# You have a contractor coming to fix something...do you clean? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835 "2013-04-16T13:51:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835/21 "2013-04-17T12:14:05Z")
We had a washer dryer delivered Saturday, my wife made me go down and clean laundry room before they arrived. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835/22 "2013-04-17T12:23:12Z")
We just had new carpet installed in our master BR, LR, DR, hallway. We moved every freaking piece of furniture, even the china cabinet that weighs a metric ton. The installers told us many people just leave everything where it is and they have to move stuff back and forth. They loved us. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835/23 "2013-04-17T13:13:44Z")
Depends… if the exterminator is coming to spray, then yes, we clean up, so as to allow better access. If the under-sink area is leaking, then we typically will clean all the crap out from under the sink, and give the house a once-over to get any obvious kid toys off the floor and out of the way, and clean up any dirty dishes in the sink, etc… On the other hand, when we had our kitchen renovated, we did not clean anything up- we kind of let it go to hell for about 2 weeks beforehand; why clean it up if it’s all going to get ripped out and thrown in a construction dumpster anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835/24 "2013-04-18T16:32:05Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > Enough so it doesn’t smell bad and they can get to whatever they need to get to. I was a little surprised when the guy who came to swap out the cable modem needed to look at something in the master bedroom; fortunately it was a bit less than picked up but horrifying. Er, “… but not horrifying.” A Freudian slip is when you say one thing and mean your mother. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835/25 "2013-04-18T16:48:19Z")
Speaking of horrifying - be _very_ thorough if people need to get into your bedroom! I had a new bed delivered, and when they dismantled the old one for removal, a _ **toy** _ fell out of it. :o ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835/26 "2013-04-18T19:09:40Z")
Yep, we clean up. Once got some extra carpet cleaning done free just because the cleaners were so thrilled we’d moved everything out of their way ahead of time. They went ahead and did the stairs and upstairs landing, gratis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-contractor-coming-to-fix-something-do-you-clean/655835.md?page=1)