"The team arrived on time and performed a fantastic standard cleaning that left every surface sparkling. They even tackled the kids' playroom, and the entire house felt calm and welcoming by the time they left."
Cleaning Checklist
What a Standard Cleaning Includes
What a Deep Cleaning Includes
Preparing for Your Cleaning
How It Works
Find your service The right clean for right now.
Book a cleaning →
Move-Out Cleaning Checklist
Rental Cleaning Checklist
Preparing for Your Cleaning
Rescheduling Policy
Moving day, minus the scrubbing Deposit-ready, done for you.
Move-out cleaning →
The full checklist · Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens
What Is Included in a Standard Cleaning Service New York City?
Short answer: your kitchen, your bathrooms, your bedrooms, your living space, plus floors and trash. Every room, every visit, the same list. Below is the exact room-by-room checklist our teams follow in New York City apartments and houses, what counts as an add-on, what belongs in a deep clean instead, and what it usually costs. No mystery, no upsell at the door.
Same checklist every visit
Insured & background-checked
We bring all supplies
Flat, upfront pricing
New York Magazine
Time Out
New York
amNewYork
Gothamist
WNYC Radio
1010
WINS
Brownstoner
Brick Underground
6sqft
Park Slope, Brooklyn Standard clean, 3 hours
A real Lily Maids story
Amanda's in-laws were coming. She had one morning.
Amanda K. lives in Park Slope with two kids under six. Her in-laws were arriving for their first ever visit to the apartment, and she called us at 8 in the morning sounding a little panicked. Her question was the same one we get almost every day: "If I book a standard cleaning, what actually gets done? Do I need something bigger?"
She didn't need something bigger. A standard cleaning was exactly right. Our team showed up on time, worked the kitchen and both bathrooms first, wiped every surface in the living room, made the beds, then vacuumed and mopped their way out the door. They even squared away the playroom, which was honestly the scariest room in the house. Amanda later wrote: "The entire house felt calm and welcoming by the time they left."
Thats the whole point of this page. Before you spend money, you should know exactly what lands on the list. So here is what is included in a standard cleaning service New York City homes book with us, room by room, plus the stuff that isn't included and what to do about it. If you already know what you need, book your cleaning online and skip ahead.
Current offers
Three ways to
pay less.
Live promotions across all of New York City. Copy the code, apply it at checkout, done. See pricing for full details.
New client special
Save
10% Off
Your first Lily Maids visit, 10% lighter on the wallet.
- Valid on any cleaning service
- Insured, background-checked cleaners
- Flat, upfront pricing - no surprises
Book now and have a spotless home before the weekend.
Book Now
First-time customers only. Applied at checkout.
Flexible arrival
Save
5% Off
Give us a wider arrival window and save on every single visit.
- Identical cleaning, better price
- Text updates before we arrive
- Savings applied automatically
Only the arrival window changes - never the clean.
Book & Save 5%
Choose a flexible arrival window at booking.
Move in / move out
Save
$30 Off
Moving day is hard enough. We'll take the scrubbing off your list.
- Inside oven, fridge & cabinets
- Built to satisfy strict landlords
- Helps protect your deposit
Hand back the keys with a deposit-ready deep clean.
Book & Save $30
Valid on move-in and move-out cleanings only.
0
Homes Cleaned
0
NYC Boroughs
0
Neighborhoods Served
0
Client Reviews
The short version
Standard Basic Cleaning, explained.
A standard basic cleaning is the regular, everyday clean. It's the one you book when the place is basically fine, it just needs hands on it. Kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas, floors, trash. Roughly two to four hours for most NYC apartments, longer for a house or a big family place.
Same list, every visit Kitchen · baths · floors
Why people ask this question
Most cleaning companies never tell you.
You call, you get a price, and then you sit there wondering if they're going to touch the microwave or not. We hear it constantly. One thing that that surprises new clients is how much of a good clean is just consistency - the same rooms, the same order, the same finish, every single time.
So we publish the list. Our standard visit covers the four zones below. If your home needs more than that - built-up soap scum, oven grease, months of dust behind furniture - that's a deep cleaning, and we'll say so honestly before we start instead of rushing through and leaving you disappointed.
The American Cleaning Institute makes the same point about home cleaning generally: regular, lighter maintenance beats occasional heroics. In a New York apartment that's even more true, because dust and street grime move in faster than anywhere else.
