Before you begin

1. After pulling up to the home and parking, before you do anything else, be sure to clock in.

2. Check the notes for the home. Method of entry, time it should take, and other important things to know for the home are there.

3. Walk up to the home with your supplies. If the client is home, greet them with a smile and a warm “how are you”.

Bathrooms

Mirrors

First times: Wipe the horizontal top of the mirror.

Both: Spray the mirror and medicine cabinet mirrors evenly and liberally with a glass cleaner. Wipe dry with glass cleaning cloth. Check your mirror carefully to spot clean anything left like water spots or pesky smudges.

Sinks and countertops

Both: Get a white cloth wet. Spray all-purpose lightly on the exposed countertops.

Clean any edges next to the mirrors or corners. Clean countertops under knickknacks by moving them just enough to get under them. Return the knickknacks.

Clean the sink fixtures next, use barkeepers if needed.

Clean inside the sink bowl. use barkeepers on stainless steel drainplug if needed. Be sure to test a small spot with barkeepers and wipe dry if you’re concerned it may scratch.

Water spots on sink drain plugs and yellowing around it should be removed by cleaning.

Shower and tub

First time: Dust horizontal top of shower enclosure. Wet all walls from top to bottom of tub/shower with shower head/cup white cloth with Barkeepers. When you can feel that the surfaces are clean, rinse with water.

Wipe everything dry. If the shower head or On/off handle has tough water spots, use barkeepers and white cloth. Get rid of all soap scum on walls and floors.

If there is glass shower walls with bad water spots, use barkeepers and white cloth. Rinse and wipe dry.

Recurring: Dust horizontal top of shower enclosure. Spray all surfaces from top to bottom with all-purpose and wipe clean, scrubbing any soap scum away. Some showers may need first time treatment every cleaning.

Both: Be sure to clean under knickknacks. Move knickknacks back where they were, cleaning off each one with a wet cloth only if dirty.

Wipe outside of shower and tub.

Toilets

Put on your gloves!

Move all knickknacks beside toilet away for cleaning floor around the toilet.

First time: Clean inside of the toilet by putting a small amount of comet inside a dry part of the bowl. Grab metal scrub screen, wet with comet, and clean the inside. Scrub from underneath the rim where the water holes are to the very bottom where the scum is no longer visible even looking at a low angle.

Recurring: Clean inside of toilet with comet and toilet brush or the metal screen if needed.

Both: Flush the toilet and double check your work, scrubbing anything missed. Flush again if needed.

Spray all parts of the toilet with all-purpose, lifting up the toilet lid and seat, spraying the bottoms of each. Wipe starting at the top and working your way down. Be sure to wipe down the outside walls of the bowl leading to the base at the floor. Clean the base as well, looking closely to clean around the pipe chambers, and the water valve. Finish the job off by wiping the baseboards (with a different cloth if needed) and around the back of the toilet and floors.

Place knickknacks back how they were arranged. You may not need to move knickknacks on floor if not too many, just wait until vacuuming and mopping to get the floor under them.

Other

Toilet paper holder, towel racks, curtain rod, or any random thing that’s dusty:

Both: Quickly wipe with cloth

Kitchens

Countertops

Both: Wet a white cloth and spray exposed counter down with all-purpose. Pick up knickknacks, clean under towards you, knocking debris on the floor and replace the knickknacks after cleaning them. Wipe with white cloth. Wipe dry with blue cloth to shine. Be sure to not leave streaks.

Small appliances (toaster, air fryer, etc.) should be cleaned quickly and also moved to clean under if under 25 pounds.

Stove top

If using barkeepers on a new stove, test a small spot with it and wipe dry to ensure it doesn’t scratch.

First time: Take apart stove top if needed (ex: take off temp dials). If needed, apply small amount of barkeepers and wipe with wet white cloth. Rough metal grills either wash under sink with a cloth or just wipe with a wet cloth. Wipe dry.

Recurring: Spray evenly with all-purpose and wipe dry. Do first time method if needed. Shine up.

Sink

Both: Take all items out of sink and put on a part of the counter that hasn’t been cleaned yet. Wash down any loose food in sink.

Clean the sink faucet(s) and other metal fixtures. Apply barkeepers (if first time or needed) and scrub whole sink with wet white cloth. Use the toothbrush if needed. Be sure to scrub the area around the drain as well.

Rinse if needed. Wipe dry.

Microwave

First time: You may need to place a clean cloth that’s wet with water only and microwave it for a minute to break up the food.

Both: Clean top.

Open microwave door and take out the spinning glass plate and other detached objects. Spray ceiling, sides and bottom of microwave down with all-purpose. Spray glass plate as well.

Wipe clean towards you. Wipe down inside and top of door and door frame. Wipe glass plate clean and return all items back inside.

