how to prepare for your first visit from simply cleaning

Booking your first cleaning is the hard part. After that, most of what you need to do before we arrive takes less than 30 minutes and makes a real difference in the results you get.

This guide walks you through exactly what to do before your first Simply Cleaning visit, whether you are in Eau Claire, La Crosse, or anywhere in Western Wisconsin. The goal is simple: when we walk in, we can get straight to the deep work that transforms how your home looks and feels.

why a little prep time helps

When a professional cleaner arrives, their focus is on the surfaces, the floors, the bathrooms, and all the areas that need actual cleaning. The more time we spend navigating around piled-up items, the less time we can spend on the scrubbing, detailing, and thorough attention that makes a Simply Cleaning visit worth it.

Think of pre-clean prep less as tidying for company and more as clearing the runway so we can do our best work. You hired us to clean. Prep helps us clean better.

tidy personal items before we arrive

The most helpful thing you can do before your first visit is a quick pass through each room to gather personal items off the floor and off surfaces where they do not belong.

Toys

Pick up toys from floors, living areas, and bedrooms. They do not need to be organized perfectly. A laundry basket or bin works just fine. What matters is that the floor is clear so we can vacuum and mop without working around them.

Clothes

Laundry on the floor, clothes draped over chairs, anything that does not belong on a surface should be gathered up. Like toys, they do not need to be sorted or folded. They just need to be off the surfaces we are cleaning.

Personal items on countertops and vanities

Think about countertops, nightstands, and bathroom vanities. Items like jewelry, medications, papers, mail, and smaller personal belongings are best gathered into a bin or drawer before we arrive. This lets us clean the surface fully rather than working around them.

A good rule of thumb: if it is something you would not want a stranger to move or risk knocking over, put it somewhere safe before we get there.

take care of the dishes

One of the most common things that slows down a kitchen clean is dishes left in the sink or stacked on the counter. We can work around them, but we cannot clean the sink or counters the way we want to if they are covered.

Before your appointment, load the dishwasher if you have one, or stack dishes neatly to one side of the counter. You do not need to wash them. Just clear the sink so we can scrub it properly, and create as much open counter space as possible so we can wipe surfaces thoroughly.

a few other things that help

Floors

Pick up larger items from the floor in every room: power cords, bags, shoes, pet toys, and anything else that would prevent us from vacuuming or mopping a clear path.

Pets

If you have dogs or cats, think about where they will be during the cleaning. Many clients put their pets in a room, a crate, or with a neighbor while we work. It keeps the visit smooth for everyone, including your pet.

Point out anything specific

If there is an area you want us to focus on, a space that has been neglected for a while, or something fragile you want us to skip, let us know before or at the start of the visit. We always want to clean your home the way you want it cleaned.

what you do not need to do

Here is the part that surprises a lot of first-time clients: you do not need to clean before we get there. We have heard from clients who scrubbed their bathrooms the night before because they were embarrassed about the state of their home. Please do not do that. There is no judgment here, and the whole point of calling us is so you do not have to do it yourself.

You also do not need to be home during the cleaning. Many Simply Cleaning clients are not home during their appointments. We are fully insured and bonded, and our clients trust us with their homes every day. If it would help you feel comfortable for the first visit, you are always welcome to be present. After that, most clients find it easier to be somewhere else and come home to a clean space.

what to expect on your first visit

Your first appointment with Simply Cleaning is an initial deep clean. This means we are starting from scratch and getting your home fully reset before any recurring service begins. It is the most thorough visit you will have, and it takes longer than a standard recurring clean.

After your first deep clean, many clients describe walking in and feeling genuinely relieved. That is exactly what we are aiming for.

Simply Cleaning serves homes and businesses within 50 miles of Eau Claire and within 50 miles of La Crosse, WI. If you have not booked your first visit yet, we would love to hear from you.