Deep clean
Also called: deep cleaning, detailed clean, top-to-bottom clean, spring clean, move-out deep clean
A cleaning that goes past surfaces into the places a routine clean skips — inside the oven, fridge and cabinets, baseboards, window tracks, blinds, light fixtures, grout, behind and under appliances. 50–100% above a standard clean; a move-out clean is a deep clean of an empty unit.
Cleaning companies sell three levels, and the names blur. A standard (or maintenance) clean is what a recurring service does: counters, sinks, toilets, tubs, floors, dusting of reachable surfaces, trash. A deep clean adds everything that accumulates between standard cleans and everything a standard clean walks past: the inside of the oven and range hood, inside the fridge and freezer, inside the microwave and dishwasher, cabinet fronts and often interiors, baseboards and door frames, switch plates, window sills and tracks, blinds, light fixtures and ceiling fans, vent covers, grout, and under and behind the appliances that move. A move-out (or move-in) clean is a deep clean with the unit empty, which is what makes the cabinet interiors, closets and floors under furniture possible — and what a landlord inspects.
Pricing follows the time: a deep clean is typically 1.5–2 times the standard rate, and a move-out clean prices by bedrooms and baths at $0.15–$0.35 per square foot. Because “deep clean” has no fixed definition, the checklist is the contract: ask for it in writing and compare it against the lease’s move-out requirements or your own list. Appliance interiors are the most common thing quoted as an add-on that should be inside the price.
For a homeowner, a deep clean once or twice a year — before holidays, after a renovation, at the change of seasons — is the usual rhythm, with a standard clean or a DIY routine in between.