There is no shortage of "deep cleaning checklists" on the internet. Most of them are vague (just lists like "kitchen, bathroom, bedroom"). Some of them are useless ("dust everything"). The good ones never tell you the actual order pros work in.
Here is the real one. This is the 50-point deep cleaning checklist our Jacksonville and Saint Johns crews follow on every first visit, in the order they do it, with the time each section takes.
Save it. Print it. Hand it to a cleaning company before booking and ask if they cover every point. If they hesitate on more than five, keep shopping.
How a real deep clean is structured
Pros do not clean room by room from the front door to the back. They work top to bottom, dry to wet, across the whole home in passes:
- Pass 1: high dusting (fans, vents, light fixtures, top of cabinets)
- Pass 2: surface cleaning and detail work (counters, baseboards, appliances)
- Pass 3: wet work (bathrooms, kitchen sinks, floors)
- Pass 4: final detail and walk-through
Doing it in passes prevents recontamination. If you dust a ceiling fan after mopping the floor below it, you have to mop again.
The 50-point checklist
Pass 1: Top-down dusting (45 to 60 minutes)
- Ceiling fan blades, top and bottom
- Light fixtures and pendant lights
- Crown molding and top of door frames
- Top of refrigerator, top of cabinets, top of armoires
- Ceiling corners (cobwebs)
- HVAC vents and return registers
- Smoke detectors
- Curtain rods and top of window blinds
- Tall furniture surfaces (bookshelves, dressers)
- Picture frames and wall art
Pass 2: Surfaces and detail (90 to 120 minutes)
- Baseboards, washed (not just dusted)
- Window sills and tracks
- Window glass, interior
- Light switches, outlet covers, thermostats
- Door handles, locks, and inside-of-door surfaces
- Door frames and trim
- Cabinet exteriors, all surfaces
- Drawer fronts and pulls
- Stair railings and banisters
- Stair risers and treads (vacuumed and wiped)
- Mirrors, polished
- Glass tabletops and shelves
- TV screens and electronics, dust-only
- Air vent grilles, removed and washed where possible
- Interior of any pet beds removed for vacuum access
Pass 3: Kitchen detail (60 to 90 minutes)
- Stovetop, including under burners
- Range hood exterior and filter
- Inside microwave, including ceiling and turntable
- Inside oven, including racks and door glass
- Behind and under the oven (where movable)
- Inside refrigerator (on request)
- Inside cabinet shelves (on request)
- Backsplash, scrubbed
- Sink basin and disposal, deodorized
- Faucet and sprayer, descaled and polished
- Small appliances (toaster, coffee maker exterior)
- Trash bin, washed inside and out
Pass 4: Bathroom detail (30 to 45 minutes per bathroom)
- Toilet, every angle including behind tank, base, and inside bowl
- Shower walls, grout scrubbed
- Shower door glass, descaled
- Tub, including jets and drain
- Vanity counter, sink, faucet, polished
- Mirror and medicine cabinet exterior
- Cabinet exteriors and drawer pulls
- Bathroom fan vent cover, washed
- Floor edges and behind toilet
Pass 5: Floors and final walk (45 to 60 minutes)
- Vacuum all carpet (under furniture where possible)
- Sweep and mop hard floors (last room out)
- Edge-clean floor corners and along baseboards
- Final walk-through, spot-check from doorway of each room
How much time it actually takes
For a typical 2,500 sqft Saint Johns or Jacksonville home, here is roughly how the 50 points distribute:
| Section | Points | 2-Person Crew Time |
|---|---|---|
| Top-down dusting | 1 to 10 | 45 to 60 min |
| Surfaces and detail | 11 to 25 | 90 to 120 min |
| Kitchen detail | 26 to 37 | 60 to 90 min |
| Bathroom detail | 38 to 46 | 60 to 90 min (3 bathrooms) |
| Floors and final | 47 to 50 | 45 to 60 min |
| Total | 50 | 5 to 7 hours |
If a cleaning company says they can do all 50 points in 90 minutes for $99, they are not actually doing them. For the full timing breakdown, read our deep cleaning duration guide.
What is intentionally not in here
This is a deep cleaning checklist, not a renovation checklist. The following are usually not included unless requested:
- Window exteriors
- Carpet steam cleaning
- Wall washing (full walls, not spot-cleaning)
- Pressure washing exteriors
- Wood floor refinishing or polishing
- Pest control or extermination
- Mold remediation
- Appliance repair
- Laundry (washing clothes)
- Inside attic or crawl spaces
These are specialized services that need different equipment, training, or licensing.
How to prep your home for the deep clean
The team does the cleaning. You can save them time (and yourself money over the long run) by handling these before they arrive:
- Pick up toys, clothes, and personal items from floors
- Clear kitchen and bathroom counters
- Confine pets to one room or take them out
- Strip beds if you want linens changed
- Leave a note of any specific spots you want extra attention
If you can do that, expect a smoother visit and a better result.
Why this checklist matters for SEO (and for you)
Google has gotten very good at recognizing real expertise. A cleaning company with a vague service page ranks below a cleaning company that publishes the actual checklist they use. We want clients who know what they are paying for. The 50-point checklist is how we both prove it and deliver it.
If you are comparing companies in Saint Johns, Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, or Saint Augustine, ask each one for their checklist. The ones that have one in writing are the ones that actually do the work.
Ready to book?
We provide deep cleaning, house cleaning, and move-in cleaning across Saint Johns, Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, Saint Augustine, and Jacksonville. Every deep clean follows the 50-point checklist above.
Want more on what's included? Read our breakdown of standard cleaning vs deep cleaning.
Frequently asked questions
Can I customize the 50-point checklist for my home? Yes. Many clients add inside-fridge, inside-cabinets, or remove certain items they handle themselves. We adjust the checklist before your first visit.
How often do you redo all 50 points? The first visit covers all 50. After that, recurring visits cover roughly 35 to 40 of them (skipping the items that do not need attention every two weeks). We typically run the full 50 again every 6 months.
Do you guarantee the deep clean? Yes. If anything on the checklist looks rushed or missed, we come back within 24 hours and re-clean those areas at no charge. Tell us by end of day after the visit.
