Opening a summer house on Martha's Vineyard: cleaning and timing

When to book the opening clean

Summer is when the island is fullest. The Martha's Vineyard Commission's 2024 estimate puts the likely summer peak at 94,651 people across the island, about 361 percent more than the year-round population. Source: Martha's Vineyard Commission

Travel is booked early too. The Steamship Authority opened summer reservations for the Woods Hole and Martha's Vineyard route on February 3, 2026, and said afterwards that many of the most in demand summer weekends were at or near capacity. Source: Steamship Authority

Cleaning companies on the island have their own busy weeks before the summer. Our advice is to book the opening clean in late winter or early spring, at the same time as your travel, and to set the date a few days before you arrive. That leaves time to fix anything the clean turns up.

The seasonal calendar shows the busy and quiet months on the island, and the cleaning plan builder sets out the cleans your house may need through the year.

Before the cleaners come

• Have the water, power and heat turned on first. Ask whoever closed the house in the fall what was shut off.
• Tell the company about anything that leaked, broke or was moved over the winter.
• Arrange keys and access directly with the company you hire. Do not send alarm, lockbox or door codes through a website form, including ours.
• Agree who brings the supplies and equipment, and say if you want particular products used or avoided.
• Agree what is included in writing: which rooms, which tasks and what counts as extra.

If mice got in over the winter

A house that has been closed for months may have had mice. The CDC advises against sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings, urine or nesting material, because that can put droplets containing viruses into the air. Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Its steps are to open doors and windows for 30 minutes before cleaning and leave while the space airs out, wear rubber or plastic gloves, spray the droppings with a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) or an EPA registered disinfectant until very wet, and let that soak for 5 minutes or as long as the label says. Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Ask the cleaning company before the visit whether it handles this, and call a pest control company if there are signs of mice still living in the house.

Damp and musty rooms

The EPA's guide to mold says the key to mold control is moisture control. It advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours, and keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent. Source: US Environmental Protection Agency

Ask the company to tell you about any damp patches, stains or musty rooms it finds, so the cause can be fixed before the season starts.

An opening checklist

A starting point to adapt with the company you hire:

• Open the windows and air out every room.
• Dust shelves, sills, ledges and light fixtures, then wipe the baseboards.
• Vacuum and wash the floors, including inside closets.
• Wash stored bedding, or make up the beds with fresh linens.
• Clean the refrigerator inside and out, and wipe the kitchen cabinets inside and out.
• Clean the bathrooms from top to bottom and look under the sinks for leaks.
• Wipe the porch furniture and sweep the porches and the outdoor shower.
• Clean the inside of the windows and check the screens.
• Empty the trash and list anything that needs a repair.

A longer version, room by room, is in the sample opening checklist.

About mvhousecleaning.com

mvhousecleaning.com introduces homeowners on Martha's Vineyard to independent cleaning companies that cover their town. It does not clean houses, and it never holds keys or codes. Cleaning companies pay mvhousecleaning.com a flat fee for each new client introduced, and homeowners pay nothing. A person reads every request and replies to it.