Many busy professionals, working mums and elderly citizens in the UK feel that they could do with professional cleaning help now and again. Are you one of them? Then, naturally, the question ‘How much does house cleaning cost?’ will pop up in your head before hitting that search button.
So, with this post, we’ll do exactly that – explore every aspect of what hiring a domestic cleaner involves, as well as look in more detail at the average cost of house cleaning services.
Want to know how much it costs and how the price is calculated;
Are wondering what you can expect from a cleaning service,
Then this post will answer your questions.
But before we start crunching numbers and dwell on what house cleaning prices sound right, i.e. won’t break the bank, let’s see how worthwhile it is to assign the nuisance chores to a professional cleaning company in the first place.
Your time is money… or is it?
Well, your free time is worth a lot more than money, especially if you don’t have much of it. And getting some extra precious hours to spend doing what you like (instead of cleaning) is worth paying for.
So, in a sense, you’re buying some free time for yourself by getting a regular maid or by booking a one-time cleaning service. But here’s the real perk – you enjoy a clean home minus the backache and have the time to meet up with a friend, see more of your family or focus on your hobby.
And who would knock down a special 3 in 1 deal for their hard-earned cash?
What to expect from your domestic cleaner?
Letting a ‘stranger’ in your home is an issue that most people find hard to overcome. It’s also the reason to make them revert back to the decision of doing all the scrubbing and polishing themselves.
But it doesn’t need to be this way.
When it comes to trust and your house cleaning service provider, be it a regular housekeeping expert or a narrow cleaning specialist, you can easily do your own research and check the said company’s credentials.
Just as an example, having served over 145 000 clients so far and completing over 40 000 jobs each month, Fantastic Services has proved that can be trusted with respect to its high-standard property maintenance solutions and reliable technicians.
So, with us, you can expect that your domestic cleaner is honest and trustworthy, due to the vetting process our reputable brand puts in place.
A to Z domestic cleaning – What does it mean?
Your house cleaning cost is closely related to the scale of the workload involved, of course. On that note, you’ve probably come across enticing ‘top to bottom’ or ‘A to Z’ cleaning offers. But what do you get and what’s included in this type of domestic cleaning?
Well, these service terms are not necessarily just an attractive advertising trick. They, indeed, often correspond to what they stand for – a thorough and meticulous deep cleaning of your property.
On top of the standard cleaning maintenance of surfaces, floors and furniture, the service certainly includes a detailed cleaning of your kitchen, in-depth sanitising of your bathroom, as well as methodical removal of grime and accumulated dust in hidden or hard-to-reach areas.
Usually, you can expect such immaculate cleaning results when you book One-off Cleaning, Spring Cleaning, Deep Cleaning, Special Events Cleaning, End of Tenancy Cleaning, also known as Move out/Move in Cleaning.
The domestic cleaning prices for this type of services can be formulated per hour or per job (move out/end of tenancy cleaning). In addition, some companies, including Fantastic Services, may offer the flexibility of combining your one-time deep cleaning service with another specialised cleaning solution at discounted rates (ex: oven cleaning, steam carpet cleaning, window cleaning, professional upholstery cleaning, curtain cleaning and so on). Or you may get an outright extra bonus as in our Fantastic offer: a free deep cleaning of your oven that is included in your end of tenancy cleaning service.
What is included in domestic cleaning by Fantastic Services?
Fantastic Services provides two types of general house cleaning maintenance solutions at hourly rates – regular cleaning and one-off cleaning. Read on and learn what tasks they typically include.
Regular cleaning
Your regular cleaning service is provided by a vetted, experienced and insured housekeeper who comes to your property regularly according to your needs (weekly, fortnightly, monthly, etc.). The service is designed to maintain your property in a clean state at all times and can be customised to meet your preferences.
What does this mean? You can create a cleaning checklist of priority tasks, which the maid/cleaner completes every time within the allocated time. These may include vacuuming of floors, carpets, rugs, stairs and upholstered furniture; moping of hard floorings; wiping and polishing of kitchen worktops; dusting of woodwork, furniture, ledges, bannisters, picture frames and sills; cleaning shower screens, mirrors, surfaces and fixtures in the bathroom.
You may also ask your housekeeper to make sure that houseplants are watered or your pet fed. The purpose of a regular cleaning service is to take care of the general upkeep of your home so that it’s dust free and tidy-looking at all times.
