deep cleaning house cost

Cost to Hire a Housekeeper for Deep Cleaning

The average cost to clean a house “from top to bottom” is .14 to .24 cents per square foot. This works out to $140 to $240 for a 1,000 square foot home, though many services have a minimum fee for deep cleaning of $125 to $200.  The average cost for a larger home is closer to $525 for a 3,000 square foot house. Remember, these house maid prices aren’t for a weekly touch-up or monthly visit, but something like an annual cleaning into all the dark places, behind appliances, on top of wall cabinets, etc.

Deep cleaning price includes a long checklist of tasks. It starts with dusting and removing cobwebs from all surfaces including walls, cabinets, baseboard and fixtures. Flooring is vacuumed or mopped. Dirt spots and stains are treated and removed, if possible. Bathrooms are cleaned and sanitized. Window cleaning, using a carpet machine, scrubbing smoke-stained walls, cleaning out a refrigerator and similar non-standard tasks are not included in most estimates.

Average Costs

Overview of Home Deep Cleaning

Every home needs a periodic deep cleaning. And having the home fully cleaned before moving out – or prior to moving in when the last owner didn’t do the job – is common.

Cleaning an empty home is easier, so the cost is lower on the price spectrum. But house cleaning services are quite used to working in a fully furnished household and all that goes with it.

Most cleaning services have a minimum fee for small apartments or areas of the home.

Larger homes are priced by size, condition of the home and what services the homeowner or property owner/manager requests.

What does 14 to 24 cents per square foot look like when applied to your home? As a rule, cost per square foot drops slightly as house size goes up. See the full Cost Factors section below for all considerations that affect the price of deep cleaning a house.

Did you know? Deep cleaning a home is one of the essential steps in getting it ready to sell!

Cost Factors for Deep House Cleaning

Evaluate your home’s condition using these factors to estimate what a thorough house cleaning will cost.

• Home Size – Most services have a minimum fee to cover their travel time, transportation cost and cleaning. Otherwise, the bigger the home, the more it will cost to clean, though price might drop a little per square foot in larger homes.
• How Dirty the Home Is – Some companies will send a representative to your home to give a deep cleaning estimate. The person will look around and make a mental note of the condition of walls, flooring, bathrooms, etc. The dirtier the home, the higher the quote. Others quote over the phone or by using an online questionnaire/form you fill out. These services typically charge near the high end for all services.
• Whether it is Empty – An empty home is far easier to clean, so cost is lower.
• How Picked Up your Home Is – The cost to deep clean a house doesn’t include moving dishes out of the sink, picking up clothing and toys so the floors can be done, etc. You might incur additional costs when clutter slows down the work.
• Extra Services – Basic deep cleaning doesn’t usually include windows, taking blinds outside to dust/vacuum them, scrubbing smoke residue off walls (wiping down walls, yes, but not scrubbing), cleaning the inside of the fridge/stove/cabinets. See the price list below for a la carte costs for these services.
• Who Provides the Supplies & Equipment – You might get a small discount for providing the cleaning supplies, vacuum, mop, and other items needed to do the job. Cleaning companies can give you a list of what they need to do the job. This also gives you the opportunity to choose supplies that you prefer.
• Travel Distance – Travel time and fuel costs will be considered when house cleaning estimates are prepared.

Cost of House Cleaning and Supplies

We’ll cover two sets of costs here. The first is for supplies and equipment you might provide in order to get a discount on cleaning – vs the cleaners using their own items.

The second is a price list for specific cleaning jobs not usually included in the cost of deep cleaning a house.

Equipment and Supplies

• $150 – $500+ | Quality Vacuum with a tool set including upholstery brush, crevice too, extension for reaching under furniture, etc. If you have central vacuum, let the service know, and you might receive a discount because it means they don’t have to lug in their own vacuum and take up/down the stairs.
• $125 – $300+ | Brushless Vacuum for hardwood flooring, laminate, luxury vinyl and other TLC floors.
• $135 – $200 | Steam Mop for ceramic tile, stone or concrete (and if you have hardwood or other flooring that must not be steam mopped, it is your responsibility to let the cleaners know where and where not to use steam)
• $15 – $50 | Mop – Be sure to have a type appropriate for your floors. Some laminate, for example, shouldn’t be wet-mopped, but a lightly damp mop (spin mop) or Swiffer is OK.
• $12 – $30 | Floor Cleaner – Have a versatile cleaner on hand like Bona Multi-Surface or a cleaner formulated for your flooring type.
• $15 – $50 | Multi-purpose Cleaning Solutions, cleaning cloths, mops, bucket, sponges, etc.

