Key points
- A regular clean is upkeep: the same jobs each visit, which keeps a clean home clean.
- A deep clean is a different task list for build-up: limescale, grout, skirting boards, door frames, switches and interior windows (not the sills).
- More regular visits do not turn into a deep clean, because the extra visits repeat the same list.
- Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras on every Ivory service, whichever clean you choose.
Regular clean vs deep clean is the choice most London bookings start with, and the two are easy to mix up. A regular clean keeps a home where it is. A deep clean goes after what has gathered in the places a routine visit does not cover.
This guide sets the two lists side by side, shows which situations suit each and gives you a test you can run with a fingertip. It also covers what renters should know before they choose.
What does a regular clean cover?
A regular clean is upkeep. The same jobs come round each visit: worktops, hob and splashback wiped down, sink and taps cleaned, toilet, basin, bath and shower cleaned, surfaces and sills dusted, floors vacuumed or mopped. The aim is to hold a clean home where it is.
On a weekly or fortnightly rhythm, it stops everyday mess from piling up. It is built to be repeatable, which is why the jobs that only need doing now and then sit on a different list. That is a difference of scope, not of effort.
What does a deep clean add?
A deep clean is a different task list, aimed at what gathers over months rather than days. Ivory's deep clean adds:
- Hob, extractor and splashback degreased.
- Limescale lifted from taps, tiles and glass, and grout scrubbed rather than wiped.
- Skirting boards, door frames and switches detailed, with dusting up to the picture rails and vents.
- Interior windows cleaned. The sills are not included.
Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras on every Ivory service, and carpet cleaning is its own service. The deep clean cost guide shows how those affect the price.
Regular clean vs deep clean: how do the lists compare?
| At a glance | Regular clean | Deep clean |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Keeps a clean home clean | Resets a home where build-up has gathered |
| Kitchen | Worktops, hob and splashback wiped down, floors swept and mopped | Hob, extractor and splashback degreased |
| Bathrooms | Taps, tiles and glass wiped clear | Limescale lifted, grout scrubbed, extractor and skirting detailed |
| Edges and dust | Surfaces and sills dusted | Skirting boards, door frames, switches, picture rails and vents |
| Windows | Not on the list | Interior windows (not the sills) |
| Oven, fridge and cupboards | Paid extras | Paid extras |
| How often | Weekly or fortnightly | When the test below says it is due |
Task lists differ between suppliers, so ask for yours in writing before you compare prices.
Which clean fits which situation in London?
- Just collected the keys. A deep clean while the rooms are at their clearest. See deep clean before moving in.
- The home is in good order and you want it to stay that way. Regular visits, weekly or fortnightly.
- The extractor, grout or skirting boards have been left a while. A deep clean first, then regular visits to keep it there.
- You are handing a rental back. That is end of tenancy cleaning, which works to its own check-out list.
- Building work has just finished. After builders cleaning is a separate job.
How can you tell if your home needs a deep clean?
Skip the calendar and use your fingertip. Run it along three places:
- The top edge of an interior door frame.
- The top of a skirting board.
- The plate around a light switch.
What should renters know before choosing?
If you rent, the two cleans sit at different points in the tenancy. A deep clean suits the start, when you want to reset the home. Regular visits keep it in order in between. End of tenancy cleaning is the clean for handing the keys back.
One distinction is worth knowing. mydeposits says fair wear and tear applies to the condition of a property, not the standard of its cleaning. A worn carpet is a question of condition. Limescale on a shower screen is a question of cleanliness, and that is the part a clean can address. Read the mydeposits explanation of fair wear and tear (opens in a new tab) for how the scheme weighs it.
On cleanliness at check-out, the mydeposits case study on cleaning and landlord costs (opens in a new tab) shows the approach: the check-in report set the baseline, and the check-out photographs and descriptions showed the shortfall. It is one adjudication, not a rule, so check your own agreement and check-in inventory to see what was recorded. No clean can promise a deposit outcome: that decision sits with the landlord or agent and, if it is disputed, the scheme.
How do you book and price either one?
Ivory's weekly residential cleaning is priced from £55 for the 2h minimum, then £25/hr. A deep clean is priced from £150, and your figure reflects the size of the home, its condition and any extras you add.
Send your postcode, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and what you can see. Your price comes back within 30 minutes, any day between 8am and 10pm, and you see it before you pick a day. Same-day availability is there if you need it. For what shapes the figure, read the deep clean cost guide.
Cleaners are vetted and bring their own equipment and eco products, and public liability cover is £2m. If a point on the list is missed, tell us and we come back.
Questions people ask
Book the deep clean first. It resets the home, and regular visits then keep it there. Start regular visits on a home that needs a reset and the early visits work against a backlog that sits outside their list.
Yes. Weekly and fortnightly visits are available across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Put your postcode in the quote form and we confirm that we reach you.
End of tenancy cleaning is built on the check-out list, which is why it is the clean to book for handing a rental back. Regular cleans and deep cleans are different task lists, meant for living in the home.
There is no fixed interval to rely on, so use the fingertip test: if the door frame, skirting board or switch plate comes away grey, a deep clean is due. Visit frequency does not change the answer.
Neither by default. Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras on every Ivory service. Tick the ones you want on the form and they are added to your price.
Sources
Written by M.A. Published .
Keep reading
Deep clean cost in London: what pushes the price up or down
Equal bedroom counts do not mean equal workloads in London. See what drives a deep clean price, which jobs cost extra and what a good quote asks you.
Deep clean before moving in to a London home: is it worth it?
The gap between collecting the keys and carrying the boxes in is the easiest time to clean a London home. Here is what to cover, what to check first and when to book.
Domestic cleaning cost in London: what decides the price
Three parts sit behind every London cleaning quote. Here is how per-hour and per-visit pricing differ, what moves the figure and what to ask before booking.
