How Much is it to Clean the Average House?

Per Room Rate

This pricing method is reached by averaging the costs of cleaning each room in a house. For example, if the cost to clean a large room is priced at $40 and a bathroom is priced at $20, the company is likely to charge $30 per room. With that said, this pricing method varies significantly from company to company and can be anywhere between $20 – $100 per room. 

As you may have already calculated, this pricing option adds up to a higher fee as compared to hourly rates; however, a per room rate is definitely feasible when you have specific cleaning needs to be met. For example, if you just want to have your bedroom(s) cleaned by a professional, you can opt for the pay-per-room rate. 

Flat Rate

This is the most desired pricing method among homeowners which eliminates the uncertainties that come with hourly rates. Here, the cleaning company will charge you a fixed amount for the specified cleaning services booked. These rates will differ according to the type of cleaning service chosen such as deep cleaning, regular cleaning, spring cleaning, one-time services for move-in/move-out cleaning, etc.

While some house cleaning companies may charge as little as $65 to clean a 1-bedroom home, established agencies that offer quality cleaning services will charge a flat fee of at least $100, right up to $200. Although (on most occasions) this may cost more than paying by the hour, customers don‘t have to worry about paying a cent over the total cost which gives them some peace of mind!

Square Foot Rate

Because houses and apartments come in various designs and sizes, paying per square foot can be more feasible than both, a flat fee and per room rate. If the average square foot rate falls between $0.05 – $0.15, a 2-bedroom home that is 1000 sq ft (or lesser) could cost as low as $50. The total cost for cleaning a 2-bedroom home at an hourly rate, on the other hand, will cost you approximately $60.

We should point out that the approximate rates mentioned above are intended for standard cleaning services whereas deep cleaning or move-in/move-cleaning services will have a higher fixed rate.

Apart from this, many cleaning companies will come into your home to assess the condition of the house before confirming a square foot pricing rate. If they find that the house hasn’t been cleaned for a long time, or has too much clutter, they are likely to charge you considerably more.

What is included in a basic general clean?

A general clean is a standard service that professional cleaning companies provide. It's not a deep clean nor is it a spring clean. It can be best described as a once over or maintenance cleaning job.

General cleans usually include the following tasks.

Bathroom

• Dust cabinet doors
• Cleaning vanities and countertops
• Vacuuming area rugs

Kitchen

• Stovetop
• Clean microwave
• Wipe down large kitchen appliances
• Run & fill dishwasher

Living Room

• Dust furniture and decorations
• Vacuuming couch & chairs
• Making beds

All Areas

• Dusting
• Emptying rubbish bins
• Vacuuming carpets
• Mopping floors
• Cleaning mirrors

What services aren't included by most house cleaners?

Generally, the following services are not offered as part of a standard, deep, or end-of-lease cleaning service by most cleaning companies in Sydney.

• Cleaning chandeliers and other fragile breakable fixtures.
• Regrouting of tiles.
• Gutter or roof cleaning.
• Lawn mowing.
• Painting.
• Fixing or updating damaged house fixtures.
• Professional carpet cleaning, mattress, upholstery or suede couch cleaning.

If you were looking to include the above services in your house cleaning quotation, be sure to ask the company in advance. These services are generally carried out by companies that specialise in handyman or painting services.

What makes house cleaning services so expensive?

Contrary to popular belief, it costs quite a bit of money to run a cleaning business. This is going to be reflected in the cleaning prices. One must consider the cost of chemicals, cleaning equipment, the large size of a house, factor in marketing, software, insurance, re-clean warranties and other miscellaneous costs, it's no surprise that most reputable cleaning services charge more than you'd expect for basic cleaning.

Booking with an agency will on average cost more than if you were to book through a cleaner you've hired on Gumtree or Airtasker.

Types of Cleaning Services & How Add-On Services Effect Pricing

As we have already mentioned, the price range of cleaning services differs from company to company, as well as with the types of cleaning services you require.

Standard home cleaning is priced lower than move-out cleaning services, while deep cleaning sits somewhere in the middle. Whilst most cleaning companies charge a flat rate for most larger services, all prices are specific to the level of expertise, labour hours required and the equipment necessary to complete the work.

For instance, tile and grout, carpet cleaning pressure washing and construction cleaning require specific, and often heavy-duty equipment to adequately complete the work.

Along with this, the total cost to have your house cleaned by a professional will increase if/when you request add-on services such as doing laundry, washing window exteriors, cleaning the refrigerator, organising and cleaning cabinets, etc.  

How much does regular cleaning cost?

Regular cleaning services are the cheapest cleaning services to purchase. Some companies in Sydney specialize in only providing regular cleaning as a service, that means you can't purchase a once-off clean. These aforementioned companies will often lock you into a minimum contract (usually 10 cleans minimum) with a cancellation fee which can be upwards of $200. In terms of costings, they will charge as little as $63 per service, this is usually billed in hourly increments.

Most cleaning companies in Sydney that offer once-off cleaning services, also offer regular cleaning. We provide our customer's with frequency discounts and this appears to be an industry standard.

