A maid service provides professional residential cleaning, offering scheduled maintenance to help homeowners manage the upkeep of their living spaces. These services are typically contracted for recurring visits, such as weekly or bi-weekly appointments. The precise scope of work varies significantly between different service tiers and companies.
Standard Routine Services
Routine service begins with general area maintenance, concentrating on the removal of accumulated dust and surface debris. This involves dusting all accessible surfaces, including furniture, shelving, and decorations, and removing cobwebs from corners and ceilings. Floors are systematically addressed through vacuuming carpets and mopping hard surfaces, such as wood, tile, and linoleum.
The kitchen receives focused attention on high-use preparation areas that accumulate daily soil and grease splatter. Technicians wipe down all exterior cabinet faces and clean countertops, sanitizing the sink basin and faucet fixtures. Exterior surfaces of large appliances, such as the refrigerator, dishwasher, and microwave, are cleaned to remove fingerprints and surface stains. The interior of the microwave is typically cleaned during a standard visit.
Bathroom maintenance concentrates on disinfection and the removal of soap scum and mineral deposits from fixtures. All vanity countertops are wiped down, and the sink basin is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized to address microbial buildup. Mirrors are polished to a streak-free finish. This routine work manages the daily accumulation of moisture and residue.
Specific attention is paid to the toilet, which undergoes a multi-step cleaning process involving the application of disinfectant to the bowl, rim, and exterior surfaces. Shower and bathtub surfaces are scrubbed to remove soap residue and hard water spots. These actions serve as preventative maintenance, ensuring heavy staining does not set into grout lines or porcelain.
Intensive and Specialized Cleaning
Services that move beyond routine surface maintenance are categorized as intensive or specialized cleaning, typically reserved for initial visits or one-time deep-clean appointments. These services require a significantly longer duration and more specialized equipment to address months or years of buildup. They are designed to reset the cleanliness level of a property, reaching areas ignored during a standard recurring visit. Customers must usually request and negotiate these services separately.
In the kitchen, intensive cleaning often includes the interior of major appliances, such as the oven and the refrigerator. Cleaning an oven involves applying heavy-duty degreasers to break down carbonized food residue. Similarly, the refrigerator is completely emptied, and all shelving, drawers, and seals are meticulously cleaned and sanitized. This level of detail extends to the deep scrubbing of grout lines on tiled backsplashes and floors.
Specialized detail work restores general living areas. This includes hand-wiping baseboards, trim, and window sills, which accumulate fine dust and scuff marks. Interior glass surfaces, such as sliding glass doors and internal windows that are safely reachable, are cleaned to remove smudges and film buildup. Additionally, reachable light fixtures and ceiling fans are disassembled to remove dust accumulation.
Tasks Generally Excluded
Most professional maid services explicitly exclude tasks that pose a significant liability risk to the technician or the property. This encompasses cleaning any biohazardous materials, including human or animal bodily fluids, excessive mold, or pest infestations, due to the specialized training and equipment required for safe remediation. Services also maintain strict safety protocols regarding height, usually prohibiting cleaning that requires standing on anything taller than a standard two-step ladder.
Activities requiring specialized labor or heavy physical exertion are routinely excluded from the scope of work. Technicians will not engage in heavy lifting, such as moving large pieces of furniture or heavy appliances, to clean underneath them due to the risk of injury or property damage. Furthermore, services do not typically include detailed organizational tasks, professional home staging, or the specialized repair or restoration of surfaces like grout sealing or floor waxing.
Tasks related to the home’s exterior or highly personal belongings are also generally not performed. Services do not include exterior window cleaning, tending to yard work, or cleaning garages and patios. Laundering or ironing clothes is typically excluded, as is handling delicate, high-value, or sentimental personal items.