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Deep Cleaning Service

SOP Process Updated Jul 24, 2026 ยท Cleaning

Purpose

Define the scope of a "deep clean" - typically billed at 2 - 3x standard cleaning rate - covering everything a standard cleaning skips plus the buildup that accumulates between standards. Booked for first-time customers, springs cleans, and customers transitioning from no-service to recurring service. The deep clean's job is establishing the new baseline that standards can maintain.

Scope

Applies to:

  • New customer "first clean" before recurring schedule begins
  • Existing customer's annual "spring clean" upgrade
  • One-off deep cleans booked separately from standard service

Excludes move-out / move-in cleaning (separate SOP - different time + tear-down scope), post-construction cleaning, and biohazard cleanup (specialty work).

Responsibilities

  • Dispatcher confirms square footage + bedrooms/bathrooms at booking; quotes hours generously (deep cleans always take longer than expected)
  • Lead cleaner plans the room sequence + coordinates the crew
  • Customer is briefed on time + areas excluded (high reaches without ladder, attic, etc.)

Procedure

Beyond standard cleaning, deep clean ADDS:

Kitchen (additional 30 - 45 minutes)

  1. Inside oven - degreaser, wait time per label, scrub + rinse
  2. Inside refrigerator - empty shelves, wash, replace; wipe inside walls
  3. Behind appliances - pull range, refrigerator, dishwasher; clean walls + floor behind
  4. Inside microwave + inside dishwasher (vinegar cycle)
  5. Cabinet exteriors top-to-bottom (touched up; full cabinet detail is its own service)
  6. Backsplash + grout scrubbed
  7. Range hood interior + filter (degreased)

Bathrooms (additional 20 - 30 minutes per bathroom)

  1. Tile grout scrubbed with grout brush + cleaner
  2. Inside vanity (empty, wipe, replace)
  3. Behind toilet + base detailed
  4. Exhaust fan vacuumed + wiped
  5. Light fixtures detailed (interior dust)
  6. Shower door tracks scrubbed

Whole-home additional items

  1. Baseboards washed (not just dusted) in every room
  2. Door frames + door tops dusted
  3. Crown molding dusted (where accessible)
  4. Window sills + tracks vacuumed + wiped
  5. Light fixture exteriors detailed
  6. Ceiling fan blades washed (not just dusted)
  7. Air vents wiped exterior + interior (where accessible)
  8. Switch plates + outlet covers wiped
  9. Closet interiors light dust (where accessible)
  10. Behind / under sofa cushions (with permission)

Bedrooms (per bedroom, additional 10 minutes)

  1. Strip + remake bed if customer requests
  2. Wash interior windows + tracks
  3. Detail dust on lamps + nightstands
  4. Vacuum under bed if accessible

Acceptance Criteria

  • All baseboards washed visibly
  • Inside oven + refrigerator visibly cleaner than at start
  • Behind appliances dust-free
  • Bathroom grout visibly improved
  • Window sills + tracks clean
  • Customer signs the field report acknowledging deep-clean items completed

Photograph BEFORE on every deep clean. Inside the oven, behind the fridge, the tile grout, the window tracks - these are dramatic before-and-after shots. Customers often forget how dirty things were once they're clean. The photos justify the deep-clean premium pricing AND become marketing content (with permission).

References

  • ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS)
  • Manuall internal: Standard Residential Cleaning Service, Move-Out / Move-In Cleaning

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