Interview guide
Interview questions for house cleaners.
The text screen already told you who has a car, which days they can work and what kind of cleaning they’ve done. This interview is for what a text can’t show: how they work in a client’s home with no one watching, and what they do when something goes wrong.
“How did you learn to clean the way you do?”
- Why ask
- It tells you whether you’re building on someone’s training or undoing their habits.
- Listen for
- A person or company that taught them, and something they changed after feedback. A newer cleaner without that story is fine if they’re curious about your way.
“Walk me through a bathroom, from the moment you walk in to the moment you’re done.”
- Why ask
- The order someone works in shows whether they have a system or are guessing.
- Listen for
- Top to bottom, product sprayed and left to sit while they do something else, a separate cloth for the toilet, and the floor last, working toward the door.
“Which cleaning products would you never mix?”
- Why ask
- Mixing the wrong products in a closed bathroom can make a toxic gas, so this is a safety question, not a trivia one.
- Listen for
- Bleach with ammonia, and bleach with acidic cleaners like toilet bowl or rust removers. Bonus if they mention reading the label and opening a window.
“You’re dusting a shelf and a vase falls and chips. The client isn’t home. What do you do?”
- Why ask
- Things break in the homes you clean, and what matters is that you hear about it before the client finds it.
- Listen for
- They stop, take a photo, set the pieces aside and call you or the lead right away. Watch for anyone who’d glue it, hide it or wait to see if anyone notices.
“What do you do if cash or jewelry is lying out where you need to clean?”
- Why ask
- Clients trust you with their homes, and the first time something goes missing, they remember who was there.
- Listen for
- Clean around it and leave it exactly where it was, or lift it just long enough to wipe underneath. Mentioning it to the lead is a good instinct.
“A client asks you to clean the oven or fold a load of laundry, and it’s not on the list. What do you say?”
- Why ask
- Extra work that isn’t booked puts the rest of the day behind and blurs what the client is paying for.
- Listen for
- A friendly answer that doesn’t promise anything, then a quick call or text to the office. Not a flat no, and not quietly doing it and running an hour late.
“It’s 2:45 PM, you have a room left, and your next house starts at 3:30. What do you do?”
- Why ask
- Running behind is normal in this work, but running behind without telling anyone isn’t.
- Listen for
- They tell the office or the next client early, and finish the rooms the client will notice first. Watch for anyone who’d rush the last room and hope.
“Before you leave a home, what do you check?”
- Why ask
- The last 5 minutes are where callbacks come from: a door not locked, a light left on, a dog in the wrong room.
- Listen for
- A last walk through every room, then doors, windows, lights, the alarm, pets where they found them, and all their supplies back in the car.
Then, a paid trial.
Pair them with your best cleaner for a real clean, usually 3 to 4 hours, in the home of a regular client who knows someone new is training. Watch the order they work in, whether they ask before guessing, and what your lead finds on the final walk-through. Pay your regular hourly rate for every hour of it.
Your next great hire is already texting.
Early access is open for every trade.