Poisons Information Centre's public line is 01 809 2166, 8am to 10pm every day.

On the day

• You decide what stays and what goes. Ask the cleaner to check with you about anything they are not sure about.
• Start with the rooms that make the most difference to daily life: usually the kitchen and bathroom, and somewhere to sleep.
• Take breaks. If being there is too much, it is fine to stay in another room or go out for a while.

Keeping it manageable afterwards

After a big clean, a regular visit stops things building up again. Even a short visit every week or two keeps the kitchen and bathroom under control. See how often you should get a cleaner for the options.

If the mess was linked to how you have been feeling, it can help to talk to someone you trust, or your GP. Getting the home back is one good step; you do not have to sort everything at once.

When you are ready, browse cleaners in your county, or look at Dublin, Cork or Limerick, and check each business's website for deep cleaning.