Getting your house ready for a first cleaning
What to put away before your first house cleaning, what to leave out for the team, and the one thing you don’t need to do: clean before the cleaners come.
Tess Lindgren
3 min read

People apologize to our teams for the state of their kitchen about once a day. Please don’t clean before we come. That is our job, and you are paying for it.
Do put away
Clutter on counters and tables: we wipe around what’s there, and can’t clean under it.
Clothes on floors and beds, so we can vacuum and make the beds.
Anything fragile or valuable you don’t want handled.
Cash and jewelry. We have never had a problem, and we would like to keep it that way.
Do leave out
A set of clean sheets on each bed you want changed.
A note about any room to skip or any surface that needs a special product.
Your preferred vacuum if you have strong feelings about ours.
Pets
Friendly pets can stay out. Nervous ones are happier in a closed room, which we will skip or clean last with the door open a crack. Tell us in the booking notes.
Access
If you won’t be home, set up the lockbox or door code the day before and test it. A locked door costs us an hour and costs you a $75 lockout fee, and nobody enjoys that conversation.
Or have us do it
Flat prices by home size, two cleaners and all supplies. First visits are usually four to six business days out.
More from the journal

5 min read
What Denver landlords check at a move-out walk-through
The seven spots property managers check first at a Denver move-out, what Colorado law says about deposit timing, and what to photograph before you hand in keys.

4 min read
Cleaning up after a wildfire smoke day
Smoke days leave fine grey ash on sills, screens and every flat surface. How we clean it without smearing it around, and what to do before you call anyone.

4 min read
Living with a shedding dog: what keeps the hair down
Our teams clean after about 250 dogs a month. What actually keeps dog hair under control between cleanings, and which popular tricks don’t help very much.