Recurring House Cleaning
Weekly, every-other-week or monthly visits for an occupied home.
An apartment cleaning checklist for each kind of visit
An apartment needs a different list depending on the moment: routine upkeep, a detail clean, or a clean before you move in or out. Here is what each kind of visit covers, room by room.
Start with the right checklist
Most apartment cleaning checklist questions come down to one choice: is the apartment lived in and in reasonable shape, lived in but overdue for detail work, or empty? Each answer points to a different visit, and each visit has a fixed scope. The three lists below match the scopes on our services page, so what you read here is what the cleaners work to.
Regular upkeep checklist
Kitchen: counters wiped; sink and stove top cleaned; outside of the fridge and microwave wiped; cabinet fronts spot cleaned; visible trash emptied.
Bathroom: toilet, shower or tub, sink, mirror and floor cleaned; targeted high-heat steam on the sink, shower, tub and toilet fixtures.
Living areas and bedrooms: reachable surfaces dusted; floors vacuumed and mopped; trash emptied; beds made with your own linens.
This is the scope of a recurring house cleaning visit, on a weekly, every-other-week or monthly schedule.
Deep clean checklist
Everything on the upkeep list, plus the detail work a regular visit leaves for later.
Kitchen: baseboards; full detail on cabinet fronts; light switches and fixtures; window sills.
Bathroom: baseboards; grout detail beside the fixtures; light switches and fixtures; window sills.
Living areas and bedrooms: baseboards; light switches and fixtures; reachable ceiling fans; window sills; door frames.
A deep clean is for an apartment you are living in, so the inside of cabinets and drawers is not on this list.
Move-in and move-out checklist
Everything on the deep clean list, plus the inside of everything that is closed while an apartment is lived in.
Kitchen: inside the fridge; inside the oven; inside the microwave; inside every cabinet and drawer.
Bathroom: inside cabinets and drawers; full detail on grout and tile.
Every room: closet interiors wiped; full baseboard detail; window tracks, light fixtures, switch plates, door frames and door handles cleaned; floors vacuumed and mopped throughout.
A move-out clean needs an empty apartment. The same list applies to a move-in clean, done after the previous occupant has left and before your boxes arrive.
What stays off every checklist unless agreed
Some work is only done when you ask for it and it is agreed before the visit. On a regular visit that means the inside of the fridge or oven, blinds, inside windows, a garage sweep and a single load of laundry. On a deep clean, the inside of the fridge and oven, blinds, inside windows, sliding glass doors, a garage sweep, a load of laundry and a full-room steam upgrade are add-ons. On a move-out clean, the add-ons are a full-room steam upgrade, blinds, window glass beyond the tracks, a garage sweep, a load of laundry and carpet cleaning. Wide-plank wood and high-gloss lacquer are never steamed.
Before the cleaners arrive
You do not need to clean first. Picking up clutter such as clothing, dishes and papers lets the time go to cleaning. Mention pets, parking and anything fragile in the notes when you send a request. Access is agreed with you when the visit is confirmed, so please keep door codes, alarm codes and lockbox details out of the form.
Which checklist fits your apartment now
If the apartment is lived in and has had a professional clean in the last 30 days, the upkeep list is the place to start. If it has gone longer than that, the first visit is normally planned as a deep clean, and regular visits follow. If the rooms are empty, it is the move-in and move-out list. Not sure? Choose not sure when you request a clean and we will explain the options for your apartment.
Before you ask
Questions people ask
Is the inside of the oven on a regular checklist?
No. It is an add-on on a regular or deep clean, agreed before the visit. It is included on a move-in or move-out clean.
Can a move-out clean be done with furniture still in the apartment?
No. A move-out clean needs an empty home. If belongings are staying, a deep clean is the visit to ask about.
Do I need to supply cleaning products?
No. The cleaners bring their own supplies and equipment. You only provide linens if you want beds made.
Is anything booked when I send the form?
No. We confirm scope, timing, access and price with you first. The booking is confirmed once a card is saved on file at least 48 hours before the visit.
Want this checklist done for you?
Tell us about your apartment and which kind of visit you have in mind, and we will confirm the details before anything is booked.