This is what I do to clean my pistol:
Unload and clear. Disassemble fully. I like to start with the lower receiver (grip half) and work my way up. I dip my AP (all purpose) brush (could be tooth brush) in solvent or just use something like Remoil or Gunzilla. I scrub it down, try and get every little angle under/behind everything. You will know when you are done because your hand will be tired or pieces start flying off.... no, JUST KIDDING, dont scrub that hard. Do a quick wipe with a rag to get excess oil or solvent off. Set this aside and move on to guide rod and spring. These shouldnt take much scrubbing at all, sometimes just a quick wipe with the rag will do. Then I take the barrel and scrub the outside of it rather well, just enough to get the carbon off. You really dont want to scrub off the finish. Take care of the feed ramp, this should be chrome and should just wipe off, but on occasion it may take some TLC. Next, I lube up the space between the bushes on my bore snake and run it down the barrel a few times. This is really, REALLY important: NOTHING GOES DOWN THE BARREL BACKWARDS! Why? Accuracy, being a sniper in the Marine Corps, this is huge and I apply it to ever gun I touch. DO NOT FLOSS YOUR BARREL or run your rod or snake down the wrong way. Going from the chamber to muzzle will get it clean, trust me. Set the barrel aside with the other parts and move on to the slide. Again, using the AP brush, just scrub the whole thing, every angle and way you can. Wipe it and set it aside. Now, some people might call this good, lube it and reassemble. But no, I dont and either should you. Take the lower receiver in one hand and a Q-tip in the other. Guess what, now comes the daunting task. Q-tip EVERYTHING until the cotton comes out clean and dry. This should take a while. Dont bother Q-tipping the spring and guide rod, just wipe them down with the rag. Q-tip the barrel on the outside only, you are done with the chamber, maybe touch up the feed ramp though. Only stick a Q-tip into the chamber if you see a piece of junk in there and only do it in circular motions going around the chamber to get it. Q-tip the crap out of the slide as well. Lube using your favorite lube. I use the finger method: put a few drops on my index finger and rub thusly. Place a few drops on the shinny spots for good measure and on the springs. Reassemble. Work the action a few times to disperse the lube around where its needed. Wipe down the outside some and work it again. Repeat this a few times until you dont see lube on the outside anymore. There should be a thin (depends on lube) film on the outside of the chamber. Your semi-auto handgun is now cleaned and lubed.
This is how I clean all my guns, one of my guns gets this treatment almost everyday. Its my EDC that I shoot almost everyday. It only takes me about 30mins to complete.
Hope it helps!