Close door and clean outside of microwave with wet cloth. Wipe dry to shine.

For front, be sure no smear left on glass or stainless steel. Use microfiber cloth to polish if needed.

Oven

Both: Dust top.

Spray all-purpose evenly and wipe clean.

be sure that there’s no grease streaks. use stainless steel cleaner if needed.

Other

Top of trash can: quick wipe/dust.

Dishwasher: wipe with wet cloth to clean. Use stainless steel cleaner if needed.

Backsplash: if needed. Don’t try perfecting.

Dusting

Start at the front door

Following the rules of cleaning, we’ll start by moving our caddy to left of the front door. You’ll be cleaning clockwise throughout the whole house. Keep the same continuous wall at your left side as you go around the home dusting.

Staircase

If you come across a staircase, go up/down it cleaning the rails and the base of the poles if needed.

Islands

If you come across an island (meaning something like a table not next to a wall, or a set of walls that are disconnected from the outer walls of the home) dust that first and then move back to your spot going clockwise around the home.

Sliding glass door

Only clean the glass panes that have a handle. Clean the outside of the glass too outside the home. This is the only thing we clean outside the home.

Kitchen table

Spray evenly with all purpose, and wipe dry with a clean white/blue cloth.

Tables, dressers and other flat furniture

First time: Wipe flat surface with a slightly wet white cloth. Then dust any ledges, shelves, or other complex parts that need it. Pick up and get under knickknacks when needed and there’s a reasonable number of knickknacks on a given surface.

Recurring: Feather dust thoroughly top to bottom. No need to move knickknacks unless needed or otherwise noted.

Be sure to clean shelves that are exposed (not in a cabinet).

Laundry appliances

Both: Dust top.

If needed, spray with all-purpose evenly on top and sides and wipe clean and shiny.

Ceiling fans

First time: Carefully wipe down with wet cloth. Grab a ladder if needed.

Recurring: Use microfiber duster

Blinds

First time: wipe with wet white cloth. Start at the top and work your way to the bottom of the blinds. Get between the strings. Be sure to check your work with these.

Recurring: Feather dust, be sure not to knock dust into air.

Light fixtures

These would be ones that can be cleaned in the bathroom usually above mirrors. Another place you’ll find them is above a countertop or able near the kitchen. They must be reachable with a 2-step ladder, otherwise don’t worry about it.

Don’t ever clean chandeliers.

First time: Carefully wipe down with wet cloth.

Recurring: Feather dust.

Wall decor/ Picture frames

When cleaning wall decor, be sure to hold it against the wall gently with one hand while cleaning.

If the item appears to be particularly fragile and a hazard, you may ask the client if they would like it skipped.

If it is thin enough to not collect dust (and the face isn’t dirty) don’t worry about cleaning it.

First time: Wipe top. Wipe face if needed. Wipe any other horizontal surfaces that are on the item.

Recurring: Feather dust carefully.

Windowsills

First time: Wipe until clean on any horizontal surfaces, including horizontal parts of the window pane. Get rid of all cobwebs.

Recurring: feather dust all horizontal parts of window pane.

Light switches

Both: Wipe down the horizontal top of the fixture as well as the top of each light switch. Spot clean any dirty spots stuck on the face of the switch fixture.

Outlets

Both: Wipe down the horizontal top of the fixture. Spot clean any dirty spots stuck on the face of the fixture.

Cabinets

Only do the cabinets in kitchen or bathrooms unless otherwise noted.

First time: Spray all purpose all over the cabinets evenly. Wipe down looking for fingerprints/other grime to wipe away.

Recurring: spot clean with wet cloth. Pay close attention to get rid of fingerprints or food.

Baseboards

First time: Soak a white cloth and use it to clean baseboards if needed. If not, a simple damp cloth works. Sometimes you may need to directly spray all-purpose on extra-dirty baseboards.

Recurring: feather dust or wipe if needed.

Other

Random things to dust and what to know:

Bed frames: dust

Glass tables: use glass cleaner, and blue cloth. Clean underside if needed.

Any unfinished wood: Don’t use wet cloth and don’t spray surface.

Fake plants: If noted or it’s definitely needed, quickly pat down with feather duster, trying not to get dust in air.

Non-upholstered chairs: if crumbs or dust on where you sit, quickly swipe off onto floor for later vacuuming.

Lampshades: Use feather duster and do the best you can. Dust the top part.

Walk-in closets: Get any exposed baseboards and floors when vacuuming. Don’t worry about small closets unless empty like a moving cleaning or in notes.

TV’s: Never dust the top or face of a TV screen. Dust the base when you’re dusting the surface it’s sitting on, however.

Flat surfaces above 6ft: Don’t worry about cleaning unless otherwise noted.

