What’s Included in a Deep House Cleaning? Full Checklist

Short answer: a professional deep house cleaning covers everything in a regular cleaning, plus the detail work that builds up over months: hand-wiping baseboards, trim, blinds and windowsills, dusting ceiling fans and light fixtures, washing cabinet fronts, cleaning the inside of the microwave, scrubbing tile and grout, and wiping lower air-return vents. In an occupied home it usually takes 4 to 8 hours, depending on size and condition. Inside the oven, inside the refrigerator and inside cabinets are normally part of a move-in/move-out clean, not a standard deep clean, so ask before you book.

I’m Nicole Hubbard, and I’ve been sending cleaning teams into homes since 2004. “What exactly do I get with a deep clean?” is the question we hear most on the phone. Below is the full checklist our teams work from, what is not included, how long it takes, how to prepare, and when you honestly don’t need one.

What Is a Deep House Cleaning?

A deep cleaning is a one-time, top-to-bottom reset. A regular (maintenance) cleaning keeps a home clean that is already in good shape. A deep cleaning gets a home to that point by removing the dust, grease, soap scum and grime that collect where a quick weekly pass never reaches: the tops of door frames, the slats of every blind, the baseboards behind furniture, the grout lines in the shower.

At Hubbard’s Maid Service we call it the Top to Bottom Deluxe Deep Clean. The name describes the method: our technicians start at the highest reachable surface in each room and work down to the floor, so dust that falls only lands on surfaces that haven’t been cleaned yet.

Deep Cleaning vs. Regular Cleaning: Side by Side

The easiest way to see what a deep clean adds is to compare it with a maintenance cleaning, task by task.

Task	Regular maintenance clean	Top to Bottom deep clean
Ceiling fans	Dusted	Hand-wiped (reachable from a 2 ft step ladder)
Blinds	Dusted	Hand-wiped, each side, with microfiber
Windowsills	Dusted	Hand-wiped
Baseboards, moldings and trim	Dusted	Hand-wiped
Cabinets	Not included	Fronts hand-washed
Microwave	Outside only	Inside and outside
Doors and switch plates	Not included	Spot-cleaned for fingermarks
Lower air-return vents	Not included	Cleaned
Light fixtures	Lamps dusted	Fixtures dusted
Kitchen and bath counters, sinks, tubs, showers, toilets	Cleaned and sanitized	Cleaned and sanitized, with detailed tile and grout scrubbing
Floors, carpets, rugs and stairs	Vacuumed, swept and mopped	Vacuumed and mopped throughout
Typical time	A few hours	4 to 8 hours

In short, a regular clean dusts most surfaces, and a deep clean hand-wipes them. That one difference is why a deep clean takes so much longer.

The Complete Deep Cleaning Checklist, Room by Room

Kitchen

• Degrease the stovetop and range hood, and scrub the backsplash
• Clean the inside and outside of the microwave
• Clean the fronts of all appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, oven door)
• Hand-wash cabinet fronts and wipe the hardware
• Clean countertops and sanitize the sink and faucet
• Vacuum and mop the floor

Greasy cabinet fronts near the stove are where the most time goes. Cooking oil binds with dust into a tacky film that an all-purpose spray only smears, so it needs a degreaser and a few minutes of dwell time before wiping.

Bathrooms

• Clean and sanitize bathtubs and showers, including tile and grout scrubbing
• Remove soap scum and hard-water film from shower doors and fixtures
• Clean and sanitize toilets inside and out, including the base
• Clean and sanitize sinks and counters
• Polish mirrors
• Vacuum and mop the floor

Want to tackle a shower yourself between visits? Our guide on how to deep clean a shower the right way walks through the products and order we use.

Living Areas, Bedrooms and Hallways

• Hand-wipe ceiling fans and dust light fixtures
• Remove cobwebs from corners and ceilings
• Hand-wipe blinds (once each side) and windowsills
• Hand-wipe baseboards, moldings and trim
• Dust and polish wood furniture
• Spot-clean doors and switch plates
• Clean lower air-return vents
• Vacuum and mop all floors, carpets, rugs and stairs

What Is NOT Included in a Standard Deep Clean?

Knowing the limits up front avoids disappointment on cleaning day. These are the questions we hear most:

• Inside the oven and refrigerator. Not part of an occupied-home deep clean. Both are included in our vacant home (move-in/move-out) cleaning, when the appliances are empty. Doing it yourself? See our guides to cleaning the oven and oven glass and cleaning a smelly refrigerator.
• Inside cabinets, drawers and closets. In a lived-in home they’re full, so we clean the fronts. Interiors are part of a vacant home clean.
• Window glass. Windowsills and blinds are included, but window panes and tracks are not on the standard deep-clean list. Ask when you book if they matter to you.
• High-reach areas. We clean as high as the second step of a step stool allows, so vaulted ceilings, tall fixtures and skylights are out of reach.
• Fragile collectibles. Our technicians won’t normally clean in or under valuable or fragile pieces. Tell us ahead of time if you’d like them handled.
• Dishes and clutter. We’ll load the dishwasher, but if it’s full, dishes get neatly stacked. The more picked up the house is, the more cleaning time goes to actual cleaning.

