How to Prepare Your Home for a Cleaner's First Visit

You don't need to clean your house before the cleaner arrives — that's the whole point of booking the service. But a few small steps before a first visit help your cleaning professional spend their time on actual cleaning rather than navigating clutter, which means more of the visit goes toward the work you're paying for.

Clear surfaces of personal items

Countertops, dressers, and desks covered in papers, mail, or personal items take longer to clean around. Clearing the obvious clutter — not deep organizing, just moving things off flat surfaces — lets your cleaner reach the whole area.

Secure valuables and fragile items

While our cleaning professionals are background-checked, it's good practice with any in-home service to put away valuables, important documents, and particularly fragile or sentimental items simply for your own peace of mind.

Note any problem areas

If there's a specific stain, a room you want prioritized, or an area you'd rather they skip, leave a note or mention it when you book. First visits go more smoothly when expectations are clear from the start.

Handle pets

If your pets are anxious around new people, consider a separate room or a friend's house for the first visit. Most pets adjust quickly once they're used to the routine of a recurring cleaner.

Provide access instructions

Whether it's a door code, a lockbox, or a specific building check-in process, having access instructions ready before the appointment avoids delays — this matters especially for apartment and move-in/move-out bookings with building-specific procedures.

After that, let them work

Once the basics are handled, there's nothing else required of you. Our team follows a consistent checklist so you know what to expect, visit after visit.