What Is A "deep Clean?"

[Katy Radcliffe]

I'd be curious to hear what everyone here would define as a "deep clean" for a domestic property. (Even if you don't do domestic cleaning, I'd still like to hear your opinion, based on what you'd expect as a customer.)

What would be included in a one-off "deep clean" and how would it differ from a weekly/biweekly regular clean?

Just curious to hear what people think!

 

[Joe Hatton]

A "deep clean" - ask the potential client what THEY mean then you can start to fulfill THEIR needs.

If I was your client and you asked me I would be expecting
start at the top of the house and at the top of each room and work down, everything to be cleaned, pelmets, dado rails skirting boards, door facings, cob webs, dust, getting "kick" marks off paintwork. Anything with a hard finish.
Baths, sinks, loos, inside and outside cupboards, I would tell you if I wanted inside cookers, inside fridges, whether I wanted such units moving and cleaned under, the sides, the back of etc.
I want light switches and plug sockets wiping clean. Hard floors cleaned, all work surfaces as well, dont forget the dining table and sideboard including legs of same as well as the chairs.
You can leave soft furnishing like curtains, but vac the settees and chairs

I am sure there will be things I missed but you can see where I am at.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

Yes, I do see what you mean.

I would assume a "deep clean" would include going inside fridge and cupboards, but I'm not as sure about oven. I worry that cleaning an oven could be difficult because I think getting the inside of an oven 100% perfect is very hard to do without the dipping tanks oven cleaning companies have. An oven may require several hours of labour, and that may be more than a customer wants to pay.

It would be tempting to offer out-of-the-ordinary things at an hourly rate, but I think it's best to avoid quoting hourly rates if at all possible.

Moving things like a refrigerator (or a gas cooker)... that might not be feasible for health and safety reasons, but I would expect a deep clean to involve moving things like sofas and chairs.

It would be nice to just quote a "deep clean" rate over the phone based on number of rooms/occupants/square feet, but I really think this is a situation that calls for a consultation with the client and going through a checklist. Over the phone, I would be comfortable giving an estimate, but stress that there will be an in-person consultation where their exact needs would be discussed before a firm quote is made.

 

[Joe Hatton]

I agree with you Katy, for deep cleans you definitely need to see the job.
The largest deep clean I did took 23 hours (team of 3 on 2 visits) and I ALWAYS charged more for a deep clean then a regular weekly/fortnightly clean - about £4 per hour more. I paid my assistants more per hour for deep cleans as well as it is harder work and standards need to be high.
I agree ovens would be better with a pro job, you should set out the limitations for a "standard" clean but add you can offer a pro job at the appropriate cost.
Fridges and cookers (even gas) can usually be moved safely but if you dont feel you want to do that then set your stall out with the client before hand.
Must admit there were times I got the estimated hours wrong even after seeing the job before hand - once you start bending your back you find out what the job actually entails. So make an allowance into your estimate if you feel you will make the same "mistake".

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

You know what? I think I'm going to clean my oven (it needs it) and offer to clean my Mother-in-law's oven, and maybe a neighbour's oven - the dirtier the better - just to get a very clear idea of what it *really* entails. I mean, I've "cleaned" my own oven, before, but I've never attempted to get a "professional" result.

It would be interesting to time myself and see what it really entails. If it's not TOO hard, I will still agree to do it if they insist. If it's honestly an all-day job to achieve perfection, then I'll decline.

 

[Joe Hatton]

A pro oven cleaner will charge £50-£80 depending if its single or double oven so its not worth your swet to do it - just hire a pro.
I missed window cleaning (internal) on my list. I dont mind window cleaning but did a job about 3 years ago and she wanted inside and out doing. I am not insured for outside work so I got a window cleaner to do both in and out. Just charged the cost £35 I think it was to the client.

 

[Steve Porter]

If I asked a cleaning company to "deep clean" my house I'd be really asking for a muck out!!
Clean absoloutly everything, top to bottom like a good old fashioned Spring Clean
I'm not concerned if you didn't do ovens as I'd expect you to be finding an oven cleaner but spare me the details, if you didn't do windows then find & organise a window cleaner. Being nice I may point out some areas like ovens & windows but I'd also expect the company to show me an almost checklist style schedule of exactly what can be done
You'd then tick the boxes I'd like/ expect & if there was something I didn't want or didn't have (conservatory for arguements sake) then it could be crossed through. If you also offered patio/ driveway cleaning, one off gardening, guttering cleans etc then please let me know I may say yes, I may say no.

No list is too long but if I get the hint that you're playing at it then I may ask another company who seems more in-tune? It's just like the hotel business, pamper the client & let them choose the service they want, let them be wimsicle & empower them, make them feel special as they have lots of choices
It might put me off if they started writing down everything I wanted cleaning as I'd be curious as to whether they'd done this work before.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

A pro oven cleaner will charge £50-£80 depending if its single or double oven so its not worth your swet to do it - just hire a pro.
I missed window cleaning (internal) on my list. I dont mind window cleaning but did a job about 3 years ago and she wanted inside and out doing. I am not insured for outside work so I got a window cleaner to do both in and out. Just charged the cost £35 I think it was to the client.

I don't yet know a pro in the area we're moving to, so I hope to find one soonish. I have to say that I'd be a little bit nervous about them flaking out on me and leaving me hanging.

If you were orchestrating this job, would you expect any sort of kick-back from the oven cleaner?

