AIBU to ask what you would expect to pay for a deep clean on your home?

[Spintastic]

I'm in the process of setting up my own cleaning business and I've been asked to quote for a deep clean on a small ish three bed house.

I've not seen the house yet so no idea of the state of it but assuming it's in an average state of cleanliness and order, how much would you expect to pay for a one off deep clean and I'll see if it chimes with the figure I have in mind or if it's wildly different?

And by 'deep cleaning,' I mean skirting boards, a proper and thorough damp dust and polish, all mirrors/ inside windows cleaned, hoovering whole house including moving furniture where it's moveable, all cobwebs removing, deep cleaning bathroom/ kitchen to include the inside of the fridge , that kind of thing .. But not the oven.

You need to see the house and talk to the client properly. Things that can really take time include tiles/grout, kitchen cupboard fronts (and interiors if that's required), and woodwork and radiators.
I wouldn't do a deep clean until I had been working for a while and had some idea of a timescale.

Jin the main you're all close to what I am thinking - and that's £200. This will not include the oven or washing the carpets ... Once you start with those then you're taking hours really.

A deep clean to me is no dust left anywhere, no cobwebs, all inside glass cleaned plus mirrors, all skirting boards cleaned , bathroom and kitchen / downstairs loo all cleaned thoroughly, whole house dusted and polished , whole house hoovered with furniture moved where it is possible to do so, hard floors mopped. Doors all cleaned./ light switches etc. curtains hoovered.

Putting aside the oven and carpet cleaning which I am goi g to say is a no no for me, am I missing anything?

*in the main!

I'm in the South East by the way. And yes, I'm wondering if it's wise for me to take it on. I'm not committing to anything though and am popping over later this week to look round. I anticipate it taking me 6-8 hours

Thank you writer!

Any other views?

I was quoted 343 for a 4 bed house excluding windows. I did not proceed.

Spin - I would think you were taking the piss a bit with that. My cleaner does all the floors, mirrors, dusting, polishing, window insides, bathroom and kitchen and downstairs cloak - plus she moves the furniture and wipes the paintwork on one floor per visit. In three hours, and that costs me £15 per hour.

So if you were quoting me I would get the other floor furniture moved and paintwork, switches done - for another £155! Not a great deal.

If I was paying £200 for a deep clean, I would want the oven cleaned and the hallway/stairs/living room carpets steamed.

If it took you 8 hours, then that would be £25 per hour. Which is a lot to pay for 'normal' cleaning - all be it detailed cleaning. For that kind of hourly rate, I would want oven and steamed or shampooed carpets.

I am just about to get mine done - got a quote yesterday.
For a deep clean £15 per hour and my 4 bed house needs about 10 hours.
This includes windows and skirting etc.....
They provide all cleaning materials for the deep clean.
This does NOT include VAT. So £180
For a weekly clean it's then £12.50 per hour but I have to provide all the cleaning products - again this does NOT include VAT.
I'm in the Home Counties.

I don't think you've missed anything - that's exactly what this cleaning company have said.
And by the way - where I am, cleaning companies and free time for more clients are like gold dust.
Go for it if you think you can make it work.
Worth a shot surely?

I had mine done 2 months ago.
Team of 3, £10 per hour each. Took them 8 hours so £240.00.
4 double bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms, kitchen and utility.
The house was gleaming, they did everything, moved all furniture and cleaned under it, even cleaned curtain poles (which would never even cross my mind!)
One cleaner now comes in for between 2-3 hours each week.
Worth every penny imo

contractor6 you're so right about inside of window frames taking forever. It does if they are white upvc, because the dust/dirt whatever, just smears all over, so you need a good detergent. Takes a couple of hours just to do those properly, and if theres a conservatory as well .

OP you deffo need to state what is included and picture in your mind exactly how long and dirty each task is, then you will have an estimate of how long the deep clean will take. Each house is different so no good having a set price deep clean, only a 'from' price.

Apart from the fridge cleaning, I do not see the rest as 'deep' cleaning. I would hope that good cleaners do all the things that you have listed on regular cleans, otherwise what exactly are they doing!

How dirty is the house and how many people are cleaning?

A deep clean is something I am interested in after we have had some building work done and tbh I would be surprised if it could be done in a day as the current state of the house is that every square inch needs scrubbing with a toothbrush - furniture etc would need moving so surely two people would be needed.

I would think £200 to £300 was very fair and happily pay that for 2/3 person days if the end result was a properly clean house.

I wouldn't be surprised if it cost more than that as there are things like a fully tiled bathroom where all the grout needs cleaning and dust and cobwebs everywhere. I think the people who are saying it is too expensive are thinking about a house that is currently quite clean and not one that hasn't been cleaned properly in years.

Ali - it's not piss taking, I truly believe that people need their expectations carefully managing when it comes to cleaning! I'm new to it BUT the work I've done so far has been carried out to a high standard and a good thorough clean of say, a bathroom, takes a long time, depending on several factors. In my own house, yes, I fly round my bathrooms in about ten mins flat each. Quick flick of a cloth here and a squirt of bleach. In a customer's, I am on my hands and knees cleaning skirting and ensuring that the shower screen is shiny from all angles!

I'm one person and my potential deep clean customer knows this hence why I will be careful in what I offer when I go round. I won't be promising things I can't deliver on but as its not a usual 2/3 hour job then it makes sense to me to quote for the job as a whole

I'm in this line of work and whilst in the past have deep cleaned properties, I don't do them anymore. It is a lot of work for one person and you are talking about the whole day to deep clean that size of house.

Always check really thoroughly the state of the house, i.e. feel the kitchen units and tiles for grease; check grouting in bathrooms. I have been caught out several times and it always always takes longer than you think.

I used to charge £15/hr for a reasonably dirty house and £20 for really filthy. I would anticipate 45 mins to an hour for each room and longer on kitchens. I remember one kitchen took the 2 of us 4 hours to get to a reasonable standard and it still wasn't perfect. Do you have a friend who could help you out? I always provide my own materials. I never clean ovens or carpets - there are specialist cleaners who provide that service and to a better standard.

Hope this is helpful.

I agree with Pp in that you should see a property before quoting. If it is filthy and greasy it will take hours and possibly still not look great. Another consideration is how much stuff is there. Clearly it's easier to clean an empty property than a cluttered one. If not empty I would specify it must be tidy as otherwise you could spend hours just picking up a million loom bands and Lego pieces.

Although you mention the fridge and oven what about kitchen cabinets and drawers? Again a lot of work.

Phew, good luck!

Very helpful Bradley thank you

And yes, cleaning inside cupboards etc has occurred to me. This could be a very time consuming job all on its own.

I will ensure I do some VERY careful expectation managing on Thursday.

I would want the white UPVC window frames to be done - awful job. The radiators, all interior doors and architraves wiped too. Ooh and the interiors of the kitchen cupboards as well as the exterior.
I wouldn't want the cleaner to do the main bedroom though.