Room by room, here's the list.
Kitchen
- Counters & backsplash wiped
- Stovetop scrubbed
- Sink cleaned and polished
- Outside of oven, fridge, dishwasher
- Microwave inside and out
- Cabinet fronts wiped
- Table and chairs
- Trash taken to the chute or bins
- Floor vacuumed and mopped
Bathrooms
- Tub and shower scrubbed
- Tile walls wiped down
- Toilet cleaned inside and out
- Sink and vanity sanitized
- Mirror and chrome polished
- Counters cleared and wiped
- Towels straightened
- Trash emptied
- Floor disinfected
Bedrooms
- Beds made neatly
- Linens changed if left out
- All surfaces dusted
- Nightstands and dressers wiped
- Mirrors cleaned
- Lamps and shelves dusted
- Under-bed area vacuumed where reachable
- Trash emptied
- Floors vacuumed or mopped
Living Areas
- Tables and shelves dusted
- Electronics dusted carefully
- Sofa cushions straightened
- Under cushions vacuumed
- Glass and mirrors cleaned
- Window sills wiped
- Light switches & door handles
- Baseboards spot-wiped
- Floors vacuumed and mopped
Hallways, entryways, and stairs get the same treatment - dusted, vacuumed, mopped. Want the printable version? Our full cleaning checklist lays out every task in order.
Being straight with you
What a standard clean does not cover.
Nobody likes finding this out on the day. These items are either add-ons, part of a deep clean, or work for a different kind of licensed pro.
Add it on
- Inside the oven
- Inside the fridge
- Inside kitchen cabinets
- Interior windows
- Laundry and folding
- Extra rooms or a finished basement
Deep clean territory
- Heavy soap scum and hard water
- Baked-on stove grease
- Behind and under heavy furniture
- Full baseboard and door frame detail
- Radiator dust build-up
- Post-renovation construction dust
Not our lane
- Mold remediation
- Pest treatment
- Biohazard or hoarding cleanup
- Carpet shampoo and steam
- Exterior windows above ground floor
- Moving heavy furniture or appliances
If you're not sure which bucket your place falls into, just tell us in the booking notes. We'd rather right-size the visit up front than have you recieve less than you expected. Compare the two side by side on the deep cleaning checklist.
Explore our services
Five services, one standard.
Hover an image to see the service, click to explore it. Tap once on mobile to preview, tap again to open.
Same checklist, different situations
Where the standard list shows up.
The tasks above don't change much from service to service. What changes is the depth, the frequency, and how empty the home is. Here's how it plays out.
Studios to classic sixes Built for tight NYC spaces
Most of NYC lives in one
Apartment Cleaning in NYC.
In an apartment, the standard list gets tighter and smarter. Counters do double duty as desks. The bathroom has no window. The kitchen is four feet wide and every inch of it gets used. Our teams work small spaces all day, so they know to start high and finish low, and to leave the floor for last so nothing lands on a clean surface.
Building rules matter too. We check in with doormen, use the service elevator when the building asks, and handle walk-ups without complaining about it. If your super needs a certificate of insurance on file, tell us at booking and we'll send it. More on our apartment cleaning service page.
01
Clear scope before your visit
02
Cleaning matched to your home
03
Doorman & walk-up friendly
04
Simple next steps
Same team when possible Trained on one checklist
The person, not just the task
Maid Service that shows up.
"Maid service" usually means the same standard clean, done by a person you get to know. Same face, same routine, same little preferences remembered - the spray you like for the counters, the shelf you don't want touched, the closet door that sticks.
Every Lily Maids cleaner is insured and background-checked, and every one of them works from the same checklist you just read. That's how a home in Carnegie Hill and a home in Ridgewood both end up looking right. Learn more about our maid service in New York City.
The ongoing version
Housekeeping Service, week after week.
Housekeeping is what happens when the standard clean stops being an event and becomes a habit. Nobody scrambles before the cleaner arrives. Nothing gets a chance to build up. Bathrooms never hit that grim stage, the kitchen floor never turns sticky, and the whole place just kind of stays where you left it.
Clients who book housekeeping often add small extras - laundry, linen changes, a fridge wipe-out once a month. We schedule the same cleaner where our calendar allows, which makes a real difference over time.
