What a deep clean adds, step by step
Our cleaners work through a home in the order below. Everything is done from the floor; no ladders, step stools or chairs.
1. A walk-through first
Before anyone opens a cabinet, we walk the home with you. You tell us what bothers you most, what to leave alone, and how we get in on the day. In an apartment or a condo, that includes the front door of the building, the elevator or the stairs, and anything the building wants vendors to know.
2. High dusting from the floor
Ceiling fans switched off, light fixtures, the tops of door frames and the tops of cabinets all get a pass from the floor, nothing climbed. We do not use ladders, step stools, chairs, tub edges or counters to reach a high spot. Anything that cannot be reached from the floor is left where it is, and we tell you.
3. The kitchen inside and out
The inside of the oven, the fridge and the cabinets you empty before we come. Range hood filters pulled out and washed in the sink. The backsplash where cooking spray lands behind the stovetop. Cabinet fronts and knobs, where fingers land through the day. We go over products on the call, including anything to leave off a specific finish, and we never use a product you have not approved. Bleach, ammonia and the acid in a bottle of vinegar each have combinations that react, so each stays in its own bottle.
4. Bathrooms in detail
Grout lines around the tub, the shower and the floor, scrubbed rather than only wiped. The caulk edges around a tub or shower, cleaned where they are solid; cracked or peeling caulk is a repair. The area around the base of the toilet. Fixtures polished with what the finish allows. The mirror and the fan cover from the floor, nothing climbed.
5. Trim and edges
The parts the hand and the vacuum both miss. Baseboards wiped the length of each wall, going around any furniture that moves easily. Door frames top to bottom. Switch plates and the handles on both sides of each door. Blinds wiped slat by slat where they come down with a cloth. Window sills and tracks from the inside. We do not lean out of a window, and we do not clean the outside of a window above the ground floor.
6. Floors edge to edge
Vacuumed first, including along the baseboards and into the corners, then washed on hard floor. Rugs vacuumed on both sides when they are small enough to turn. Light pieces of furniture are moved so the floor under them gets a pass; heavy pieces stay where they are.
7. A last look together
If you are home, we walk the rooms with you at the end so anything that needs a second pass gets it before we leave.
| Area | A regular visit | A deep clean adds |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Counters, sink, stovetop, appliance fronts | Inside the oven, fridge and cabinets, range hood filters, the full backsplash |
| Bathrooms | Shower, toilet, vanity, mirror, floor | Grout lines scrubbed, caulk edges, around the toilet base, the fan cover |
| Trim and baseboards | A light wipe where needed | Each baseboard wiped the length of the wall, door frames top to bottom |
| Windows from the inside | Smudges on the glass | Glass, sills and tracks vacuumed and wiped |
| Floors | Vacuum, then mop | Under light furniture, along the baseboards, into corners |
| High spots | Light dust where it shows | Ceiling fans switched off, light fixtures, tops of door frames |
When a deep clean fits, and when another service does
When this is the right page
A long gap since the last thorough visit, guests coming, the start of a regular schedule you want to begin from a clean baseline, or a home that has not had a top-to-bottom pass in a while. Months of a shedding pet or a stretch of heavy cooking show up on this list too.
When another service fits
If the rooms are already empty, a move-out clean of an empty unit is the right page, since cabinets and appliances open up for the clean. If anyone still lives in the home, this page is the one. If a remodel has just finished, construction dust is its own job and belongs on the dust after a remodel first. For a single visit that is not quite this thorough, see a one time cleaning. Once the home is caught up, regular visits afterward keep it at the level the deep clean just set.
What the visit covers
A deep clean is a thorough visit to an occupied home with your things still in it. Furniture stays where it is, apart from the pieces our cleaners can move easily. The inside of the oven and the inside of the fridge are included when you ask, and both need to be emptied before we come so the shelves and drawers can come out.
We go over products on the call, including anything to leave off certain surfaces, such as an old wood floor, a stone counter or glazed tile. Tell us if a product is a hard no, or if you want us to use yours. The lists we work from are the ones you set.
Bleach, when it is used, is never mixed with ammonia, vinegar or another cleaner, under any circumstance.