Why a cleared home still needs cleaning
Once the last bag is out, families are often surprised by what's underneath. Floors that haven't been seen in years. Stains on the carpet. Grime on counters, a refrigerator that hasn't been opened in a long time, and a smell that didn't leave when the stuff did.
That's normal. When a home fills up, regular cleaning gets hard and then impossible. Dust, food, moisture and pests build up in the places nobody can reach. Clearing the clutter is what lets us get to those places.
Deep cleaning is what makes the home livable again, or ready for an agent, a buyer or a new tenant. It's the last big step before the final walk-through.
Kitchens
The kitchen is often the first room we clear and one of the hardest to clean. Food spoils, packages get chewed and drips build up under the appliances.
Here's what kitchen cleaning usually includes:
- Emptying and cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer, or hauling them away if they can't be saved
- Degreasing the stove, oven and range hood
- Scrubbing counters, backsplashes and sinks
- Cleaning inside and outside of every cabinet and drawer
- Pulling out appliances where we can to clean behind and under them
- Cleaning and sanitizing the floor, including along the baseboards
Sometimes a refrigerator has been closed with spoiled food inside for a long time. In those cases it usually makes more sense to remove it than to clean it, and your project manager will talk with you about that.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms in a full home often haven't been usable for a while. Toilets, tubs and showers may have stopped working or been filled with things. Mold and mildew can build up around fixtures.
We scrub and sanitize the toilet, tub, shower, sink and floor. We clean the walls, mirror, cabinets and vent. Where there's human waste, we clean it up carefully and disinfect the area. That's normal work for us, and nobody on the crew will make the person who lives there feel ashamed about it.
If a toilet or pipe isn't working, that's a repair we don't handle, but we can point you to a local plumber through your project manager.
Floors, walls and surfaces
After the rooms are empty, the crew works top to bottom. That means dusting ceiling fans and light fixtures, wiping walls and door frames, cleaning windowsills and blinds and then doing the floors last.
Hard floors get scraped where needed, then scrubbed and sanitized. Carpet gets vacuumed and cleaned if it can be saved. Often it can't. After years under heavy piles, especially where there's been pet urine or water, carpet and the pad under it may be too far gone. In that case we can pull it up and haul it out so the subfloor can dry and be cleaned.
Pet waste, human waste and rodent droppings
We want to be plain about this, because a lot of families are embarrassed to bring it up. Homes with pet waste, human waste and rodent droppings are normal work for us. We've seen it. It doesn't change how we treat you or the person who lives there.
Here's what we do:
- Pet waste and urine. We remove it, clean the surface and treat the area for odor. Urine that has soaked into carpet, pad or wood is the hardest thing to get out, and sometimes the material has to be removed.
- Human waste. We clean it up carefully, bag it properly and disinfect the area.
- Rodent droppings and nesting. We clean up droppings and nesting material from floors, cabinets, closets, attics and garages, and then sanitize those areas. The CDC has guidance on cleaning up after rodents, and our crews wear protective gear and avoid stirring up dust while they work.
We don't do pest control. If there's an active rodent or insect problem, your project manager can connect you with trusted local professionals to deal with it, ideally before or alongside the cleaning so the problem doesn't come right back.
If there are live animals still in the home, that's outside what we do as well. We can help find local people who can.
Odor removal
The smell is often what families worry about most. It's also the hardest thing to promise, so we'll be honest with you.
A lot of odor goes away once the source is gone. Removing spoiled food, waste, wet cardboard and old fabric does most of the work. Then we clean every hard surface, treat the problem areas with deodorizing products and air the home out.
Some odor goes deeper. It can soak into carpet pad, subfloor, drywall and even the wood framing. When that happens, cleaning the surface won't be enough. Your project manager will walk through the home with you, tell you what's still holding the smell and explain your options. Sometimes that means removing carpet or a section of flooring. Sometimes it means a contractor needs to seal or replace part of a wall.
When flooring or drywall needs a professional
We clean. We don't repair. Once a home is clear, it's common to find some damage that cleaning can't fix:
- Subfloor that's soft or stained through from urine or water
- Drywall with water damage, mold or deep odor
- Broken fixtures, cabinets or appliances
- Plumbing or electrical problems that were hidden behind the piles
Your project manager can connect you with trusted local professionals for flooring, drywall, plumbing and other repairs. If you're getting the house ready to sell, they can also help you think about which repairs are worth doing first.
How deep cleaning fits into the whole job
Deep cleaning comes after the sorting and the clear-out. On a full-house job, it's part of the same plan and the same estimate, handled by the same project manager. On our hoarder house cleanout page, you can see how the clear-out and cleaning fit together for a sale or move-out.
How much cleaning a home needs is one of the biggest things that affects the cost. Waste, odor and pests add time and supplies. Read more on our hoarding cleanup cost page, and ask about financing if you need it. You can also start at our main hoarding cleanup page.
Common questions
Do you clean homes with pet urine and feces?
Yes. Pet waste is normal work for us. We remove it, clean and sanitize the surfaces and treat the area for odor. If urine has soaked deep into carpet or subfloor, we'll tell you honestly whether it can be cleaned or needs to be removed.
Can you get rid of the smell completely?
Often we can get it much better, and removing the source does most of the work. But odor that has soaked into subfloor, drywall or framing can't always be cleaned out. Your project manager will show you what's holding the smell and connect you with local professionals if repairs are needed.
Do you clean up rodent droppings?
Yes. We clean up droppings and nesting material and then sanitize the area, wearing protective gear and taking care not to stir up dust. We don't do pest control, but we can connect you with a local pest control company.
Is deep cleaning included in a hoarding cleanup?
It can be, and on most full-house jobs it is. Your estimate will spell out what cleaning is included so you know what to expect before work starts.
Can you clean while the person still lives there?
Yes. We can plan the cleanup in stages so the person has a clean, usable kitchen, bathroom and bedroom as early as possible. Your project manager will work out the order with the family and the person who lives there.
Do you replace carpet or drywall?
No, we don't do repairs. We can pull out ruined carpet and haul it away, and your project manager can connect you with trusted local professionals for new flooring, drywall or other repairs.