Our Cleaning Process
Our Commitment to Process
Most cleaning companies tell you they’re thorough. We’d rather show you exactly what “thorough” means to us — in writing, before you ever book.
This page is our published quality standard. It sets out the 60-point checklist, the service workflow, and the industry practices we commit to on every residential and commercial visit going forward. We publish it for one simple reason: a standard you can read is a standard you can hold us to. If something on this page isn’t reflected in the work, we want to hear about it, and we’ll make it right.
Cleaning Laboratory is a New York City housekeeping and cleaning service led by founder Oksana Korposh. Our approach is built around consistency — the same documented process on the first visit and the fiftieth, whichever cleaner is assigned. This standard is aligned with the practices of the ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, of which we are a member.
The 60-Point Quality Checklist
General Areas & Entry
- Entryway floors swept and mopped or vacuumed;
- baseboards wiped;
- light switches and door handles disinfected;
- interior doors and frames spot-cleaned; reachable light fixtures dusted;
- ceiling corners checked for cobwebs;
- window sills wiped;
- mirrors and glass surfaces cleaned;
- hard floors vacuumed and mopped;
- carpets and rugs vacuumed;
- stairs and railings wiped;
- skirting and trim dusted;
- visible surfaces and shelves dusted top-to-bottom;
- trash emptied and liners replaced;
- final walk of the space for missed spots.
Kitchen
- Countertops cleared and disinfected;
- backsplash wiped;
- sink and faucet cleaned;
- stovetop and controls degreased;
- range hood and filter surface wiped;
- microwave cleaned inside and out;
- exterior of oven, dishwasher and refrigerator wiped;
- cabinet fronts and handles cleaned;
- small-appliance exteriors wiped;
- floor swept and mopped;
- trash and recycling emptied;
- cobwebs removed;
- final surface check.
Bedrooms & Living Areas
- Surfaces and furniture dusted;
- reachable ledges and shelves cleaned;
- mirrors and glass cleaned;
- light switches and handles wiped;
- under accessible furniture vacuumed where reachable;
- floors vacuumed and mopped;
- bed made or linens changed on request;
- cobwebs removed;
- final tidy and check.
Laundry & Utility
- Washer and dryer exteriors wiped;
- utility sink cleaned;
- accessible surfaces and shelving dusted;
- floor swept and mopped;
- cobwebs removed;
- trash emptied.
Bathroom
- Toilet cleaned and disinfected inside and out, including base and behind;
- shower and tub scrubbed;
- glass and tile descaled;
- sink and vanity cleaned;
- faucet and fixtures polished;
- mirror cleaned;
- countertop cleaned;
- cabinet fronts wiped;
- loor cleaned;
- cobwebs removed;
- trash emptied and liner replaced.
Final Quality Walk
- Every room re-entered for a closing pass;
- high-touch points re-checked;
- floors reviewed for streaks or missed areas;
- supplies and equipment moved to supply storage;
- any client-flagged priority areas confirmed;
- windows and doors left as found;
- lights and locks handled per client instructions;
- a short summary noted for the client.
What Our Happy Customers Say
The 13-Step Service Workflow
Behind the checklist is a workflow that governs how a job moves from your first message to the day after we’ve cleaned:
- Inquiry received — by phone, form, or message.
- Customer Care assessment — we clarify scope, space, and priorities.
- Quote and scheduling — a clear estimate and a next-available appointment.
- Confirmation — details, access, and any special requests confirmed in writing.
- Team assignment — a cleaner matched to the job.
- Access and building coordination — including certificate of insurance for buildings that require one.
- Pre-clean walk — the cleaner reviews the space and your priorities.
- Cleaning to the 60-point standard — zone by zone.
- Eco-conscious product use — per the product list below.
- Final quality walk — the closing 8-point pass.
- Client walkthrough or check-in — on-site or by message.
- Wrap-up — supplies removed, space left as instructed.
- 24-hour follow-up — a satisfaction check the day after; if anything’s off, we coordinate a correction.
Our Quality-Control Documentation
We maintain internal quality-control formats for our main service types — basic cleaning, first-time cleaning, and deep cleaning — so the standard adapts to the job without losing consistency. If you’d like to walk through the relevant checklist for your service before booking, just ask and our Customer Care team will go through it with you.
Industry Standards We Align With
We keep our practices in line with recognized industry references rather than inventing our own:
- ISSA membership — we are a member of the ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association (membership ID 665333).
- OSHA PPE protocol — our team follows personal protective equipment practices consistent with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132–138.
- HEPA filtration — where HEPA-filtered equipment is used, it captures 99.97% of particles at 0.3 microns.
- Eco-conscious product chemistry — we work with transparent, widely trusted product lines including Seventh Generation, Bon Ami, Method, Aunt Fannie’s, and Branch Basics. We’re glad to accommodate fragrance-free or specific-product requests.
How to Verify Our Standard
A published standard only means something if you can check it. Here’s how:
- Ask for a walk-through before booking. We’ll go through the checklist for your service and confirm your priority areas.
- Flag priorities up front. Anything you tell Customer Care becomes a checkpoint on the final quality walk.
- Use the 24-hour follow-up. After every visit we check in. If any point on this standard was missed, tell us and we’ll coordinate a correction.
That accountability is the whole point of publishing this. We’d rather be measured against a standard we’ve written down than ask you to take “thorough” on faith.