Sparkling Homes FAQ: Should You Leave Dishes for Your Cleaner?

Michelle Allegrezza
5 hours ago
3 min read

To Wash or Not to Wash? The Great Kitchen Dilemma

We’ve all been there. Your professional cleaning appointment is just an hour away, and you’re staring at a sink full of breakfast dishes. You’re paying for a cleaning service, but does that include "doing the dishes"?

At Sparkling Homes, we believe in total transparency. Understanding what is typically included in a standard cleaning service helps you get the best value for your investment and ensures your home is cleaned exactly the way you expect.

Is Dishwashing Included in a Standard Cleaning?

In the professional cleaning industry, there is a distinct difference between cleaning and tidying.

Standard Cleaning: Focuses on sanitizing surfaces, scrubbing sinks, wiping down appliances, and mopping floors.
Tidying/Organizing: Involves moving personal items, clearing clutter, and—you guessed it—washing dishes.

Most standard cleaning checklists do not include a full sink of dishes. Why? Because washing, drying, and putting away dishes is time-consuming. If your cleaner spends 30 minutes at the sink, that’s 30 minutes they aren't spent deep-cleaning your shower or polishing your floors.

sparkling homes professional sink cleaning — A clear sink is a happy sink! ✨

Why We Recommend Clearing the Sink

To get the most out of your Sparkling Homes visit, we generally recommend having your dishes done (or tucked away in the dishwasher) before we arrive. Here’s why:

Access to the Sink: We need to scrub and sanitize your sink. If it’s full of plates, we can’t get to the surface to make it shine!
Focus on Detail: When the "clutter" is out of the way, your cleaner can focus on the grime, dust, and bacteria that actually require professional attention.
Safety First: Professional cleaners often use specific products for surfaces that aren't food-safe. Keeping dishes separate prevents any cross-contamination.

Can I Request Dishwashing as an Add-On?

Currently, Sparkling Homes does not offer full dishwashing as a standalone add-on service. Our team specializes in deep-cleaning and sanitizing your living spaces, and we want to ensure we have the time to make your floors and counters truly shine.

However, we aren’t robots! If we arrive and see a couple of stray coffee mugs or a couple plates in the sink, our cleaners will typically wash those quickly so they can get to the bottom of the sink to scrub it.

The general rule of thumb:

If it takes more than a minute or two, it’s best to have them cleared before we arrive. If the sink is full, our cleaners will focus on the rest of the kitchen and clean around the sink area to ensure they stay on schedule for your home's transformation.

Final Thoughts: A Partnership for a Cleaner Home

At the end of the day, our goal at Sparkling Homes is to give you back your time and provide a space that feels refreshed and inviting. While we don't handle the full mountain of dinner dishes, we are dedicated to the deep scrubbing and sanitizing that makes your kitchen a healthy place for your family. By clearing the sink before we arrive, you’re helping us focus on what we do best—making every inch of your home shine.