Houses too, not just apartments Brooklyn & Queens homes
Not only apartments
Residential Cleaning for real homes.
Plenty of New York is houses - row homes in Bay Ridge, semi-detached places in Marine Park, two-families in Woodside with a tenant upstairs. Residential cleaning for a house means more floor, more stairs, and usually more bathrooms, so the standard list takes longer and we price it by size.
Stairs get vacuumed on every visit. Entryways get extra attention because that's where the street comes inside. If you've got a mudroom or a laundry area off the kitchen, mention it when you book so we can plan the time right.
Standard, but slower Inside, behind, underneath
The bigger version
Deep Cleaning vs standard.
People mix these two up all the time, so here's the simple way to tell them apart. A standard clean handles what you see. A deep clean handles what you've been avoiding.
Deep cleaning adds the inside of the oven and fridge, cabinet interiors, full baseboards and door frames, light fixtures, vents, behind and underneath furniture we can safely move, and heavy scrubbing of tile and grout. It takes longer and it costs more, and it's the right call if nobody has cleaned properly in six months or more.
Allergy season is another reason people book one. Dust, dander and pollen collect in closed-up city apartments, and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America points to regular removal of those triggers as one of the more useful things you can do indoors. Full breakdown on what a deep cleaning includes.
No commitment Book once, that's it
Just this once
One Time Cleaning, no strings.
A one time cleaning is the exact same standard checklist, booked as a single visit. No plan, no contract, no "we'll see you in two weeks." People book these before parties, after guests leave, when a deadline at work eats a whole month, or when they simply want one Saturday back.
If it's been a while since the last proper clean, we may suggest starting with a deep clean and then keeping it going with standard visits. That's not an upsell, it's just how the math works - the first clean is always the heaviest. See one-time cleaning.
On the calendar
Recurring Cleaning plans.
Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Weekly suits families with kids and pets, or anyone working from home full time. Bi-weekly is the most popular by far - it's the sweet spot for couples and small households. Monthly works for a tidy person who just doesn't want to scrub a shower ever again.
Recurring visits are discounted, and the more often we come the lower the per-visit rate. Skip a week when you travel, no penalty, just give us notice per the rescheduling policy. Details on recurring cleaning plans.
Empty-home standard Cabinets, oven, fridge
Keys changing hands
Move in and Move out Cleaning.
Move cleaning is the standard checklist plus everything that's normally hidden by your stuff. Empty closets, empty cabinets, inside the oven, inside the fridge, window sills, and the corners that furniture has been sitting on for three years.
James R. on the Upper East Side booked one when he left his studio and got his full deposit back. We can't promise a landlord's decision, but we can promise the apartment gets cleaned to the list. Empty the place first if you can - it makes an enormous difference. See move-out cleaning, move-in cleaning, or grab the move-out checklist. Code MOVE30 saves $30.
The results
The same list, borough by borough.
From a walk-up in Alphabet City to a two-family in Woodside - this is the standard clean in the wild.
Client reviews · Part 2 of 3
Nine homes, one checklist.
Thanksgiving, recovery, renovations, honeymoons - the standard clean shows up for all of it. Read all reviews >
★★★★★
"We were hosting 20 people for Thanksgiving and our apartment was a disaster. The team we hired did a standard cleaning that was anything but standard; they organized our chaotic living room and made the kitchen gleam. Our guests complimented us on how beautiful the place looked, and the stress completely melted away."
★★★★★
"We had an engagement party for my sister at our loft and needed the place to shine. I booked the standard cleaning package, and they were incredible, focusing on high-traffic areas and the bathroom. The result was a beautiful, spotless space that impressed all our guests."
★★★★★
"My elderly mother has mobility issues and can't keep up with her apartment anymore. Arranging a standard cleaning for her was a huge relief; the staff were so respectful and gentle with her belongings. Her home now feels fresh and safe again, and she no longer feels overwhelmed by the chores."
★★★★★
"I fell behind on cleaning after a grueling few weeks at work. I just needed a clean space to focus on my WFH calls and clear my head. The standard cleaning service we got completely transformed my messy workspace and the rest of the apartment, bringing a sense of calm I desperately needed."