One-off cleaning
As mentioned above, a one-time cleaning service ensures that your entire property or a particular room are cleaned in depth. You may order the service because you’ve just moved in a property that needs extra attention. You could do with some cleaning help before/after a special event or you feel out of your depth when it comes to spring cleaning.
Whatever the case, the service results may include polished hard surfaces, dust-free carpets and upholstery, descaled fixtures and fittings, sanitised bathroom and toilet, clean and presentable kitchen, even gleaming interior windows.
Again, you can personalise your one-off cleaning service as you wish, whether you want only specific rooms to be cleaned or a specialised service to be included at preferential rates (ex: curtain and blinds cleaning, conservatory cleaning, deep upholstery/carpet cleaning, which factors in professional stain removal, as well).
Both the regular housekeeping and the one-off cleaning services can be executed with your own cleaning equipment and detergents or with the cleaner’s professional cleaning supplies, subject to a small additional fee. Furthermore, you are welcome to share any individual specific conditions or requests that you might have prior to the service, be it an allergy-related guidance on using special cleaning detergents or say, instructions, regarding your beloved dog or cat.
What is NOT typically included in a standard domestic cleaning service?
To clarify the matter and avoid service name confusion, a ‘top to bottom’ cleaning service can be misleading in its ‘promise’, especially when the job is performed at hourly rates. Why is that?
Put simply, a property can be cleaned only so much when there’s a time restriction in place. It is unreasonable to believe that the cleaning pro will manage to cover every spot around your home in a limited time frame.
Also, a general cleaner can’t be expected to dismantle your oven and clean it, for instance, so it looks as new.
So, if you wish to have a true deep clean of your property as an end result, you can always request our end of tenancy cleaning service, regardless of whether you’re moving out of your rental or not.
Moreover, you could be a proud homeowner who’s staying put and still benefit from outstanding results. The main feature of our specialised cleaning service is that it’s not limited by time. This means that each area of your home will receive special attention until it’s sparkling clean. In addition, we usually assign a team of two (even three or four for large properties) specialist cleaners for maximum efficiency.
Furthermore, the experts bring professional, high-end cleaning equipment and products, which may not be available in your local store.
Again, you can combine the service with another specialised service and get an attractive discount in the process.
How is your domestic cleaning price calculated?
The average price for house cleaning can be estimated by taking into consideration various aspects, related to the job. These may include the way the service is charged (hourly or not), what type of service provider you’ve booked (a company or a self- employed cleaner), the size of your property and so forth.
Pricing factors
Below, you can check out what your domestic cleaning cost is usually based on.
The duration of the service – when the service is charged hourly, the number of hours booked will affect the final cost;
The number of domestic cleaners – whether one cleaner or a team of cleaners are required to complete the job – this also plays a role in the price formation;
The size of your home – regardless of how the service is charged (hourly or per job), the bigger your property, the more expensive it will be to clean it;
The condition of the property – naturally, the dirtier your place, the longer it will take to make it spotless; non-time-limited services also factor in the state of your home and the volume of the workload;
The specificity of the cleaning tasks – this, again, impacts the cost, in terms of the size of the job, the level of task difficulty and the number of hours it would take to complete;
The provision of equipment and cleaning products – most companies will charge an extra fee for the provision of cleaning equipment and detergents;
The day of your cleaning appointment – services, performed outside business hours or at very short notice may be charged at slightly higher rates;
The need of additional services – anything extra that you need doing, which requires the use of specialised equipment, will come at an additional cost;
The legal business status of your service provider – a cash-in-hand individual cleaner has little to none ‘overheads’ and may be happy to charge less for his/her services at the expense of their quality, of course. (Keep on reading!)
How much house cleaner costs can be explored by adding a different dimension to the question. So, should you entrust your cleaning needs to a company or to an individual? Understandably, a random individual cleaner, who’s placed an ad in the local paper, may charge cheaper than a professional company. But doubt not, he or she may come at an unanticipated cost.
The pros of hiring a cleaning company
Learn more about what you get by relying on a professional and legally registered cleaning service provider:
Public Liability Insurance. The cleaners and the company itself are comprehensively insured against accidental damage to your property.
Various methods of payments. You have the convenience of paying for the service with a debit/credit card, as well.
Feedback channels. A company provides easily accessible contact channels if you have questions or concerns related to your service.
Traceability. In any case, you should be able to track down the physical location of a business.
Credentials. A cleaning company puts in place practices and standards, which are based on expertise, quality control and continuous service improvement.
Legal protection of your customer rights. You can seek your rights as a client and claim in the case of damage to your property.
Customer service. A cleaning company provides support to its customers.