 

[Jo Galloway]

I've had several requests for deep cleans and I usually go with what the client wants. Most of what has been stated above is similar to what people ask me. However I tell people I'm not a pro oven cleaner and they usually say, 'no worries do what you can' or 'don't worry we'll get a pro in for the oven' . I do skirting boards in my usually weekly cleans but in a deep clean I'd ask for very heavy furniture to be moved away from the walls to do the skirts behind. I usually move sofas etc anyway in a weekly clean (unless they are too heavy). I tend to also do outside of kitchen cupboards and backs of doors etc on a normal weekly clean if I see they need it. I sometimes do internal windows in the weekly clean.
One lady wanted a deep clean of her large kitchen and it took 6 hours to take everything out of the cupboards, clean them inside and out and then put all the stuff back in. I even sorted her out of date stuff for her

 

[Joe Hatton]

Not so much a kick back from the oven cleaner, just add an amount on the clients bill ie if the oven cleaner charges you £50 you charge the client £55, after all you done a bit of work contacting and arranging the oven cleaner

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

This is good stuff. My cleaning has mostly been weekly/regular cleaning and some holiday cottages. I'm interested in advertising deep cleans as a special thing this winter/and spring.

I'm going to start another thread on clutter, rather than tack it on to this one, if that's OK.

 

[David McBroom]

I've had several requests for deep cleans and I usually go with what the client wants. Most of what has been stated above is similar to what people ask me. However I tell people I'm not a pro oven cleaner and they usually say, 'no worries do what you can' or 'don't worry we'll get a pro in for the oven' . I do skirting boards in my usually weekly cleans but in a deep clean I'd ask for very heavy furniture to be moved away from the walls to do the skirts behind. I usually move sofas etc anyway in a weekly clean (unless they are too heavy). I tend to also do outside of kitchen cupboards and backs of doors etc on a normal weekly clean if I see they need it. I sometimes do internal windows in the weekly clean.
One lady wanted a deep clean of her large kitchen and it took 6 hours to take everything out of the cupboards, clean them inside and out and then put all the stuff back in. I even sorted her out of date stuff for her

YOU SORTED HER OUT OF DATE STUFF??? (bliddy wee fuss pot)

 

[Fintan Coll]

I don't take on the type of cleaning which is being discussed but my idea of a deep clean would be to totally clean and sanitise everything in the area concerned with special attention to killing all bacteria, germs etc.

 

[Chris Jenner]

We don't do domestic cleaning and haven't done full EOTs for agents for some years now due to them wanting a lot for little.

Want we found was their request or instructions were based on what they wanted to pay as opposed to what needed doing. Frequently we were asked to go and do a quick 'freshen up clean' as it wasn't too bad, only to be faced with kitchens that needed grease scraping off the units before we could start to clean them, a skip full off rubbish left by previous tenant, a garden full of dog eggs etc. Their perception was if they only asked for a light clean it would equate to a cheap invoice. It wasn't very professional I admit, but the last time one of them did it do us, they asked for a light clean, so we gave them one along with a cheap invoice and they weren't very happy to say the least. I decided I'd had enough and it just wasn't worth the hassle and arguments any more. We did have one that was very good, all they would ask was for us to pick up the keys and do what ever was required to return the property to their usual high standard, then the manager changed and standards dropped so we dropped them too as they also wanted work squeezed to a price rather than a quality and I wasn't happy putting my name to that sort of work.

Basically, people have different ideas about a 'deep clean', it's what your client wants that's important. To me, a deep clean would include things that are not necesarily part of a regular weekly cycle, such as pulling out fridges, free standing ovens, the amount of fluff and grease down the sides of these is amazing, tops of kitchen units and pulling out furniture and cleaning under, behind and the back of the furniture of dust and cobwebs.

Other's perceptions are no doubt different.

 

[Natalie Johnson]

When I've done these, the customer has detailed what they would like and I let them know how long we will need. Usually, the main differences from a routine clean are wiping down all kitchen cupboards, inside fridges, behind fridges, cleaning leather sofas, inside kitchen cupboards, ovens (usually just the glass doors and racks and I'm not an oven cleaner, inside microwaves, behind furniture.

 

[Jo Galloway]

Weird isn't it as I wipe down kitchen cupboards as part of my weekly cleans - only because I can't stand to see grubby cupboards underneath gleaming granite or quartz work surfaces

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

I wipe down the front of cabinets on regular. Maybe not every week, but at least regularly and I'll eyeball them to see if they need it every visit. With regular cleans, since I'm on an hourly basis, it's a situation where they agree to a certain amount of time/money spent and I do as much as I can within that time. Some things are done every week, and some less frequently. That way, more things get done at least sometimes.

But, I'm looking to get away from charging hourly, so I need to do a lot of thinking about how to price everything. Hourly is so much simpler, but I don't think it's the best way. I'd like to have an incentive to do a job efficiently, with the customer only concerned with the job being done well, never mind how long I'm toiling away.

 

[Jo Galloway]

Interesting Katy, I charge by the hour and do a minimum of 2 hours per clean. Like you I do what I can in the time and also do some things weekly and somethings less frequently depending on what needs to be done. Whats your rationale for not wanting to charge hourly?

 

[Natalie Johnson]

Jo, I do wipe door fronts on regular cleans where I see something obvious that needs doing. With the 'deep clean' I wiped every door front and cleaned in the mouldings and handles with a brush.

 

[Natalie Johnson]

To add to above, one customer has a large expanse of high gloss cupboard doors. They have a fortnightly clean for two hours. I wipe off fingerprints, greasy marks and food spills so they are clean but they could all do with a full on buff. The customer is aware though, that in the time they have it's not possible unless another job isn't done and they are happy with that.