# How do quiet hours work for cleaner notifications?

Source: https://lemon.cy/learn/quiet-hours-for-cleaner-messages/  
Publisher: Lemon.cy (Red Tribe Media Ltd, Limassol, Cyprus)  
Updated: 2026-09-10 · Verified against production: 2026-09-10

**Short answer:** Quiet hours are an organisation-wide window (default 07:00 to 22:00 in the organisation's timezone) outside which Lemon holds messages instead of sending them. Held messages are released gradually when the window opens. Urgent jobs bypass quiet hours by default, and the host is told when something was held.

## Settings

- `quietHoursEnabled` — off by default; switch on in Settings.
- `quietHoursStart` / `quietHoursEnd` — the window in which messages are allowed; defaults 07:00 and 22:00, interpreted in the organisation's timezone.
- `quietHoursUrgentBypass` — on by default: an urgent job (checkout today, or a job created inside the assignment window) is offered regardless.
- `quietHoursApplyToTeam` — off by default: whether the host's own team notifications also wait.

## What happens at 23:30 when a booking arrives

A booking made at 23:30 for a checkout in ten days creates the job as usual. The offer to the first cleaner is queued in the database-backed message queue with a release time of 07:00. At 07:00 the queue drains gradually rather than all at once, so a cleaner with five held offers does not receive five messages in the same second. The host receives a `quiet_hours_held` notification once, so nobody wonders why the cleaner has not responded.

## Why the queue is in the database

Lemon runs on several machines. A message held in one machine's memory would be lost on restart or invisible to the others. The queue is a table, with retry counts, delivery status and fallback channels recorded per message; the same table powers retries after a channel failure.

## What quiet hours do not do

They do not delay the sync. Bookings, cancellations and date changes are processed every five minutes around the clock; only the outbound messages wait.

## Related

- [Telegram, WhatsApp or SMS — which is best for messaging cleaners?](https://lemon.cy/learn/telegram-vs-whatsapp-vs-sms-for-cleaners/)
- [What happens when a cleaner declines a job or doesn't answer?](https://lemon.cy/learn/what-happens-when-a-cleaner-declines-or-does-not-answer/)