When you engage a home cleaning service – what are you getting for your money? How much control can you expect over what the cleaning service does and doesn’t do for their standard hourly rate? If you request a standard home clean – what is typically included?

You’ve been cleaning your own home for years, but with work and other commitments you just don’t have the time anymore.  It’s time to spoil yourself and hire a home cleaner.

But before you find a home cleaning service that’s right for you, you’ll probably have some questions. Luckily, we have the answers!

House cleaning services help you cut down on daily chores and assist landlords in preparing apartments and rental homes for new tenants.

Standard home cleaning inclusions will vary from company to company. All reputable cleaners should offer you a comprehensive list of services for all key areas of the house including bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living areas.

You will often be able to find service lists or obtain quotes online to get you started before you make the call to book someone in.

What’s a standard clean?

If you are already tidy, you might just need a standard clean, or a "surface clean" once a week. This involves cleaning the surfaces in all the rooms of your house: wiping or dusting benches and tables, and sweeping, mopping or vacuuming the floors.

This will often also include cleaning window sills and other obvious surfaces such as bookshelves and venetian blinds. Cheeky cleaners pressed for time might "forget" these, so maybe check less obvious surfaces every now and then to make sure they’re being done.

(If you need some tips on what cleaning products your cleaners might need, check out our article on what you need to provide).

What’s the standard rate?

What will a professional cleaning service cost you?

Any service should have have a list of standard rates based on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms to be cleaned, and it usually comes down to an hourly rate.

If you have booked a regular two-hour clean, don’t be surprised if instead of one person cleaning your house for two hours, you get two people for one hour. Cleaners often work in pairs and literally blitz their way through houses.

What’s not standard?

A standard clean is as simple as it sounds, but what about all the frills? What if you need a little something extra?

Some things like…

• Oven cleaning
• Window cleaning
• Garden work
• Ironing

You’ll generally need to request and pay for this service on top of your regular clean. Most cleaning companies work to a fairly tight schedule, so they’re not likely to be able change their whole schedule to include extra once-off hours to clean your oven without plenty of notice and at an extra cost.

Police checks and references

It’s a great idea to always request to see police checks and references for any cleaners who will be working in your home. Even though many companies advertise that their employees have been screened – and you should be able to trust their word – it’s okay to ask. You are giving the cleaners the keys to your home after all!

When you’re ready to get some help, search for home cleaning services and put your feet up, ready to have your home clean enough to eat off the floor!