Author: joe.hunter.dev@gmail.com

  • What is a deep clean and when do you need one?

    A deep clean is not a more thorough version of your regular clean. It’s a different type of clean entirely — covering areas that a standard visit doesn’t touch, using different products, and taking significantly longer. Here’s what to expect.

    What a deep clean covers

    • Kitchen: inside oven, extractor fan and filter, inside all cupboards, behind appliances, descaling around taps and sinks
    • Bathrooms: descaling shower screens and taps, cleaning grout, sanitising all surfaces including behind the toilet
    • Bedrooms: under beds, inside wardrobes, window tracks, skirting boards
    • Living areas: inside and behind furniture, light fittings, blinds and shutters, plug sockets
    • Floors: edges and corners, under furniture, grout on tiled floors

    When do you need one?

    • After a tenancy ends — before a new tenant or guests arrive
    • When a property has been empty for an extended period
    • Before you put the property on the rental market
    • Once or twice a year as a reset, on top of regular cleaning
    • After building work or renovation

    How long does it take and what does it cost?

    A two-bedroom apartment typically takes 4–6 hours for a deep clean. A larger villa can take a full day or require two cleaners. Expect to pay €150–€350 for an apartment and €300–€600 for a larger property. Always get a quote based on your specific property — condition and size both affect the price significantly.

  • Christmas preparation cleaning guide for Andalucía homeowners

    For many expat property owners on the Costa del Sol, Christmas is one of the two or three times a year they actually get to use the property. Getting it properly ready after weeks or months of being empty makes the difference between a relaxing arrival and a stressful one.

    Book the clean early

    December is busy for cleaning services in Marbella and across Andalucía — both local families and other holiday homeowners are all preparing properties at the same time. If you’re arriving between 20 December and 6 January, book your pre-arrival clean by the end of November. Don’t leave it to the last minute.

    What to ask for

    • Full property clean — all rooms, kitchen, bathrooms
    • Fresh bed linen on all beds
    • Airing the property — windows open for at least an hour before closing up
    • Check all systems: hot water, heating, AC
    • Run all taps and flush all toilets
    • Check for any damp, leaks, or storm damage — winter storms are common in November and December

    Heating

    Andalucía winters are mild by northern European standards — but December nights in Marbella can drop to 7–10°C, and an unheated property that’s been closed for months will feel cold on arrival. Ask your cleaner to run the heating for a couple of hours before you arrive if you can coordinate the timing.

    Getting a quote

    Post your pre-arrival job on SAM with your arrival date and property details. Specify if it’s been empty since summer — cleaners will factor in the extra time needed for a thorough airing and clean.

  • Post-summer deep clean: what holiday rental owners need to do in September

    August is over. Your last guests have checked out. And your property has been turned around 15 times since June. Now is the time to do a proper reset — not just another turnaround, but a thorough deep clean and property check that sets things up properly for the quieter months ahead.

    Why September matters

    After a heavy summer of short lets, properties accumulate wear that a standard turnaround doesn’t address. Grout gets stained. Ovens get caked. Mattresses get compressed. Sun cream gets on soft furnishings. Taps and shower screens get scaled. A post-season deep clean sorts all of this before it becomes a permanent problem — or a reason for a bad review from an autumn guest.

    What a post-summer deep clean covers

    • Full kitchen deep clean including inside oven, extractor, and all cupboards
    • Bathroom deep clean: descale shower screens, re-grout if needed, replace worn sealant
    • Wash all soft furnishings: sofa cushion covers, curtains, throws
    • Clean all exterior shutters and window tracks
    • Deep clean terrace and outdoor furniture
    • Check and clean AC filters before switching to heating mode

    Other September tasks

    Check your inventory — note anything broken, missing, or worn that needs replacing before next summer. Review your listing photos — if you took better photos this summer when the property was full of light, update them. And if you’re closing the property for winter, arrange a monthly check visit to keep on top of any issues before they compound.

  • Summer preparation checklist for your Spanish villa

    If your villa has been closed up since January, it needs more than a quick hoover before you or your guests arrive in June. Here’s a practical checklist for getting a Costa del Sol property fully ready for the summer season.

