How to Get Your Apartment Ready for a Cleaner

That Cleaning Girl · Apartment Cleaning

You do not have to clean before the cleaner comes. That is a joke we hear a lot, and it is true. But a little prep helps your cleaner spend their time on the actual cleaning, not on moving piles. In What Does an Apartment Cleaning Service Do? we went over what is included in a visit. This guide covers the few simple things that help you get the most out of it.

Do a quick pickup

Cleaners clean surfaces. If the counters, floors and tables are covered, they cannot get to them. A ten-minute pickup before your appointment makes a big difference.

• Put away clothes, shoes and bags.
• Clear the kitchen counters of mail, papers and grocery bags.
• Pick up toys and pet toys from the floor.
• Put away anything you do not want moved or touched.
• Load or stack dishes, unless you have booked dishes as an extra.

You do not have to make it perfect. The idea is to clear the surfaces so they can be cleaned.

If you have booked laundry or changing linens as an extra, leave the clean sheets on the bed or in a spot that is easy to find. If dishes are on your list, leave them by the sink rather than spread around the apartment. Little things like that let your cleaner get straight to work.

Secure valuables and private items

Put away jewelry, cash, important papers and anything sentimental or fragile that you would rather handle yourself. It is just good practice with anyone coming into your home, and it means your cleaner does not have to work carefully around your grandmother's vase.

If there is a room or closet you do not want cleaned, close the door and tell us. We keep notes like that on file.

Share entry details

In an apartment, getting in can be the trickiest part. Before your first clean, let us know:

• The gate code or call box instructions for the community.
• The building number and unit number, and which entrance is closest.
• Where to park, and whether guest parking needs a permit.
• How to get into the unit: you will be home, a lockbox, a door code, or a key left with someone.
• Any building rules, like quiet hours or elevator reservations.

We keep entry notes on file, so you only have to tell us once.

Plan for pets

Let us know about your pets ahead of time: what kind, their names and anything we should know. Some pets are happy to supervise the clean, and others are better off in a crate or a closed room. If a cat likes to dart out the door, tell us so we can be careful when we come and go. These notes stay on file, too.

Tell us your priorities

Every apartment has a spot that drives its owner crazy. Maybe it is the hard water on the shower door, the grease on the stove or the pet hair on the couch. Tell us. A short note about your priorities helps us focus on what matters most to you.

If you have preferred products or something we should avoid, like a surface that needs a special cleaner, mention that too.

The day of the clean

On the day, you will get a text when your cleaner is on the way. You can stay home, work from the bedroom or head out. If you are staying, it helps to be in one room so the cleaner can work around you. Leave the thermostat at a comfortable setting, especially in the summer. Cleaning a hot apartment in a Texas July is hard work, and a too-warm unit also makes cleaners dry on surfaces before they can be wiped.

After the clean

Take a walk through when you get home. If something was missed or you want something done differently next time, let us know. That feedback helps us get it right, especially in the first few visits. Then update your notes for next time, like a new pet, a new gate code or a room to skip.

Getting ready for a cleaner only takes a few minutes, and it makes every visit more useful. We clean apartments in Waxahachie, Midlothian and throughout the south DFW area, and the prep is the same everywhere.

Over time, your notes get better and your visits get easier. Your cleaner learns how you like the towels folded, which pet hides under the bed and that the guest bathroom faucet sticks. Recurring clients keep the same day and time, and the same cleaner whenever possible, so that knowledge stays with your apartment instead of starting over each visit.

For more on how we clean apartments, take a look at our apartment cleaning services page. Next, we dig into apartment logistics: gate codes, parking and building access.