Perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions for the Cleaning category for clients and Taskers alike is: “What’s the difference between regular clean and a deep clean?” While clients select the Cleaning category for any cleaning task, it’s important to understand this distinction in the scoping phase to make sure you’re both on the same page.
How? Ask your client specific questions to understand their expectations. From here, it’s up to you to determine the time and scope of the task and whether it’s a regular clean or a deep clean. Once the task is scoped, explain your estimated number of hours for the task and either agree on expectations.
Read on to discover how Elite Cleaning Taskers differentiate between cleaning and deep cleaning.
Deep cleaning the kitchen
Areas of focus for a deep clean in the kitchen may include:
- Cabinets and the fridge
- Remove all items from cabinets or the fridge, clean the shelves, and restock them in an orderly manner.
- For appliances, make sure they’re polished to sparkling and cleaned (e.g. remove toast bits from the bottom of a toaster).
- Cooker hood
- Depending on the type of cooker, some hood filters can easily be removed. If it’s removable, start by filling the sink up with warm, soapy water, then remove the filter inside the hood and place it in the water to soak.
- Scrub vigorously with degreasing washing up liquid, dry and place back into the hood.
- If it isn’t removable, use degreasing washing up liquid on a cloth or paper towels and scrub inside the cooker hood. Make sure you rinse and dry carefully so the filter is ready to use.
Deep cleaning the bathroom
Most bathrooms will require a bit of extra love, even on a regular clean. As always, the best way to understand expectations is to scope with your client. Areas for extra attention during a deep clean may include:
- Areas of persistent mould or soap scum
- Use a grout cleaner and bleach cleaning agent and let them soak for several minutes before scrubbing clean.
- Rubbish bin
- Spray down and wipe both inside and out.
- Shower curtain
- Depending on the type of material, either spray down and thoroughly scrub or wash for cloth curtains.
- Shower caddy or shampoo stand
- This area is often overlooked and could use some extra love. Remove all the items and scrub thoroughly, then wipe down all of the bottles and rearrange them neatly.
General deep cleaning tips
Focus on areas that might be surpassed on a light cleaning task and take a bit more time to reach, including:
- Walls, skirting boards and doorknobs
- Wipe with a general cleaning spray or duster.
- Ceiling fans, high-up shelves and artwork
- Dust these areas thoroughly—making sure to remove items from shelves prior to dusting.
- A step stool or ladder may be required to get to these hard to reach places.
- For any uncovered paintings take extra precaution and check with your client before cleaning anything beyond dusting the frame.
- Interior windows
- Wash any interior smudges with window cleaner and microfibre cloths.
- Note: exterior window washing should be booked in the ‘Window Cleaning’ category.
- Cleaning behind larger pieces of furniture
- Moving large items may require two people so check with your client first if they’d like this completed.
- Blinds/curtains
- Depending on the material, you can spray these areas down or clean in the washing machine if the material permits.
Deep cleaning tasks provide the opportunity for Taskers to upsell their business on Taskrabbit. Especially if you’re doing a general clean for a first-time client, offer to come back to do a deep clean, and suggest areas you’d be able to focus on to give the client a better understanding of the differences between these types of tasks.
