Deep Cleaning Checklist: Room by Room Guide

A Room-by-Room Deep Cleaning Checklist That Actually Covers Everything

Most people confuse a regular clean with a deep clean. A standard clean keeps things tidy week to week. A deep clean gets into the spots that build up over months, the grease behind your stove, the dust on your baseboard heaters, the soap scum that regular wiping never quite reaches. I put this checklist together because I get asked all the time what a proper deep clean actually involves. Use it yourself, or use it to hold any cleaner accountable.

Kitchen

The kitchen takes the most time in almost every home we service across Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Burbank. Cooking grease travels further than you think.

• Degrease the stovetop, burner grates, and drip pans
• Clean inside the oven, including the door glass and racks
• Wipe down the exterior and top of the refrigerator
• Clean inside the microwave, including the turntable plate
• Wash cabinet fronts and handles, top to bottom
• Clean the backsplash, paying attention to grout lines
• Scrub the sink basin and descale the faucet
• Wipe down all small appliances
• Clean under and behind appliances if they can be moved
• Mop the floor after everything else is done, so fallen debris gets caught

Bathrooms

Soap scum and hard water deposits are the main battles here, especially in areas like Santa Monica and Long Beach where water mineral content runs high.

• Scrub the toilet bowl, tank exterior, base, and behind the seat hinges
• Remove soap scum from shower walls, doors, and tracks
• Descale the showerhead by soaking it in a cleaning solution
• Clean grout lines in tile with a stiff brush
• Wipe down cabinet interiors and medicine cabinet shelves
• Clean the mirror top to bottom, not just the center
• Scrub the sink and clean the drain
• Wipe exhaust fan cover and check it is clear of dust buildup
• Mop or scrub the floor, including the area behind the toilet

Bedrooms

• Wash or wipe down baseboards and door frames
• Dust ceiling fan blades, both sides
• Wipe down light switches and outlet covers
• Clean window sills and tracks
• Dust blinds or wipe down shutters slat by slat
• Vacuum under the bed and move furniture to vacuum behind it
• Wipe down all furniture surfaces, including the tops of dressers and nightstands
• Clean any mirrors or glass furniture surfaces

Living Room and Common Areas

• Dust all ceiling corners for cobwebs
• Wipe down baseboards throughout
• Clean window glass inside, and sills and tracks
• Vacuum upholstered furniture, including under cushions
• Wipe down all hard furniture including legs and undersides where dust collects
• Clean light fixtures and lamp shades
• Dust electronics and entertainment units
• Vacuum or mop floors, including under rugs

Laundry Room

• Clean the inside of the washing machine drum and the door seal
• Wipe down the exterior of the washer and dryer
• Clear and clean the dryer lint trap housing, not just the screen
• Wipe down the utility sink if there is one
• Sweep and mop the floor, including behind and beside the machines

What Drives How Long a Deep Clean Takes

I always ask a few things before giving a quote: how many bedrooms and bathrooms, when the home was last deep cleaned, and whether there are pets. A Beverly Hills home with five bathrooms that has not been deep cleaned in two years takes significantly longer than a two-bedroom Glendale condo cleaned every quarter. Condition matters more than square footage in a lot of cases.

If you are preparing a home for new tenants or listing it short-term, our move-in and move-out cleaning and Airbnb turnover services follow this same deep checklist with a few extras added for those situations.

A Few Things People Often Forget

In almost every home we clean across Los Angeles County, these are the spots that get skipped most often. Add them to any checklist you use.

• Inside kitchen drawers: crumbs and debris collect quickly
• Refrigerator door seals: mold grows in the folds if not wiped regularly
• Cabinet tops: grease and dust form a sticky layer most people never see
• Window tracks: they fill with dead insects and dirt over time
• Baseboards: often the first thing visitors notice if dusty

If you want us to run through this checklist for you, just call or text (424) 677-1146. Tell us a bit about your home and we will send you an exact quote, no obligation.