Deep Cleaning Checklist
A room-by-room deep cleaning checklist — every drawer, baseboard, light fitting and grout line. Print it, work through it, done.
Room-by-room deep clean essentials
Kitchen
- Inside and outside of oven, microwave, fridge, freezer.
- Descale kettle, coffee machine, dishwasher.
- Degrease extractor hood and filter.
- Empty and wipe every cupboard, check expiry dates.
Bathroom
- Scrub grout and re-seal silicone if needed.
- Descale shower head, taps, toilet.
- Wash shower curtain, replace if mouldy.
- Clean inside cabinets, throw out old toiletries.
Living spaces and bedrooms
- Wash curtains and cushion covers.
- Vacuum mattresses and under furniture.
- Dust skirting boards, light fixtures, ceiling corners.
- Wipe doors, switches, handles, remote controls.
Make it manageable
Don't try to do it all in one day. The generator splits the deep clean across several sessions — a weekend, a week, a month. You pick the pace.
What "deep clean" actually means
A deep clean is everything your weekly clean ignores: behind the oven, inside the fridge, baseboards, light fixtures, window tracks, dust on top of door frames, under the bed, the inside of the washing machine drum, the extractor fan filter. None of these need doing weekly. All of them need doing — quarterly is a reasonable cadence for most homes.
Don't deep-clean the whole house in one day
Deep cleaning the whole home in one Saturday is a punishment that most people only attempt once. Instead, deep-clean one room per weekend across a quarter — by the end of three months, the whole home has had its turn, and no single weekend was ruined.
How fairness is calculated
Behind the scenes, every chore gets a numeric weight from its effort (small / medium / large), frequency, and a difficulty modifier for the genuinely unpleasant tasks. The algorithm distributes weight across people, not chore counts — three counter wipes do not equal one toilet scrub, and the schedule respects that. Annoying tasks rotate separately so the same person never gets the bin two weeks running. Full details on the methodology page.
FAQ
How long does a deep clean take?
A full house deep clean typically takes 4–8 hours depending on size and how long since the last one. Splitting across a weekend works well.
What's the difference between deep cleaning and regular cleaning?
Regular cleaning maintains. Deep cleaning resets — moving furniture, scrubbing grout, descaling appliances, cleaning behind and under things.
How often should I deep clean?
Most homes benefit from a full deep clean twice a year (spring and autumn) plus monthly deep cleans of one room at a time.
How often should I deep clean?
Quarterly per room is enough for most homes. Pet owners, allergy households and high-traffic homes may benefit from monthly per room.
Should I hire someone for the deep clean?
For seasonal changeovers (spring, autumn) or pre-/post-tenancy, paid deep cleans are cost-effective. Between those, the quarterly DIY rotation is enough.
What's the most-missed spot?
Top of the kitchen cabinets — sticky dust, never visible from below, every kitchen has it. Check yours.
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Cleaning Schedule Generator
Turn this checklist into a printable rota for your household.
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- Cleaning Schedule Generator
Free cleaning schedule generator. Add people, rooms and chores — get a fair rotating cleaning schedule as printable PDF in 60 seconds. No signup.
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