First Coast Property Experts
The 127-Touch Deep Clean Checklist
THE FCPE DEEP CLEAN CHECKLIST — 127 TOUCHES WE MAKE ON EVERY RECURRING VISIT
Most “deep cleans” are really just surface cleans with a premium price tag. Here’s the transparent room-by-room breakdown of what our interior specialistss actually touch every single visit in Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, and St. Johns County homes — and what we don’t.
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Why We Published This Checklist
A homeowner in Marsh Landing asked us last month what the difference was between our standing recurring service and the $180/week cleaner she’d been using for three years. Fair question. The honest answer is: detail, accountability, and the list you’re about to read.
Most housekeeping companies operate on a verbal handshake — “we’ll clean your house.” What that actually means on any given Tuesday depends on who shows up, how rushed they are, and what mood they’re in. We built our recurring program around a checklist because estates deserve something more measurable than a feeling.
This is the list. 127 touches. Every visit. Every home. No exceptions.
Kitchen — 28 Touches
The kitchen is where premium housekeeping either earns its fee or doesn’t. Here’s every surface we hit:
Counters & surfaces (1-6): All countertops cleared, wiped, and polished. Backsplash scrubbed. Under small appliances wiped. Behind the faucet base cleaned. Soap and lotion dispensers wiped down. Decanters and oil bottles dusted.
Appliances exterior (7-13): Refrigerator front, handles, and top. Dishwasher front and handle. Range exterior. Microwave exterior and interior. Coffee machine wiped and tray emptied. Toaster crumb tray cleaned. Small-appliance cords tucked.
Sink zone (14-18): Sink scrubbed, rinsed, polished. Faucet polished to streak-free. Disposal flushed with a citrus cleaner. Soap dispenser refilled if empty. Sink mat cleaned or replaced if applicable.
Cabinetry (19-22): All cabinet fronts wiped — top, middle, and lower rows. Handles polished. Spot-clean any splatter on upper cabinets. Top of cabinet valance dusted.
Floors & baseboards (23-26): Full floor vacuum or sweep. Hand-mop with appropriate solution for stone, tile, or LVP. Baseboards wiped. Corners hand-detailed.
Final detail (27-28): Stainless steel appliances polished in grain direction. Pet bowls washed if visible.
Important note on ovens: Oven interior cleaning is not included in our standard recurring deep clean. It’s available as an add-on and it’s included by default on move-in and move-out cleans only. This is an intentional standard — oven degreasing is a 45-90 minute job that pulls time away from the rest of your home. When you want it done, we do it; we just don’t pretend to do it when we don’t.
Primary Bathroom — 19 Touches
Bathrooms are where mold, mildew, and soap scum compound fastest in Northeast Florida’s humidity. We don’t just wipe — we pressure the corners.
Shower & tub (1-7): Glass enclosure cleaned and squeegeed. Tile walls scrubbed. Grout inspected and spot-treated for mildew. Fixtures polished. Drain cover cleaned. Shower niche and bottles wiped. Tub surround cleaned (if applicable).
Vanity & sink (8-12): Countertop cleared, wiped, reset. Sink scrubbed and polished. Faucet and handles polished. Mirror streak-free. Cabinet fronts wiped.
Toilet (13-15): Inside bowl scrubbed with appropriate cleaner. Exterior, base, and behind-the-tank wiped. Seat hinges and underside cleaned — where most cleaners skip.
Floor, walls, finish (16-19): Floor vacuumed and mopped. Baseboards wiped. Exhaust fan cover wiped. Towels folded or refreshed per your preference.
Secondary Bathrooms — 14 Touches (each)
Slightly lighter than primary — toilet, sink, counter, mirror, floor, baseboards, tub or shower scrub, fixtures polish, trash emptied, towels refreshed, glass and hardware wiped, vent cover dusted, door handles wiped, light switch plate cleaned.
Bedrooms — 16 Touches (each)
Linens & bed (1-4): Bed made to hotel standard or sheets changed per your instructions. Duvet straightened. Pillows arranged. Bedskirt smoothed.
Surfaces (5-10): Nightstands cleared and wiped. Dressers dusted — tops and fronts. Décor and picture frames dusted. Lamp shades dusted. Clock faces and electronics wiped. Window sills wiped.
Floors & detail (11-16): Vacuum full floor including under the bed edge. Baseboards wiped. Corners hand-detailed. Closet floor visible area vacuumed. Closet rod spot-dusted. Door handles and light switches wiped.
Living & Family Rooms — 18 Touches
Every surface you touch, we touch. Coffee tables, side tables, console tables, TV stand (front and top), remote controls wiped, throw pillows fluffed and arranged, sofa cushions straightened, under-cushion vacuum, blanket fold, fireplace mantel dusted, hearth swept, décor and books dusted, picture frames wiped, lamp bases and shades, window sills, floor vacuum including under furniture edges, baseboards, door handles and light switches.
