A deep clean goes well when everyone knows what it covers. This deep cleaning checklist lists what people most often ask for, room by room, so you can tick what you want, add what is special about your home, and agree the list with the cleaning company before the day.
Deep Cleaning Company NYC is an independent referral service, not a cleaning company. When you send the form, your request goes to an independent New York City cleaning company that scopes the job, quotes it and does any work.
Use it as an apartment deep cleaning checklist or for a whole house. It is a list to agree, not a promise: each independent company sets its own scope, and the visit covers what you agree in writing.
Every room
- Ceiling corners, light fixtures and the tops of door frames.
- Walls spot cleaned where the paint allows; light switches and door handles wiped.
- Baseboards and door fronts.
- Radiators (cool) and vent covers.
- Window sills, tracks and the inside of the glass within safe reach.
- Under and behind movable furniture, then floors vacuumed and washed.
Kitchen
- Tops of cabinets and the refrigerator.
- Range hood, and its filter if it comes out.
- Cabinet fronts and handles; inside cabinets and drawers if requested.
- Backsplash and the wall behind the stove.
- Stovetop, grates and burner parts.
- Microwave inside and out; oven and fridge inside if requested.
- Sink, fixtures and counters; the floor along the cabinet base.
The kitchen deep cleaning guide explains each of these in more detail.
Bathroom
- Tile and grout scrubbed; soap scum removed from walls and the tub.
- Shower glass, door and track; the shower head and fixtures.
- Toilet including the base and behind it.
- Vanity outside, and inside if requested; mirror and medicine cabinet.
- Exhaust fan cover; floor and the edges around the tub.
Got your list? Send it with the form and an independent NYC cleaning company can tell you how it would handle the visit.
Living room, bedrooms and halls
- Shelves and the tops of tall furniture.
- Lamps, frames and decor dusted.
- Upholstered furniture vacuumed, cushions lifted.
- Under beds and sofas.
- Closets and inside drawers if requested.
- In a house: stairs, banisters and landings.
Deep clean or regular clean: which lines are extra
| Task | Regular clean | Deep clean |
|---|---|---|
| Dust open surfaces, vacuum and mop | Yes | Yes |
| Kitchen counters, sink, outside of appliances | Yes | Yes |
| Bathroom toilet, sink, tub and mirror | Yes | Yes |
| Baseboards, door frames, switches | Sometimes | Yes |
| Radiators, vents and grilles | No | Yes |
| Cabinet fronts, range hood, backsplash | No | Yes |
| Tile and grout scrub | No | Yes |
| Under and behind movable furniture | No | Yes |
| Inside oven, fridge, cabinets | No | Often an extra |
Extras worth asking about
These are the lines people most often add, and the ones a company most needs to know about in advance because they take extra time:
- Inside the oven and inside the refrigerator.
- Inside kitchen cabinets and drawers, and inside closets.
- Blinds, shades and window tracks throughout.
- Walls washed rather than spot cleaned, where the paint allows.
- A finished basement or a second kitchen in a house.
How to send the checklist
In the form, describe the home first: an apartment or a house, the bedrooms and bathrooms, the floor and whether there is an elevator. Then list the rooms you want and the extras from this page. Add what makes your home different, such as stone counters, old tile, a pet, or a building that registers workers. A clear request lets the company plan the time and the people, and you get an answer that fits your home rather than a guess.
The order that works
- Clear surfaces and floors of loose items.
- Dust and vacuum high places first: ceiling corners, fixtures, cabinet tops.
- Work down: walls, trim, cabinets, furniture.
- Wash surfaces: kitchen and bathroom detail, counters, fixtures.
- Floors last, vacuumed and then washed.
Top to bottom and dry before wet keeps dust and drips from landing on finished surfaces.
Before the cleaners come
- Check your building’s rules for workers: hours, elevator, front desk.
- Put away valuables, papers and anything fragile.
- Empty the fridge and cabinets if their insides are on the list.
- Make sure radiators are cool and windows open easily.
- Ask which products the company uses. The CDC says: “Do not mix products or chemicals with each other,” and the EPA advises: “Increase ventilation when using products that emit VOCs.”
Not on the list
Some jobs are not cleaning. In buildings with three or more apartments, Local Law 55 of 2018 makes the owner keep apartments free of mold and pests. Mold areas over 10 square feet in buildings with 10 or more apartments need workers licensed by the New York State Department of Labor. Peeling paint in buildings built before 1960 is a repair; HPD says a tenant can file a complaint online or call 311 if it is not fixed safely.
For more on each kind of job, see apartment deep cleaning, heavy duty cleaning and post construction cleaning in NYC. Borough pages: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island.
Tick what you want, add what is special about your home, and send the form.
Questions people ask
What should a deep cleaning checklist include?
Every room top to bottom: high dusting, door frames, baseboards, switches, radiators and vents, kitchen cabinet fronts, hood and stovetop, bathroom tile and grout, sills and tracks, and floors under and behind movable furniture, plus any extras such as the inside of the oven and fridge.
Is this the list every cleaning company follows?
No. Each company sets its own scope. Use the list to agree what your visit covers, in writing, before the day.
Can I send this list with my request?
Yes. Describe the rooms and paste or list the lines you want in the form.
Does a deep clean include mold or pest work?
No. Those are repairs or pest control, and in buildings with three or more apartments the owner is responsible for keeping apartments free of mold and pests.