09/26/2026
Deep cleans in empty homes are a lot of work. They’re hard on the body, take considerably more product, and you’re literally touching every square inch of that home if you’re doing it properly. Kitchens are the worst due to the grease build up. I don’t do empties or deep cleans very often. It takes time for my body to recover from those. Usually no more than 2 a month. That being said, you’d think I don’t enjoy them, but I DO! I moved around a lot when I was younger and I remember the stress of moving out of one place, trying to get it perfectly clean to get my deposit back, only to get to the new place to realize it wasn’t actually clean, and having to clean the new place before I could put anything away. When I go in to an empty place, I clean it like I’d want it to be when I moved in. I want the next person to walk in and go “Wow, I can actually start living here!” Moving is hard. I want them to feel a sense of relief when they get to their new home. I take a lot of pride in making that move easier, even for a stranger. Cleaning is 80/20. 80% you don’t see, 20% you do. This is what makes people who don’t clean think “It shouldn’t take long” What they don’t see is the dust in the bathroom exhaust fans, they don’t think of removing the heat registers, vacuuming them out, cleaning both sides of the registers, they don’t see all the caked on grease under the vent hood on the stove. They don’t see underneath or behind appliances. Some people are blind to the dirty hand prints all over every single door in the house or the scuff marks from kicking a door closed when your hands are full. Most people don’t think twice about cleaning windows. While generally window cleaning isn’t within my scope of expertise, (hello, that’s why we have window washing businesses) I will do everything possible to have them shining as clear as I can get them. In hard water country, windows can be extremely difficult. People run their sprinklers on their lawn, that hard water hits the windows, and before you know it, they have that tell tale white haze. I can generally remove that haze, but it’s an expensive product and a little time consuming as it’s all buffing by hand. No nifty little gadget to make the process easier or faster. I take a lot of pride in the fact that I’ve been able to restore things that clients were sure were ruined, a hopeless cause and needed replaced. An hour of my time costs less than a new toilet, less than a new bathtub, and even less than a new window. Seeing people smile and even hearing their squeals of delight at what I was able to do, makes me feel good.
My oldest son Mat has been a trooper with me the last year, learning all the ropes, tips, tricks, and products to assist me with the deep cleans and move out cleans. He was a trooper with me today on an empty house going on the market soon. There was so much moss caked in the window tracks, I don’t even know how they drained and didn’t start to cause mold. Before the window washing could even start, he had to go around to every window with goo be gone and a razor blade to remove the new window sticker residue that had never been removed. (These weren’t new windows BTW) He got to try out my new battery operated “pressure” washer. Doesn’t require a hose, you just dunk a tube with a filter on one end into a bucket of water and it pulls from the bucket. Great for rinsing shower walls too, for those deplorable people who don’t own hand held shower heads 😂 Just a little cleaning lady humor, if you don’t have a hand held, we are judging you Sandra!
I had ordered a gallon of commercial grade, concentrated enzyme cleaner for an elderly clients bathroom. When folks get older, bathroom things happen. My black light proves it. Yes Susan, I’m checking my own work with a black light in your bathroom! I have to find all the places the smell might be coming from, I want to make sure I’m doing the best job I can! Anyway, I have been unable to get the smell out despite cleaning every square inch. Well, thank the good Lord I ordered that because I needed it today! This was a first for me….A skunk 🦨 had been living under this home. Heavens to Betsy, the smell y’all!! That enzyme cleaner went on every surface I could get to, where the smell could be getting inside from. Around the dryer vent, down the heat ducts, around the furnace. It came in handy for some cat p*e areas and cat barf as well. I was going to leave a mixed bottle for them to use under the house after the skunk is trapped but in a mad dash to load my car with extra equipment today, I accidentally left the new spray bottle sitting at home. In the spot I left it so I wouldn’t forget it. 😂 I may drop it off next week, not just to help out, but because I want to know how well the enzyme spray does over time. When we left there tonight, the place smelled amazing and I’m really hoping it stays that way.
This place wasn’t bad by any stretch compared some of the things I’ve walked into. It’s when you really get in there, you start finding and feeling the things you don’t see in that 20%. For example, every time I bumped a baseboard with my broom or vacuum, kitty litter would pop out from under the baseboard and roll all over the hard floor. I went over so many spots a half dozen times because “boop” out comes some more kitty litter. All in all, I think we made the home look and smell like it had been well cared for which we all know when buying a place, is a selling point. If you walk in and can see in that 20% or smell something that might come off as neglectful, you’ll wonder what of that 80% you can’t see has also been neglected.
Please don’t ever ask me for a “wipe down” or a “broom sweep” because I don’t even know what that is. 😂 If I’m putting my name on something, I’m going in and completing my full checklist. Top to bottom, left to right. I’m really happy with how this one turned out. I’m extremely grateful for my son for partnering with me this last year. We have a big 2 day, lived in deep clean coming up next week that is going to blow you away! He was looking at the black dirt smears on the walls, around the switch covers and said he couldn’t wait to hit them with the ZEP foaming wall cleaner to see them look new again. 😂 He’s already knowing what products to use and he’s starting to get excited about the dramatic before and afters like his Mama! This next one coming up is going to be one for the books! Can’t wait to make another busy, stressed Mama happy to come home! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 I sure hope all the work we did today makes someone just as happy too. 🥰
