Most surprises on cleaning day come from one gap: the customer pictured one job and the visit was booked for another. The litter box. The mold line in the shower. The ceiling fan over the stairs. The basement full of boxes. This guide lists what a Hometress cleaner does not do in a visit, quotes our Terms for each limit, says what happens if a cleaner arrives and cannot do the job, and points every item to whatever does cover it: an add-on, a higher tier, a task you do first, or a different kind of professional.
The rules below come from Section 4 of our Terms of Service and from the checklist in our booking flow, both read on October 17, 2026. If anything here differs from the Terms, the Terms control. Where the Terms leave a word undefined, such as “extreme clutter,” we say so instead of defining it for you.
The short answer
- Five kinds of work sit outside a standard visit: anything above safe reach (no ladders), moving anything over 30 pounds, exterior work, a list of specialized or hazardous tasks, and detailed clutter removal or organizing unless it is booked as such.
- Two things that sound like exclusions are products. Laundry and organizing clothes clutter are add-ons you can book, and the Dream Home checklist carries lines for both.
- The checklist in the booking flow is the definitive list. Our help center says it plainly: “anything not on it isn’t included by default.”
- If a cleaner arrives and cannot do the visit for a reason within your control, the Terms say cancellation fees “may still apply.” The last section below covers how to avoid that.
Why the line sits where it does
Section 4 of the Terms opens by saying it covers what we do and do not do “mainly for reasons of safety, scope, and specialization.” Section 4.1 adds the reason behind the first group of limits: “To ensure the safety of the independent Cleaners and your home, and to keep service focused, some tasks are outside the scope of our standard cleaning services.” Our cleaners are independent professionals, and the limits are written around what one person with a caddy can do safely in a home that is not theirs. The same height, weight and exterior limits appear in shorter form in our comparison of independent cleaners and cleaning companies.
What is outside a visit, and what to do about it
This table follows the order of Section 4.1. The right-hand column is the useful part: for almost every item there is a next step.
| The job | In the visit? | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling fans, high shelves, light fixtures above reach | Only what is within safe reach from the floor or a two-step stool. The Terms say cleaners “do not climb higher (no ladders).” | Read the height note on the checklist line, since lines for high items carry one (for example, “up to 9ft”). Anything above that needs someone with the right equipment. |
| Moving a heavy dresser, bookcase or appliance | Cleaners “cannot move furniture or objects weighing more than 30 pounds.” | Move it before the appointment, as the Terms ask. |
| Outside windows, patios, garages | Not included “unless specifically listed in your Booking Confirmation as an added service.” | Check your Booking Confirmation. If you want exterior work, ask us before you book. |
| Litter boxes, significant pet accidents, rodent waste, pet enclosures and tanks | Not performed. | Handle these yourself before the visit. Pet hair is different: Pet Shed Removal (vacuum and lint roll) is an add-on, and Dream Home includes it. |
| Biohazards, mold remediation, dangerous materials, blood or bodily fluids | Not performed. The Terms say these “require specialized certified services.” | Call a specialist. The mold section below says where cleaning ends and remediation starts. |
| Paint, stubborn marks, construction debris, anything needing industrial chemicals or tools | Not performed. | Hire a trade for it. Dream Home has a line to “attempt” removal of rust, lime or calcium; an attempt is not a promise. |
| Inside outlets and live fixtures | The Terms exclude cleaning “sensitive electrical items directly (like inside outlets or live fixtures).” | The Dream Home checklist has a “Clean Outlets, Switches, And Vents” line, so read the line on your tier and ask before booking if you are unsure which applies. |
| Detailed clutter removal or organizing | Not unless “booked specifically as such.” Cleaners “will clean around cluttered areas as accessible.” | Organize Clothes Clutter (30 minutes) is an add-on, and Dream Home carries a Professional Organization (30 minutes) line. For more than that, ask before you book. |
Things that sound like exclusions but are products
The most common wrong answer to “do cleaners do X?” is no, when the real answer is “it is an add-on.” Our help center lists inside-oven, inside-fridge, interior windows and laundry as items you can add at booking. In the add-on grid today you will also find Clean Inside Cabinets, Wash Dishes (one sink full), Sweep Finished Basement and Clean Finished Basement, alongside the ones above. The Move tier’s own description includes the inside of the oven, fridge and cabinets, interior windows and doors, and baseboards.