How Long Does a Deep Clean Take?

A typical Top to Bottom deep clean takes 4 to 8 hours. Four things decide where your home falls in that range:

1. Square footage and bathroom count. Bathrooms and kitchens take the longest per square foot.
2. Time since the last professional clean. A home that has gone a year or more without one sits at the top of the range.
3. Pets. Hair settles on baseboards, vents and stairs and adds real time.
4. Grease and hard water. Heavy cooking and mineral buildup on glass shower doors need dwell time before they come clean.

We give you a time estimate when you schedule, so you can plan your day.

How Much Does a Deep Cleaning Cost?

Deep cleans are priced by the time the job takes, which is why we estimate each home individually instead of quoting a flat rate. As a rule of thumb, a first deep clean takes about 2 to 3 times the labor hours of a regular maintenance visit. For reference, our recurring maintenance cleanings typically run $150 to $260 per visit. For a fuller breakdown of what drives price, read how much a professional house cleaner costs.

The deep clean is the bigger one-time investment. Once the buildup is gone, regular visits stay shorter and cost less.

How Often Should You Get a Deep Clean?

• Before starting recurring service. This is the most common reason. A deep clean gives our team a clean baseline to maintain.
• Once or twice a year for homes on regular maintenance service. Many clients book one in spring after pollen season and one before the holidays.
• Every 3 to 4 months for homes without regular service, especially with pets, allergies or heavy cooking.
• After a specific event: a renovation, a long stretch of guests, an illness in the house, or before listing a home for sale.

Climate matters too. Coastal Georgia and South Carolina summers are long and humid, and damp air helps dust cling to surfaces and mildew settle into grout and caulk. The EPA recommends keeping indoor relative humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent, to limit mold growth. Cleaning removes the surface film, but running the bathroom exhaust fan and keeping the AC set to dehumidify does most of the prevention. For more on that, see our tips on keeping a home clean in a humid climate.

How to Prepare for Your Deep Clean

1. Pick up clutter. Clear counters, floors and nightstands so the team can reach surfaces.
2. Run and empty the dishwasher the night before.
3. Flag your priorities. Tell us the two or three areas that bother you most, such as the shower glass or the greasy cabinet above the stove.
4. Put away valuables and fragile items, or let us know which ones you’d like cleaned around.
5. Plan for pets. A closed room or a crate keeps them calm and keeps doors from being left open.
6. Mention access limits such as gate codes, alarm codes or rooms to skip.

When You Don’t Need a Professional Deep Clean

A deep clean isn’t always the right call, and I’d rather tell you that up front:

• Your home already gets regular professional cleaning and looks good. A once- or twice-a-year deep clean is plenty, and sometimes a maintenance visit with one or two added tasks covers it.
• Only one area needs work. If the only problem is a grimy shower or an oven, a focused DIY job (see the guides linked above) may be all you need.
• You’re moving out. Then you want a vacant home cleaning, not a deep clean. It covers the inside of appliances, cabinets and closets, the areas landlords inspect most.

Is a Professional Deep Clean Worth It?

For most busy households, yes, for three practical reasons:

• Time. Hand-wiping every baseboard, blind and fan in an average home takes most people a full weekend. A trained team does it in a single visit.
• Air quality. Dust holds allergens such as pet dander, pollen and dust-mite debris. Removing it from fans, vents and blinds helps, and the EPA notes that source control is usually the most effective way to improve indoor air.
• Surfaces last longer. Grit is abrasive on floors and finishes, and soap scum and hard-water film etch glass and fixtures over time.

Common Questions About Deep Cleaning

Do I need to be home during the deep clean?

No. Many clients give us access and come home to a finished house. Hubbard’s Maid Service is licensed, bonded and insured, and we’ll walk through any priorities with you before the first visit.

Do you bring your own supplies?

Yes. Our teams bring the equipment and cleaning products. If you prefer a specific product for a surface, such as stone counters, let us know.

Is a deep clean the same as a move-out clean?

No. A deep clean is designed for a lived-in home and cleans around your belongings. A move-out (vacant home) clean assumes the home is empty and adds the inside of appliances, cabinets and closets.

Can I switch to regular cleaning after the deep clean?

Yes, and that’s the most common path. After the deep clean, a weekly, biweekly or monthly maintenance cleaning keeps the home at that level for less time and money per visit.

Book Your Top to Bottom Deep Clean

If your home is due for a reset, our Top to Bottom Deluxe Deep Clean is the place to start. Call (912) 961-9131 in Savannah or (843) 781-8945 in Hilton Head, or request a free quote online. Tell us about your home and we’ll give you an honest time estimate.