Your first clean
Your first clean: what to do before, during and after
Quick answer: You don't need to clean first. Write down your priorities, arrange access and parking, secure pets and put away valuables, papers and anything fragile. On the day, point out anything delicate. Afterwards, walk through the home and report anything agreed that was missed within 48 hours.
A first visit sets the standard for the visits after it. A little preparation helps the cleaner spend the time where you want it.
- Standard clean
- From $221, live from our booking calculator, checked 6 October 2026
- Our record
- 56,545 completed home cleans
The first-clean checklist
Enter your clean date and each step shows when to do it. Booking details (deadlines, access, notes) are in our help centre, linked from each step.
Each stage then shows its own dates. Kept on this device only.
Every step in this view is ticked. Untick ‘Hide steps I’ve ticked’ to see them again.
When you book
If it hasn't had a proper clean in a while, say so: a first visit with build-up is booked with more time.
Inside the oven, fridge, cabinets or interior windows are extras on a standard clean. A note doesn't add them.
We don't hold keys. Someone at home, a lockbox, or building concierge all work.
A couple of days before
"Shower glass, stovetop, kids' bathroom" helps more than "a good clean".
Natural stone, timber, unsealed floors, matte paint, antiques and electronics. Say what not to touch, too.
Intercom codes, lifts, visitor parking. In a strata building, you arrange building access.
Pets are welcome but need to be secured or supervised, and a cleaner can decline to enter if a pet poses a risk.
Arrival is a window, not an exact time. Cancel or reschedule free with 24 hours' notice.
The day before or that morning
The cleaner's time goes on cleaning, not tidying around things.
Washing up isn't part of a standard clean.
A clean can't go ahead without them.
If the cleaner can't get in after a 20-minute wait, the booking is cancelled and a lockout fee applies.
During the visit
If you're home, a two-minute walk-through at the start is worth it.
Cleaners follow a set order, usually top to bottom and back to front.
It is easier to fix while the cleaner is still there.
Afterwards
Check the priorities you set first.
Name the room and the task; a photo helps. The team arranges a re-clean of those areas.
On a regular plan, tell us what to change and what to keep doing.
Print it or keep it on your phone. Ticks are saved on this device only.
A booking-notes template
Copy this into your booking notes and fill in each line. Keep door codes and key locations to the access field in your booking, not anywhere public.
- Top three priorities: 1. … 2. … 3. …
- Leave alone: rooms or items not to clean or move …
- Delicate surfaces: stone, timber, matte paint, antiques, and how to treat them …
- Access: who lets the cleaner in, or where the lockbox is (code in the booking's access field) …
- Parking and building: visitor parking, intercom, lift …
- Pets: who they are, where they'll be, anything to know …
- Anything else: alarms, a sleeping baby, someone working from home …
Set your priorities
Tell the cleaner the three things that matter most, in order. A first visit can't always reach every corner of a home that needs a reset, so priorities decide where the time goes.
Good notes are specific and short:
- "Main bathroom first: shower glass and the toilet."
- "Kitchen benches and stovetop; leave the pantry."
- "The study is off-limits."
A note doesn't add a paid extra. If you want inside the oven or fridge done, add it as an extra when you book.
If the home needs more time than booked (more build-up than described, say), the cleaner works through your priorities first. Extra time is only added if you agree to it and its price first; otherwise the rest can wait for another visit. If access, power or water stop the clean, we contact you.
Access, keys and being home
You don't need to be home, as long as the cleaner can get in. Nine in ten of our first visits had someone home to open the door; the rest used a lockbox, a hidden key or a concierge.
- Keys: we don't hold or carry keys between visits. A lockbox is the simplest option.
- Buildings: add the intercom, lift and parking details. In a strata building, arranging access is up to you.
- Alarms and cameras: tell us about any alarm. Cameras or recorders must be disclosed, and none are allowed in bathrooms.
- If the cleaner can't get in: we text you and the cleaner calls. After 20 minutes the booking is cancelled and a $70 lockout fee applies, unless you reply during the wait.
Pets
Pets are welcome, but should be secured or supervised. About half of our first visits are in homes with pets.
Put dogs in a yard or a closed room, keep cats from escaping through open doors, and tell us about any animal that is anxious with strangers. A cleaner can decline to enter if a pet poses a risk, and a $50 fee applies in that case. Cleaners clean around pet areas but don't handle pet waste beyond the checklist.