The unpredicted costs of getting a “cleaning lady”
A cash-in-hand individual cleaner is to some extent anonymous. They could come one day to your property and next, you don’t ever see them again (along with some of your belongings).
Well, we don’t want to disparage all hard-working persons in the industry out there but we just feel the need to emphasise on the fact that hiring one could be a hit or miss.
Unlike a professional company, an individual cleaner can’t offer that extra piece of mind, which comes with provable expertise and experience. Furthermore, not many people get insurance when they decide to earn some extra cash cleaning houses.
Last but not least, paying a ‘cleaning lady’ to do tidying up is all fine until something comes up and she is unable to arrive one day, be it because she is under the weather or due to something else. Your day feels disrupted and your house stays a mess.
In contrast, a reputable company will arrange for sending a replacement cleaner so that your regular cleaning appointments are not disturbed.
Why hiring a professional domestic cleaner is the right choice?
We’ve already covered above most of the advantages you get when you assign your house chores to a registered cleaning service provider. But let’s sum it all up and find out why hiring a Fantastic pro will make your life a breeze, with regards to your home’s regular upkeep or one-time sprucing-up.
The benefits you get with Fantastic Services
It goes without saying that most companies in the service sector will strive to provide their customers with quality workmanship, professional service execution and rigorous quality control. With us, however, you get extra value in the form of flexibility and a consciously developed customer-oriented approach. And that’s not all! So, check out all the perks we offer below:
Easy booking. You can arrange your cleaning sessions while running errands on the go with the GoFantastic app. Also, book online in less than a minute by filling the completion form.
Discounts & special deals. Combine your services and get rewarded by paying less. Join the Fantastic Club and enjoy discounted rates all year round.
Fantastic Academy. All cleaners, tradesmen and technicians pass additional training with us, once they’ve been fully vetted and interviewed in person.
The same cleaner, every time. We value trust and convenience. And this is what you get by hiring a regular housekeeper.
Replacement cleaner. Your household cleaning routine won’t be disrupted if the cleaner is off sick on appointment day.
Customised solutions. Just hand in your cleaning checklist and we’ll follow the tasks in their exact order.
Industry-grade equipment & products. Upon request, the cleaner will bring professional cleaning supplies.
Expert advice. Enquire in person or check our dedicated blog, full of tons of tips and professional advice.
Customer care. Our support teams are available to help you at all times, 24/7.
All-week-round service availability. Our services are available during and outside business hours, 7 days a week.
Commercial cleaning. We don’t just clean your home. We can tend to your business cleaning needs, too.
Registered and insured. Fantastic Services works only with fully insured technicians.
Supporting local experts. We go out of our way to support your local community by encouraging local professionals to join our family and grow their own business.
Nationwide service coverage. We constantly expand, so even if you move, you can transfer your existing service with us to your new location.
How much does a domestic cleaner cost?
To get a clearer picture of what the average cost for domestic cleaning is, you can look at our price list below:
House cleaning price list
Service type
Standard price
Regular cleaning
£19
One-off cleaning
£19
Special offers
Combine and SAVE
Standard price
Regular cleaning + cleaning of 2 carpets
£118
Regular cleaning + single oven cleaning
£103
One off cleaning + cleaning of 2 carpets
£181
One off cleaning + single oven cleaning
£166
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does Fantastic Services vet the cleaners?
A: We interview in person each candidate and assess their experience, qualifications and general suitability to do the job. Then, the company provides every successful applicant with additional training and continuous support.
Q: How often should I have my home professionally cleaned?
A: This will depend on your family situation and lifestyle, which will reflect your household cleaning needs. You can have your home cleaned regularly once or twice a week, once or twice a month, etc. You can also request one-time deep cleaning assistance whenever you wish.
Q: Is it always the same cleaner you send to complete the job?
A: We’ve found that our clients can only benefit from having the same specialist performing their regular cleaning services. This way, the Fantastic pro gets familiar with the layout of your property and your household’s cleaning needs.
Q: What tasks does your company not perform?
A: We are not a childminding service provider, so please, don’t ask the cleaner to keep an eye on your child while you pop out to run errands. However, you may ask the housekeeper to take/fetch your coat from the dry cleaners, for instance, if it’s located in close proximity to your property.
Q: Can I change the day/time of my regular cleaning appointment?
A: Absolutely. Just notify us 24 hours in advance and we’ll reschedule your regular appointments. Please, note that this may prompt us to assign a different housekeeper, due to possible schedule conflict issues.
