Ten minutes
well spent.

The one that actually matters: clear surfaces

Every minute Astrid spends moving your things is a minute not spent cleaning underneath them. Clearing the kitchen counters, the coffee table and the bathroom vanity is worth more than everything else on this page combined.

She'll clean around objects. She just can't clean under a counter covered in post, chargers and school forms without first deciding where all of it goes — and she'd rather not guess where your things live.

The rest of the list

• Dishes out of the sink. A sink full of washing-up is a sink that can't be cleaned.
• Floors clear of the obvious. Toys, shoes, laundry. Not spotless — just passable for a vacuum.
• Say where the pets will be. Not a problem, just useful to know before a dog comes round the corner.
• Flag anything delicate. A surface that can't take a particular product, a piece of furniture that doesn't move, an heirloom you'd rather she didn't touch.
• Point out your priorities. If the kitchen matters and the guest room doesn't, say it. She will spend the time where you want it spent.
• Sort out access. Whether you're home, leaving a key, or giving a door code — arrange it in advance rather than on the day.
• Parking. In parts of Sterling, Ashburn and Brambleton with permit or narrow-street parking, tell her where to leave the car.

What you can ignore

• Don't pre-clean. You are paying her to clean. Wiping the counters first just means paying for a clean of counters you already cleaned.
• Don't tidy the whole house. Clear surfaces, not cupboards.
• Don't apologise for the state of it. She has seen worse this week. Genuinely.

After the first visit

Say what you thought. If something was missed, if you'd rather more time went to the bathrooms, if you want the bins done differently — the first visit is when that's easiest to adjust. After two or three visits she'll know the house and you'll stop needing to say anything at all.