The bilingual cleaning brief: how to tell your cleaner exactly what you want (English–Vietnamese checklist)
Most problems between a client and a cleaner are not about skill. They are about a sentence that was never said. “I assumed she’d do the balcony.” “I didn’t know the wooden table couldn’t get wet.” “Why did he spend forty minutes in the guest room nobody uses?”
A cleaner can’t act on what’s in your head. So we built the brief we wish every new client would send: short, room by room, in English and Vietnamese side by side. Copy the parts that apply to your home, delete the rest, and send it once — then you never have to explain your apartment again.
How to use it
In the app. Paste your edited brief into the booking notes when you book hourly cleaning. It stays with the booking, so on a regular schedule the same cleaner sees it every visit. For anything that changes week to week — “skip ironing this time”, “please do the oven” — use the in-app chat, which translates both ways automatically. You don’t need the Vietnamese column for the chat; it’s there for the printed version.
On the fridge. Print it and put it where the cleaner will see it on arrival. Expat households that travel a lot do both: the brief in the app for the record, the printed sheet in the kitchen for the day.
Keep it to one page. A cleaner who receives three pages reads none of them; a cleaner who receives ten clear lines does all ten.
The brief
Priorities — Ưu tiên
Start with this. If the cleaner runs short on time, these get done first.
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Please do these first, every visit: | Vui lòng làm những việc này trước, mỗi buổi: |
| 1. Kitchen: counters, stovetop, sink | 1. Bếp: mặt bếp, bếp nấu, bồn rửa |
| 2. Both bathrooms: toilet, shower, basin, mirror | 2. Cả hai phòng tắm: bồn cầu, vòi sen, lavabo, gương |
| 3. All floors: vacuum/sweep, then mop | 3. Toàn bộ sàn: hút bụi/quét, rồi lau |
| 4. Rubbish out, new bin liners | 4. Đổ rác, thay túi rác mới |
| If there is time left: | Nếu còn thời gian: |
| 5. Dust shelves and surfaces in the living room | 5. Lau bụi kệ và các bề mặt phòng khách |
| 6. Balcony floor | 6. Sàn ban công |
Kitchen — Nhà bếp
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Wipe counters, stovetop and backsplash; degrease the hob | Lau mặt bếp, bếp nấu và tường chắn; tẩy dầu mỡ bếp |
| Wash dishes in the sink / load the dishwasher | Rửa chén trong bồn / xếp vào máy rửa chén |
| Wipe the outside of the fridge, oven and microwave; inside of the microwave | Lau mặt ngoài tủ lạnh, lò nướng, lò vi sóng; lau bên trong lò vi sóng |
| Don’t clean inside the fridge unless asked | Không dọn bên trong tủ lạnh trừ khi được yêu cầu |
| Take out kitchen rubbish; replace the liner | Đổ rác bếp; thay túi rác |
Bathrooms — Phòng tắm
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Toilet inside and out, including the base | Bồn cầu trong và ngoài, cả phần chân |
| Shower: glass, tiles, drain; remove hair from the drain | Phòng tắm đứng: kính, gạch, thoát sàn; gỡ tóc ở thoát sàn |
| Basin, tap, mirror — no streaks | Lavabo, vòi nước, gương — không để vệt |
| Replace towels only if clean ones are left out | Chỉ thay khăn nếu có khăn sạch để sẵn |
| Don’t use bleach on the stone counter | Không dùng thuốc tẩy lên mặt đá |
Bedrooms — Phòng ngủ
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Change the sheets if clean linen is on the bed; put used linen in the laundry basket | Thay ga giường nếu có ga sạch để trên giường; cho ga cũ vào giỏ đồ giặt |
| Make the beds, tidy surfaces, dust bedside tables | Dọn giường, sắp xếp mặt bàn, lau bụi tủ đầu giường |
| Vacuum under the bed once a week | Hút bụi gầm giường mỗi tuần một lần |
| The guest room is not in use — skip it | Phòng khách ngủ không dùng — bỏ qua |
Living areas — Phòng khách và khu chung
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Dust shelves, TV stand, window sills | Lau bụi kệ, kệ tivi, bệ cửa sổ |
| Vacuum the sofa and cushions (we have a dog/cat) | Hút bụi sofa và gối (nhà có chó/mèo) |
| Wipe the glass table with the grey cloth, not the yellow one | Lau bàn kính bằng khăn xám, không dùng khăn vàng |
| Windows inside only; outside is done by the building | Chỉ lau kính bên trong; bên ngoài do tòa nhà làm |
Laundry — Giặt ủi
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Run the washing machine with what’s in the basket; cold wash | Giặt đồ trong giỏ bằng máy; giặt nước lạnh |
| Put it in the dryer / hang it on the balcony rack | Cho vào máy sấy / phơi ở giá ban công |
| Ironing: the shirts on the rail only | Ủi: chỉ áo sơ mi treo trên thanh |
| Don’t wash the items in the “hand wash” bag | Không giặt đồ trong túi “giặt tay” |
Do not touch — Không chạm vào
This is the most valuable section of the whole brief. Write it carefully.
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| The desk in the study: don’t move papers or cables | Bàn làm việc trong phòng làm việc: không di chuyển giấy tờ, dây cáp |
| The wooden dining table: dry cloth only, no water, no spray | Bàn ăn gỗ: chỉ lau khăn khô, không nước, không xịt |
| The plants: don’t water them | Cây: không tưới |
| The cat stays inside — please keep the front door closed | Mèo ở trong nhà — vui lòng đóng cửa chính |
| The painting in the hallway: don’t clean it | Bức tranh ở hành lang: không lau |
Where things are — Đồ dùng để ở đâu
| English | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Cleaning kit: under the kitchen sink | Bộ dụng cụ vệ sinh: dưới bồn rửa bếp |
| Vacuum: hallway cupboard | Máy hút bụi: tủ hành lang |
| Clean linen and towels: wardrobe in the guest room, top shelf | Ga và khăn sạch: tủ phòng khách ngủ, ngăn trên cùng |
| Bin liners: drawer left of the stove | Túi rác: ngăn kéo bên trái bếp |
| Key: with reception — ask for Mr. Hung | Chìa khóa: ở lễ tân — hỏi anh Hùng |
Three things that make a brief work
Say what “done” looks like, not just what to do. “Clean the bathroom” is a task. “No hair in the drain, no water marks on the mirror” is a standard. The second one gets you the bathroom you had in mind.
Put the skips in writing. Telling a cleaner what not to do is as useful as the list of what to do: it stops forty minutes going into a room nobody uses, and it protects the things you care about. Every item in “Do not touch” is a conversation you’ll never need to have.
Update it once a month, not every week. The brief is for the things that are always true. Weekly changes go in the chat. If you find yourself typing the same chat message three weeks running, move it into the brief.
What to expect in return
With a clear brief and a regular schedule, the first visit is a little slower — the cleaner is learning your home — and by the third visit it is simply done the way you asked, in the hours you booked. If something in the brief isn’t being followed, say so in the chat the same day; if the fit still isn’t right after that, Calibee sends someone else. And if you’re still working out how many hours your home needs, this is how to decide. New to all of this? Start with how hourly cleaning works in Ho Chi Minh City.
Book your first visit in the Calibee app — paste the brief into the notes, and you’re done explaining.
