Apartment cleaning: getting in is the real job
Flats and apartments made up 14% of occupied homes in Australia in the 2021 Census, and 31% in Greater Sydney. Anyone who lives in one knows the problem: a fob for the front door, another for the lift, and nowhere for a visitor to park.
Sort that before the first visit. Who lets the cleaner in? Does the concierge need a name? Which visitor bay can they use, and for how long? Settling those questions early saves a business circling the block with a vacuum in the boot.
Strata by-laws and unit cleaning
In NSW, by-laws are rules that all residents living in a strata scheme must follow, and common ones cover parking and noise. Other states have their own versions. Tenants can ask the landlord or agent for a copy; owners can ask the owners corporation or strata manager.
Lift and visitor rules vary from one building to the next, so ask yours instead of assuming.
What's different when cleaning an apartment
Smaller rooms mean the clean moves faster, but a few spots need more care. An internal bathroom with no window relies on the exhaust fan, so keep the cover clear and run it when you shower. Sliding doors collect grit in their tracks. Balconies gather dust and leaves.
Ask whether the balcony is on the list. Hosing it down can drip onto the neighbours below, so talk to the business about how they'd handle it.
What an apartment cleaning business needs from you
- The building's entry steps: fob, intercom or concierge.
- Where to park, and any time limit on visitor bays.
- Your floor, and which lift to use.
- Where the bins go: a chute, or a bin room.
- Any noise hours in your building's by-laws.
- Whether the balcony and sliding door tracks are on the list.
Small unit, small jobs before the clean
Worth doing yourself
- Leave a spare fob with the building, if your rules allow it.
- Clear the kitchen bench, which is usually the only one.
- Bring in the washing from the balcony.
Where a cleaning business earns its keep
- A windowless bathroom, including the exhaust fan cover.
- Sliding door tracks and sills.
- Vacuuming and mopping right through.
Our advice before the first apartment cleaning visit
Write down the path from the street to your front door, the way you'd explain it to a friend: where to park, which door, which lift, which code. Send it to the business with the list of what you'd like done. It's a small thing, and it's what makes the first visit go smoothly.