Cleaning checklist template

A cleaning checklist makes sure every clean covers the same ground, whoever does it. Print the room-by-room list below and adjust it to the jobs you take on.

What the checklist is for

It sets a standard. New staff know what is expected, regular staff do not skip the same corners, and the client can see what was included. If a client complains, a ticked and signed checklist with photos shows what was done and when.

What each section should contain

• Job details: client, address, date, the cleaners on the job, and the type of clean, such as regular, deep or end of tenancy.
• Rooms: the tasks for each room, as tick boxes.
• Extras: anything booked on top, such as oven cleaning, inside windows or carpets.
• Issues found: damage, stains that would not lift, or anything the client should know about.
• Sign-off: the team leader and, where possible, the client.

How to fill it in well

Clean top to bottom and from the back of the room to the door, ticking each item as you finish it rather than all at once at the end. Write down stains or damage that were there before you started, and photograph them, so you are not blamed later.

Take a before and after photo of the areas clients care about most, usually the kitchen, bathroom and floors. For end of tenancy cleans, the after photos often end up in the landlord's move-out inspection.

Adapting it to your business

Start from the list below, then cross out anything you never do and add your own tasks. A regular domestic clean, an office clean and an end of tenancy clean each need a different list. Keep one version per service and print the right one for each job, so the cleaner is not working out what applies on site.

Mistakes to avoid

• A list so long that nobody reads it. Keep regular cleans to the tasks you really do.
• Ticking items that were not done because the client was not home to check.
• Promising a stain will come out before you have tried.
• No space to record problems, so they are never passed on.

Questions