FIELD NOTES / November 14, 2026
Before your first cleaning walkthrough
You’re about to walk a location with a potential client. You want to understand the work well enough to decide what you’re agreeing to—and eventually explain that work to someone else.
Start with the building in front of you. A guide from another location can help you organize your notes, but it can’t tell you what this customer expects or where this building’s supplies are kept.
Get clear on the work
Ask which areas are included, which tasks are excluded, and how often the cleaning is needed. Confirm the hours you can be in the building. If there’s an existing agreement or checklist, bring it with you and compare it with what the client describes.
“Clean the restaurant” leaves a lot unanswered. Are the outdoor tables included? Who handles the kitchen equipment? What needs to be ready before the opening staff arrives? Write down the unanswered questions instead of filling the gaps with assumptions.
Walk the route a cleaner will take
Start at the approved entrance. Find the supply storage, equipment, water source and waste-disposal area. Then move through the rooms in a practical order. Note surfaces and building details that affect the work.
Take photos with permission. A wide shot helps someone recognize the room; a close-up can show the shelf or switch they’re trying to find. A photo earns its place when it makes an instruction easier to follow. Keep access codes and unrelated personal information out of the guide.
Ask what usually gets missed
The person opening the building may notice different problems than the person closing it. With the client’s permission, ask the people who know the site about difficult areas, backup supplies, off-limits equipment and routines a new cleaner would otherwise have to discover.
If two people give you different directions, confirm the answer with the person responsible for the site. That’s a loose end to resolve before someone is standing there alone wondering which instruction to follow.
Turn your notes into something usable
Organize the draft around arrival, supplies, tasks by area and closing. Name the actual location of an item. Put a useful photo beside the instruction it explains. Confirm the approved products and methods for the surfaces at that site.
Then walk through the draft at the location. Can someone find the supplies from what you wrote? Are you asking them to return to the same room three times? Did you explain how to leave the building when they’re finished?
You don’t need a perfect-looking document on the first attempt. You need instructions that match the job. Fix what’s unclear, record a revision date and keep updating the guide when the work changes.
See what that looks like
The free Sample Cleaning Guide PDF shows a completed example with photos, task instructions, and a daily checklist. Join the mailing list and confirm your email to get it in My Library. If you want implementation instructions and editable Blueprint, Sample, and Template files for your own customers, the Cleaning Guide Builder Kit is $49 USD, one time.