Cleaning Price List for Extras

• $5 per Window Side | Cleaning the inside of the window – and the outside too when the outside is easily reached.
• $10 per Sliding Glass Door Panel |Cleaning both sides of the door.
• $25 – $50 per Room | Wall Scrubbing
• $30 – $75 per Room or Stairs | Carpet Cleaning
• $30 – $75 | Cleaning the inside of empty kitchen cabinets
• $20 – $40 | Cleaning the inside of a fridge or stove
• $30 – $60 | Thorough Stove Cleaning
• $10 – $20 each | Cleaning Blinds
• $10 – $30 per location | Removing heavy mineral scaling from tubs, shower enclosures and sink areas
• $60 – $125 | Adding the Garage to the estimate

Deep Cleaning Cost for Various Home and Apartment Sizes

These apartments and homes are priced with the common number of bathrooms for each.

• Up to 800 square feet: $125 – $195
• 801 – 1,000 square feet: $125 – $240
• 1,001 – 1,200 square feet: $140 – $285
• 1,201 – 1,400 square feet: $170 – $335
• 1,401 – 1,600 square feet: $195 – $380
• 1,601 – 1,800 square feet: $225 – $425
• 1,801 – 2,000 square feet: $250 – $470
• 2,001 – 2,200 square feet: $280 – $515
• 2,201 – 2,500 square feet: $315 – $580
• 2,501 – 2,800 square feet: $350 – $650
• 2,801 – 3,200 square feet: $395 – $725
• 3,201 – 3,600 square feet: $450 – $825
• 3,601 – 4,000 square feet: $500 – $950
• 4,001 – 4,500 square feet: $560 – $1,025
• 4,501 – 5,000 square feet: $630 – $1,100
• 5,001 – 6,000 square feet: $700 – $1,325

Estimated Cost By House Type

• 1-bedroom apartment: $125 – $260
• 2-bedroom apartment: $150 – $295
• 2-bedroom home: $175 – $350
• 3-bedroom home: $265 – $525
• 4-bedroom home: $335 – $700
• 5-bedroom home: $425 – $895+

Is there another cleaning project you’d like the cleaners to do? Just ask, and if it isn’t part of a standard estimate, they will likely price it for you separately. Some services will even fill a dumpster for you. Rent and have the roll-off container delivered, set aside the items to be disposed of, and they will take them out and place them in the container.

Permits, Inspection, and Related Costs

Permits and Inspection Cost

• $0 | You don’t need a permit for house cleaning.

Labor and Installation Time

Labor rates are currently high, and that will affect your estimate for deep cleaning a house.

Most employees are being paid $15 to $25 per hour to house clean. Company owners who clean houses factor in $30 to $60 per hour for their time.

Depending on the size of your home and the work required, the cleaning crew is usually two, but sometimes larger. On occasion, a single cleaner will handle the work, though some companies have a policy of sending at least two for security and liability purposes.

Time

Two cleaners can clean an average of 500 square feet per hour depending on the condition of the house and the list of tasks to be accomplished.

• 1,000 square feet | 2-3 hours
• 1,500 square feet | 3-4 hours
• 2,000 square feet | 4-5 hours
• 2,500 square feet |5-6 hours
• 3,000 square feet | 5-7 hours
• 4,000 square feet | 7-9 hours
• 5,000 square feet | 8-10 hours

Specific factors related to the time it takes to deep clean a house are the level of dirt in the home, how well it is picked up prior to the crew’s arrival and what items are on your to-do list. Travel costs play a role too, since fuel costs are currently quite high.

We’ve found the projects listed below to be commonly related to having your house deep cleaned.

DIY or Hire a Pro

We all know that house cleaning is a DIY project for those able to handle the tasks. But it takes time and effort, and life is busy.

The real question here is how much you can save by deep cleaning your own home – or your rental or a relative’s home that needs to be cleaned out and prepared for sale.

Prices vary quite a bit. Our costs of $140 to $800 for homes from 1,000 to 3,500 square feet are average or a little above compared with other estimating sites. But we’ve factored in historically high wages, transportation costs and prices for equipment and supplies.

Fixr prices the same home sizes from $100 to $1,050, a slightly wider range than ours. Using numbers given by a local provider, Nancy’s House Cleaning, the cost range is $115 to $850.

HomeGuides offers a good comparison of the cost of regular cleaning (weekly, monthly) vs. the heavy-duty deep cleaning discussed above. It gives a price of $125 to $390 for homes up to 3,000 square feet.

Share the cost of your home project with the Business Finance News Community. It’s the best way for others to get reliable cost estimates, and they will appreciate your contribution to this page!