Preparing for a Cleaning Service

Want to get the most out of a cleaning service? Of course you do! Maximizing your cleaning dollar has never been easier. Just follow these simple suggestions:

1. Communicate about priorities. Communication of preferences and areas to concentrate the cleaning service is essential. Even if you have been using the same cleaning service for years, don't be afraid to tell them exactly what you are looking for in each individual service. 
2. Ensure Air Conditioning or Heat is on. Home cleaning is intensive work, and on a hot summer day it can be quite exhausting. Be kind to your housekeeper(s) and leave the Air Conditioning on. Better yet, let your housekeeper know where the thermostat is and whether they have permission to change the temperature. A housekeeper can do a much more thorough and efficient job if they are comfortable.
   
3. Have the house picked up. Perhaps the funniest suggestion of them all is to do a little bit of cleaning yourself before your scheduled cleaning service. Well, maybe not cleaning per say, but organizing and picking up is a must. As most cleaning appointments are time-based, you want to make sure as much of your housekeeper's time is spent on actually cleaning as possible. Not only might they not know where things belong, but by doing a few minutes of tidying prior to their arrival, you'll guarantee that their time is used most efficiently and your home gets the deepest clean possible. 
   
4. Make sure a step-stool is accessible. If you want the top of your refrigerator, fan blades, or any other high up and hard to reach area cleaned, make sure to alert the maids of your step-stool or ladder's location.
   
5. Plan for your pets. Although many pets and cleaning teams get along just fine, sometimes that just isn't the case. In an effort to keep both your pets and your housekeeper happy and comfortable, we recommend doing one of two things. Either contain your pet to a specific room or carrier while the cleaning team is present, or if you have a dog, take them out for a long walk or play session at the local dog run and come back to a sparkling home. 
6. Organize your desk. Certain spaces of one's home, although very personal and private, tend not to be all that well organized. As many cleaning companies have specific policies about touching or organizing documents, try to tidy your documents before your service, or make sure to specify explicitly what you would like to have done with a cluttered desk or workspace. Oftentimes, if you stay silent, you might find that your housekeeper chose to respect your privacy by not touching them, and thus not fully cleaning your desk.
   
7. Dirty dishes. Some house cleaning service do dishes, but many do not. Consider this... Even if your service does do dishes, what part of your home might not get as thorough of a cleaning if your housekeeper is spending the majority of their time doing dishes? If your service is time-based, this goes back to suggestion number one regarding communicating about priorities. 
   
8. Keys, codes, and access to your home. Many clients choose to have their housekeeping services performed while they are not home. If you fall into this category, make sure to provide your cleaning team with the key and/or key fobs necessary for access to your home. It is not at all uncommon to see a 50% cancellation fee applied to customers who schedule services and forget to coordinate access to the space with their cleaning team in advance. 
9. Provide feedback. Was there something about your last cleaning service you loved? Something that was not cleaned that should have been? Don't assume this was or was not done intentionally. The only way to make sure you maids and housekeepers are performing the job to your exact specifications is to every so often communicate what you did and did not like about your previous service(s).
   

Still have questions about how to prepare for your first cleaning service from a housekeeping service provider? Feel free to contact us anytime to discuss your questions and concerns.