    Cleaning and deep clean

    • Full deep clean — all rooms, oven, fridge, bathrooms, terrace
    • Clean exterior shutters and window tracks
    • Wipe down all outdoor furniture
    • Clear terrace drain covers of accumulated debris
    • Check for any mould or damp in bathrooms or north-facing rooms

    Systems and appliances

    • Test all air conditioning units — service if they haven’t been run since last year
    • Check all ceiling fans are working and clean
    • Run all taps and flush all toilets — P-traps dry out over winter
    • Test the boiler and hot water
    • Check garden irrigation system

    Pool and outdoor

    • Pool service: balance chemicals, check pump and filter, clean waterline
    • Check pool safety — covers, handrails, non-slip surfaces
    • Check outdoor shower
    • Garden tidy — prune, clear winter deadfall, edge lawns

    Stock and supplies

    • Replace any expired food items left from last year
    • Restock: bin bags, toilet paper, washing-up liquid, dishwasher tablets, batteries
    • Check linen inventory — replace any worn or stained items before guests arrive

    Arrange the deep clean first — everything else is easier once the property is clean and aired. Post a job on SAM to get quotes from local villa cleaning services.

  • Why photo reports matter for remote property owners

    You’re in London or Dublin and your apartment in Marbella has just been cleaned. How do you know the job was done properly? How do you know the oven wasn’t left dirty, the bathrooms are genuinely clean, or that the last guests didn’t leave any damage? The answer, if you’re relying on trust alone, is that you don’t.

    What a photo report is

    A photo report is a set of photos taken by your cleaner after each clean, showing the property in its cleaned state. Typically: each bedroom (bed made, surfaces clear), bathrooms, the kitchen, living areas, and the terrace. Sent via WhatsApp or email immediately after the clean is finished.

    What it gives you

    • Confirmation that the clean happened and was completed properly.
    • Early damage detection — if something is broken or missing, you know before the next guests arrive, not after.
    • A record for insurance or deposit disputes — timestamped photos showing property condition at a specific point in time.
    • Peace of mind — you can see your property is ready without making a phone call or sending a chasing message.

    How to request it

    When posting a job on SAM, specify that you require a photo report after each clean. Most professional cleaners who work with remote property owners already do this — it’s worth confirming it’s part of the arrangement before the first visit.

  • How to write an Airbnb listing that mentions professional cleaning

    Cleanliness is consistently the most-mentioned factor in Airbnb reviews — both positively and negatively. If you have a professional cleaning service handling your turnarounds, telling guests about it in your listing is a straightforward way to set expectations and build confidence before they book.

    What to say — and what to avoid

    Be specific rather than vague. “Professionally cleaned” is better than nothing, but “professionally cleaned between every stay with a photo report” tells the guest something meaningful. Avoid terms like “spotless” or “immaculate” — guests will hold you to those adjectives if one thing is out of place.

    Good examples:

    • “Professionally cleaned between every stay by a vetted local cleaning team.”
    • “Fresh linen and towels provided for every booking.”
    • “Photo reports taken after every clean — if something isn’t right, we’ll know before you arrive.”

    Where in the listing to mention it

    Include it in the property description — near the top, alongside other practical details. The “Other things to note” section is also a good place to mention specifics like linen, checkout cleaning, and any property care expectations you have of guests.

    Airbnb’s enhanced cleaning program

    If your cleaner follows Airbnb’s enhanced cleaning protocol and you qualify for the certification, display it on your listing. Even without the formal certification, mentioning that your cleaning team works to a defined checklist adds credibility.

  • Cleaner contracts in Spain: do you need one?

    This is one of those questions that most people in expat WhatsApp groups answer incorrectly. The short version: if you hire an individual to clean your property regularly and you’re the primary or only client, Spanish law may classify that as an employment relationship — which comes with obligations.

    The employment relationship question

    Under Spanish law, a domestic employee (empleado del hogar) who works for you more than 60 hours per month must be registered with the Social Security system and receive a formal contract. Even for fewer hours, there are grey areas. The key factors are: regularity of work, exclusivity, and who controls how and when the work is done.

    The autónomo route

    The simplest way to avoid the employment complexity is to hire a cleaner who is registered as autónomo (self-employed) in Spain. An autónomo cleaner operates as an independent contractor — they invoice you for their services, handle their own taxes and social security contributions, and you have no employer obligations. This is how most professional cleaning services on the Costa del Sol operate.

    Ask for proof of autónomo status and request a proper invoice. This protects both parties.

    Using a cleaning company or platform

    Hiring through a company or platform like SAM removes the employment question entirely. The cleaner is contracted to the company, which handles all employment obligations. You pay for a service and receive an invoice — no employer relationship, no social security complications.

