Deep Clean Checklist

When I was a teenager with permed hair, neon cropped t-shirts, and Hammer pants, I cleaned villas on Hilton Head Island for pocket money.

Back then, Hilton Head was a sleepy, upscale resort, with a year-around population of 8,000 and a tourist influx of a bazillion high-end tourists each year. Gas was $1.25 a gallon. There was 1 traffic light. But cleaning up after guests was still a chore.

​As a college student and young woman, I went on to admin level jobs at hotels and villa complexes  and realized how important checklists are to standardize cleaning and maintenance tasks and to ensure quality control.

This is the list I provide to my crew for 'annual' cleanings that we now do 2x per year.

​Every Room:

• Clean all interior doors and hardware
• Clean all door frames
• Clean all sliding door tracks and frames
• Clean window sills and window tracks and frames
• Clean all baseboards
• Move all furniture for thorough vacuuming
• Clean carpet
• Vacuum all fabric furniture
• Have carpet cleaner clean fabric furniture
• Polish all wood furniture and surfaces
• Treat leather furniture
• Floor to ceiling dusting
• Clean all light fixtures
• Clean hanging pictures, mirrors art etc. and frames
• Clean all light switches and plug covers
• Wipe down walls and remove where possible scuffs and marks
• Clean and polish rails and banisters
• Dust and clean electronics including remote controls
• Replace batteries in all remotes
• Clean interior glass and windows

Fireplaces/Heaters/Humidifiers:

• Clean glass fireplace cover
• Clean fireplace surfaces
• Clean wall heaters inside and out to remove any dust build up or other debris
• Clean freestanding heaters, floorfans and descale humidifiers

Bedroom -usual clean plus:

• Clean bed frames
• Turn mattress(s) as directed
• Remove and wash box spring cover
  
• Remove all bedding and feather mattresses and launder

Closets--usual closet clean plus:

• Clean shelves
• Check and clean contents 
• Pack-n-play -- clean all surfaces and feet
• high chair -- wipe down and clean all hard surfaces; launder seat cover
• Extra linen -- launder
• Organize hangers and discard broken/disposable

Kitchen - includes all “every room” services plus:

• Complete cleaning in / out and around/behind the refrigerator
• Clean / polish / wax cabinet fronts and hardware as directed
• Clean stove and ovens
• Clean grease from OTS microwave exterior surfaces.
• Clean or replace (if needed) microwave fan filter and charcoal filter
• Clean exhaust fans and vents
• Detail clean counters including decorative edging
• Clean all small appliances
• Wax and polish floors per direction
• Empty cabinets and clean interiors
• Return cabinet items per content labeling
• Empty drawers and clean interiors
• Return drawer items per content labeling
• Wash all dishes and utensils

 
Bathroom – includes all “every room” services plus:

• ​Clean and de-scale all shower doors
• Detail clean bath tubs, showers and interior Jacuzzi tubs
• Clean all tile and grout surfaces
• Clean cabinets and medicine cabinets as directed
• Detail clean toilets, sinks and counters

Exterior and Systems:

• Check and change batteries in all smoke detectors, doorbel, clocks and thermostats
• Reset/correct all clocks if necessary
• Change FAU filters and clean housing, as necessary
• Check and change any missing or burned out light bulbs
• Detailed cleaning of BBQ and tank
• Detailed cleaning of balconies, porches
• Detailed cleaning of exterior furniture
• Clean exterior windows​
• Wash all window screens

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