Deep Cleaning in Tampa Bay

A deep clean goes after everything a regular visit is not built to reach. Baseboards, blinds, vents, grout lines, the tops of door frames, inside the oven and fridge, behind and under furniture that gets moved for the occasion.

People book one for a few reasons. They are starting recurring service and want the house at a real baseline first. They have not had anyone in for a couple of years. Or spring hit and they want the whole place stripped back at once.

What gets done in a deep clean

Everything in a standard clean, plus the list below. A deep clean on an average home in Tampa Bay runs most of a day and usually takes more than one person.

• Baseboards and trim. Hand-wiped rather than vacuumed. Door frames, window casings, chair rail and crown molding where we can reach it safely.
• Blinds and window treatments. Slat by slat. Sills and tracks cleaned out, which is usually where the worst of it hides.
• Vents and fans. Return covers, supply registers, exhaust fan grilles and every ceiling fan blade.
• Kitchen detail. Inside the oven, inside the fridge, under and behind both where they can be pulled out. Cabinet fronts degreased, range hood and filter cleaned, backsplash grout scrubbed.
• Bathroom detail. Grout lines scrubbed, shower door tracks cleared, hard water lifted off glass and fixtures, toilet base and bolt caps done properly.
• Behind and under. Couches, beds and moveable furniture pulled out so the floor underneath gets cleaned instead of skipped.
• Doors, switches and walls. Handprints and scuffs taken off doors, frames and light switch plates. Spot-cleaning on walls where the paint allows it.

How long it takes

A deep clean is not a two-hour job. On a typical three bedroom, two bath home we plan for five to eight hours of work. Larger homes, homes that have not been cleaned in a while, or houses with heavy grout and hard water can go into a second day.

We give you a time window at the quote, and we'd rather quote honestly and finish inside it than quote short and leave the last two rooms half done. If we find something bigger than expected once we're in the house, we stop and call you before adding anything.

Deep clean or standard clean

If you are not sure which one you need, the rule of thumb is simple. Has anyone cleaned the house properly in the last three months?

• Yes. A standard clean will hold it. Book recurring house cleaning and stay ahead of it.
• No, or you are not sure. Start with a deep clean. Then the maintenance visits after it actually do their job.
• Moving in or out. You want move in / move out cleaning, which is a deep clean structured around an empty house.
• Construction dust. That is its own animal. See post-construction cleaning.

Things a deep clean will not fix

We would rather set expectations at the quote than have you disappointed at the end of a long day. Cleaning has limits, and some of what looks like dirt is damage.

• Grout that has been stained for years may lighten a lot without going back to white. Getting it all the way back is a sealing and re-grouting job.
• Hard water that has etched glass has removed material from the surface. It cleans, but the etching stays.
• Carpet stains are a carpet cleaning job. We vacuum thoroughly; we do not extract.
• Paint that is already failing will come off with the scuff. On flat and matte paint we test a hidden spot before we scrub anything visible.

None of that is a reason to skip the deep clean. It is a reason to know what you're buying, so the result lands where you expected.

What it costs

Deep cleans are quoted per house after we understand the condition. The two things that move the number most are how long it has been and how many bathrooms there are.

We do not publish a flat rate because a deep clean on a well-kept two bedroom and a deep clean on a four bedroom that has been through two winters are different jobs. Call or send the form and we'll get you a real figure.

Common questions