Dining Room — 9 Touches
Table cleared, wiped, polished per material (wood, glass, stone each handled differently). Chairs wiped and straightened. Centerpiece dusted or reset. Buffet or sideboard dusted, tops and fronts. Chandelier accessible and dusted if within standard reach. Floor vacuumed. Baseboards wiped. Window sills wiped.
Entryways, Hallways, Stairs — 11 Touches
Front entry door interior wiped. Entry console wiped, drawers left untouched. Mirror or artwork dusted. Stair treads vacuumed. Stair balusters hand-dusted. Railings wiped end-to-end. Baseboards on stairs wiped. Hallway floors vacuumed and mopped. Hallway baseboards. Light switches and outlets wiped. Door frames spot-cleaned.
Interior Windows & Glass — 8 Touches
Interior glass surfaces — sliders, French doors, sidelights — cleaned and squeegeed. Exterior of interior glass spot-checked from inside. Mirrors throughout home polished. Glass coffee tables wiped. Glass shelving dusted. Display cabinet fronts wiped. Picture frame glass dusted. Kitchen backsplash glass (if applicable) polished.
Floors — Tile, Wood, LVP, Stone
We don’t use one cleaner for every surface. Tile gets an alkaline cleaner. Hardwood gets a pH-neutral finish-safe cleaner that won’t cloud polyurethane. LVP gets a no-residue cleaner that won’t break down the wear layer. Stone gets a stone-specific cleaner that won’t etch marble or travertine. Every surface is vacuumed before it’s mopped — mopping dirt around is how floors get worse, not better.
The American Cleaning Institute publishes floor-care guidance worth reading if you want to understand why the solution matters as much as the technique.
Baseboards, Door Frames, Light Switches — The Details Most Skip
There are 3 touches in every room that separate premium from ordinary: baseboards (wiped top and face, not just visible side), door frames (spot-cleaned at handle height where hands hit), and light switches (wiped because every finger in the house touches them daily). We hit every one, every visit.
What’s NOT In The Standard Checklist (And What Is)
Included every visit: Everything above — the 127 touches.
Add-on services: Oven interior, refrigerator interior, freezer interior, inside of cabinets, laundry, dishwashing beyond the sink, garage, exterior windows, screened porch detail, pet-hair heavy-clean, post-construction dust, wall-spot wash.
Move-in / move-out only (included): Oven interior, refrigerator interior, freezer interior, inside of all cabinets, full baseboard hand-wash, interior window detail, wall spot-wash, light fixture detail.
This transparency is intentional. When our recurring clients upgrade to a deep-clean rotation, they know exactly what the rate covers — and it’s the full standard rate, same as any first-time deep clean. Deep cleans aren’t discounted; they’re where the real detail happens, and that’s where we invest our time.
Consistency — How We Make 127 Touches Happen Every Time
The reason most housekeeping services deliver inconsistent results is that nothing is written down. Ours is. our trained interior specialists work from a printed checklist on every visit. Supervisors spot-check. Clients get a visit summary. Issues are flagged and addressed before the next rotation.
Our interior specialistss carry more than a century of combined expertise across the team, and they work to a single standard regardless of which crew rotates into your home. Your home gets the same 127 touches whether it’s week one or week fifty-two.
Serving Estates Across St. Johns, Duval & Nassau
Our recurring housekeeping program runs in Ponte Vedra Beach, Nocatee, Marsh Landing, Sawgrass, St. Augustine, World Golf Village, Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, and the Amelia Island corridor. Most clients are on weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly rotations — with the flexibility to layer deep-clean rotations seasonally.
Full housekeeping services and pricing details available on the main service page.
Book a Standing Recurring Plan
If you want a housekeeping service you can stop thinking about — 127 touches, every visit, documented — book a free walkthrough. We’ll meet you at the home, spec the rotation, and give you a fixed recurring rate before we leave.
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Suggested Featured Images
1. 16:9 Hero (`deep-clean-checklist-hero-1920×1080.jpg`)
Sunlit luxury kitchen in a Ponte Vedra Beach estate, pristine marble island, stainless appliances gleaming, fresh flowers on counter, soft morning light streaming through oversized windows. Hyperrealistic interior photography, architectural digest quality, no people, warm clean aesthetic, subtle gold accents in hardware.
2. 4:5 Social (`deep-clean-checklist-social-1080×1350.jpg`)
Close-up overhead shot of a microfiber cloth polishing a marble countertop, tiny water beads and shine visible, shallow depth of field, morning light. Behind the cloth: folded fresh linens, a small glass vase with white flowers, brushed-gold faucet hardware in soft focus. Hyperrealistic lifestyle photography, no text, no people.
3. 1:1 Thumb (`deep-clean-checklist-thumb-1080×1080.jpg`)
Elegant flat-lay of housekeeping tools arranged precisely on white marble: microfiber cloths folded in a stack, a small spray bottle, fresh lemon halves, a sprig of eucalyptus. Minimal, clean, editorial, FCPE gold (#D4AF37) accent color subtly visible in bottle label. Hyperrealistic, top-down, professional styling.
