Follow the Wall: The Foundational Cleaning Procedure for Perfect Changeovers

By Durk Johnson, Executive Director of Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP)

What Is Following the Wall?

The concept involves using walls as a roadmap while cleaning or inspecting a property. As you move through spaces, you literally touch the wall while progressing, creating a structured pathway that captures every area — including closets, cabinets, under furniture, and behind doors.

Five Key Principles

1. Scan from Top to Bottom

Begin at the upper corner of each wall and continue downward to the baseboard level as you move through the property.

2. Create Invisible Walls

Use furniture, counters, or differences in flooring to create invisible walls. This ensures you check every part of the property. This technique prevents missing kitchen islands or mid-room furniture.

3. Dresser and Cabinet Strategy

When inspecting storage furniture, scan from bottom to top rather than top to bottom, allowing for more efficient movement throughout the space.

4. Handle Multiple Levels Separately

If there are multiple levels to a property, work on each floor as its own section.

5. End in the Kitchen

Finish your route in the kitchen, as this location determines which direction (left or right hand) you’ll follow walls throughout.

Benefits

This repeatable process creates efficiency while maintaining quality standards across all turnovers.

Looking for tools to put these ideas into practice? Explore Properly’s solutions:

• Real-Time Inspection — lets you verify property condition remotely after every turnover
• Autoscheduler — automates turnover scheduling so nothing falls through the cracks
• property manager solutions — purpose-built tools for scaling your portfolio