The first visit is when we get to know your home: where things live, what matters to you, what the previous cleaner never quite got right. A little preparation helps, and some of what people do beforehand isn't needed at all. Here's what makes a difference.
What happens before we arrive
Once you've had your quote, we agree the day, the time and the length of the visit (every visit is at least 2 hours) and how we'll get in. You can be at home, leave a key with us or use a key safe, whichever suits you. If you have pets, tell us when you book so we can work around them on the day. That's all the admin there is.
Tidy, don't clean
Please don't clean before the cleaner comes. What helps is clearing the surfaces, so we can clean them rather than clean around things: dishes into the dishwasher or washed, clothes off the bedroom floor, toys into their boxes, post and paperwork off the kitchen worktop. Ten minutes of tidying turns into noticeably more cleaning, because every clear surface gets cleaned from edge to edge instead of being wiped around a pile.
We'll clean around what's left, so don't worry if life got in the way. It just means a bit less gets reached.
What to leave to us
Products and equipment: we bring our own, including the hoover, the mop and the cloths. You don't need to buy anything. If you'd rather we used particular products of yours, perhaps for a worktop or a floor you're careful with, leave them out and tell us. Bin bags are useful to have under the sink, and that's about it.
Tell us what matters most
Every home has its priorities. For some it's the bathrooms, for some the kitchen floor, for some it's that the glass in the back door is clean because that's what the visitors see. Put it in the notes box of the quote form or tell us at the door. Also worth telling us:
- Anything to leave alone: a piece of furniture, a room, a desk that looks like chaos but is in order
- Anything delicate: an old table that shouldn't get wet, ornaments that should be dusted in place rather than lifted
- Where the bins are kept and which day they go out
- Alarm codes and any door that sticks
On the day
We arrive at the agreed time with everything we need, and start with the kitchen and the bathrooms, where the work is heaviest, before moving through the bedrooms and living rooms and finishing with the floors. You don't need to stay, and you don't need to hover: a quick word at the start about what matters most is all we need. The first visit is the one that takes the longest, because every cupboard door and every corner is new to us, so if we've agreed 2 hours and your home turns out to need a little more, we'll tell you rather than rush the last room.
Pets and children
Most pets get used to us quickly. A nervous dog or a cat that bolts for an open door is better settled in a room we've finished, or out with you for the first hour, and we'll keep doors closed as we go if you ask. Children are welcome to carry on as normal; we'll work round them and keep products and the hoover cable out of small hands.
Parking and the front door
If parking near you is tricky, a permit zone, a shared drive or a street that fills up by nine, tell us when you book and we'll plan for it. The same goes for an entry system, a gate code or a door that needs a shove: a sentence in the notes box saves ten minutes on the doorstep. If you need to move or cancel the first visit, let us know by the day before and we'll rebook you at no charge.
Valuables and breakables
Put jewellery, cash and important documents away before the visit, as you would for any tradesperson. Fragile ornaments can stay where they are if you tell us how you'd like them handled; otherwise we dust around them carefully and don't lift the pieces that look like they'd rather not be lifted.
After the first visit
Have a walk round when you get in. If anything has been missed, tell me within 24 hours and I'll come back and sort it at no charge. In most cases you pay after the clean, once you've seen it. The first visit also tells us how long your home really takes, so if the length of visit needs adjusting, we'll say so, and regular clients usually keep the same cleaner from then on, so the second visit already knows where everything lives.
Read more about our regular domestic cleaning, or the questions people ask before their first booking.