No. Most of our clients aren’t. Some are at work, some are running errands, and some are a thousand miles away for the summer. A good cleaning company is set up to clean your home whether you’re there or not.
That said, handing over access to your home is a real decision, and it’s worth knowing how it works before you do it. Here’s what to think about, whether you’re in a St. Pete townhome, a house in South Pasadena, or a beach place in Indian Rocks Beach.
Being home vs. heading out
There’s no wrong choice. It comes down to what you’re comfortable with.
If you’re home
- You can walk through priorities with the team at the start, which is especially useful on a first visit
- You can answer questions on the spot, like whether a spot on the counter is a stain or a finish
- You can do a final walkthrough and point out anything you’d like touched up while they’re still there
If you work from home, that’s fine too. The team will work around your space. Just let us know which room you’ll be in and whether you’d like it cleaned while you take a break or skipped.
If you head out
- The team can work faster without working around people
- You come home to a clean house instead of watching it get cleaned
- You don’t have to rearrange your day around an arrival window
Many clients are home for the first visit and then switch to being out for regular cleanings once they know the team.
How the team gets in
When you book, tell us how the team will get in. The common options are:
- A door code or smart lock. Many smart locks let you create a code just for the cleaning team, and change it any time. This is our preferred method.
- A lockbox. A small combination lockbox on the property. This is the simplest option for most homes.
- A key. You give us a key, or leave one in an agreed spot. Least preferred method.
- A front desk or concierge. Common in downtown St. Pete condos and beach high-rises. Let the front desk know we’re coming and add us to the approved list.
Whichever you choose, make sure it works before cleaning day. There’s a travel charge if the cleaners arrive and can’t get in.
Alarms, pets, and locking up
If you have an alarm, share the code or set up a temporary user code for the team. We will re-engage the alarm when we leave. Or some systems allow you to do this remotely.
If you have pets, let us know ahead of time. Plenty of our clients have dogs and cats. If yours might slip out an open door, a crate or a closed room is the safest choice while the team works.
Knowing it’s done right
When you’re not there, you want to know the job was finished and the house was left the way it should be. If something was missed, tell us right away and we’ll make it right.
This is also where it matters who’s actually in your home. At Tampa Bay Home Services, every cleaner is a background-checked, bonded W-2 employee of our company, not an independent contractor sent by an app. Our insurance and bonding details are public on our Proof of Coverage page, so you can check them before you hand over a key.
When you’re away for longer
Seasonal residents often keep a cleaning on the calendar while they’re gone, or book one the week before they return so they walk into a fresh house. If that’s you, our snowbird guide covers closing and reopening a home for the season. For a look at the whole first visit, from quote to walkthrough, see what to expect from your first house cleaning.
Tampa Bay Home Services is a locally owned St. Petersburg company cleaning homes in St. Petersburg, South Pasadena, Indian Rocks Beach, and across Pinellas County. Get your price, and tell us how you’d like the team to get in.