"Deep cleaning" is the most-abused term in our industry. Every company offers it, almost none of them publish what's in it, and homeowners end up paying premium rates for service that's barely a step above a standard clean.
We publish the list. Here's the exact 80-point checklist we run on every deep clean across Toledo, Perrysburg, Maumee, Sylvania, and the rest of the Maumee Valley. Use it to vet any quote you get — if a company can't match this list line-by-line, they're not actually deep cleaning.
How a deep clean differs from a standard clean
A standard recurring clean covers the obvious: visible surfaces, floors, bathrooms, kitchen, trash, the things you'd notice walking in. A deep clean is what happens between standard cleans, every 6–12 months, where the crew gets into everything the standard skips — accumulated dust, grease, mineral buildup, grime in detail areas, and behind/under fixtures.
For a 2,000 sq ft Toledo home, a standard clean is roughly 2.5 hours of work. A real deep clean is 5–8 hours. If a "deep clean" quote you've received is the same time block as a standard clean, you're being upcharged for the same work.
Kitchen (24 points)
1. Hand-wash all cabinet exteriors (degreaser, then polish)
2. Hand-wash inside of upper cabinets (if accessible and emptied)
3. Hand-wash inside of lower cabinets (where reachable)
4. Drawer interiors emptied, vacuumed, wiped
5. Inside of refrigerator — every shelf and drawer pulled and washed
6. Refrigerator door gaskets / seals
7. Behind and under refrigerator (rolled out, dusted, mopped)
8. Top of refrigerator (degreased — major dust + grease build-up here)
9. Oven interior + racks + broiler tray
10. Oven door glass — inside layer (use a putty knife to remove baked-on)
11. Microwave interior + exterior + turntable
12. Above-stove vent hood + filter
13. Behind and under stove (rolled out if possible)
14. Stove burners / drip pans removed and degreased
15. Dishwasher interior + filter at base + door gasket
16. Sink scrubbed, basin polished, faucet descaled
17. Garbage disposal cleaned and deodorized
18. Backsplash — every tile, including grout lines
19. Countertops + the seam where counter meets wall
20. Window sills + window tracks
21. Light fixtures — bulbs out, fixtures washed, bulbs back in
22. Switch plates + outlet covers degreased
23. Baseboards — hand-wiped, including the top edge
24. Floor — swept, mopped, corners hand-detailed
Master bathroom (15 points)
25. Toilet — bowl interior, under rim, tank exterior, base, behind hinges, floor flange
26. Tub / shower interior — soap scum off walls
27. Shower glass — descaled to remove water spots (vinegar + steel wool, carefully)
28. Shower door tracks (one of the most-missed items)
29. Shower head — descaled or bagged with vinegar
30. Grout lines (whitened where possible with magic eraser + bleach pen)
31. Bath tile floor + grout
32. Bath mat + ventilation fan cover removed and washed
33. Sink + faucet + drain stopper
34. Vanity exterior + interior (where emptied)
35. Vanity mirror — corners, edges, all
36. Light fixtures — bulbs out, washed
37. Towel bars + toilet paper holder polished
38. Window + sills + tracks
39. Baseboards + floor mopped
Additional bathrooms (12 points — repeat for each)
40–51. Same protocol as master, scaled to fixtures.
Bedrooms (10 points per bedroom)
52. Ceiling fan blades + motor housing (top of blades especially)
53. Light fixtures — bulbs out, washed
54. Window blinds — every slat (microfiber slat duster)
55. Window glass + tracks + sills
56. Closet shelves emptied, vacuumed, wiped (where accessible)
57. Top of door frame + top of doors + door tops
58. Behind / under bed (where accessible)
59. Headboard dusted + polished
60. Baseboards hand-wiped
61. Carpet — vacuumed with attachments along baseboards
Living areas (10 points)
62. All upholstery vacuumed with crevice tool
63. Under all couch cushions
64. Under area rugs (lift, vacuum subfloor, replace)
65. Coffee table / side tables — including underneath
66. Bookshelves — books out, shelves wiped (where requested)
67. Picture frames + wall art dusted
68. Electronics — TV screen, console, stereo (microfiber + electronics cleaner)
69. Light fixtures + ceiling fans
70. HVAC vent covers removed, vacuumed, replaced
71. Curtains shaken / vacuumed / steam-refreshed
Whole-home detail (9 points)
72. All accessible door tops (the finger-test)
73. All door frames hand-wiped
74. All accessible door knobs polished
75. All accessible switch plates + outlet covers wiped
76. All HVAC return air grilles vacuumed
77. Every visible cobweb in corners and crown molding
78. All baseboards (every linear foot in the home)
79. Top of every interior door
80. Final walk-through with the homeowner
What's NOT in a deep clean (and shouldn't be)
These items are valid services but they're outside the deep clean scope — they need their own crew, their own equipment, or both:
- •Carpet steam cleaning (separate service)
- •Tile and grout deep restoration (separate service)
- •Window exterior cleaning
- •Power washing exterior surfaces
- •Inside-cabinet cleaning if cabinets are full of food / dishes (the homeowner needs to empty first)
- •Anything requiring a ladder above 6 feet (chandeliers, high ceiling fans, exterior light fixtures)
- •Junk removal or hauling
A reputable company will quote these as separate add-ons, not bury them in a "deep clean" line item.
How long should a deep clean actually take?
By square footage, in a typical Toledo home:
| Home size | 2-person crew | 3-person crew |
|---|---|---|
| ≤1,200 sq ft | 4–5 hours | 3 hours |
| 1,200–1,800 | 5–7 hours | 4–5 hours |
| 1,800–2,500 | 7–9 hours | 5–6 hours |
| 2,500–3,500 | 9–12 hours | 6–8 hours |
| 3,500+ | full day with multiple crews |
If a quote you receive promises a deep clean of a 2,200 sq ft home in three hours, it's not a deep clean. It's a marketing label on a standard clean.
Pricing reality check
Deep cleans in Toledo typically run:
- •$269–$349 for small homes (≤1,800 sq ft)
- •$349–$489 for mid-sized homes (1,800–2,500 sq ft)
- •$489–$649 for larger homes (2,500–3,500 sq ft)
- •$649+ for 3,500 sq ft and up
These are the prices that pay for actual 80-point work. Anything under is either a different service being misnamed, or a low-bid loss-leader designed to pull you onto recurring service.
We deep-clean across all 14 of our service areas and recommend most Toledo homes get one twice a year — typically spring and fall, before and after the heaviest dust seasons.
The MVP Toledo Team
A local Toledo cleaning, carpet, and home services crew — bonded, insured, and BBB-listed. We serve all 14 Maumee Valley cities and answer the phone ourselves.