House cleaning checklist: what a standard (regular) clean includes
Exactly what a standard house cleaning covers, room by room — plus what costs extra, how it differs from a deep clean, and how to get a quote.
Luciano Rezende·June 22, 2026·9 min read
When you hire a house cleaner, you want to know one simple thing before they arrive: what's actually going to get cleaned? A "standard" or "regular" clean has a fairly consistent meaning across the big professional services, but the details vary from one cleaner to the next — and the gap between what you assume and what's included is where disappointment lives. This guide lays out, room by room, exactly what a standard clean normally covers, what usually costs extra, and how a standard clean differs from a deep clean. Use it as a real checklist: read it before you book, and compare it against whatever any cleaner promises you in writing.
What a standard (regular) clean is
A standard clean is routine upkeep — the maintenance that keeps an already-decent home fresh week to week. Think wiping surfaces, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, dusting, and doing the floors. According to Angi, regular cleaning means wiping down surfaces, putting away clutter, cleaning rooms, and vacuuming the floors on a recurring basis. It is not a top-to-bottom reset (that's a deep clean) and it is not a one-time rescue of a neglected home. It's the steady upkeep that, done every week or two, keeps everything from getting out of hand.
The room-by-room checklist
Here's what a standard clean typically includes, based on the published checklists from the major services. Use it to set your expectations — and to ask any cleaner exactly which of these they do.
Kitchen
Wipe down countertops and backsplash
Clean the stovetop, drip pans, and range hood exterior
Wipe the outside of appliances (fridge, oven, dishwasher, microwave)
Clean the inside of the microwave
Wipe cabinet fronts, table, and chairs
Clean and shine the sink
Empty the trash and replace the liner
Sweep, vacuum, and mop the floor
Molly Maid's published kitchen routine, for example, covers small appliances, countertops, the microwave interior, the stovetop and hood, and then vacuuming and mopping the floors ().
Luciano Rezende · Founder, CleanerFlow
Luciano founded CleanerFlow after years building tools for residential cleaning professionals. He writes about the economics of getting clients, pricing jobs, and running a cleaning business that lasts.
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That last group is the backbone of every standard clean — dusting, floors, and trash get done in essentially every room, visit after visit, which is exactly why a maintained home stays easy to keep up.
What's usually NOT in a standard clean
This is the part that prevents misunderstandings. Several jobs take real extra time, so most cleaners price them separately rather than fold them into a standard visit. According to Merry Maids, tasks like interior oven cleaning, baseboard cleaning, and window cleaning are available as add-ons rather than part of the routine service. The ones to ask about specifically:
Inside the oven — a separate, time-consuming job
Inside the refrigerator — usually extra, and you may need to empty it first
Interior windows — beyond a quick mirror wipe, glass is typically an add-on
Walls and spot-washing — not part of routine dusting
Baseboards — often a deep-clean item, not standard
Laundry — washing, drying, or folding clothes is rarely included
Inside cabinets and drawers — exterior wiping is standard; interiors are extra
None of this is a trick — it's simply more work, and an honest cleaner will tell you so. The fix is easy: ask which of these you want, get them quoted, and you'll know the full price up front.
Standard clean vs. deep clean
A deep clean is the detailed reset, and it's a different job. Angi describes it as everything a standard clean does, plus the work needed to freshen every corner more thoroughly — inside appliances, baseboards, detailed dusting, behind and under furniture, ceiling fans, grout, and built-up grime. It costs more because it takes far longer.
Here's the practical part most homeowners don't expect: many professional services recommend (or require) a deep clean as the first visit, then switch to standard cleans to maintain the home. As Angi notes, homeowners often start with a deep clean and then transition to regular maintenance sessions to keep the home in shape. It makes sense: the first visit clears the accumulated grime, and after that a standard clean every week or two is enough to keep it that way. So if a cleaner quotes a higher first visit, that's usually why — not a markup, but a different, deeper job.
A deep clean isn't a forever expense, either. Most homes only need a true deep clean two or three times a year, more often with pets, kids, or heavy foot traffic (Angi). Between those, standard upkeep does the work.
Why you should agree the scope in writing
Almost every disappointment with a cleaning service traces back to a mismatch between what you pictured and what was agreed. You assumed the inside of the oven was included; it wasn't. You expected the windows done; they weren't quoted. The cure is boring but reliable: get the scope in writing before the first visit. A simple list — these rooms, these tasks, these add-ons, this price — protects both sides. It means the price you're quoted is the price you pay, and there's no awkward conversation on the day. A professional will happily put it in writing; reluctance to do so is itself a red flag. If you want to sanity-check a number before you talk to anyone, you can estimate your cost first, then compare it against the written quotes you get.
How to get a quote
No checklist can price your exact home — only a quote can. The fastest way to a real number is to describe your home once and let vetted local cleaners come back to you. Tell them your home's size, how many bathrooms, whether you want a standard or deep clean, any add-ons from the list above, and roughly how often. With that, you'll get an accurate price instead of a guess. When you're ready, request a cleaning and get matched with local pros, then compare their written scopes side by side using this checklist.
The bottom line
A standard clean is your routine upkeep: kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, floors, and trash in the main rooms. Extras like inside the oven and fridge, interior windows, walls, baseboards, and laundry are usually priced separately — so ask. A deep clean is the detailed version, often the smart first visit before you settle into a standard rhythm. Agree the scope in writing, use the checklist above to compare cleaners, and request a cleaning when you're ready for a real quote.
