A deep clean goes further when the cleaners can reach every surface and everyone agrees on the plan. A little preparation the day before makes the visit faster and the result better. Here is how to get a New York City apartment ready.
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.
Agree the scope in writing
Most disappointment after a deep clean comes from two people meaning different things by “deep.” Before the day, agree with the company which rooms are included, whether the inside of the oven, fridge, microwave and cabinets are in, whether windows and blinds are in, and anything you want skipped. The deep cleaning checklist gives you the lines to go through.
Check your building’s rules
Many co-ops, condos and rental buildings have rules for service visits. Ask your super or management office about:
- Whether service visitors must be added to a list at the front desk.
- Set hours for service visits or for using the elevator.
- Where supplies and equipment can be brought in.
- Rules for taking out trash and recycling.
Put anything that affects access in the form so the company can plan for it.
Clear the way
- Clear counters, tables and the tops of dressers so the surfaces can be cleaned, not worked around.
- Pick up clothes, shoes and toys from the floor.
- Empty the sink and run the dishwasher, if you have one.
- Empty the fridge of anything expired if you want its inside cleaned.
- Put away valuables, papers and anything fragile or sentimental.
You do not need to clean before the cleaners come. Clearing is different from cleaning: the goal is simply that every surface can be reached.
Products, people and pets
Ask which products the company brings, and say if you would rather it use your own. If anyone at home has asthma, allergies or a sensitivity to fragrance, mention it in the form. The EPA advises increasing ventilation when using products that give off fumes and never mixing household products unless the label directs it, and the CDC says the same about mixing. Plan to open windows when the weather allows, and to run the bathroom and kitchen fans.
If the building is older, mention it. Prewar apartments often have radiators with covers, deep window sills, plaster moldings and old tile, and those take more care and more time than flat modern surfaces. If paint has been scraped or a renovation just opened walls in a building from before 1960, deal with the contractor’s lead-safe cleanup first; the post construction cleaning NYC page explains why. A cleaner can then do the final clean once that is done.
Pets are usually happier out of the way. A closed room, a crate or a walk during the noisiest part of the visit helps everyone.
Old cleaners under the sink
Clearing out often turns up half-empty bottles of strong cleaners. Do not mix them together to get rid of them. The Department of Sanitation takes strong cleaners and other potentially harmful household items at SAFE Disposal events in each borough, for NYC residents only; see nyc.gov/safedisposal or call 311 for dates and other options.
On the day
If you can, be there at the start. Walk through the rooms, point out anything fragile or off limits and confirm the plan. Many people then leave until the end and come back for a final walk-through, checking the places that matter most to them while the cleaners are still there.
Questions worth asking first
- Do you bring your own supplies and vacuum, or should I have some ready?
- Which rooms and tasks are in the scope, and what is extra?
- Is the inside of the oven, fridge and cabinets included, or added on request?
- How do you handle delicate surfaces such as old tile, marble or wood floors?
- What happens if something on the list is missed on the day?
Write the answers down or ask for them by email, so you have the scope in writing before the day.
After the clean
A deep clean resets the home. Keeping it there is easier with a light routine: wiping high-touch surfaces like light switches, doorknobs and counters regularly, as the CDC suggests, and dealing with spills before they set. Some people book regular cleans from that point; others book a deep clean again when the place needs it.
Ready to ask? The apartment deep cleaning page explains what to request for a whole apartment, and the form takes about a minute.