Prepare Your Home for Your First Cleaning Visit

A Few Simple Steps Make Your First Clean Far More Effective

Most people spend twenty minutes tidying before we arrive and then wonder if they should have done more, or less. The short answer: pick up clutter so we can reach surfaces, but do not pre-clean anything. That is our job. Here is what actually matters before a first visit.

What to Tidy Versus What to Leave Alone

Think of it this way. We clean surfaces. If a surface is buried under laundry, shoes, or mail, we cannot reach it. So a quick tidy of floors and counters helps us do a thorough job on every inch of those spaces.

What you should not do is scrub toilets, wipe down appliances, or mop anything beforehand. You would be paying us to re-clean something you already cleaned. Leave the grime. That is literally what we are there for.

• Do: Pick up clothes, toys, and dishes from floors and counters
• Do: Move any fragile or irreplaceable items you want stored safely out of the way
• Do not: Pre-wipe, pre-scrub, or pre-mop anything
• Do not: Stress about dust. Dust is our specialty, especially in foothill homes in Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, and Pasadena that collect fine particulate off the San Gabriel Mountains year-round

Access When You Will Not Be Home

A lot of our clients in San Marino, Arcadia, and South Pasadena are not home during the clean. That is completely fine and very common. You have three straightforward options.

• Lockbox: Leave a key in a lockbox on the front door and text us the code. This is the most popular option because you can change the code after any visit if you want to.
• Garage code: Works well for homes with an attached garage. Just make sure the door into the house from the garage is unlocked.
• Key drop: Leave a key with a neighbor or in an agreed spot and let us know where. We confirm we have it by text before we start.

Whatever method you choose, we confirm access details in writing before the appointment so there is no confusion on the day.

Tell Us About Pets Before We Arrive

Pets are welcome. We work around dogs and cats all the time, from busy households in Alhambra and San Gabriel to quieter homes in Sierra Madre and Temple City. What helps us is knowing in advance:

• What animals are in the home and whether they will be loose or secured
• Whether there is heavy pet hair or debris on furniture and floors (this affects timing, and a pet fee may apply for significant buildup)
• Whether any pet is anxious around strangers, so we can plan accordingly

Tell Us About Allergies and Fragrance Sensitivities

We use eco-friendly, low-fragrance products on request. If anyone in the home has asthma, chemical sensitivities, or specific allergies, let us know when you book. We note it on your account so every visit uses the right products, not just the first one.

Tell Us Your Priority Rooms

Every home has a room that matters most. For families in Monrovia and Glendale it is often the kitchen. For someone staging a home in Pasadena for lease turnover, it might be the bathrooms and master bedroom. Tell us which rooms to treat as the top priority in case we run long. We will never skip a room, but knowing your priorities means the spaces you care about most get the most attention.

Why Your First Visit Is Usually a Deep Clean

If a home has not had a professional clean in a while, a standard visit is not enough time to get it to a baseline we are proud of. That is why we typically recommend starting with a deep clean. A deep clean covers everything in a standard house cleaning, plus the inside of the oven, baseboards, detailed bathroom work, and other areas that accumulate buildup over months.

Older homes in Pasadena and South Pasadena, many built in the 1910s through 1930s with original wood, tile, and plaster, often need that extra attention on the first visit. The good news is that once the home is at a high baseline, recurring visits are faster and simpler to maintain.

If you are moving into a new place, in Arcadia, Glendale, or anywhere else we serve, a move-in/move-out clean goes even further, including inside the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets, so you start completely fresh.

What We Confirm by Text Before We Arrive

A good cleaning company does not just show up. Before your first visit, we will confirm:

• Your appointment date and time window
• Your flat quote based on the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and the size of your home
• Access method and any notes about pets, allergies, or priority rooms
• Any add-ons you requested, such as inside the fridge or laundry

Nothing is booked until you have seen that quote in writing and confirmed it. No surprises on the day.

Ready to Get Started?

If you are in Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, Alhambra, Arcadia, Altadena, Sierra Madre, San Gabriel, Temple City, Monrovia, La Cañada Flintridge, or Glendale, text us at (626) 469-7577 with your address and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. We will send you an exact quote, usually within a few minutes, and answer any questions you have before you commit to anything.