Standard Clean vs Deep Clean: Which One Does Your Home Need?

One of the first questions people ask before booking a cleaner is what they are actually paying for. The standard vs deep cleaning difference is not always explained well, and that causes trouble later. In local reviews of cleaning companies in general, some of the unhappy ones come down to scope: the customer expected something to be included and it was not.

So this guide sets out what each clean is, what each costs, and how to work out which one fits your home. All prices are starting prices for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home.

What a Standard clean is

A Standard clean is the regular top-to-bottom visit. It starts at $199. It follows our written Standard checklist, and you get photos when the job is finished.

A Standard clean does not include any add-ons. If you want extras, you choose them and they are priced separately:

• Kitchen extras
  • Inside the oven: $40
  • Inside the refrigerator: $40
  • Inside the cabinets: $50
• Other extras
  • Baseboards: $35
  • Blinds: $8 each
  • Interior windows: $6 each

What a Deep clean is

A Deep clean starts at $349. It already includes three things that are paid add-ons on a Standard clean:

• The inside of the oven
• The inside of the refrigerator
• The baseboards

Like every job we do, it follows a written checklist and ends with photos. It is the clean we suggest when a home needs more than a regular visit.

The price math, side by side

This is the part most people want to see. Here is how a Standard clean with extras compares with a Deep clean, using the starting prices above.

• Standard clean with one extra
  • Standard plus inside the oven: $199 plus $40 comes to $239
  • That is well under the Deep clean starting price of $349
• Standard clean with two extras
  • Standard plus oven and refrigerator: $199 plus $80 comes to $279
• Standard clean with all three extras
  • Standard plus oven, refrigerator and baseboards: $199 plus $115 comes to $314
  • A Deep clean, with all three included, starts at $349
  • The gap is $35

So we will be straight about it. If you only want one or two extras on a home that is already in good shape, a Standard clean with add-ons costs less. Once you want all three, you are $35 away from a Deep clean, and that is the point where it makes sense to ask which one your home really needs.

When a Deep clean is the better choice

The three included extras are only part of the picture. A Deep clean is the service we recommend when the whole home needs more attention, not just the oven and the fridge. We usually suggest a Deep clean when:

• There is heavy buildup
  • Kitchens and bathrooms that have gone a long time between proper cleans.
• The home has not been professionally cleaned in six months or more
  • A regular visit is designed to keep a clean home clean. It is not designed to catch up on months of buildup.
• You have pets that shed heavily
  • Hair works its way into corners and along baseboards.
• It is our first time in your home
  • In most cases a Deep clean is the right starting point for a first visit.

If one or more of those sounds like your home and you also want the oven, refrigerator and baseboards done, the Deep clean is the better buy.

When a Standard clean is enough

A Standard clean is the right pick when:

• Your home is cleaned regularly and is already in good shape
• You want a tidy, fresh home before guests arrive
• You only want one or two extras, such as the inside of the oven

You can read what the visit covers on our Standard Clean page at /services/standard-cleaning/.

Still not sure? Ask these three questions

• When was the home last cleaned by a professional?
  • If the answer is more than six months ago, or never, lean toward Deep.
• How many of the three extras do you want?
  • One or two: Standard plus add-ons. All three: compare with Deep.
• Is anything in the home built up, such as grease in the kitchen or soap scum in the shower?
  • If yes, lean toward Deep.

If you are still undecided, describe your home when you request your quote at /quote/ and we will tell you which clean we would book for it.

What stays the same either way

Whichever clean you choose, three things do not change.

• A written checklist
  • What gets cleaned is set out in advance instead of left to chance.
• Photos at the end of the job
  • You can see the finished rooms from wherever you are.
• A 24-hour re-clean guarantee
  • If we miss something, tell us within 24 hours and we come back and re-clean it.

For the full details of what a Deep clean includes, see our Deep Clean page at /services/deep-cleaning/. We clean homes in Canton, Woodstock, Holly Springs, Alpharetta, Roswell and Marietta.