TL;DR
Securing valuables takes about two minutes and protects the crew as much as it protects you. Cash, prescription medication, jewelry, spare keys, and small electronics are the short list. When nothing valuable is loose, a misplaced item never turns into a suspicion.
This Is Household Practice, Not an Accusation
People hesitate at this step because it feels like distrust. It is not. You would put a wallet away before an open house, a party, or a contractor visit, and nobody reads those as accusations.
The reason to do it is not that theft is likely. It is that ambiguity is miserable. A missing earring that turns up in a couch cushion three weeks later has already cost a good working relationship, an uncomfortable phone call, and a lot of second-guessing on both sides. Removing the ambiguity is a favor to everyone in the house.
Source: consumer protection agency guidance on in-home services
What Should You Put Away Before Cleaners Arrive?
Secure cash, prescription medication, jewelry and watches, spare keys, small electronics, and any paperwork with account numbers on it. A closed drawer handles most of it. A locked drawer or a small safe handles the rest. It takes about two minutes once it becomes routine.
Work through the house in the order the crew will.
Bathrooms. Prescription medication is the single most important item on this list and lives by default in exactly the room that gets cleaned most thoroughly. Move it, and consider a locking box for controlled medications as a permanent habit rather than a per-visit one.
Bedrooms. Jewelry, watches, cash in a nightstand, and loose collectibles. Small, portable, and easy to lose track of.
Kitchen and entry. Cash on the counter, spare keys on a hook, a wallet by the door, and mail with account information.
Office areas. Checkbooks, tax documents, passports, and anything with a password written on it.
Cash Deserves Its Own Rule
Cash is the item most likely to cause a dispute and the least likely to be resolved. It has no serial number, no photograph, and no way to prove how much was there.
That is also why many bond forms and company policies limit or exclude cash entirely. The financial backstops that exist for theft in this industry generally work better for identifiable property than for currency, as what bonded actually means explains.
The simplest fix is to keep no loose cash in the open on cleaning days. If cash is being left as a tip, leave it in a labeled envelope so there is no question what it was for.
Tell the Crew What Not to Touch
Securing valuables handles the small stuff. A short written note handles the rest.
Name any room that should be skipped entirely, any surface with fragile or sentimental items, any collection that should not be dusted, and anything that looks like clutter but is not. Crews cannot guess which stack of papers is important, and the safest assumption for them is to leave things where they are.
Written instructions work far better than a verbal walkthrough that a substitute crew never heard. A practical format is in how to write instructions your house cleaner can follow.
Photograph the Genuinely Irreplaceable
For high-value items you keep in the open, a photo and a note about where they sit is worth the minute it takes. This is standard practice for household inventory generally, not something specific to cleaning visits.
It helps in every direction: with your own insurer, with a company's claim process, and with the far more common situation where an item was moved rather than taken.
What to Do If Something Is Missing
Act the same day, and act calmly. Most of these situations end with the item found.
- Retrace the visit. Items get moved during cleaning far more often than they disappear. Check under, behind, and inside nearby furniture, and check anywhere things were relocated to clear a surface.
- Note when you last saw it and where.
- Report it to the company in writing, not just by phone, and ask what their process is.
- File a police report if the item has real value. Many bond claim forms require one.
- Ask your own insurer whether the loss is covered under your policy.
- Keep the reporting window in mind, since company policies and bond forms commonly require prompt notice.
Reporting in writing matters more than people expect. It fixes the date, the description, and the request, all of which get fuzzy within a week.
Source: surety and fidelity industry association guidance
Accidental damage follows a different path than a missing item, and the sequence there is covered in what happens if a cleaner breaks something.
Prevention Beats Every Backstop
Screening, bonding, and insurance all matter, but they operate after something has gone wrong. Securing valuables operates before, which is why it is the highest-value two minutes in this whole subject.
Combine it with the other habits that reduce ambiguity: a revocable entry code, a confirmed identity at the door, and a provider you actually vetted. Those are in a simple safety checklist for letting a cleaner in, and what screening can and cannot catch is in what gets checked in a house cleaner background check.
A Starting-Point Pre-Visit Routine
Adapt this to your household rather than treating it as a fixed standard.
- Move prescription medication out of the bathroom.
- Put cash, jewelry, and watches in a closed or locked drawer.
- Collect spare keys and remove them from hooks and counters.
- Put away small electronics and anything with account numbers.
- Clear or label anything fragile and sentimental.
- Write down which rooms to skip and what not to move.
- Do the same thing before every visit, not just the first.
The last line is the one that matters. Doing this only for a new provider communicates suspicion. Doing it every time is simply how the house runs.
FAQ
Should I hide valuables before a house cleaning?
Securing them is sensible household practice, the same as before a party or an open house. It protects the crew from suspicion as much as it protects your property, and it removes the ambiguity that makes a misplaced item so painful to resolve.
What is the most important thing to secure before cleaners arrive?
Prescription medication. It is portable, valuable, and sits by default in the bathroom, which is one of the most thoroughly cleaned rooms in the house. A locking box is a reasonable permanent solution rather than a per-visit one.
What should I do if something is missing after a cleaning?
Retrace the visit first, since items are moved far more often than taken. Then report it to the company in writing the same day, note when you last saw it, and file a police report if the item has real value.
Does a cleaning company's bond cover a missing item?
Sometimes, but the terms are narrower than people expect. Many forms require a police report or a conviction, apply only to employees rather than subcontractors, and limit or exclude cash. Ask for the actual terms rather than assuming.
Is it rude to lock a room during a cleaning visit?
No. Locked or excluded rooms are common and crews handle them routinely. Say so in advance so nobody wastes time on a door that will not open, and note it in your written instructions rather than leaving it as a surprise.
How long do I have to report a missing item?
Company policies and bond claim forms commonly carry short notice windows, so treat same-day reporting as the standard. Ask the provider for the specific window before you book, and put the report in writing when the time comes.
The whole-house equivalent of this routine is covered by house cleaning services.
Otesse is a local service with upfront pricing, no hidden fees, background-checked crews, and online booking. Every home is different, so the real number depends on size, condition, and what you want covered. Get a quote and we will walk you through it.