What does a deep clean include?

"Deep clean" gets used loosely. Some companies mean a slightly longer standard visit; others mean a full day with two cleaners and everything pulled out. It's worth knowing which one you're buying.

A genuine deep clean tackles accumulation rather than surface mess. Nothing here is difficult in isolation — it's simply work that a weekly visit never has the hours for.

Kitchen

• •Oven interior: shelves, door glass, seals and the base
• •Hob, burners, extractor filter and canopy degreased
• •Inside the microwave; kettle and toaster descaled and wiped
• •Cupboard fronts, handles and the tops of units
• •Fridge and cupboard interiors on request
• •Sink, taps and drain descaled; splashback grout cleaned
• •Behind and beside appliances where they can safely be moved

Bathrooms

• •Shower screen descaled properly rather than wiped
• •Tile grout and silicone lines cleaned and treated
• •Shower head and taps descaled
• •Toilet including behind the pan, hinges and the cistern
• •Extractor vent cover cleaned
• •Mirrors, glass and any cabinet interiors

Throughout the property

• •Skirting boards, door frames, doors and handles
• •Light switches, sockets and reachable light fittings
• •Window sills, frames, tracks and interior glass
• •Radiators, including between the fins where accessible
• •Behind and beneath moveable furniture
• •Cobwebs and ceiling edges within safe reach
• •Floors cleaned to the edges and into corners, not just the middle

How long it takes

A one-bedroom flat might take four to six hours. A three or four-bedroom family home is usually a full day, and sometimes two cleaners or two days. Anyone quoting two hours for a deep clean of a family house is quoting for something else.

What isn't usually included

• •Exterior window cleaning at height — a separate trade
• •Professional carpet or upholstery extraction, unless quoted specifically
• •Chimney and flue sweeping
• •Mould remediation caused by an underlying damp problem — cleaning treats the symptom, not the cause
• •Clearing and disposal of large amounts of clutter or waste

How to get the most from it

Clear surfaces and floors before we arrive — every minute spent moving your belongings is a minute not spent cleaning. Tell us your two or three priority rooms, and flag anything delicate: natural stone, waxed timber, older paintwork or specialist finishes.

And if it's your first deep clean before starting regular visits, say so. We'll set the property to a standard that fortnightly cleaning can actually maintain.