We are not quoting add-on prices here, because the number that matters is the one in the booking flow on the day. Our line-by-line price breakdown lays out the tiers and add-ons together, and the checklist guide shows what each tier adds.
Mold, pests and spills: where cleaning stops
Mold remediation, biohazards and dangerous materials are on the Terms’ list of tasks our cleaners do not perform. Pest infestations and hazardous materials are also, in Section 4.2, grounds for a cleaner to refuse a job. That leaves an ordinary question: what do you do about the mold line in your shower?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guide, Mold Cleanup in Your Home (read October 17, 2026), draws the line by size and cause. It says that if the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet, “in most cases, you can handle the job yourself,” and describes scrubbing hard surfaces with detergent and water and drying completely. If there has been a lot of water damage, or the mold covers more than 10 square feet, it sends you to a separate guide. If the damage came from sewage or other contaminated water, it says to call in a professional who has experience cleaning and fixing buildings damaged by contaminated water. It also says not to run the HVAC system if you know or suspect it is contaminated with mold.
That is EPA’s advice, not ours. What we can say is narrower: a Hometress visit does not include mold remediation, so if what you have is beyond a small, scrubbable patch, the call to make is to a specialist before the booking, not after it.
The day-of: what “refuse” actually means
Section 4.2 is titled “Our Right to Adjust or Refuse Service.” It says Hometress and the referred cleaners “reserve the right to refuse service or leave a job site” in these situations:
- Unsafe conditions: “extreme clutter or hoarding that prevents safe movement or cleaning, pest infestations, hazardous materials being present, or any situation deemed dangerous.”
- No essential utilities: running water and electricity are required to clean effectively.
- Threatening or inappropriate behavior toward the cleaner.
- Unsecured or risky pets: pets that are not secured and pose a safety risk or significantly hinder the cleaning.
- Misrepresented scope: “the condition of the home is substantially different from what was described at booking, requiring work far beyond the agreed scope and timeframe.”
The Terms do not define “extreme clutter” or say how a cleaner decides, and we are not going to supply a definition here. If you are unsure which side of that line your home is on, describe it when you book.
On money, the Terms say: “If service is refused or stopped mid-way due to these customer-controlled reasons, cancellation fees (as outlined in Section 2.4) may still apply to compensate the Cleaner for their time and travel.” The word is “may.” Section 2.4 also has a Lockout / No Access line: when the cleaner “cannot gain entry or perform the service due to reasons within your control (no key, locked out, unprepared/unsafe site),” the fee is 100% of the booking value. Section 4.2 points back to Section 2.4 rather than setting a fee of its own, so what a particular refused visit costs is a question for us, not something to assume from this page.
Our White Glove Guarantee also has edges. Under the Terms it does not cover tasks outside the scope in your Booking Confirmation, concerns reported after the 48-hour window, or work hindered by the access, clutter, safety or pet issues above. That is one more reason to settle scope before the visit.
How to avoid a bad day
- Open the full checklist at the service step before you choose a tier. It is the definitive list, one tap behind every tier.
- Describe the home as it is. Misrepresented scope is one of the five refusal grounds. A cluttered basement mentioned at booking is a conversation; one discovered at the door is a different one.
- Move what the Terms say to move. Anything over 30 pounds that blocks an area you want cleaned, and the items on the animal-waste line. Our guides to preparing for your cleaner and booking with pets have the practical steps.
- Make sure the cleaner can get in. The access guide covers keys, codes and arrival notes.
- If a job is not on the checklist, ask before you book. Our help center says to, and says we will tell you straight.
Questions people ask
Do house cleaners clean litter boxes?
Not ours. The Terms list “cleaning animal waste (e.g., litter boxes, significant pet accidents), rodent waste, or pet enclosures/tanks” among the tasks cleaners do not perform.
Can a house cleaner refuse to clean my house?
Under Section 4.2, Hometress and the referred cleaners reserve the right to refuse service or leave a job site in five situations: unsafe conditions, no running water or electricity, threatening behavior, unsecured or risky pets, and misrepresented scope. Cancellation fees under Section 2.4 may still apply when the reason is within the customer’s control.
Do house cleaners move furniture?
Light pieces, yes. Anything over 30 pounds, no. The Terms ask you to move heavy items that block an area before the appointment.
Will a cleaner do my laundry?
It is a product, not a refusal. Laundry Wash & Dry is an add-on you can book, and the Dream Home checklist includes two loads.
Before you choose a tier, open the full checklist at the service step and see exactly what your visit covers. Start a booking.