People apologize for their houses constantly, and they almost never need to. Still, a few minutes before a cleaning visit genuinely changes what the same hours can achieve, because cleaning time spent moving objects is not cleaning time.
Clear flat surfaces of the things that are personal rather than decorative: paperwork, mail, medication, jewelry, keys. Not because anyone minds, but because a counter with nothing on it gets cleaned properly in one pass, and a counter covered in small objects gets cleaned around them.
Put dishes in the dishwasher or on one side of the sink. An empty sink means the sink itself gets scrubbed and polished. A full one means it gets emptied first, and that comes out of the same hours you are paying for.
Say where the pets will be. Most cleaners are perfectly happy around animals, but a dog that follows the vacuum or a cat that bolts for an open door is worth mentioning rather than discovering.
Now the things not to bother with. Do not vacuum, do not wipe the counters, and do not scrub the bathroom before we arrive. That work is exactly what you are paying for and doing it twice helps nobody. Do not strip the beds unless you have asked for linens changed.
The most useful thing you can do takes ten seconds: leave a note about anything specific. The guest room nobody uses, the shower that needs extra attention this week, the stone counter that should not get vinegar. A one-line note is worth more to the visit than an hour of pre-tidying.