Some homes need more than a careful deep clean. A rental left in rough shape by the last tenant, an apartment that slid while someone was sick or working long hours, a house that a family is taking over, a kitchen where grease has built up in layers. Heavy duty cleaning is the name most cleaning companies give to that job: the same top to bottom approach as a deep clean, with more time, more passes and more elbow grease on every room.
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.
Nobody needs to explain how a place got this way. This page covers what heavy duty cleaning usually includes, how it differs from a standard deep clean, where cleaning stops and other help starts, and how to describe the job so an independent NYC company can plan for it.
When a home needs heavy duty cleaning
- Grease that has hardened on the stovetop, the range hood, the cabinet fronts and the wall behind the stove.
- Soap scum and mineral film thick enough that the tub, tile or shower glass looks permanently cloudy.
- Dust and grime that has settled into baseboards, door frames, radiators and window tracks over a long time.
- Floors that need more than one wash to come clean.
- A refrigerator, oven or set of cabinets that needs emptying and cleaning inside.
- A place that has just had pest work or repairs and is left with debris and residue on surfaces.
If what you are facing is mostly about the number of belongings rather than dirt on surfaces, that is a cleanout job first, and cleaning comes after the space is clear. Say so in the form so the right kind of company sees it.
Heavy duty cleaning vs a standard deep clean
| Standard deep clean | Heavy duty cleaning | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A home cleaned now and then that needs a reset | A home that has gone a long while without a proper clean, or was left dirty |
| Kitchen | Cabinet fronts, backsplash, hood, grates, microwave; oven and fridge inside on request | The same, with repeated degreasing, inside the oven and fridge, often inside cabinets and drawers |
| Bathroom | Tile, grout, tub and glass scrubbed, fixtures polished | Several passes on soap scum and buildup, the base of the toilet and behind it, the vanity inside |
| Floors and walls | Baseboards, switches, door frames, a full floor wash | Walls spot cleaned where the paint allows, baseboards scrubbed, floors washed more than once |
| Time and crew | One visit, sized to the rooms | More time per room, sometimes more people or more than one visit |
A deep clean of an apartment is the right request for most homes. Ask for heavy duty cleaning when you already know one normal pass will not be enough, so the company plans the time and supplies the job needs from the start.
Tell us what the hardest rooms look like and send the form. An independent NYC cleaning company can plan the visit around it.
Room by room, what heavy duty usually means
The kitchen
The kitchen is usually where the most time goes. Grease travels up: the top of the range hood, the tops of the cabinets and the ceiling above the stove often need the most work. Expect the grates and burner parts to be soaked and scrubbed, cabinet fronts and handles degreased, the backsplash and grout cleaned, the inside of the oven and fridge done, and the floor washed more than once, especially along the base of the cabinets. The kitchen deep cleaning guide goes surface by surface.
The bathroom
Thick soap scum and mineral film are slow work. They come off in passes. Tile and grout, the tub, shower glass and its track, the toilet base and the floor around it, the vanity inside and out, the exhaust fan cover. NYC Health notes mold can grow on “soap scum” among other surfaces; surface mildew on tile comes off with cleaning, but mold in the wall or ceiling is a repair (see below).
Living rooms and bedrooms
Heavy duty work here means moving what can be moved and cleaning under and behind it, lifting dust from radiators, washing baseboards and door frames, wiping switches and handles, cleaning sills and window tracks, and a deep wash of the floors. Ask for closets and inside drawers if you want them.
Where cleaning stops and other help starts
Heavy duty cleaning is still cleaning. In New York, several of the problems people find in a neglected home are the building owner’s to fix, or need licensed workers.
| What you find | Who handles it | Where cleaning fits |
|---|---|---|
| Roaches, mice or rats | In buildings with three or more apartments, the owner must keep apartments free of pests (Local Law 55) using Integrated Pest Management | After the pest work, cleaning can wash surfaces and vacuum the debris |
| Mold on walls or ceilings | The owner, who must fix the leak behind it; over 10 square feet in a building with 10 or more apartments needs NYS Department of Labor licensed workers | Cleaning handles soap scum and surface mildew on tile and grout |
| Peeling paint in an older building | The owner, using safe work practices; a tenant can file a complaint or call 311 | Do not have peeling paint scraped or scrubbed by a cleaner |
| Bed bugs | Treatment, advised by a pest management professional | Vacuuming and laundry help; cleaning is not treatment |
| Old strong cleaners and chemicals | DSNY SAFE Disposal events or nyc.gov/safedisposal | Set them aside rather than pouring them out |
HPD describes Integrated Pest Management as including “Removal of pest nests and thorough cleaning of pest waste and other debris by using a HEPA vacuum, washing surfaces, or otherwise collecting and discarding such debris,” and adds: “Make sure to limit the spread of dust when cleaning.” If you rent and the pests are still active, ask your landlord to deal with them before you book the clean, and file a complaint online or call 311 if nothing happens.
Products, fumes and safety
Heavy duty jobs use stronger products and more of them. Two rules from public health agencies apply in every home. The CDC: “Do not mix products or chemicals with each other.” The EPA: “Never mix household care products unless directed on the label” and “Follow label instructions carefully.” Keep windows open where you can, and run a fan.
If clearing the kitchen turns up old pesticides, solvents or strong cleaners you no longer want, DSNY collects “potentially harmful household items such as pesticides, strong cleaners, mercury-containing devices, paints, automotive fluids, medications and e-waste” at SAFE Disposal events held in each borough. For other options, DSNY points residents to nyc.gov/safedisposal or 311.
Good to know
Ask the cleaning company which products it plans to use and tell it about anyone in the home with asthma. HPD notes that mold, mice, rats and cockroaches are common asthma triggers.
How to describe a heavy duty job
- The size of the place: bedrooms, bathrooms, and whether it is an apartment or a house.
- Whether anyone is living there now, and whether it is furnished.
- The hardest rooms and what is there: grease, buildup, droppings after pest work, sticky floors.
- Anything that must be cleared before cleaning can start.
- Which extras you want: inside the oven, fridge, cabinets and closets.
- Building details: elevator or stairs, service entrance, when work is allowed.
Plain words are best. The more the company knows, the better it can plan the time, the people and the supplies. For homes that just had construction or a renovation, the job is different again: see post construction cleaning in NYC. For heavy duty cleaning by borough, see deep cleaning services in Brooklyn and deep cleaning service in Queens.
Describe the job in the form. An independent New York City cleaning company can get back to you about how it would handle it.
Questions people ask
What is considered heavy duty cleaning?
Cleaning for a home that has gone a long while without a proper clean or was left dirty: layered grease, thick soap scum, grime in baseboards and tracks, floors that need more than one wash. It is a deep clean with more time and more passes per room.
Is heavy duty cleaning the same as a hoarding cleanout?
No. When a home is full of belongings, the first job is clearing them. Cleaning comes after the space is clear. Mention it in the form if belongings are part of the job.
Will the cleaner deal with roaches or mice?
No. A cleaning company does not treat pests. In buildings with three or more apartments the owner must keep apartments free of pests; once pest work is done, cleaning can wash surfaces and remove the debris.
Can heavy duty cleaning remove mold?
It can remove soap scum and surface mildew on tile and grout. Mold growing on walls or ceilings is a repair for the building owner, and large areas in larger buildings need workers licensed by the New York State Department of Labor.
Do I have to say how the place got this way?
No. Describe what is there now so the company can plan the time and supplies. Nobody needs the story.