Quick Answer: A deep cleaning includes everything in a standard house cleaning plus baseboards, interior windows and sills, inside the microwave, cabinet fronts, light fixtures, detailed bathroom sanitizing, and behind/under furniture where accessible — the buildup-focused tasks that routine cleaning doesn’t reach. Inside-oven and inside-refrigerator cleaning are typically separate add-ons rather than automatically included.
A deep cleaning goes meaningfully further than routine maintenance, but the exact scope isn’t always obvious from the name alone — “deep clean” means different things at different companies. Here’s a specific, detailed breakdown of what a deep cleaning should include, so you know exactly what you’re booking.
What’s Typically Included
Everything in a standard house cleaning:
- Kitchen counters, sink, stovetop, appliance exteriors, cabinet fronts, backsplash, microwave, and floors
- Bathroom toilets, tubs, showers, sinks, mirrors, vanities, fixtures, and floors
- Bedroom dusting, vacuuming, and floor care
- Living area dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and general tidying
Plus deep-clean-specific additions:
- Baseboards throughout the home, wiped down and scuff-free
- Interior windows, sills, and window tracks
- Inside the microwave (specifically — note this is distinct from inside-oven or inside-refrigerator cleaning, which are typically separate)
- Cabinet fronts throughout the kitchen and bathrooms, with more thorough attention than a standard visit
- Light switches, doorknobs, and light fixtures
- Detailed bathroom sanitizing, including grout and tile given extra attention
- Behind and under furniture, wherever safely accessible without moving heavy items
What’s Usually Not Included by Default
A few items commonly get assumed as part of a deep clean but are typically priced as separate add-ons instead: inside-oven cleaning, inside-refrigerator cleaning, cabinet interiors, blind cleaning, and ceiling fan cleaning. These take meaningfully longer per item than the baseline deep-clean scope, which is why most companies — including us — price them separately rather than bundling everything into a single flat deep-clean rate. See our Oven Cleaning, Refrigerator Cleaning, Cabinet Cleaning, Blind Cleaning, and Ceiling Fan Cleaning pages if you want these included alongside your deep clean.
When to Book a Deep Clean
First-time appointments. Even if your home looks reasonably clean, we typically recommend starting with a deep clean before transitioning to lighter recurring maintenance, simply to establish a genuinely clean baseline.
After months without professional cleaning. Buildup in baseboards, cabinet fronts, and detail areas accumulates gradually enough to go unnoticed until a deep clean makes the contrast obvious.
Before major events. Hosting a holiday gathering or important guests calls for more than surface tidiness.
Seasonally, often paired with our Spring Cleaning Services, which include a few additional seasonal-specific tasks beyond the standard deep-clean scope.
How Long a Deep Clean Takes
Deep cleans take meaningfully longer than standard maintenance visits — often several hours depending on home size and current condition, compared to a shorter standard visit on the same property. See our blog post How Long Does a House Cleaning Take? for a fuller breakdown by home size.
What Happens After Your Deep Clean
Most clients transition from a one-time deep clean into a Recurring Cleaning plan afterward — weekly, biweekly, or monthly — to maintain the newly established clean baseline without needing another full deep clean anytime soon. Recurring maintenance visits are scoped to preserve a clean home rather than catch up on significant accumulated buildup, which is part of why starting with a deep clean makes ongoing maintenance more efficient going forward.
A Note on Consistency Between Visits
If you’re a recurring client, requesting a deep clean periodically (rather than only as a first visit) helps prevent the slow accumulation of buildup that standard maintenance visits, by design, don’t fully address. Many long-term clients build an annual or biannual deep clean directly into their standing schedule for exactly this reason.
