[toffeeham]

Better invest a travel carrier or small cage if the cleaning takes a while (e.g. when you need to disassemble the primary cage, clean the wheel in the bathroom, etc). Given the size and strength of a Syrian, if left unattended they could climb over a regular playpen or chew a hole in modular storage bins. Although a carrier seems less comfortable to the hamster, I would not want to risk the cutie escaping or chewing plastics.

In terms of getting her out, if you cannot accommodate your cleaning time to her schedule, you could try making some noise and put some treats close to the entrance of her nest to lure her out and into a mug or whatever container you choose (I use an empty tissue box) to transfer her. When I have to do the cleaning during the day, my girl usually takes the treats and go into her hideout in the small cage soon. If I do that in the evening when she is more active, she just tries harder to get out and it takes a bit longer for her to quiet down. Before you put her back, just bribe her again with a tiny bit of treats and then hopefully surprise her with some hidden/sprinkled food back in her clean and fresh primary cage.