How much will it cost to professionally clean my home?

Many of us do not look forward to devoting our ‘off-time’ to clean our homes, spending hours polishing and dusting surfaces, mopping and vacuuming floors, we would much rather be off having fun or relaxing so having a cleaner able to free us from this load is invaluable. Aside from the time-saver, there is a health benefit too as a dedicated regular cleaning time is more likely to keep dust /pet allergies at bay. Helping streamline the process of finding the right cleaner, HaMuch has documented information including questions to ask to ease your search with finding the right cleaner for your home.

Managing money and getting off on the right foot with your cleaner

As with any safe and sensible practice of hiring a tradesperson to work in your home, always call around to chat with more than one company to see what services they offer and how their prices compare to their peers. The cleaning company does not need to come to your home to quote, instead they will be able to discuss with you over the phone or by email based on the size of your home and what services you require from them. Never accept a verbal quote as this opens you up to miscommunication so always insist that they either post or email you the quote for you to read over before accepting. The majority of cleaning companies are VAT registered, so check with them if VAT still needs to be added on top of the figure quoted. Ask how and when payment is expected and if there is a discount for signing up to a regular cycle of cleaning. Once-off cleans are usually more costly. Depending on the frequency of the cleaning service you choose the discount gets more favourable with the more regular the clean is, e.g a fortnightly clean agreement, each cleaning day will normally be cheaper than if you were having the service only monthly.

Professional cleaners often offer set services, e.g. dusting, polishing, hoovering, cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the kitchen including washing the morning breakfast dishes, making all of the beds… but if you have specific services in mind that you would like to add to the services, ask about their bespoke services, e.g including washing inside windows or hosing down the patio and garden furniture in summer. When receiving a quote, check to see which cleaning materials you are required to provide (such as a vacuum cleaner or a mop) and what cleaning materials they will be bringing to the job. If they normally arrive with their own bottles of cleaning chemicals, you can check which brand they use and if you prefer a different brand, ask if you could rather provide all of the cleaning chemicals and see if this would reduce the overall cost (they might use harsh chemicals where you prefer eco-friendly chemicals like Ecover or Method). They will arrive in a car or van and need to park near your home for the hours that they are cleaning, arrange a permit for them if necessary and give clear instructions on how they can park safely without receiving any parking fines from your council.

Before choosing the cleaner, ask for references from previous clients and Google to see what reviews are left on the internet about the company. As this is someone who will be in your home for hours at set intervals do ask the company if the cleaners have been thoroughly checked. If it is a company, find out if the cleaner is an employee of theirs or if they then contract it out as it might be cheaper to just cut out the middleman and go directly to the cleaner. Be sure to check how long the cleaning company has been doing this line of work and whether they are affiliated to any organisation for more peace of mind, e.g., British Cleaners Association (BCA) or Federation of Master Cleaners.

HaMuch has referred to using a cleaning company (this could be a one-man-van or a crew of cleaners) rather than finding someone that lives in your area and paying them cash. This is because you want to feel safe with whom you have in your home and know that there are assurances for any items that are damaged or go missing as well as wanting a uniform quality of service that you are guaranteed on every visit to your home with a cleaning schedule that suits your needs and best serves your home without you ever being let-down at the last minute with a non-arrival of the cleaner or poor cleaning standards. Choosing a professional means, they are equipped with skills and knowledge on how to clean your property.

Defining the quality and detail of the job

On the day the cleaner is due, this may sound obvious but DO NOT clean before they due to arrive. Being houseproud it may feel strange opening the door to someone knowing that beds are unmade or that your hallway needs a sweep / hoover but for the cleaner to have knowledge of what will be expected on-going and what the norm is, it is best that from day 1, the job is correctly defined. Also, this will avoid you feeling resentment at paying for a cleaner after cleaning yourself!

Aside from having chosen a service based on a set service offered or creating your own bespoke service, before the cleaner starts you do need to agree on their terms and conditions. What will happen if you are not satisfied with a quality of cleaning after one of their days in your home? Will they come back to do a touch-up or rectify the room you felt was not properly cleaned? Will they offer you a discount on the following cleaning day?

What is their cancellation policy? Unfortunately, life is not always smooth sailing, and any unforeseen chaos might result in you having to cancel on the day they due or the day before. What is a suitable notice period, would they charge you and would you allow the cleaner in your home if you cannot be there too?

Some cleaning services might require a specialised cleaner rather than have a regular cleaner add into their workday. Oven cleaning and outside glass windows are more infrequent a clean than a general inside house clean. Check if your new regular cleaner offers these bespoke services otherwise they might be able to refer you to a specialised cleaner. Same with carpet cleaning, curtain cleaning and steam cleaning furniture, this will not always be a service offered by the cleaning company used for general cleaning.

Rough guide for how much basic wall, floor and bathroom tiling in your home costs;