What does a professional deep clean include?

When you're searching for commercial cleaning services, it can be difficult to know what suits your needs. You might come across different terms used for particular levels of cleaning, and one of these is likely to be a deep clean.

A deep clean is an extremely thorough cleaning service that is usually intended to be undertaken on a periodic (or even sometimes a one-off) basis, rather than as part of regular cleaning and upkeep. The goal of a deep clean should be that every surface or object is rigorously cleaned, leaving the space with the highest level of hygiene as well as a visibly increased level of cleanliness.

It often involves lots of activity that you wouldn't expect from a 'standard' clean, such as moving furniture around in order to get to hard-to-reach spots, as well as potentially leaving cleaning products to 'sit' and work their magic. For this reason, you should generally leave more time for a deep clean than you would a regular clean!

A deep clean should start with an examination of the space in order to identify areas of concern, or places that might need particular attention or specialist products to be used. But what does a deep clean include, exactly?

Before we dive into what's included, it's worth keeping in mind that every cleaning company is different and may have different packages or definitions. However, any good company should discuss your needs with you properly before starting any work, so that they can give you a considered quotation based on your business, how your space is used, and the outcome you're looking for. A deep cleaning for an office environment will include very different things to a deep cleaning for a specialist environment where hazardous materials are used, for example.

Here are some of the things you might expect to be done in a deep clean, depending on your workspace and the company.

Ground level cleaning

Let's start with the basics that should be included in just about any deep cleaning services you can imagine. This will involve giving the space a good thorough clean by dusting, polishing, and all kinds of scrubbing - whatever is needed to get it look sparkling! Marks on walls may be scrubbed with specialist products to remove or fade them, and surfaces will be given meticulous attention, rather than the kind of wipe down that they might get on your standard cleaning rotation.

Floor cleaning

Your floor might be cleaned regularly, but how often does this include cleaning the flooring underneath every piece of furniture? That's what to expect from a deep clean. This can come in the form of vacuuming and mopping of all hard floors, plus vacuuming carpets, and special attention given to any stains, or through the use of professional scrubber-dryers which are designed to combine floor scrubbing, washing and drying into one process. These multi-wash machines are extremely effective for commercial cleaning and help your cleaning company to thoroughly clean your floor much more efficiently than 'man power' alone could do.

Any furniture that covers areas of flooring should be moved to be able to achieve an all-over finish.

Sometimes, professional carpet cleaning might be included in a deep clean, but in other situations this may be an 'add on' instead.

Hard-to-reach spots

There are lots of tricky little areas in most commercial spaces which don't require daily attention, but which can have dust or grime build up over time. These can be things like light fittings, the tops of cabinets, ceiling fans, and ledges – all of the places you might not think about often, but might be surprised if you were to actually see!

There are other areas that may not be cleaned on a regular basis too, like skirting boards and walls that are behind furniture, that would be addressed as part of a deep clean.

Limescale and mould removal

Whatever your industry, it's likely that in communal kitchen and bathroom areas there might be cause for limescale removal, on items such as water dispensers, taps and kettles. While cleaning these items should be part of regular cleaning duties, removing limescale can be tricky, so is something that would usually be included as part of a deep clean.

Likewise, no matter how clean your premises, there are instances where mould can develop over time, and removal of this would often be included within a deep clean.

Window cleaning

Window cleaning is often included as part of a deep clean because it is a task that doesn't require daily attention, so is instead picked up periodically to get things gleaming again. This doesn't just include the window itself but also the window frames, which can get dusty over time, as well as any blinds. Even if your blinds are regularly dusted, they may benefit from a more thorough clean, or spot washing any stains or stubborn patches.

If your commercial deep clean includes the exterior of your space, the outside of your windows and even sometimes any cladding might also be washed.

Door cleaning

Doors get a lot of use on a daily basis, so a deep clean is a good opportunity to give them a really meticulous cleanse. Both the doors and the doorframes should be thoroughly wiped down and sanitised, and you might be surprised what what a difference this makes. In particular, there is often some build up on the top of door frames, where we don't tend to spend much time looking but would probably be quite surprised if we did!

Furniture and appliance cleaning

Furniture is another area that is often cleaned as part of regular cleaning services, but is taken to the next level with a deep clean. For example, a standard clean on a daily basis at your place of work might involve wiping down surfaces. However, in a deep clean, a unit that you store items in would likely be emptied so that each drawer or shelf could be individually cleaned before having everything replaced.

This will apply to things like desks and desk chairs, as well as any meeting tables or co working spaces, and storage furniture like drawers, lockers and cabinets.

Items like bins should be thoroughly disinfected, rather than just emptied and wiped down.

It's not a given that appliances will be cleaned inside on a deep clean, and in lots of cases this depends on the nature of your workspace and the cleaning company. However, there are cases this is an integral part of the process; if you work in a commercial kitchen, for example, you might have the ovens, fridges and freezers emptied and cleaned out as part of a deep clean.

Bathroom cleaning

Your bathrooms should be cleaned regularly as part of your regular cleaning process, but a deep clean will take it further than a standard bathroom clean. This can take the form of having grouting scrubbed, as well as areas that are less frequently given attention, like behind the toilet.

Jet washing

Jet washing uses high pressure jets of water to clean surfaces and objects, and is most notably used on things like outdoor walkways, walls, and steps. It does not tend to be automatically included in a deep clean, but can be a technique used when necessary for your particular premises.

Roof cleaning and moss removal

If a deep clean of your entire building is needed, it might be that the exterior of your building is part of the deep clean too. This can mean things like cleaning the roof, where it's easy for debris to build up, and is a spot that is not often given much attention.

Likewise, moss can build up in shady areas such as on a roof which has some tree coverage, or on walls that spend a good amount of time in the shade. This often makes moss removal a key part of a deep clean that includes the exterior of a premises.

A professional deep clean is a great way to get to the very heart of your workspace and clean it from the bottom up and top down, rather than just addressing the day to day needs or the top layer of dust and dirt.

It's also worth noting that sometimes, deep cleaning tasks can be added to your regular cleaning schedule to ensure they are kept on top of over time. This is the type of topic you should discuss with potential cleaning partners so that they can create a plan that works for you.

If you need a commercial cleaning specialist, whether for a deep clean, contract cleaning or something else, get in touch. We are Suffolk's fastest-growing cleaning company, trusted by businesses across a whole host of industries to get the job done every time.

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