About 400 Vietnamese boat people from Tai A Chau will be moved to Whitehead today to clean out the camp ahead of next week's mass transfer.
The workers will spend three days scrubbing the huts and setting up kitchens in preparation for the other 5,100 detainees who start arriving on Monday.
Security bosses are moving all 5,500 Tai A Chau boat people to Whitehead so they can close the remote island camp off Lantau.
Every day, 550 Vietnamese will be transferred 50 kilometres by ferry and lorry.
The boat people chosen to spruce up Whitehead receive an average of $120 a month for doing similar jobs at Tai A Chau, which is run by Hong Kong Housing Services For Refugees.
At Whitehead, which is managed by the Correctional Services Department, detainees are paid $2.60 to $6.20 a day for menial tasks.