Special requests are the little things that turn an average cleaning into the one you actually look forward to — skip the guest bath towels, use vinegar instead of bleach, don't touch the pile of mail on the counter. Handling them well is mostly about timing and clarity, not luck.
- Write special requests down before your Porch and Parlor Cleaning visit — verbal-only asks get lost between rooms.
- Rank your top 3 requests so the cleaner tackles priorities first if time runs short.
- Flag hazardous, fragile, or off-limits items separately from cleaning preferences.
- Extra-time requests in 2026 often carry a small add-on fee — ask before the visit, not after.
- Recurring requests belong in your account notes, not a one-time text to whoever shows up.
Why this matters
A cleaner walking into your house with no context is working off guesswork, and guesswork is how you end up with the wrong glass cleaner on your hardwood or a "do not touch" shelf getting dusted anyway. Nashville homes booked through Porch and Parlor Cleaning run on scheduling software, which means there's an actual field for notes — most homeowners just never use it.
The fix isn't complicated. It's writing things down in the right place, at the right time, in plain language. That's it. As they say, a good workman never blames his tools, but even the best cleaner can't read your mind about the antique vase on the mantel.
What you'll need
- Five minutes before your scheduled visit
- Access to your Porch and Parlor Cleaning account or booking confirmation email
- A short written list — sticky note, notes app, or the booking portal's comment field all work
- Any product you want used instead of the standard supply (if you have one)
- A rough sense of which requests matter most, in case the visit runs long
The steps
1. Write the request down before the day of cleaning
Don't wait until the cleaner is standing in your kitchen. Requests typed into the booking notes ahead of time get read and planned for; requests mentioned in passing at the door get forgotten by room three.
Be specific: "please don't use bleach on the butcher block" beats "go easy on the counters." Vague requests produce vague results, and in 2026 most booking platforms, including BookingKoala, have a dedicated notes field for exactly this — use it.
Common mistake: telling the cleaner verbally and assuming it'll transfer to next month's visit with a different tech. It won't unless it's written into your account.
2. Rank your top three
If you've got eight requests and a standard two-hour visit, something has to give. Rank them so the cleaner knows what matters most if the clock runs out.
A request like "deep clean the baseboards in the hallway" takes real time; "straighten the throw pillows" doesn't. Put the time-intensive ones near the top only if they actually matter more to you than the quick wins.
Common mistake: treating every request as equally urgent, which forces the cleaner to guess at priority mid-visit.
3. Put recurring requests in your standing profile, not a one-off note
If you always want the ceiling fans dusted or always want a specific all-purpose spray instead of the default, that belongs in your permanent account notes. One-time messages get read once and disappear.
This matters most for homes with pets or fragrance sensitivities, where the same request needs to hold for every single visit, not just this week's.
Common mistake: re-texting the same request every visit instead of locking it into the account once.
4. Flag hazards and off-limits areas separately from preferences
A request like "skip the office desk, it's covered in paperwork" is different from "don't move the jewelry box." Off-limits items and hazards (medications, chemicals, fragile heirlooms) need their own clear callout, not buried in a list of nice-to-haves.
Spell it out: room name, item, and the word "skip" or "do not touch." That level of specificity is what actually gets honored on-site in 2026, when most cleaning teams are moving fast on a set schedule.
Common mistake: assuming "be careful in there" communicates the same thing as "do not enter the home office."
5. Ask about extra time or added cost before the visit
Some requests — inside the oven, inside the fridge, detailed baseboard work — take real extra minutes. Ask upfront whether that adds cost or time to your booking window, so nobody's surprised at checkout.
Most companies can quote this in the time it takes to answer an email or a booking-portal message. Getting the number before the visit means you decide with your eyes open, not after the fact.
Common mistake: requesting a big add-on the morning of and expecting it to fit inside a standard two-hour slot for free.
