Deep cleaning

What Does a Deep Clean Actually Include?

A deep clean is not just a longer version of a regular clean. It covers areas that routine cleaning skips entirely — inside appliances, behind furniture, grout lines, extractor fan filters — and it takes significantly longer as a result.

How a deep clean differs from a regular clean

A regular clean maintains a home that is already reasonably tidy. The cleaner works through the same rooms each time and keeps things at a consistent standard. It is efficient precisely because it does not deviate.

A deep clean starts from a different premise. The aim is to get the property to a higher standard than a regular clean can achieve, by working through areas that would normally be skipped. This means:

• Moving things to clean behind and underneath them, not around them
• Cleaning inside appliances, not just their exteriors
• Removing limescale and soap scum buildup that accumulates over weeks or months
• Cleaning inside cupboards and drawers
• Scrubbing grout, not just wiping tiles
• Cleaning areas that get ignored in routine cleans — top of kitchen cupboards, inside light fittings, extractor fan filters

A regular clean takes two to three hours in a typical home. A deep clean of the same property often takes twice as long.

What a deep clean covers — room by room

Kitchen

• Oven interior stripped and cleaned — racks, door glass, seal, walls
• Hob and burners descaled and degreased
• Extractor fan filter cleaned or replaced
• Fridge and freezer — defrosted, shelves removed and cleaned, door seals
• Inside all cupboards and drawers — shelves wiped, crumbs cleared
• Top of kitchen cupboards — grease and dust removed
• Worktops and splashbacks — grease and food residue fully removed
• Sink descaled, under-rim cleaned, plughole cleared
• Appliances on the worktop cleaned (toaster, kettle, microwave inside and out)
• Floor mopped including behind appliances if accessible

Bathrooms

• Limescale removed from shower screen, bath, taps, and tiles
• Grout scrubbed between tiles
• Toilet cleaned including cistern, base, and behind
• Shower tray or bath interior scrubbed
• Mirror polished
• Bathroom extractor fan cover cleaned
• Inside bathroom cabinet if present
• Floor mopped including behind the toilet

Bedrooms and living areas

• Furniture moved where possible — hoovering and mopping underneath
• Mattresses hoovered if accessible
• Skirting boards wiped down along the full length
• Light switches, sockets, and door frames cleaned
• Light fittings dusted
• Radiators cleaned — surface and between fins
• Window sills and inside of windows cleaned
• Cobwebs cleared from all corners and ceiling edges
• Wardrobe interiors wiped if empty or near-empty

How long does a deep clean take?

It depends on the size of the property and how long since the last thorough clean. Rough timings:

• One-bedroom flat: 4–5 hours
• Two-bedroom house: 5–7 hours
• Three-bedroom house: 7–9 hours
• Larger or more heavily soiled properties: longer

If a property has not been cleaned properly in months — or if it is post-tenancy — add time. Heavily soiled ovens, significant limescale, and grease buildup all take much longer to deal with than a property in good general condition.

When do you actually need a deep clean?

A deep clean makes sense in these situations:

• Moving into a new property — even if the previous tenant cleaned, a thorough clean gives you a fresh start
• Moving out — to pass a check-out inspection and protect your deposit
• Before setting up regular cleaning — gets the property to a standard where routine visits can maintain it efficiently
• Seasonal reset — some people do a deep clean once or twice a year to deal with the buildup that regular cleaning does not reach
• Post-illness or post-event — when the property needs more than a tidy-up
• After a property has been unoccupied — dust and stale air accumulate quickly in empty houses

Regular cleaning versus deep cleaning — do you need both?

The two work well in combination. Regular visits keep things from deteriorating, while a deep clean every now and then handles the buildup that routine cleaning never reaches. If you have regular cleaning in place, a proper deep clean once or twice a year is usually enough — more if you have pets or a busy household.

If you do not have regular cleaning and are just booking occasionally, a deep clean before each session makes more sense than a standard clean, because there is simply more buildup to deal with.