★★★★★
"My brother just got out of the hospital and we wanted his apartment to be clean and sanitized for his recovery. We used their standard cleaning, and it was a godsend. They removed all the dust and clutter, making his home a comforting and hygienic place to rest and heal."
★★★★★
"We had a post-renovation dust nightmare. The contractors had left, but a fine layer of dust was everywhere. We booked the standard cleaning, and their team did an incredible job wiping down every surface, leaving our new home finally feeling livable and dust-free."
★★★★★
"Returning from a 3-week honeymoon to a messy apartment was a major buzzkill. I scheduled a standard cleaning for the day after we landed, and it was magical. We walked into a home that smelled fresh and was absolutely pristine, letting us re-live our vacation bliss without any stress."
★★★★★
"As a new mom juggling a career and a baby, keeping the house clean was impossible. The standard cleaning service we booked was a true godsend. They had our place shining in hours, and for the first time in months, I could enjoy a clean home without sacrificing my time with my child."
★★★★★
"I was preparing for a real estate showing to sell my condo. The standard cleaning crew was incredibly thorough, focusing on the kitchen and bathroom to ensure they looked their best. They helped me present a show-ready home, and we had offers immediately, all thanks to their amazing work."
Guests landing tonight? Call, don't just book online
When today is the only option
Same Day Cleaning Service in NYC.
Sometimes the standard clean needs to happen in four hours, not four days. Same day cleaning is possible more often than people expect, but it depends entirely on that morning's schedule and where you are in the city. Manhattan and western Queens tend to be easiest to squeeze in.
Call (646) 825-3550 instead of only booking online - a human can check the dispatch board faster than a form can. The scope is identical to any other standard visit; the only thing different is the clock. More on same-day cleaning.
Guest-ready turnovers Linens · resets · restock
For hosts and landlords
AirBnB Cleaning Service turnovers.
Short-term rental cleaning is the standard checklist run to a hotel finish, on a deadline, between one checkout and the next check-in. Fresh linens, towels folded properly, trash out, dishes done, and a quick check that nothing's been left behind under the bed.
Hosts usually keep a supply closet on site and we restock from it. If you manage several units, we can coordinate the turnovers together. See short-term rental cleaning, turnover cleaning, or the rental cleaning checklist. If you're renting out a unit in NYC, its worth reading the city's own rules first - the NYC Office of Special Enforcement covers short-term rental registration.
Optional extras
Add-ons you can tack on.
Each one adds time and a small flat fee, and you pick them at checkout so the price is settled before we ring the bell.
Kitchen extras
- Inside the oven
- Inside the fridge
- Inside cabinets
- Range hood degrease
Around the home
- Interior windows
- Blinds detailed
- Baseboards hand-wiped
- Balcony or patio sweep
Time savers
- Laundry wash and fold
- Bed linens changed
- Dishes washed
- Light organizing
On request
- Green product swap
- Pet-friendly products
- High-touch sanitizing
- Extra room or office
Got kids or pets and want gentler products? Just say so in the notes. We use the green line at no extra charge, and it's a common request in family homes across Park Slope and Ditmas Park.
Pricing
What a standard clean costs.
Your price depends on home size, bathroom count, cleaning type, condition, and add-ons. You see the full flat rate before you confirm - never after. See full pricing >
$150
Standard cleanings start at, for a small NYC apartment
2-4h
Typical time on site for a standard visit
5%
Off every visit with a flexible arrival window - code FLEXIBLE
60s
To get an instant online quote
Recurring plans cost less per visit than a one-off, and weekly costs less than monthly - simply because there's less to do each time. Nothing gets added to your bill at the door. If a home is in much worse shape than described, we call you first and you decide.
Step inside
Pre-war, walk-up, or loft - we've cleaned it.
Hover, or tap, to step inside the kinds of jobs we handle across the boroughs.
On the day
How a standard visit actually runs.
You get a text before we head over. We arrive with all supplies and equipment - you don't need to leave anything out unless you want a specific product used. Most people aren't home, and that's completely normal.
Before we arrive
- Add access notes when booking
- Doorman, lockbox, or code all work
- Clear counters if you can
- Secure pets that get nervous
- Flag anything fragile
While we work
- Kitchen and bathrooms first
- Top to bottom in each room
- Floors are always last
- Trash out on the way
- Windows opened when weather allows
After we leave
- Door locked, keys returned as agreed
- Floors dry in about 20 minutes
- Payment runs on the card on file
- Tell us within 24 hours if something's off
- We come back and re-clean it
Trash rules vary by building and by block, so we follow whatever your building does. If you're curious about set-out times in your neighborhood, NYC Sanitation publishes the current schedule.
