Part-Time Cleaning Checklist: What a Typical Session Covers

A typical part-time cleaning session covers four zones: living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms and the kitchen. That means floors vacuumed and mopped, surfaces dusted and wiped, bathrooms washed and sanitised, kitchen counters and appliance exteriors cleaned, and rubbish cleared. Extras like ironing or balcony cleaning can be added if you ask, but they take extra time.

This checklist matches the actual scope of a Cleaning Assistant session, so you know exactly what to expect, what to ask for and what to plan separately. Feel free to print it or keep it on your phone to brief your cleaner.

Living and dining areas

• Vacuum floors, including under the coffee table and along skirting
• Mop hard floors (tile, vinyl, marble or timber, with the right method for each)
• Dust shelves, TV console, side tables and accessible ledges
• Wipe dining table, chairs and other hard surfaces
• Wipe the exterior of the aircon unit
• Empty bins and clear rubbish

Tip: if you have a rug, have a vacuum with a suitable head ready. Rugs in Singapore homes hold dust and, in humid weeks, a faint musty smell.

Bedrooms

• Wipe bedside tables, dressers and desk surfaces
• Vacuum and mop floors
• General tidying of surfaces
• Make the bed (leave fresh linen out if you want it changed)
• Clean window interiors, frames and sills

Tip: sills and window tracks in HDB flats collect a surprising amount of black dust from traffic and construction. They are included, and they are worth checking after the first session.

Bathrooms

• Wash and sanitise the toilet bowl, seat and base
• Clean the sink, taps and counter
• Clean the bathtub or shower area
• Clean shower glass and mirrors
• Scrub floor stains
• Replace bin liners

Tip: bathrooms are where humidity shows first. Grout lines and silicone around the shower are where mould appears in black or pink spots. A regular session keeps light build-up away; established mould takes a deeper clean. For the spots that get overlooked, see toilet cleaning: the spots people miss.

Kitchen

• Sanitise countertops and accessible surfaces
• Wipe the exterior of the oven, stove and fridge
• Clean the splashback wall
• Sweep and mop floors

Tip: if you wok-fry often, the hob and splashback are the slowest part of the kitchen. Inside the oven, inside the fridge and degreasing the cooker hood filters are deep-cleaning jobs. Our kitchen deep cleaning guide explains what that involves.

Extras you can request

These are available, but each one adds to the session length. Let us know when booking so we can plan the time.

Time impacts are rough estimates. A balcony that faces a busy road will take longer than one that is sheltered.

What needs extra time even within the standard scope

Some tasks are in scope but take much longer when there is build-up. Mention these when you book:

• First sessions. The first visit usually clears weeks or months of dust, so expect it to run longer than later ones.
• Heavy kitchen grease. Sticky splashbacks and hob surrounds need repeat passes.
• Limescale on glass and taps. Hard-water marks on shower screens take time to lift.
• Pet fur. Sofas, rugs and under-bed areas need extra vacuuming.
• Cluttered surfaces. If items need moving before wiping, the cleaner spends paid time sorting rather than cleaning.

If you want estimates for your home, our guide on how many hours of cleaning your home needs breaks this down by flat type.

What a regular session does not include

To avoid surprises, these are outside the scope of a part-time clean:

• Internal aircon servicing or chemical washes. We wipe the exterior only. Servicing needs a licensed aircon technician.
• Pest control. For pests, contact a licensed pest control company.
• High-rise exterior windows that are not safely reachable. We clean interiors and exteriors that can be reached safely.
• Deep cleaning tasks like the inside of the oven or behind heavy appliances, which are better booked as a deep clean.

You provide the supplies

Our cleaners do not bring products or equipment. You keep your own supplies at home, which means no mark-ups and full control over what is used around children and pets. A basic kit is a vacuum, mop and bucket, microfibre cloths, a toilet brush, a multi-purpose cleaner, a bathroom cleaner, a glass cleaner, a floor cleaner suitable for your floor type, and rubber gloves. The complete list is in what cleaning supplies to prepare for your cleaner.

How to use this checklist

1. Before the first session, tick the areas you want covered and circle your top priorities.
2. Note any extras and tell us when booking.
3. Walk through it with your cleaner on day one. Point out problem spots, like a sill that collects dust or a shower that gets limescale.
4. Review after a few sessions. Adjust priorities as the home settles into a routine.

If you are new to regular help, how to prepare your home before the cleaner arrives covers the small steps that make each session more productive. And for how recurring plans work, visit our part-time cleaning page.

Frequently asked questions

Does a part-time cleaner clean inside the fridge and oven?

Not as part of a standard session. Regular cleaning covers the exterior of the oven, stove and fridge. Cleaning inside these appliances is part of a deep clean and should be requested separately.

Will the cleaner change my bedsheets?

Bed-making is included. If you want the sheets changed, leave fresh linen out and let your cleaner know at the start of the session.

Can I ask the cleaner to focus on certain rooms only?

Yes. If time is limited, tell your cleaner which rooms matter most. Many households rotate priorities, for example kitchen and bathrooms one week and bedrooms the next.

Is window cleaning included?

Window interiors, frames and sills are included in bedrooms. Exterior windows are cleaned only where they can be reached safely, and dedicated window cleaning can be booked as a separate service.

Ready to hand over the checklist? Book a session online, or WhatsApp +65 8166 0891 and tell us which rooms you want prioritised.