A holiday let that sat closed all winter needs one deep, pre-season clean before the first guests, not a changeover. Book it for the week before your first arrival: in 2026 Easter Sunday falls on 5 April, so for most lets in Tavira that means the last ten days of March. It covers what a changeover skips: damp linen and curtains, mattresses, shutters and windows after the winter rain, the inside of appliances that sat unused, and the terrace.
Easter is the first real test of the season for most rentals in Tavira, Cabanas and Manta Rota. The guests who book it are often the ones who come back in summer, and the reviews they leave sit at the top of your listing for months. A house that smells closed, with a grey film on the terrace table and a musty pillow, loses that review before anyone has unpacked.
Why a changeover is not enough after winter
A changeover is built for a house that was lived in last week. It resets what guests used: beds, bathrooms, kitchen, floors, rubbish. It assumes everything else is already clean, and after five closed months that assumption is wrong.
In a closed house the dust settles everywhere guests do not touch, the air goes stale, and damp gets into anything made of fabric. Fridges left shut grow mould on the seals. Ovens and kettles pick up a smell of their own. The terrace collects whatever the winter wind blew in, and in some years a layer of Saharan dust on top of it. None of that is on a changeover list, and none of it can be done well in the four or five hours between two bookings.
What a pre-season clean covers
This is the list we work through in a two or three bedroom holiday let after a closed winter. It is longer than a changeover by design.
Bedrooms, linen and the damp you cannot see
The bedrooms are where a closed winter shows most. Pillows and duvets stored in a cupboard over winter pick up a musty smell even when they look clean, and guests notice it the moment they lie down. Wash them, or replace the pillows if they are more than two seasons old. Air the mattresses with the windows open for a few hours and vacuum both sides.
Linen stored folded in a wardrobe all winter needs a wash before use. It is not dirty, but it has absorbed whatever the wardrobe smells of. If the inside of the wardrobe has small black spots in the corners, that is mould from condensation, and it needs cleaning with the doors left open before anything goes back in.
The kitchen that sat unused
Start with the fridge. If it was switched off with the door shut, there will be mould on the seals and a smell inside, and both need cleaning with warm water and a little vinegar before the fridge goes back on. Run the dishwasher and the washing machine empty on a hot cycle to clear the pipes. Open the oven, run it hot for twenty minutes with the window open and wipe it down once it cools.
Then empty the cupboards. Spring is when ants come back, and a single open packet of sugar from last season is all it takes. Wash every glass and plate that guests will use, because dust settles even inside closed cupboards, and check the welcome basics: salt, oil, coffee and dishwasher tablets that may have gone stale or damp.
Windows, shutters and the terrace
Winter rain and wind leave a film on the outside of the glass and grit in the window tracks, and roller shutters that stayed down all winter hold a surprising amount of dirt between the slats. Clean them before the first guests open them, or the dirt ends up on the inside sill.
The terrace is what guests photograph. Sweep it, wash the floor, clean the outdoor table, chairs and railings, and check the cushions, which often come out of storage with mildew. If the floor tiles have gone green or black over winter, that is algae, and it needs more than a mop.
When to book it, and how long it takes
Book the pre-season clean for the week before your first arrival, not earlier. A house cleaned in early March and left closed again for three weeks gathers dust and smells stale by the time guests arrive. The ideal is two or three days before the first check-in, which leaves time to fix anything the clean turns up.
Easter week fills fast. In 2026, with Easter Sunday on 5 April, most owners in Tavira want the same few days at the end of March, so it is worth booking by the end of February. A typical pre-season clean of a two bedroom apartment takes a team of two about four to five hours. A three or four bedroom villa with a terrace and outdoor furniture takes most of a day.
What it costs
Our cleaners publish 2026 prices for a deep clean in Tavira from 140 euros for a one or two bedroom apartment and from 220 euros for a three or four bedroom house, with products and equipment included. There is also an hourly option at 22 euros per hour per cleaner, with a minimum of four hours of team time, which suits a let that was cleaned well in autumn and only needs the kitchen, bathrooms and terrace. Washing curtains and replacing pillows are quoted separately. Contact us before booking for a fixed price for your property.
What a clean will not fix
Some of what you find on the first visit is not a cleaning job. A damp patch low on a wall that comes back after it is wiped is usually rising damp or salt in old walls, and it needs a builder. A mouldy corner on a ceiling under a bathroom can be a leak, which is a plumber’s job. A shutter that jams or a door that swelled over winter needs a handyman. A good pre-season clean will flag these on the day so they can be sorted before guests arrive, rather than hiding them behind fresh paint and air freshener.
Once the season is running, the job changes to fast, consistent turnarounds between bookings, which we covered in detail in the Tavira changeover guide for holiday lets.
Questions owners ask
When should I book a pre-season clean for Easter?
By the end of February for a clean in the last week of March. The best timing is two or three days before your first guests check in, so the house does not sit closed again after the clean.
Is a pre-season clean the same as a deep clean?
It is a deep clean aimed at a house that was closed all winter. It adds what closed months leave behind: damp linen, stale fridges, shutters, and a terrace that has not been touched since autumn.
How long does it take?
About four to five hours for a two bedroom apartment with a team of two, and most of a day for a three or four bedroom villa with outdoor areas.
Do I need to wash all the linen if it was clean when stored?
Yes. Linen stored for months absorbs the smell of the cupboard, and guests notice it immediately. A wash before the first booking is enough.
Can the pre-season clean and the first changeover be the same visit?
Not if the first guests arrive the same day. The pre-season clean takes a full session, and the house should be finished and aired before check-in.
