What to Expect on Your First Professional House Cleaning

Before the Cleaning

You Will Get a Confirmation

After booking with Polished Living Cleaning, you will receive a confirmation with your appointment details — date, time window, and service type. If anything needs to change, reach out to us directly at (571) 520-7703 or Info@polishedlivingcleaning.com.

You Do Not Need to Buy Anything

We bring all supplies and equipment. No need to stock cleaning products, provide a mop, or do anything to prepare from a supplies standpoint.

What You Should Do to Prepare

• Pick up clutter from floors and surfaces — We clean; we do not organize or sort through belongings. The more cleared off a counter or floor is, the more thoroughly we can clean it. You do not need to deep-tidy, just clear the main surfaces.
• Secure pets if possible — Let us know you have animals. A crate, a separate room, or the backyard works for dogs. Cats usually handle it themselves.
• Make sure we can get in — If you will not be home, provide a key, a door code, or a lockbox combination. We will lock up securely when we leave.
• Note any special instructions — A fragile item, a surface you want us to avoid, a room that needs extra attention. A quick note at booking or a text before we arrive is all it takes.

The Day of the Cleaning

Arrival

We arrive within the scheduled window. If anything comes up that affects timing, we will communicate. Please make sure access is available — if we cannot get in and cannot reach you, that visit may need to be rescheduled.

The Walkthrough

For a first visit, some clients like to do a brief walkthrough when we arrive — pointing out priorities, noting anything specific, or showing us the layout. This is optional but useful. Most of the time, your booking details give us enough to get started without a walkthrough.

During the Cleaning

You do not need to be home. Most of our clients leave after letting us in or provide access and are not present at all. If you are home, feel free to go about your day — no need to follow along or stay out of the way in any particular room. We work systematically through the home.

What a Standard First Cleaning Covers

A standard cleaning covers the main living areas, kitchen, bathrooms, and floors. Specifically:

• Kitchen: Countertops, stovetop, exterior of appliances, sink, cabinet fronts, and floors
• Bathrooms: Toilet, sink, shower or tub, mirrors, counters, and floors
• Living areas and bedrooms: Dusting surfaces, vacuuming or mopping floors, making beds if linens are left out
• General: Emptying trash cans, wiping light switches and door handles, cleaning accessible baseboards

A standard cleaning does not include inside appliances (oven, refrigerator, microwave), windows, or areas behind and underneath furniture. Those are part of a deep clean.

Should Your First Visit Be a Deep Clean?

We recommend starting with a deep clean if your home has not had a professional cleaning in more than a few months, or if there is visible buildup in the bathroom or kitchen. Here is why: a standard cleaning is designed to maintain a home that is already at a clean baseline. If the baseline is lower — soap scum on the shower glass, grease around the stove, dust buildup on ceiling fans — a standard cleaning will improve things but will not fully address them.

A deep clean resets the home to a true professional standard. Subsequent standard visits then maintain that level effectively. Deep cleaning starts at $175.

After the Cleaning

What You Will Notice

The biggest difference most first-time clients notice is the bathrooms and kitchen. Surfaces that looked clean before the visit often look noticeably different after a professional-grade clean — particularly shower glass, tile grout, and stovetops.

If Something Was Missed

It happens occasionally. If you notice something that was missed or not done to your satisfaction, contact us within 24 hours and we will make it right. We take quality seriously and that means addressing any issues quickly and without friction.

Recurring Service

After your first visit, we will follow up to ask how it went and whether you would like to set up a recurring schedule. Recurring clients save 10 to 20% depending on frequency, and visits become faster and more efficient over time as the home reaches a maintained state. There are no contracts — you can pause or cancel at any time.

Common First-Visit Questions

Do I need to be home?

No. Most clients provide access and are not present. For a first visit, being home briefly at the start is optional but sometimes helpful.

What if I have a fragile or valuable item I am worried about?

Put it away before we arrive, or flag it in your booking notes. We are careful with everything in your home, but the easiest solution for anything irreplaceable is to move it out of the work area.

How do I pay?

Payment is handled through our booking system. We accept all major credit cards. Payment is due at the time of booking or at the time of service depending on your booking method.

What if I need to cancel or reschedule?

Life happens. Contact us as early as possible if you need to change your appointment. We ask for reasonable notice out of respect for our cleaners' schedules, but we work with clients to find a solution.

Ready to Book Your First Cleaning?

Book online at polishedlivingcleaning.com/pages/book-now, call or text (571) 520-7703, or email Info@polishedlivingcleaning.com. We serve Northern Virginia and the Tampa Bay, Florida area.