  • Is cleaning VAT-exempt in Spain? What property owners should know

    If you’ve received an invoice from a cleaning company in Spain and noticed IVA on the bill, you’re not being overcharged. Cleaning services are subject to VAT in Spain, but at a reduced rate. Here’s how it works.

    IVA rates for cleaning in Spain

    The standard IVA rate in Spain is 21%. However, cleaning services provided directly to private households — your home, apartment, or villa — qualify for the reduced rate of 10% under Spanish tax law. This applies to domestic cleaning (regular cleans, deep cleans, end-of-tenancy) when provided to an individual as the end user.

    Commercial cleaning — offices, business premises, communal areas managed by a company — is typically charged at the standard 21% rate.

    Do individual cleaners charge IVA?

    Autónomo (self-employed) cleaners who fall below the VAT registration threshold may not charge IVA at all — this is legal within certain limits. However, if you’re hiring a registered cleaning company, expect an invoice with 10% IVA for domestic work.

    Can you reclaim IVA?

    If your property is rented commercially (holiday rentals, long-term furnished lets where you’re charging IVA to tenants), you may be able to offset the IVA paid on cleaning costs against IVA collected on rental income. This requires being registered for IVA in Spain — speak to a Spanish gestor if you’re not sure whether this applies to you.

    For most expat holiday homeowners using the property partly personally and partly for rental, the situation is more nuanced and worth professional advice.

  • How to find a trustworthy cleaner in Spain: 7 things to check

    If you’ve had a bad experience with a cleaner in Spain — and many expat property owners have — it usually comes down to one of a few things: no-shows, poor communication, a job that wasn’t done properly, or someone who was fine for the first few visits and then started cutting corners. Here’s what to check before you commit to anyone.

    1. Verified reviews

    Not testimonials on their own website — verified reviews from actual clients on a platform where fake reviews are harder to generate. Look for consistency over time, not just one or two glowing write-ups.

    2. Clear pricing

    Can they tell you clearly what the job will cost before they start? A professional cleaner should be able to give you a fixed quote or a reliable estimate based on your property. Vague hourly rates with no estimate of time are a warning sign.

    3. Response time

    How quickly do they respond to your initial message? Someone who takes three days to reply to a quote request will probably take three days to reply when there’s a problem. Speed of communication is a reliable early signal.

    4. References or platform history

    If they’re relatively new, ask for references from existing clients. If they’re on a platform like SAM, check how many jobs they’ve completed and how long they’ve been active.

    5. Coverage during holidays and sick days

    What happens if they’re ill the day before your guests arrive? Do they have cover, or do you need to arrange it yourself? For Airbnb hosts, this is a critical question — not having a backup plan is a significant operational risk.

    6. English communication

    If you’re managing the property remotely and need to brief someone, flag a problem, or change a booking, being able to do that in English matters. It’s not about expecting Spain to speak English — it’s about being able to manage a working relationship clearly.

    7. Insurance

    Ask whether they have liability insurance. A professional cleaner or cleaning company should be insured for accidental damage. It’s a simple question and the answer tells you something about how professionally they operate.

  • Check-in / check-out cleaning for holiday rentals in Spain

    For holiday rental owners in Spain, check-in and check-out cleaning is the operational heartbeat of the business. Get it wrong — late, rushed, or incomplete — and you’ll see it in your reviews. Get it right, consistently, and guests notice.

    What check-out cleaning involves

    After a guest leaves, the property needs to be returned to guest-ready condition. This means: stripping and replacing all linen, cleaning all bathrooms and the kitchen, vacuuming and mopping, emptying bins, restocking supplies, and a final check for damage or left items. The cleaner should also note anything that needs reporting before the next guests arrive.

    What check-in preparation involves

    Check-in prep usually happens at the tail end of the turnaround clean, or as a brief second visit: confirm the property is guest-ready, put out fresh welcome items (if you provide them), leave keys in the agreed location, and send a confirmation to the owner or property manager.

    Timing

    The most common pressure point is same-day turnarounds. If guests check out at 10:00 and new guests arrive at 14:00, you have four hours. A two-bedroom apartment takes 2.5–3 hours to clean properly with a linen change. That’s workable but tight — make sure your cleaner knows the window upfront.

    Photo reports

    Ask your cleaner for a photo report after each turnaround. A set of photos showing the cleaned rooms, made beds, and stocked bathrooms gives you confirmation without being there — and a record if any damage is disputed.