Your First Professional Cleaning:
Here's Exactly What Happens

Most people who book their first professional cleaning have the same three questions. Will the team go through my stuff? Do I need to clean before they arrive? And what exactly does "deep clean" mean when it's listed as the first-visit requirement?

All fair questions. The honest answer to the first one is no, the honest answer to the second is also no, and the third one takes a little more explaining. That's what this post is for. If you've booked us and want to know what's coming, or if you're still deciding and want to see how it all works, read on.

Here's what we'll cover:

• What happens before the team arrives, including the arrival window and how to prep
• Who shows up and what they bring with them
• What a first clean actually includes and how long it takes
• What to expect during and after, including our satisfaction guarantee

What happens before the team arrives

After you book, you'll get a confirmation with your scheduled date and a 2-hour arrival window. Not a single time slot, a 2-hour window. This is standard in the cleaning industry and it lets us handle traffic, longer-than-expected previous jobs, and the general unpredictability of North Atlanta suburbs. Most of the time the team arrives closer to the start of that window than the end. If anything shifts, Staci will text you directly.

You don't have to be home. A lot of our clients in Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek leave a key in a lockbox, share a door code, or have us use the garage. First-time visits do benefit from a quick conversation when you're home. If you're around to point out the guest bathroom that's been bothering you or the baseboards along the back hallway, the team can prioritize. If you're not home, leave a note or text Staci before the visit.

As for what to do beforehand: very little. You don't need to pre-clean. You don't need to mop before we mop. Pick up any clothes from the floor and make sure the counters are reasonably clear so we can actually wipe them. That's it. We've heard from new clients who spent an hour tidying before we arrived. Save it. Let us do our job.

One thing to know: every first visit with Alpharetta Cleaning Co. is performed as a full deep clean. There's a good reason for that, which we'll get into below. But it means your first visit is more thorough than a standard recurring clean, and it takes longer.

Who shows up and what they bring

Every job is a two-person team of experienced cleaners. You won't get a stranger showing up alone. The team introduces themselves, asks about anything specific if you're home, and gets to work.

The team brings everything. Commercial-grade vacuums. Microfiber cloths, separate sets for bathrooms and kitchens so there's no cross-contamination. Eco-friendly cleaning products. Mops. Scrub brushes. Extension dusters that reach ceiling fans and corners. You provide nothing except access to your home.

One thing clients always ask about: supplies. You never need to supply anything. If you prefer a specific product for a particular surface (say, a stone countertop sealer or a wood floor cleaner), you can leave it out and the team will use it. Otherwise, everything we bring is already approved for residential surfaces and safe around pets and kids.

Once you settle into a recurring schedule, you'll get the same team every visit. That consistency matters. The team gets to know your home: which light fixtures get dusty fast, where pet hair collects, the tricky grout in the master bathroom. It makes each visit faster and more thorough at the same time.

What the first clean includes

Every client starts with a deep clean. This is not a policy we invented to charge more upfront. It's the only way to set a standard we can actually maintain going forward.

Think about what happens in a home that's been cleaned by the owner for the last year or two. The floors get vacuumed. The bathrooms get scrubbed. But the baseboards? The inside of the oven? The grout lines in the shower? The tops of door frames? The vent covers? Those get skipped, not because the homeowner is lazy, but because life is busy and those things aren't part of a 45-minute clean. Over time, they accumulate.

A deep clean gets into all of it. For a full breakdown of exactly what's included versus a standard recurring clean, see our deep clean vs. standard clean comparison. The short version: it's the same list as a standard clean plus baseboards by hand, inside the oven, inside the fridge, window sills, blinds, ceiling corners, grout scrubbing, tops of door frames, vents, wall scuffs, and light fixtures pulled and washed, not just dusted.

On a typical 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home in Alpharetta, the first deep clean runs 4 to 6 hours with two cleaners. That's a full morning or most of an afternoon. The range depends on the home's condition going in and any specific add-ons you requested. Once the baseline is set and you move to a recurring schedule, those visits run about 2 to 3 hours for the same home. The first clean is the hard part. After that, it's maintenance.

During the visit: what to expect

The team works room by room, systematically. They typically start at the top of the home and work down, or start at the primary bedroom and move outward, depending on the layout. You don't need to direct them. They have a process.

They will not go through personal items, open drawers, or go into spaces you haven't specifically told them to clean. If something is in the way of a surface they're cleaning (a stack of books on a shelf, items on a dresser), they'll carefully move things, clean under and around, and put everything back. Nothing is touched without a reason.

Pets are totally fine. Most of our team loves dogs and cats. If your dog is anxious around strangers, crating them or keeping them in a separate room makes things easier for everyone. But if your golden retriever wants to follow the team from room to room, that's not a problem at all.

Kids being home is also fine. Some clients find it easier to be out during the clean, especially with young children, just because the house is more accessible and the team can move faster. But it's your home. Stay or go, whatever works for your day.

If you have specific instructions, a note on the counter works great. Or text Staci directly at 678-578-4747 before the visit. The team checks in before starting if anything is unclear.

And if something unexpected comes up during the clean, like a stain that's going to take an extra 20 minutes or a fixture that's damaged and they want to flag before touching it, they'll reach out. We don't make decisions about your home without checking first.

After the clean: what you'll notice

The first thing most clients notice is the smell. Not a chemical smell. Not that fake lemon scent from grocery store cleaners. More like fresh air, faint citrus, and the specific quiet feeling of a house that's actually clean rather than just tidied.

Look over the rooms. Check the spots that have been bothering you. The grout in the master shower. The baseboards in the hallway. The inside of the microwave. Those are usually the ones that get the most visible reaction.

If anything didn't meet your expectations, call or text within 24 hours. We come back and fix it, free. No argument, no negotiation. That's the guarantee. We've been cleaning homes in North Atlanta since 2022 and it's held every time. The goal is that you step through your front door after a visit and feel like you moved into a new house. A few of our Alpharetta clients have said exactly that, and it never gets old to hear.

After your first clean, if you want to set up recurring visits, Staci will help you pick a schedule: weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Most clients in Alpharetta and Milton settle into bi-weekly. The pricing for recurring visits is lower than a one-time clean because the home is already at baseline. We're maintaining, not resetting.

"I didn't know what to expect at all. But the team was so professional. They asked if I had any problem areas and then spent extra time on the master bathroom. I cried a little, honestly." Dana W., Alpharetta

Pricing for first-time clients

The first clean is always a deep clean, and deep cleans start at $180. For a typical 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home in Alpharetta, the price depends on square footage, starting at $180. The final number depends on square footage and condition.

If you decide to add recurring cleaning after the first visit, we credit part of the deep clean cost toward your first recurring visit. It's our way of saying thanks for trusting us with your home. You can see the full breakdown on our pricing page, or get a quote when you book online. Quotes are firm, not estimates that balloon on the day.