6. Confirm the request landed before the cleaner leaves
If you're home, do a quick walkthrough of the specific item or area you flagged. If you're not, a same-day photo or a quick note back through the booking portal confirms it happened — and gives you a fast way to flag it if it didn't.
This step catches misses while they're still easy to fix, instead of discovering it three weeks later.
Common mistake: waiting until the next scheduled visit to mention that last time's request got missed.
Book your next cleaning with notes ready
Add your special requests right in the booking form for your Nashville visit.
Troubleshooting
The cleaner missed a request I definitely wrote down. Check that it landed in the account notes, not a one-time message to a specific person — teams rotate, and notes tied to an individual rather than your profile don't always transfer. Follow up the same day so it's fixed before the details fade.
A request suddenly costs more than I expected. Ask for a quote before the visit next time. Requests like inside-appliance cleaning or heavy baseboard work commonly carry a small add-on in 2026 pricing, and getting that number in advance avoids the awkward conversation at the door.
I forgot to mention something the morning of. Send it through the booking portal as soon as you remember, even an hour before arrival — a text to a random number rarely reaches the right person in time.
My regular request works with one cleaner but not a substitute. That's the sign the request lives with a person instead of your account. Move it into your standing profile notes so it holds no matter who's assigned that day. If you're still shopping around for a company that handles this well, vetting a house cleaning company properly upfront saves this headache entirely.
A request involves an allergy or sensitivity and it's not being taken seriously. Spell out the exact trigger — fragrance, specific chemical, pet dander — rather than a general "go easy on products." Vague asks get vague compliance.
I don't know if my request is reasonable for a standard visit. If it adds more than 15-20 minutes of extra work, assume it needs a heads-up or a small fee, not a silent expectation that it's included.
Tools and resources
- Your booking portal's notes or comments field — the single best place for any written request
- A short list, prioritized by what matters most if time runs short
- Prepping your home for a professional cleaning service covers the groundwork that makes special requests easier to honor in the first place
- A same-day check-in habit, whether that's a walkthrough or a quick photo
What to do next
Once your special-request habit is dialed in, the next win is keeping the house in that state between visits. That's less about the cleaner and more about a few quick daily habits — worth a look if requests keep coming back to "can you just get it back to how it was last time."
FAQ
How do I ask my house cleaner for a special request?
Write it into your booking notes before the visit, using specific language — room, item, and what you want done differently. Verbal-only requests at the door are the most common reason things get missed in 2026.
Will a special request cost extra?
Time-intensive requests like inside-oven or inside-fridge cleaning often carry a small add-on fee. Ask for a quote before the visit so there's no surprise at checkout.
Can I set a permanent request for every cleaning visit?
Yes, standing requests belong in your account profile notes rather than a one-time message. That way the request holds no matter which cleaner is assigned that day.
What if my cleaner missed a request I wrote down?
Check whether it was saved to your account notes or sent to an individual person — notes tied to a person don't always transfer between visits. Follow up the same day to get it corrected.
Is it rude to ask a house cleaner to skip a room?
No, skip requests are common and easy to honor when they're specific. Say the room name and the word skip rather than a vague comment about being careful.
How much notice does a special request need?
Simple requests can go in the morning of, but anything involving extra time or a product swap is best flagged 24 hours ahead so it can be planned into the visit.
Should I tell the cleaner in person or write it down?
Write it down. In-person mentions are easy to forget mid-visit, while a note in the booking portal stays attached to the job and travels with your account.
What counts as a hazard I should flag separately?
Medications, cleaning chemicals you don't want mixed, and fragile heirlooms all deserve their own clear callout, separate from general preferences, so they're never accidentally moved or handled.
One last thing
The requests that go smoothest in 2026 aren't the elaborate ones — they're the two-sentence ones written down the night before. "Skip the guest room, use the lemon spray under the sink" gets honored every time. A rambling verbal list at the door, even a shorter one, gets half-remembered by the second bathroom.
