Deep clean vs regular clean: what is actually included

A regular clean keeps a house looking tidy: sweep, mop, dust the surfaces you can see, wipe the kitchen counter, quick scrub of the commode. A deep clean goes after everything that regular cleaning skips — the grease film on the chimney hood, the scale on the bathroom tiles, the dust behind the fridge, the tops of fans and wardrobes, the window tracks full of Nellore road dust. It uses machines (vacuum, scrubber, sometimes steam) and stronger, purpose-made chemicals, and it takes a team most of a day.

If you have not had one in a year, or you are moving in, moving out, or have just finished renovation work, a deep clean is the right job. If the house simply needs a tidy, it is not.

What a full home deep clean covers

Room by room, this is what you should expect:

Every room

• Ceiling fans, tube lights, cornices and cobwebs
• Walls spot-cleaned for marks; switchboards and door handles wiped
• Window glass, grills and tracks; doors and frames
• Wardrobe and cupboard exteriors, tops of almirahs
• Floor vacuumed, then machine-scrubbed or hand-scrubbed, then mopped
• Skirting, corners and under movable furniture

Kitchen

• Chimney hood and filters degreased, tiles behind the stove scrubbed
• Hob, sink, taps and counter descaled and polished
• Cabinet fronts degreased; insides if emptied
• Behind and under the fridge, washing machine, and cylinder

Bathroom

• Tiles and grout scrubbed, hard-water scale removed from taps, showerhead, glass
• Commode inside, outside, and around the base; wash basin; mirror
• Floor trap cleaned; exhaust fan wiped

Balcony and utility

• Floor scrubbed, railing wiped, drain cleared of leaves and dust

What it does not cover

Be clear about this before the team arrives, because it avoids arguments after:

• Sofa, mattress and carpet shampooing. That is a separate service with its own machine. A deep clean will vacuum them.
• Painting, repainting or plaster repair. Cleaning will not fix a wall that is peeling or stained from damp inside.
• Pest control. The team will clear cockroach droppings and webs; they will not treat the infestation.
• Inside your personal storage unless you clear it out.
• Heavy furniture moving. Anything on wheels or that two people can slide, yes. A fixed wardrobe or a loaded steel almirah, no.
• Terrace, overhead tank, and exterior walls.

Kitchen, bathroom and post-construction on their own

You do not have to book the whole house. On our rate card a kitchen deep clean is ₹999, a bathroom scrub is ₹699, and a post-construction clean is ₹2,499. A full home is ₹1,999 for a 1BHK and ₹2,799 for a 2BHK. Larger homes are quoted on a walk-through.

The kitchen and bathroom are where most of the hard work is in a Nellore home — grease and hard-water scale build up faster than dust — so if budget is tight, book those two and handle the bedrooms yourself.

Getting the house ready

A little preparation makes the difference between a good clean and a frustrating one:

1. Clear kitchen counters and, if you want the cabinet insides done, empty them onto the dining table.
2. Put away papers, jewellery, medicines and anything small that could be knocked or binned.
3. Strip the beds so the team can vacuum the mattress and under the cot.
4. Make sure there is water in the overhead tank and a working tap in every wet area — a scrub needs a lot of water.
5. Point out anything fragile or with a special finish (marble, wooden flooring, an old mirror) before they start.
6. Keep pets and small children in one room, and swap rooms as the team moves.

If you expect a power cut that evening, mention it. The machines need power; the hand-scrub does not.

How to check the work before the team leaves

Walk through with the supervisor and look at the places regular cleaning misses. Run a finger along the top of the fan blade and the wardrobe. Open the chimney filter. Look at the grout line behind the bathroom tap and the base of the commode. Check the window track and behind the fridge. If any of these are still dirty, say so then — it is a two-minute fix while the team is there and a fresh booking once they have gone.

A deep clean done properly should leave the house looking and smelling different, not just tidier. If it does not, it was a long regular clean, and you should say so.