What's Actually Included in a House Cleaning? (And What Most Companies Skip) | DayMaker Cleaning Co.
You hired a cleaning company. They showed up, they cleaned, they left.
But now you're looking around wondering: did they actually clean the baseboards? What about the cabinet fronts? And why does it feel like they rushed through the bathroom?
Here's the problem: there's no industry standard for what "house cleaning" actually means. Every company defines it differently. And a lot of them are skipping things you probably assumed were included.
Let's talk about what should actually be part of a standard cleaning and what some other companies quietly leave out.
What a Standard Cleaning Should Include
When you pay for house cleaning, here's what you should reasonably expect:
Kitchen
Countertops and backsplash wiped
Stovetop cleaned
Outside of all appliances wiped
Inside and outside of microwave cleaned
Sink and faucet cleaned
Cabinet fronts wiped down
Floors swept and mopped
Trash emptied
Bathrooms
Toilets scrubbed (inside and out)
Sinks and counters cleaned
Showers and tubs scrubbed
Mirrors cleaned
Cabinet fronts wiped
Floors swept and mopped
Trash emptied
All Rooms
Surfaces dusted
Floors vacuumed
Hard floors mopped
Light switches wiped
Door handles wiped
Throughout the Home
Baseboards wiped or dusted
Cobwebs removed
Spot-cleaning walls where needed
General tidying
Notice all the bold items? Those are things a lot of companies in Saint John either skip entirely or charge extra for.
What Most Companies Quietly Skip
Here's what often gets left out of "standard" cleaning:
Cabinet fronts. You touch them every single day. They get fingerprints and grease. But many companies don't include them or worse, charge $10-$50 extra to wipe them.
Baseboards. They're attached to your walls. They collect dust. But plenty of companies either skip them or make them an add-on service.
Inside the microwave. Takes two minutes. Should obviously be part of cleaning your kitchen. But some companies treat it like a premium service.
Light switches and door handles. The highest-touch surfaces in your home, and they often get ignored completely.
Spot-cleaning walls. Kids leave handprints. Life happens. A quick wipe of obvious marks should be standard.
When companies skip these things, they're not really cleaning your home. They're doing the bare minimum and hoping you don't notice what's missing.
What's Reasonable to Cost Extra
Not everything should be included in every cleaning. Some tasks are genuinely occasional and deserve separate pricing:
Inside your oven: Deep grease cleaning takes real time and typically only needs doing every few months.
Inside your fridge: Full cleanout of shelves and drawers is project work, not weekly maintenance.
Interior windows: Full window washing is seasonal, not something that needs doing bi-weekly.
Inside cupboards and drawers: Deep cleaning and organizing interiors is beyond regular maintenance.
Laundry and dishes: These are completely different services.
The key difference? These are infrequent tasks that don't need regular attention. Cabinet fronts, baseboards, and microwaves? Those need cleaning regularly and should be included.
How to Know What You're Actually Getting
Before you hire any cleaning company in Saint John, Quispamsis, or Rothesay, ask this specific question:
"Can you walk me through exactly what's included in a standard clean, room by room?"
If they give you vague answers like "we do a thorough cleaning" without specifics, that's a red flag.
If they start listing things as optional add-ons that should clearly be standard, you're about to get nickel-and-dimed.
Then ask these follow-ups:
"Are cabinet fronts included or extra?" "Do you clean baseboards every visit?" "Is inside the microwave included?" "Do you wipe light switches and door handles?"
Their answers will tell you everything you need to know about whether you're getting full service or partial service at a full price.
What We Include (Because It's Just Part of Cleaning)
When we clean your home, here's what's included every single visit:
Everything listed above. Cabinet fronts, baseboards, inside the microwave, light switches, door handles, spot-cleaning walls. All of it.
We don't itemize basic cleaning tasks and charge separately for each one. We just clean your house completely.
The only things we charge extra for are the genuinely occasional tasks: inside your oven, inside your fridge, interior windows, inside cupboards. Things that don't need doing every week or two.
Why do we include so much?
Because it's not "so much." It's just cleaning. Wiping cabinet fronts is part of cleaning a kitchen. Dusting baseboards is part of cleaning a room. These aren't extras they're the basics.
The Bottom Line
When you hire a house cleaning service, you should get your house cleaned. Not 70% of your house while the company holds the other 30% hostage for add-on fees.
Before you book with anyone:
Get a specific list of what's included
Ask about the things most companies skip
Make sure you're paying for complete service, not partial
You deserve to know exactly what you're getting. And you definitely shouldn't have to pay extra to have your cabinet fronts wiped or your baseboards dusted.
That's just called cleaning your house.
We include everything that should be part of actually cleaning your home including cabinet fronts, baseboards, microwave, light switches, all of it. No games, no surprise add-ons. Just complete cleaning, every visit.
