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What to photograph on a house cleaning job: a room-by-room checklist
A clean kitchen looks like nothing happened. That is the problem with cleaning: the better you do, the less there is to see, and a customer who never saw the grease on the oven forgets it was there.
The fix is a short, repeatable set of photos. Take them in the same order on every job, and a ten-minute habit turns into proof of the work, protection against "that was already like that", and something you can send the customer before you drive away.
Before you start
- Tell the customer you document your work, and get their okay. A line such as "I take before and after photos of the rooms, never people or personal items" is enough.
- Shoot before you move or touch anything. The moment you wipe one counter, the before photo is gone.
- Turn on the lights and open the blinds in each room. Even light makes grime and clean both easier to see.
- Decide on your standing spot per room, such as the doorway, and use it for the after shot too.
The shot list
18 photos, in the order to take them. For each one: what to shoot, how to frame it, and why it is worth the few seconds.
On arrival
- Each room wide, from the doorway
How: Phone at chest height, include the floor and the far wall, and take it before anything is moved.
Why: It sets the baseline for every pair that follows, and shows the room was occupied and lived in.
- Existing damage, close up and from a step back
How: Scratched floors, chipped tubs, cracked tiles, stained grout, worn countertops. One close photo, one wide photo with a landmark.
Why: It is the single best protection against "you did that".
- Anything the customer asked you to focus on
How: Photograph it first, with the customer's own words in mind, such as "the oven has not been cleaned in a year".
Why: It shows you did exactly what you were asked.
Kitchen
- Stovetop and burners
How: Straight down, then from a low angle along the surface so baked-on grease catches the light.
Why: Grease is easier to see from the side than from above.
- Oven interior
How: Door open, oven light on, one shot of the floor of the oven and one of the door glass.
Why: It is the most dramatic before and after in most homes.
- Range hood and filter
How: From below, looking up at the filter, then the filter in your hand.
Why: It proves work most customers never think to check.
- Sink, faucet base and drain area
How: Close up, from a low angle, in good light.
Why: Limescale and film show best here, and clean chrome reads well in the after.
- Refrigerator interior and floor edges
How: Open the door fully for the fridge. For floors, shoot along the base of the cabinets.
Why: It covers the places that get skipped, if they are in scope.
Bathrooms
- Shower walls and glass
How: From inside the doorway, with the light coming from the side, so soap scum shows as a film.
Why: Glass and tile change the most, and the change is easy to see.
- Tub, toilet base and the floor behind it
How: One wide shot and one close shot, from the same standing spot.
Why: It is the spot the customer worries about most.
- Vanity, faucet and mirror
How: Photograph the mirror at an angle so you do not capture your own reflection.
Why: It covers streaks and spotting, which are the first things a customer looks for.
- Grout lines
How: Close up, one section of floor or shower wall.
Why: Grout shows how deep the clean went.
Living areas and bedrooms
- Baseboards and door frames
How: Low angle, along the wall, with a hand or a pen in the frame for scale.
Why: Dust there is invisible until you show it.
- Window sills and tracks
How: Close up, looking along the sill.
Why: Tracks show grime that the rest of the room hides.
- Ceiling fans, vents and light fixtures
How: Looking up, with a landmark so you can find the same spot again.
Why: Dust on high surfaces is what a customer sees when they look up.
- Carpet traffic lanes and stains
How: Wide shot of the path, then the worst stain close up.
Why: Carpet is a separate service for many cleaners, so the photo supports the quote.
When you finish
- Every view above, from the same spot, after the last wipe
How: Same height, same angle, lights on, surfaces dry and streak-free.
Why: A match is what makes the change obvious.
- The finished room with doors and blinds as you found them
How: Wide, from the doorway.
Why: It confirms nothing was left out of place.
Get the angle and the light right
- Shoot from the same spot and height for each pair. A doorway or a corner is easy to find again.
- Side light shows grease, film and dust. Light straight on flattens them.
- Avoid the flash unless a space is dark. It washes out texture and lights up the mess more than the surface.
- Keep your reflection and your shadow out of mirrors and glass.
Mistakes that make the result look smaller
- Taking only after photos. Without a before, the work is invisible.
- Taking the before after you have already started on one corner.
- Shooting each room from a different spot the second time, so the pair looks smaller than the change was.
- Including people, mail, screens or paperwork in the frame.
When it is not a standard job
A move-out or deep clean
Add the insides of cabinets, drawers, closets and appliances, and every room empty. Photograph existing damage on arrival and photograph the empty rooms again when you finish. A landlord or an agent will often ask for it.
The customer is home
Say what you are photographing and why, and keep their belongings out of the frame. If someone asks you not to photograph a room, skip it and note it.
Pets and personal spaces
Shoot surfaces, not animals or personal items. In bedrooms and home offices, frame the floor, the baseboards and the sill, not the desk or the dresser tops.
Printable checklist: house cleaning
Tick each one before and after.
- Each room wide, from the doorway
- Existing damage, close up and from a step back
- Anything the customer asked you to focus on
- Stovetop and burners
- Oven interior
- Range hood and filter
- Sink, faucet base and drain area
- Refrigerator interior and floor edges
- Shower walls and glass
- Tub, toilet base and the floor behind it
- Vanity, faucet and mirror
- Grout lines
- Baseboards and door frames
- Window sills and tracks
- Ceiling fans, vents and light fixtures
- Carpet traffic lanes and stains
- Every view above, from the same spot, after the last wipe
- The finished room with doors and blinds as you found them
photoluego.com/guides/house-cleaning-photo-checklist
From photos to proof
A folder of photos is not a report. Photo Luego for house cleaners and cleaning pros lines up each before and after shot with a ghost of the first photo, pairs them for you, and turns the best pairs into a report with your logo, your review links and a pay button. It works in your phone's browser, and it has an always-free plan. New to it? Start with Getting started, then see how to send a report.
Questions
How many photos should I take per room?
Two to four before and the same after is enough for most rooms: one wide, then the one or two spots that will change the most. More is fine, but you will only send your best pairs.
Is it okay to photograph inside a customer's home?
Tell the customer you document your work, get their okay, and keep photos to rooms and surfaces. Avoid people, documents and personal items. Rules vary by place, so check yours.
Should I send the customer every photo?
No. Send the pairs that show the clearest change, with a short caption under each, in one report. A short, tidy report is read. A folder of 80 photos is not.
General advice, not legal advice. Rules about photographing people and property vary by place, so check yours.