Deep Cleaning
A one-off clean that goes where a normal clean stops.
A deep clean is a one-off job. We agree a date, we come once, we work through the property or just the rooms you pick, and then we are done.
Agnes has been cleaning since 2001, and our cleaners have seen most of what a property can do. Grease built up behind a hob, limescale that will not shift with a spray and a cloth, a spare room that filled up over a few years without anyone deciding to let it. None of it is unusual to us.
Most of the deep cleans we are called to are one of a handful of situations. Someone is moving into a place that was left dirty. A landlord has an empty flat between tenancies. A family is sorting out a house after an illness or a death. Or the house has simply got ahead of someone, which happens for all sorts of reasons and needs no explaining. We quote on the property in front of us, not on how it got that way.
Who it's for
- Someone moving into a property that was left dirty
- Landlords with an empty property between tenancies
- Anyone selling, or putting a house straight after a hard year
What a deep clean does that an ordinary clean does not
Keeping on top of the everyday is one list: worktops, floors, the bathroom, a wipe round. A deep clean is the other one. It is the work that gets left the rest of the time, because it takes longer than a wipe round or needs something moved first.
Most of it comes down to what has to happen before a surface will clean up. An appliance has to come out from the wall. A cupboard has to be empty before anyone can get inside it. Limescale wants the product left sitting on it rather than wiped over, and grease on the tops of wall units sets into a film you can scrape with a fingernail.
That is why it runs longer than people expect. We would rather look before we quote, either on a short visit or from photos you send, then tell you how many cleaners are coming and how long we think we will be. If something is not going to come up, we say so before we start rather than after. If the property is a rental being handed back or re-let, the job is usually an end of tenancy clean instead, which is scoped around what an agent goes through when a tenancy ends.
If the house has got away from you
Some of the calls we take are not really about cleaning. A long illness. A death in the family. A stretch of years where everything else came first. Houses get ahead of people, and it happens to capable people with a great deal on their plate. None of it is new to us. Nobody passes comment, on the day or afterwards.
We clean. We do not clear and we do not throw anything out. What is kept and what goes is yours to decide, and we work around anything you want left alone. Tell us which rooms matter most and we start there, so if we run out of day you have the rooms you actually needed.
You can be in the house while we work, or go out and come back to it. Plenty of people would rather not be there and that is no trouble. Agnes agrees the scope with you first, so you know what is being done before anyone picks up a cloth.
Before the photographs, and before the spring
If you are selling, get the clean done before the agent photographs the house rather than after. A camera picks up what the eye slides past. Smears on the inside of the glass, scale on a chrome tap, a haze on the hob, floors that have gone dull. Clean windows make more difference to how a room photographs than most of what you could do to it in a day.
Spring cleans are the same job under a different name. Windows open for the first time in months, radiators off, and everything the winter left on the sills and the skirtings comes away in one go. It does not have to be the whole house either. If you only want the kitchen and the bathrooms done, tell us and we will quote for that.
Room by room
Kitchen
- Oven cleaned inside, racks, trays and inner glass included
- Hob, splashback and extractor hood, with the filter degreased
- Fridge, freezer and other appliances cleaned inside, behind and underneath where they move
- Cupboards and drawers cleaned inside once they are empty
- Worktops, tiles and grout scrubbed
- Tops of wall units, where grease and dust set into a film
- Sink, taps and plughole descaled
- Floor washed, including under the units where there is access
Bathrooms and en-suites
- Limescale lifted from taps, shower screen, tiles and shower head
- Toilet cleaned inside and out, behind the pan and around the cistern
- Bath, basin and shower tray scrubbed and rinsed
- Grout and sealant cleaned
- Mirrors, glass and chrome polished
- Extractor fan cover cleaned
- Floor washed right to the edges
Bedrooms
- Wardrobes and drawers cleaned inside where they are empty
- Behind and under the bed where it can be moved
- Skirting boards, door frames and radiators washed
- Light fittings, shades and switches
- Windows cleaned inside, with sills and frames
- Carpets vacuumed, edges included (carpet cleaning is a separate job)
Living rooms, hallways and stairs
- Shelves, surfaces and skirtings washed down
- Marks taken off walls, doors and switches where the paint allows
- Behind and under furniture that moves
- Radiators and the dust behind them
- Internal windows, sills and frames
- Floors vacuumed then washed, carpets vacuumed to the edges
Throughout the property
- Cobwebs taken down, including high corners and ceiling edges
- Tops of doors, frames and picture rails
- Light switches, sockets and handles wiped
- Internal glass, including door panels
- Bins washed inside and out
- Final walk round with you before we leave
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a deep clean a one-off visit?
Yes. We book a date, come once and do the job, and that is the end of it. Nothing is set up afterwards and there is nothing to cancel.
How long does a deep clean take?
It depends on the size of the property and the state it is in. A small flat is usually a single day. A family house that has not had this done in years can run longer. We work that out before we start and put it in writing with the quote, so nobody is guessing on the day.
Do I need to tidy or clean before you arrive?
No. It helps if the cupboards and wardrobes you want cleaned inside are emptied first, because we clean them once they are clear rather than unpacking your things. Anything you would rather we left alone, point it out or leave us a note. Otherwise leave it as it is.
Do you clean inside the oven and behind the appliances?
Yes. The oven comes apart as far as it sensibly goes, so racks, trays and the inner glass. The extractor hood is degreased and the filter cleaned, or a new one fitted if you have one for it. Freestanding appliances get pulled out and cleaned behind and underneath where they move safely. We do not disconnect gas or plumbing, so anything piped or plumbed in stays where it is.
Will all the limescale come off?
Most of it will. Scale on taps, shower screens, tiles and toilets comes off with the right product and enough time sitting on it. What will not come off is scale that has already etched into the chrome or the glass, because that is damage to the surface rather than something sitting on top of it. We will tell you which one you have got when we see it.
Can you do the carpets at the same time?
Carpet cleaning uses different machines and needs drying time, so it is quoted as its own job. Mention it when you get in touch and we will put the carpets last, after the deep clean, so nobody walks dust across a wet carpet. More on carpet cleaning.