Belongings and delicate surfaces
Put away valuables, papers and anything fragile, and tell us about surfaces that need special care.
Cleaners work around your things, not through them. Clear benches, floors and the bathroom vanity where you can, so the time goes on cleaning.
Tell us about natural stone (marble, limestone, travertine), oiled or unsealed timber, matte or freshly painted walls, and anything antique or valuable. If something is off-limits, say so. Anything you'd rather clean yourself, leave out of the notes or mark it.
Products and equipment
Our cleaners bring their own products, cloths, a vacuum and a mop. If you want a particular product used on a surface, tell us before the visit.
You don't need to buy anything. If you have a product a surface needs (a stone cleaner, a specific floor product), leave it out with a note. Bathroom and kitchen cloths are kept separate. Independent cleaners vary: some bring everything, some use yours, so ask before the first visit.
Timing: arrival windows and how long it takes
Arrival is a window, not a set time, and the booked time is one cleaner's time. Two cleaners share it, so they finish in about half the time.
A standard clean of a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home kept on top of is booked at 2h 35m for one cleaner. A first visit with build-up is booked longer. If you're working from home, plan around the cleaner moving room to room; the kitchen and bathrooms usually take longest.
First visit or regular visit: what's different
A first clean usually takes longer and may cost more, because it deals with build-up. Later visits on a plan maintain the standard it sets.
On a regular plan, the plan's discount applies from the first visit. The first visit only costs more if the home needs extra time for build-up, or if you add first-visit extras like inside the oven. Later visits drop back to the regular time and price.
The first clean is also when the cleaner learns your home. Feedback after it, good and bad, shapes every visit after.
Checking the result
Use your agreed checklist to review the clean, starting with your priorities, and let us know within 48 hours which included tasks need attention.
Check what was agreed, not what you hoped for: a standard clean doesn't include inside the oven, and a deep clean doesn't include outside windows. What's included lists each clean.
If something on the checklist was missed, our Happiness Guarantee means a complimentary re-clean of the areas you raise, completed within seven business days. If anything was damaged, report it within 48 hours with a photo.
You're charged after the clean, not before. A hold is placed on your card about two days before the visit (when you're charged).
Questions people ask
Should I clean before the cleaner comes?
No. Tidy away clutter, valuables and anything fragile so the cleaner can reach the surfaces, but leave the cleaning itself to them.
Do I need to be home for the first clean?
No, if the cleaner can get in. Many people are home for the first visit to show the cleaner around, then use a lockbox after that.
Do I need to provide cleaning products?
No. Our cleaners bring their own products and equipment, including a vacuum and mop.
Should I tip?
With Simply Maid it's optional and never expected. A tip or a kind review is appreciated, never required.
Can the cleaner wash dishes or do laundry?
Washing up isn't part of a standard clean. Laundry can be added as an extra on some services.
What if I'm not happy with the first clean?
Tell us within 48 hours which areas weren't right. The team arranges a complimentary re-clean of those areas within seven business days.
Will I get the same cleaner next time?
On a regular plan you can ask for them, and we roster them where we can, but we can't promise the same person every visit.
When you're ready
Book your first clean
Get a fixed price for your home, then choose a date. Nothing is booked or paid at this step.
Still choosing who to hire? The hiring checklist
Sources
The policies and help pages behind this guide, with the date we read each one.
- Terms of service, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026. §2 and §17 (independent contractors, vetting), §5 (payment), §6 (re-clean), §7 (cancellation), §8 (access and lockout), §10 (Care & Cover), §11 (pets), §12 (exclusions). Published 29 Sep 2026.
- Happiness Guarantee, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026. Report within 48 hours; complimentary re-clean of the areas raised, completed within seven business days.
- How do I prepare for my first clean?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Do I need to be home?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Can my pets be home during the clean?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Do I need to provide cleaning supplies?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Can I request particular cleaning products?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- How do I leave instructions for my cleaner?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- What does my arrival window mean?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- How do I reschedule or cancel a clean?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- When will I be charged?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- What should I do if something is damaged?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Do I need to tip my cleaner?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
Policies quoted from Simply Maid's published terms and help centre on the date shown.