If you’re not sure it should be cleaned, (the rest of the list for what to clean is at the everywhere page) but it can be cleaned without damage to the item, just clean it and ask your supervisor later if it should be cleaned and how. Do your best to impress!

Trashes

Grab trash bags rolls (less than 10 gal for small and 13 gal for big trashes that need it) from your caddy and put into your apron. Do a another clockwise lap around the home, taking out trashes that have any trash in it. If it’s empty, don’t bother. Replace with a new trash bag.

Islands

Islands are parts of the home needing to be cleaned that are disconnected from the outer walls of the home. They can also just be sitting in the middle of a room. Examples include: disconnected wall loops that wont be reached from following the outer walls of the home, and tables in the middle of a room. Ceiling fans fall under this category and should always be cleaned first before anything else when entering a room.

Always clean islands when you come across them, then return to where you left off.

Vacuuming

Go out to your vehicle and grab your two vacuums: your Oreck carpet vacuum and your Sanitaire floor vacuum. Be sure you have your backup vacuums in the car, because anything can happen!

Carpet and rugs

Use your Oreck for this. Plug in the cord in a spot where you will be able to reach as much floor space as possible so you won’t have to unplug it as often. Go clockwise around the home, vacuuming rugs and carpeting as you come along them. Work your way backwards on carpet to not step on what’s already been vacuumed. If a rug carpet length is longer than 3 inches per strand (use your good judgement), just pick it up and make the dirt and crumbs fall to the floor below.

Make vacuum lines as you go. Push the vacuum straight an arm’s length from you and bring it back diagonally an arm’s length. This should put the next vacuum line right on the edge of the last. For the next row, pull back two arm’s lengths and continue from that new point. Try to make all the vacuum lines point the same direction if you can help it.

Hard floors

Use the Sanitaire floor vacuum. Put the furniture brush head in your apron for when you come across furniture.

Start at the front door again, making your way forward and generally clockwise, careful not to miss a part of the hard floor. Keep the vacuum in your hand or behind you, being careful to not bump into things. Be sure to be thorough especially on edges, corners, and under things where you can’t see. If there’s still debris after this, it will make mopping much harder.

Be sure to lift up/move small knickknacks on floor(small trash cans, stuffed animal, etc.) and rugs and vacuum under them.

Mopping

The bucket

Prepare your mop bucket by expanding it and adding your floor cleaner. Grab a mop head from your towel bag. Now go over to the kitchen sink and add water to the bucket.

Keep your mop bucket in places away from carpet and near a spot where you think you’ll need to re-wet your mop head.

Mopping

Mop from the back of the home to the front door, or from the front door to the back if the floor is still being vacuumed.

Keep an eye out for any crumbs or hair you may have missed from vacuuming, and gather them into one place and pick them up with your cloth and put away in your trash pocket. When the mop head gets to where it’s not placing a full amount of water where it touches the floor, its time to re-wet.

When your mop water is opaque enough to not see the bottom, it’s likely time to get a new mop head and new water and solution.

Be sure to lift up and mop under rugs.

You’re so close to being done! Be sure to do a final walk through using the checklist before you leave.

Add-ons

Inside windows

Spray evenly with glass cleaner. Wipe down with glass cloth. Check work.

Inside empty cabinets/ drawers

Wipe the sides and bottom until clean. Use a toothbrush in corners and edges if needed.

Inside fridge

Fridge should be mostly empty. Spray the ceiling, shelves, sides and bottom with all-purpose. Wipe from top to bottom, picking up and moving remaining items in the fridge and cleaning under. You may need to take apart shelves and drawers for this add-on to make it easier. Feel free to use the kitchen sink to clean.

Inside oven

When you begin the kitchen cleaning, take out oven racks and other cookware from inside and set on a counter that hasn’t been cleaned yet. Spray ceiling, sides, and bottom of oven with all-purpose and begin cleaning the kitchen.

When you come across the oven again, spray inside again with all-purpose. Grab your Cloth with some barkeepers (test a smalls pot if you’re unsure it will scratch.) and get to scrubbing.

Only when all/most debris is unstuck is when you’ll wipe clean. Knock debris on the floor or put into trash.

Doors and door frames

Wet wipe down and doors and door frames, only wiping spots that are dirty.

Bed sheets

Clean sheets should be on top of bed. Change sheet and make bed. They may leave you pillowcases to change as well.

Upholstered furniture vacuumed

When coming across upholstered furniture while vacuuming attach the furniture brush to the vacuum. Use it to get rid of any hair on the couch or crumbs. Get inside the seams of the couch and lift out cushions if possible.

Feel free to use a hair roller.

Vents

Wet wipe to dust and clean off black if possible. If out of reach with ladder, use fan duster.