Standard cleaning, all over the city.
Same checklist in every borough. Start with yours.
Questions and answers
Standard cleaning, answered.
These are the questions we get on the phone every week about what's in a standard visit. Every answer is open by default - nothing hidden behind a click. More on the full FAQ page.
What is included in a standard cleaning service in New York City? 01
Kitchen (counters, stovetop, sink, appliance exteriors, microwave inside, cabinet fronts), bathrooms (tub, shower, tile, toilet, vanity, mirrors), bedrooms (beds made, surfaces dusted, mirrors), and living areas (dusting, glass, sills, switches). Then vacuuming and mopping through the whole place plus trash removal. Full task list on our cleaning checklist.
How long does a standard cleaning take? 02
Usually two to four hours for a New York City apartment, with a bigger team finishing faster. A studio can be done in under two. A three-bedroom house with two and a half baths can run five or more. First visits almost always take longer than repeat visits, because there's more to catch up on.
Do you bring cleaning supplies and a vacuum? 03
Yes, everything. Products, cloths, mop, vacuum. You don't need to buy or stock a thing. If you prefer green or pet-safe products, ask in your booking notes and we'll use them. And if you swear by one specific product for your countertops, leave it out with a note and the team will use yours instead.
Do I need to be home during the cleaning? 04
No. Most clients are at work. Doorman handoff, lockbox, or a smart-lock code all work fine - just leave access instructions when you book. We coordinate with front desks and follow building rules on service elevators. See preparing for your cleaning for a quick rundown.
Do I need to clean up before the cleaners come? 05
You don't need to clean, but clearing surfaces helps a lot. Dishes in the sink, papers on the dining table, and clothes on the floor all eat time we'd rather spend scrubbing. Five minutes of tidying often means a noticeably better result, especially in a smaller apartment.
Should my first cleaning be a deep clean instead? 06
If it's been more than about three months since a real clean, yes, we usually suggest starting with a deep cleaning and then holding it with standard visits. If you clean regularly yourself and just want the work taken off your plate, a standard visit is plenty. Tell us the honest condition at booking and we'll advise straight.
What if something gets missed? 07
Let us know within 24 hours and we come back and re-clean those areas at no charge. That applies to every visit in every borough. Read the full satisfaction guarantee, or call (646) 825-3550 and we'll sort it out.
Client reviews · Part 3 of 3
Rated 5.0 by New Yorkers.
A few more standard cleaning visits, in the clients' own words. Read all reviews >
Recent reviews
Lisa K.
Brooklyn Heights · Brooklyn
Verified client
"We were hosting a massive kids' birthday party at our place and needed the place to be spotless before the chaos began. We booked a standard cleaning, and they worked like magic to get everything from the floors to the toys organized. We were able to welcome our guests into a clean, safe, and happy space."
Standard Cleaning · Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Daniel P.
Murray Hill · Manhattan
Verified client
"My boyfriend was moving in, and I wanted our new shared space to feel fresh and clean. I hired them for a standard cleaning, and they scrubbed years of dust from corners I didn't even know existed. It was the perfect way to start our new chapter, in a home that felt brand new."
Standard Cleaning · Murray Hill, Manhattan Steven J.
Bayside · Queens
Verified client
"My father is moving into assisted living, and we needed to clear out and clean his house before family arrived to help him settle. The standard cleaning team did a thorough job clearing out dust and cobwebs, making the transition less stressful and the space welcoming for our relatives."
Standard Cleaning · Bayside, QueensNo reviews match that search.
Find us in NYC
Downtown roots, citywide reach.
Based at 101 Wall Street in the Financial District, serving neighborhoods across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Questions about your standard clean? Contact us any time, or start on the Lily Maids home page.
Your next reset
Now you know. Book it.
Pick your date, pick your add-ons, and get the full standard checklist done in one visit. New client? Use code NEW10.
Lily Maids House Cleaning Service
101 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005
support@lilymaidhousecleaningservices.com
Serving Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens
Get directions >Book Now