Booking a house cleaner for the first time can feel a little strange. Do you clean before the cleaner comes? Should you be home? What about the dog, the jewelry on the dresser, or the pile of mail on the counter? Almost everyone asks some version of these questions.
The short answer is that you do not need to do much. You do not need to scrub anything or buy supplies. A few minutes of preparation, though, helps the visit go further, because every minute your cleaner spends moving clutter is a minute not spent on the shower or the kitchen floor.
We are Emilia Cleaning Services LLC, based in Bainbridge, PA, and we have been cleaning homes for 6 years. This guide covers what to tell your cleaner before the first visit, what to do the day before and the day of, what you can skip, and how to keep recurring visits running smoothly. There is a printable style checklist near the end.
Before the First House Cleaning Visit: What to Tell Your Cleaner
The most useful preparation happens when you book, not the morning of. The more your cleaner knows ahead of time, the better the first visit will match what you had in mind. When you request a quote, share the size of the home, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and how often you would like us to come.
Your priorities
Every household has a room that matters most. For some it is the kitchen, for others the main bathroom or the floors in a house with pets. Pick your top two or three priorities and say so. On a first visit, especially in a home that has not had a professional clean in a while, knowing where to start makes a real difference.
Access
Decide whether you will be home. Some people like to be there for the first visit to walk through the house, then hand over access for later ones. If you will be out, tell us how we will get in: a key, a door code, a lockbox, or a garage keypad. Mention any alarm, gate, or tricky lock, and where to park.
Pets
Pet friendly homes are welcome. Let us know what pets you have, whether they are friendly with visitors, and if any should stay in a certain room or a crate. Mention anything that should not be opened, such as a door that keeps a cat inside.
Valuables and fragile items
Put cash, jewelry, medications, and important papers away in a drawer or closet. This is good practice with anyone coming into your home, and it means nobody has to work around them. If you have fragile or sentimental pieces, such as a glass collection, an antique table, or a special finish, point them out or tell us to leave them alone.
Surfaces and special requests
Tell us about anything with care instructions: natural stone counters, older hardwood, a delicate rug, or a room you would rather we skip. This is also the time to add extras such as interior windows, inside the fridge, inside the oven, laundry, baseboards, inside cabinets, or basement cleaning.
The Day Before Your House Cleaning
The night before is when a few minutes of tidying pays off. The goal is not to clean. It is to clear surfaces so they can be cleaned.
- Pick up clothes, toys, and shoes from the floors so they can be vacuumed and mopped
- Clear the kitchen counters of mail, bags, and small appliances you do not use every day
- Run or empty the dishwasher and put away dirty dishes if you can
- Clear bathroom counters of toiletries you use daily, or group them in one spot
- Put away valuables, cash, and paperwork
- Make a note of anything new since you booked, like a spill on the carpet or a room you want skipped
If you run out of time, do not worry. Tell us when we arrive and we will work around it. Picking up is simply the fastest way to get more cleaning into the same visit.
The Day of Your Cleaning
On cleaning day, a few small steps help things go smoothly from the moment we arrive.
- Make sure the way in works: key left where agreed, code active, gate open
- Settle pets where you want them to stay
- Leave a short note with any last minute requests
- Turn on the lights in rooms that are dark during the day, or tell us where the switches are
- If you are home, do a quick walkthrough with us and point out your priorities
- Plan to be out of the rooms being cleaned, or work from one room we can do last
If you are working from home, that is fine. Just let us know which room you will be in and we can clean it at a time that suits you, often at the start or the end of the visit.
What You Do Not Need to Do Before a House Cleaner Comes
A surprising number of people clean before the cleaner arrives. It is a kind instinct, but you do not need to. Here is what you can skip:
- Buying supplies. We bring the supplies and equipment, so you do not need to buy anything before the visit.
- Pre cleaning. Scrubbing the tub the night before only takes time away from you. That is our job.
- Hiding the mess. We have seen busy households before. Real life is what we are there for.
- Staying home. You are welcome to be there, or you can head to work or run errands while we clean.
- Explaining every step. We follow the same checklist on every visit, so the basics are always covered.
Our regular house cleaning service page lists what a standard visit covers in the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and living areas, so you know exactly what to expect.
After the House Cleaning Visit
When you get home, take a quick walk through the house. It is the best time to notice what you love and anything you would like done differently next time.
- Check your priority rooms first
- Note anything you would like more attention on, or anything you want skipped next time
- Let us know about any item moved or anything that needs a different approach
- Pay the way that suits you: cash, check, Venmo, or Zelle
Honest feedback helps. A quick text after the first visit is often all it takes to fine tune the next one. If you want to keep the house feeling this way, now is a good time to think about a regular schedule.
Making Recurring House Cleaning Visits Smooth
Once you move to a weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedule, getting ready becomes a habit. A few routines keep it easy:
- Keep the same day each week or month if you can, so tidying up the night before becomes routine
- Keep access consistent: the same key spot or code every time
- Rotate extras. Add baseboards one visit and the inside of the fridge the next, instead of everything at once
- Tell us early about changes, like houseguests, a new pet, or a room under renovation
- Text ahead if you need to move a visit. We are open 7 days, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm
You can read more about setting up weekly, biweekly, or monthly cleaning, including how to choose the right rhythm for your household. Price varies with how often we come, and every quote is personalized.
The goal is that you barely have to think about it. As one client put it, Emilia was "super professional, friendly, respectful of my space" (Andi M., Thumbtack).
Printable Checklist: Getting Ready for a House Cleaner
Print this out or save it to your phone. It covers everything above in one place.
| When | Task | Done |
|---|---|---|
| When booking | Share home size, bedrooms, and bathrooms | [ ] |
| When booking | Name your top two or three priority rooms | [ ] |
| When booking | Explain access: key, code, lockbox, alarm, parking | [ ] |
| When booking | Tell us about pets and where they will be | [ ] |
| When booking | Mention fragile items and special surfaces | [ ] |
| When booking | Choose any add-ons | [ ] |
| Day before | Pick up clothes, toys, and shoes from floors | [ ] |
| Day before | Clear kitchen and bathroom counters | [ ] |
| Day before | Handle dishes | [ ] |
| Day before | Put away valuables, cash, medications, and papers | [ ] |
| Day of | Confirm access works | [ ] |
| Day of | Settle pets | [ ] |
| Day of | Leave a note with any last minute requests | [ ] |
| After | Walk through priority rooms | [ ] |
| After | Send feedback and settle payment | [ ] |
You do not need to tick every box. Even half of this list makes a first visit go further.
House Cleaning in Bainbridge and Nearby Towns
Our home base is Bainbridge, a village in Conoy Township along Route 441 and the Susquehanna River. Plenty of homes here see river trail mud, garden soil, and pet hair come through the door, so a clear entryway before cleaning day helps. You can read more about cleaning homes around Bainbridge on our local page.
We also clean in Elizabethtown, Marietta, Maytown, Mount Joy, Middletown, Hershey, Columbia, Lancaster, York, and nearby towns. When you are ready, tell us about your home and Emilia will email you a personalized quote within 1 business day. Prefer to talk? Call or text (215) 989-1170. Emilia speaks English and Portuguese.