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This article will guide homeowners in making an informed decision between standard cleaning and deep cleaning, highlighting the distinctions, benefits, and situational applications of each to maintain optimal home hygiene and comfort.

Introduction

Every homeowner has to do home cleaning regularly. Whether you clean yourself or hire professionals for standard vs. deep cleaning, you can ensure a healthy and pleasant living environment.

But what is the difference between standard cleaning and deep cleaning, and how do both differ from casually tidying up your home? These are two of the most common options you will be presented with if you are hiring cleaning services, but it can be difficult to know the difference and when you need to use one versus the other.

This article will help homeowners choose between standard and deep cleaning to understand better when each is most appropriate.

Understanding standard cleaning

Standard cleaning is another term for regular maintenance or regular cleaning. This usually involves weekly or bi-weekly cleaning tasks, which ensure that your home is maintained to a certain level of cleanliness at all times.

Typical tasks included in a standard cleaning service

When looking at standard vs. deep cleaning, the tasks are very similar. The difference is that deep cleaning has much more comprehensive approaches to the same tasks. During a typical standard cleaning, you can expect things like the following:

Everything from your bathroom and shower, and tile will be wiped down, cleaned, and disinfected
Everything in the kitchen, including your microwave, and cooktops, will be cleaned and disinfected, with countertops cleared and cleaned thoroughly before small items are put back
Floors are all swept, mopped, and vacuumed
Rugs and carpets get vacuumed
All surfaces, including your appliances, fixtures, windowsills, and hanging pictures are dusted
All mirrors & shower doors are cleaned
Trash is removed from the house

Understanding deep cleaning

Standard house cleaning and deep cleaning differ in terms of how comprehensive the cleaning is. At the same time, some key areas are targeted, no matter which you choose. What gets done and how much will differ?

Key tasks and areas targeted during a deep cleaning session

During a deep clean, the same key areas are targeted, along with the same tasks. However, everything is done more comprehensively, often with more effective equipment or stronger cleaning materials.

Some of the tasks you can expect include the following:

Everything from your bathroom and shower will be removed while all of the walls, vents, and inside the cabinets get cleaned, and then everything gets put back
Everything in the kitchen, including your appliances and cooktops, will be cleaned and disinfected, with countertops cleared and cleaned thoroughly before items are put back, including cleaning the tops of hood vents or refrigerators and the inside of refrigerators or freezers
Floors are all swept, mopped, and vacuumed
Rugs and carpets get vacuumed to help with things like pet hair or tobacco smoke
All surfaces, including your appliances, fixtures, windowsills, and hanging pictures, get wiped down for dust, including the walls themselves being cleared away of any cobwebs
All mirrors and windows are cleaned
Doors and window frames are cleaned
Trash is removed from the house
Vents get dusted

When and why deep cleaning is necessary for a home

When you look at standard cleaning vs. deep cleaning, many specific scenarios and situations might require deeper cleaning.

One of the most common reasons people choose deep cleaning vs. standard cleaning is that they are selling their house or moving as renters and need to ensure that the entire home is properly cleaned to prepare for several walkthroughs or to comply with a rental agreement.
Another common reason people choose deep cleaning is when the seasons change. For example, there are several areas where winter can result in a buildup of road salt and dirt on the outside of windows or where pollen from springtime settles on outdoor furniture and comes in through the windows. In these situations, deep cleaning is a better way to thoroughly reset the house’s cleanliness and provide a clean slate.
Other situations might arise when you host guests or have an upcoming party and need the home deep cleaned. Compared to standard cleaning, a deep cleaning can ensure bedding is washed and changed, rooms are stocked with toiletries or snacks, and even the floor mats have been taken outside and changed.

Key differences between standard and deep cleaning

There are several key differences between standard and deep cleaning, all determining when they are most applicable.

Definition and Scope

One difference between standard and deep cleaning is the scope of it. standard cleaning is usually less expensive because it refers to basic cleaning tasks, like cleaning and disinfecting the showers and bathrooms, wiping down all surfaces for dust, vacuuming, and mopping.

By comparison, deep cleaning is much more extensive and involves addressing neglected spots or areas that might be harder to reach, ensuring they are properly disinfected.

Frequency and Timing

Another difference between standard and deep cleaning is the frequency and the timing. Standard cleaning is usually something homeowners schedule every week. By comparison, deep cleaning is done between standard cleaning schedules, which many homeowners do quarterly.

The time it takes for a standard cleaning might be an hour or two, depending on the size of your house, but deep cleaning is much more labor-intensive and usually takes two or three times as long as standard cleaning.

Areas Covered

The areas covered by regular and deep cleaning are quite similar, but again, deep cleaning is more expensive and takes longer compared to standard cleaning because it involves much more comprehensive cleaning of the same area.

Techniques and Tools Used

Tangentially, the techniques and the tools used will vary.

For example, during a deep kitchen clean, the inside and outside of your appliances are washed. Tools and techniques are used to remove buildup from the inside of your oven so that it’s restored to its original shine. Things like your stove and refrigerator are moved away from the wall so that underneath and around the area can be cleaned.

This can be particularly important if, for example, you have pets and their fur or toys get sucked into the vents and fans underneath, disrupting their function.

Outcome and Purpose

The outcome you get with standard cleaning vs. deep cleaning will vary. A standard cleaning might, for example, wipe down your windows with Windex and some paper towels, where a deep clean will scrub them with soap and water, a squeegee, and dust between each blind or vacuum each curtain.

When you look at the techniques and tools used, you can see that the outcome of a standard cleaning is that cleaning takes place, and things like dirt and food stains from the window above your kitchen sink get removed regularly. By comparison, a deep clean provides a much more comprehensive clean, sanitizing everything in and around the window.

Factors to consider when choosing between the two

If you are a homeowner trying to decide between standard and deep cleaning, you must assess your home’s current state to determine which is more appropriate.

For example:

Choose deep cleaning if you haven’t had your home professionally cleaned before and are looking to start a regular schedule with professional maid services.
Choose deep cleaning if you are planning to move, host an event, or just host an event like a party or guests over the span of several weeks.
Choose standard cleaning if you want to start a regular schedule that keeps your home manageable and clean.

Summing Up

Overall, deciding between standard house cleaning vs. deep cleaning comes down to your needs. What is the difference between standard cleaning and deep cleaning? Standard is what you use for regular maintenance, but deep cleaning should be done less frequently to ensure a deeper clean into the areas not always targeted with standard maintenance. As a homeowner, you must customize your cleaning schedule based on your needs and lifestyle.