Regular cleaning services purchased through our platform are priced as a flat rate, however, we also offer frequency discounts for hourly or more ala carte services.

These prices start at $80 for our minimum call-out fee (this is usually for a quick once over or 1 hour of cleaning with two professional cleaners) and can go up to $223.20 for the largest of homes (all prices are inclusive of GST).

Your regular cleaning service will most often include the following:

• General wipe down of kitchen surfaces
• Cleaning of bathrooms
• Emptying rubbish bins and replacing trash bags
• Vacuum and mopping of all areas
• Making beds

We provide the following services in our standard regular clean (which most other companies don't seem to offer).

• Cleaning of the microwave
• Changing of bedsheets
• Cleaning underneath of ornaments and trinkets

How Much Do End Of Lease Cleaning Services Cost?

Bond cleaning services are always more expensive than your standard or spring/deep cleaning service. That's because on average, move out cleans can take over 4 hours with two cleaners at the very minimum for the smallest of jobs.

Extra add-on services are completed as standard in most end of lease cleans. These include things like:

• Spot wall cleaning
• Inside cabinet cleaning
• Oven and rangehood restoration
• Balcony cleaning

We've found that most of the time, the above extras need to be completed to adhere to most real estate agents' checklists in order to make sure one gets their bond back.

The service provision for end-of-lease cleans is considerably longer and that reflects in the price. There are companies in Sydney offering bond cleaning services for as little as $129 for a 1 bedroom or studio apartment. At MaidForYou, our price starts at $318 for the smallest of residences, this price is inclusive of our bond back guarantee.

If you are moving out of a larger home, you can expect to pay upwards of $499, or more if your home is extremely soiled. If, as part of your lease agreement, you require carpet steam cleaning, that can add an extra $50 per room to your service on the lower end of the pricing scale or $150 for the most industrious of carpet cleaning. For more information on the cost of steam cleaning carpets, read our carpet cleaning cost guide.

How Much Does It Cost To Clean My Windows?

Interior Costs

Window cleaning is a specialist service, there is a whole industry dedicated to cleaning windows alone.

There isn't an industry standard on window cleaning service pricing. Some companies may charge upwards of $600 to professionally clean the interior windows of your home. Others charge a flat rate depending on the size of your home.

Companies that specialize in window cleaning, generally won't provide any other house cleaning service. The companies that do interior window cleaning as a part of their house cleaning service will generally provide it at a subsequently lower rate (approximately $59 for a 1-3 bedroom home).

Exterior Costs

Unlike interior window cleaning, cleaning the exterior windows of a home can be very difficult. There are a number of factors that need to be considered before making a booking. Things like the height of the windows, the weather on the day of the job, if there are fly screens all need to be taken into account when obtaining a final price.

Abseil cleaning services come with significant risks, expensive equipment, lots of training, and insurance costs. As such these types of cleaning companies charge a premium for their service. There is no flat rate for abseil window cleaning.

Prices are generally given in a minimum of 3 hourly blocks with a minimum of 3 cleaners. You can expect to pay upwards of $85 per hour per cleaner. In simple terms, if you're looking to purchase high-rise or abseil window cleaning expect to pay $765.

Do House and Apartment Cleaning Services Cost the Same?

Because apartments are typically smaller than houses, the cost of cleaning one is relatively cheaper. Of course, depending on the cleaning company, a 3-bedroom apartment home cleaning will cost you a little more than a 1-bedroom house. On average, the flat fee for cleaning a 1-bedroom apartment starts from $60.

Are House Cleaning Services Worth It?

The question of whether house cleaning services are worth their money is really a subjective one. The answer lies with the notion of 'how much do you value your leisure time'.

We've completed over 50,000 jobs and have our ideal customer avatar perfected. Those that purchase cleaning services on a regular basis are usually time-poor, value their leisure time more than the cost of our cleaning service, are busy professionals or are from large family households. In the case of our ideal customer, cleaning services are definitely worth their weight in gold.

On average, our cleaning services are saving our customers upwards of 3 hours per week for a general clean, and for end-of-lease cleaning services, we save our customers over 8-9 hours without the added hassle of real estate agents requesting to return to re-clean.

If you are a busy person with little to no time and dislike the therapeutic aspect of cleaning your home, then, house cleaning services are certainly 'worth it' for you.

How to Obtain The Best Price for House Cleaning

Here are some tips to get the lowest price for a professional house clean:

• Select a cleaning package that companies offer at discounted rates
• Request ala carte hourly services and provide a specific checklist for your cleaner (that way you can make sure that specific preferred areas are being cleaned).
• Ask for additional discounts or offers that they may have running currently; some companies run seasonal discounts
• Select fewer rooms to clean; for example, rooms that are prone to daily dirt and untidiness
• Do your bit to keep the house clean and tidy so that you do not need to pay for a deep clean
• Only choose the services that you need
• Buy your own cleaning supplies so that you do not have to pay extra for the company’s products

When calculating the cost of hiring a maid service, keep the factors mentioned in this article firmly in mind to understand how much, on average, you should pay to have your house cleaned by a professional.

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