What a cleaning company brings and what the customer should provide: vacuum cleaner, products, stepladder

For regular home cleaning, a cleaning company usually brings its own equipment and cleaning products: a vacuum cleaner, a mop with a bucket, microfibre cloths, sponges, gloves and all-purpose products for the kitchen, bathroom, glass and floors. You provide hot water, electricity, access to the flat and products for special surfaces. The exact split varies, so have it confirmed when you book.

Why it pays to clarify the split in advance

Misunderstandings often arise from expectations, not from the quality of the cleaning. The customer assumes the cleaner will wash the windows, including the upper skylights, but the cleaner has no stepladder. Or the company assumes there is a working vacuum cleaner at home and arrives with chemicals only.

So when you book, ask specific questions rather than a general “do you have everything with you?”. It helps to have the answer confirmed by e-mail or message. You will find other questions worth asking before you choose in the article how to choose a cleaning company.

What a cleaning company usually brings

For regular or one-off flat cleaning, it is standard for the company to have its own basic equipment. Typically this means the following:

• a vacuum cleaner with attachments for floors, upholstery and crevices,
• a mop and bucket, or a wringing system,
• colour-coded microfibre cloths (separate ones for the toilet, bathroom and kitchen),
• sponges, grout brushes and a glass squeegee,
• disposable or work gloves,
• an all-purpose cleaning product, a bathroom and limescale product, a kitchen degreaser, and a glass and floor cleaner,
• bags for waste produced during cleaning.

The article what a one-off flat cleaning includes describes exactly what falls within the standard scope. The scope of regular home cleaning is described by the home cleaning service; always have the equipment confirmed when you book.

What the customer provides

There are some things a company cannot supply in principle. Without them, the cleaning will be delayed or cannot be completed.

1. Hot and cold water. Check that hot water is running and that the boiler is not switched off, especially in a flat that has not been lived in for a while.
2. Electricity and working sockets. The vacuum cleaner and any steam cleaner need a socket. In a vacated or handover flat, check that the circuit breakers are not switched off.
3. Access to the flat and the building. Keys, the entrance code, and information about parking and the lift. How to hand over keys safely is described in the article about handing keys to a cleaning company.
4. A place for waste. Say where sorted waste goes and where the bins or containers are.
5. Products for special surfaces. More on these in the next section.
6. Information about special circumstances. Allergies, pets, places that must not be touched, or items that must not be moved.

You will find how to prepare the flat, what to clear out of the way and what to leave in place in the article how to prepare for the cleaning company's visit.

Special surfaces: when to provide your own product

All-purpose products suit most ordinary surfaces, but not all. Some materials require a specific type of product, and the manufacturer's instructions determine what may be used on them. Typically these are:

• natural stone (marble, travertine, granite) on a worktop or in the bathroom,
• oiled or waxed wooden floors and furniture,
• lacquered and high-gloss kitchen cabinet fronts,
• induction and glass-ceramic hobs, stainless steel and special anti-fingerprint finishes,
• leather sofas and sensitive upholstery,
• antiques and items with gilding or patina.

If you have such a surface at home, prepare the product recommended by the manufacturer, or leave the instructions or label available. Mention it when you book, so that the company knows whether to bring something extra or to use yours. If you are not sure what material you have, it is better to clean it with just water and a soft cloth than to try a stronger product.

Larger equipment: stepladder, steam, carpet shampooing machine

This is where the split differs most between companies. Things worth asking about separately:

• Ladder or stepladder. Needed for upper cupboards, light fittings, curtains and high windows. Some companies always bring one, others only for window cleaning or deep cleaning.
• Steam cleaner. Useful for grout and the bathroom, but not suitable for every surface. Check in the instructions for your floor or furniture whether it can withstand steam.
• Upholstery and carpet shampooing machine. For carpets and sofas, this is usually a separate service, not part of regular cleaning.
• Vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. If anyone in the household suffers from an allergy, ask about the type of filter, or offer your own vacuum cleaner.
• Extension cable. In larger flats and houses with few sockets, it saves time.

The scope of work and equipment also affects the price. For an overview of what is reflected in the price, see the page how much does flat cleaning in Prague cost.

If you want cleaning done with your own products

Some customers want only their own products to be used at home, for example because of allergies, small children, pets or a preference for certain scents. This is often possible, but you need to say so in advance and leave the products ready in one place.

Whoever does the cleaning, the same safety rules apply:

• Read the label and follow it. The instructions on the packaging state how to use the product safely and effectively, and include first aid instructions (EPA).
• Gloves and ventilation. The CDC recommends protecting your skin and eyes and, when working indoors, ensuring ventilation with an open window or a fan (CDC).
• Never mix. The Toxicology Information Centre warns that mixing products containing sodium hypochlorite with acidic toilet cleaners risks releasing chlorine gas (TIS). The CDC recommends not mixing bleach with any other cleaning or disinfecting product, including products containing ammonia (CDC).
• Test in a hidden spot. With a new product or an unknown material, try a small area that is not visible first.
• Store out of reach. Keep products out of the reach of children and pets and away from food and water bowls (EPA).

If you have a chlorine-based toilet product at home as well as an acidic limescale remover, say so explicitly and show which is which. Someone cleaning another person's home may not be able to tell at first glance what is in the bottles, especially when they have been decanted into other containers. If you suspect poisoning, call the Toxicology Information Centre on 224 91 92 93 (TIS).

If you have pets, the article cleaning products and pets is also useful, as it explains how to ventilate after cleaning and when to let the animal back in.

A short checklist before you book

1. Ask which equipment and products the company will bring, and have it confirmed.
2. Clarify whether they bring a stepladder, and if not, prepare your own stable stepladder.
3. Check the hot water, circuit breakers and sockets.
4. List the surfaces that require a special product and leave that product ready.
5. If you want to use your own products, put them in one place and mark which are chlorine-based and which are acidic.
6. Arrange access to the building, parking and where to put the waste.
7. Point out allergies, pets and places that must not be touched.

With the split clarified in this way, most questions on the day of cleaning disappear and the time is spent on the work itself.