A house deep clean tackles the built-up dirt, grease and grime that a routine weekly clean leaves behind. Typical 2026 prices outside London run from about £180 for a one-bedroom flat to £400 to £600 or more for a home with four or more bedrooms, and London and the South East cost roughly 20 to 30 per cent more. Knowing exactly what a deep clean includes and how to prepare helps you choose the right service and ensures you pay a fair price for the work.
What a deep clean is
A deep clean is a thorough, intensive cleaning service designed to reach the areas of your home that are not covered by daily or weekly chores. It is booked as a single visit rather than a recurring appointment, and it carries a higher hourly rate or a larger fixed fee than standard domestic cleaning. The goal is to reset the hygiene and appearance of the property by removing long-standing dust, limescale and grease.
Because the work is heavy and detailed, a deep clean takes much longer than a standard visit. Cleaners will often work in teams of two or three to complete the job in a single day. You can book a deep clean for the entire house or ask the cleaners to focus on specific heavy traffic areas like the kitchen and bathrooms.
How a deep clean differs from a regular clean
Regular or domestic cleaning is a repeat visit, usually weekly or fortnightly, charged by the hour. It covers the routine maintenance of your home, such as vacuuming floors, wiping down kitchen worktops, cleaning the toilets and dusting accessible surfaces. A regular cleaner has a set amount of time to keep the house looking tidy, which means they cannot stop to scrub away baked-on grease or descale wall tiles.
A deep clean goes much further and covers the areas a regular visit leaves out. This includes cleaning inside appliances, tackling limescale on taps and tiles, and removing grease behind the hob. A deep clean also covers skirting boards, door frames, light switches, tops of cupboards, the areas behind furniture and inside window frames. These tasks require more physical effort, stronger cleaning products and significantly more time.
What a house deep clean usually includes
A reputable cleaner or cleaning company will work to a specific task list during a deep clean. While you can tailor this list to suit your home, a standard full-property deep clean will usually cover the following tasks room by room.
In the kitchen
The kitchen requires the most intensive work because of cooking grease and food spills. The cleaner will degrease the area behind the hob, clean the extractor fan hood and descale the sink and draining board. They will wipe down all cabinet fronts, clean the tops of the cupboards and wash the skirting boards. A deep clean also includes cleaning inside appliances like the fridge and microwave, though you should check if the oven is included or priced separately. If your cupboards are empty, the cleaner will usually wipe the insides too.
In the bathrooms
Bathrooms suffer from hard water stains, soap scum and mould spores. The cleaner will focus on removing limescale on taps, shower heads and tiles. They will scrub the shower screen to remove water marks, deeply clean and sanitise the toilet inside and out, and wash the floor. They will also wipe down the door frame, clean the light switches and polish all mirrors and glass surfaces.
In the living areas and bedrooms
In your lounges, dining rooms and bedrooms, the focus shifts to removing hidden dust and cobwebs. The cleaner will move light furniture to vacuum and clean behind it. They will wipe down all skirting boards, door frames and window sills. High dusting is a priority, which includes the tops of wardrobes, shelving units and picture frames. They will also wipe down light switches, plug sockets and the inside window frames.
In the hallways and stairs
Hallways see the most foot traffic and gather a lot of dirt from outside. The cleaner will vacuum the floors and stairs thoroughly, including the edges of the carpet where dust gathers. They will wipe down the banisters and spindles, clean the skirting boards and remove any cobwebs from the ceiling corners and light fittings.
What is not normally included
Certain jobs require specialist equipment, specific chemicals or extra health and safety precautions. These tasks are not part of a standard deep clean and you should never assume they are included in the price.
- Carpet cleaning using hot water extraction or steam machines
- Upholstery cleaning for sofas, armchairs and mattresses
- Oven cleaning, where the provider prices it separately
- Cleaning the outside of your windows
- Tackling heavy mould infestations
- Clearing hoarded properties or removing bulk rubbish
- Biohazard situations, including human or animal waste
- Any work at height that requires ladders
If you need your carpets washed or your oven detailed, you will usually need to request these as add-ons. Outside windows are best left to a dedicated window cleaner. Heavy mould, hoarding and biohazards always need a specialist cleaning service.
When a deep clean is worth booking
There are several occasions when paying for a deep clean makes sense. Many people book one before starting a contract with a regular cleaner. Getting the house to a high baseline standard means the regular cleaner can spend their weekly hours maintaining that standard, rather than trying to catch up on months of grime.
A deep clean is also highly recommended when you are moving into a new home, as you inherit whatever dirt the previous owners left behind. Homeowners frequently book a deep clean after building work or renovations to remove the fine plaster dust that settles on every surface. You might also book one before or after having guests to stay, or simply as a seasonal reset to keep your home in good condition.
If you are a tenant moving out, you should read about how end of tenancy cleaning works instead. End of tenancy cleaning is a different service designed specifically to satisfy a check-out inspection, usually with a re-clean guarantee attached.
How long a deep clean takes
Because a deep clean targets hidden dirt, it takes a considerable amount of time. A typical one-bed flat takes around 3 to 5 hours to deep clean. A larger three-bed home usually takes 6 to 9 hours. The exact duration depends heavily on the condition of the property, how much furniture is in the way and when the house was last thoroughly cleaned.
Providers handle these long jobs in different ways. A self-employed cleaner may spend the whole day at your property on their own. A company may send a team, which shortens the visit without reducing the total hours of work. This is one reason some quotes are priced per cleaner per hour and others by property size.
What a deep clean costs
Prices for deep cleaning vary based on your location, the size of your home and whether you hire an independent self-employed cleaner or a larger cleaning company. The figures below are typical published prices for 2026. If a cleaner quotes by the hour, deep cleaning runs about £25 to £35 per cleaner per hour outside London and £30 to £45 in London.
If you are quoted a fixed price for the whole property, the cost will depend on the number of bedrooms. Smaller homes sit at the lower end of the pricing scale, while larger homes sit well above it.
This table shows typical fixed prices for a whole-property deep clean based on the size of the home.
|
Property size |
Outside London |
London and the South East |
|---|---|---|
|
1-bed flat |
From about £180 |
From about £230 |
|
2-bed home |
£200 to £300 |
£250 to £380 |
|
3-bed home |
£250 to £380 |
£320 to £480 |
|
4-bed home or more |
£400 to £600 or higher |
£500 to £750 or higher |
These figures are typical published prices for 2026. Local quotes will differ, and properties in London and the South East are roughly 20 to 30 per cent more expensive than the rest of the UK. Typical published prices for a single deep clean visit also run from about £100 to £300, with smaller homes at the lower end and larger homes well above it.
Many deep cleaning tasks are priced as separate add-ons. If you want these included, you must ask for them when you request a quote.
This table shows typical prices for common add-on services.
|
Add-on service |
Typical price |
|---|---|
|
Kitchen deep clean |
£60 to £120 |
|
Bathroom deep clean |
£50 to £100 |
|
Oven interior |
£45 to £90 |
|
Inside windows |
£2 to £6 per window |
These figures are typical published prices for 2026. Local quotes will differ based on the condition of the appliances and the size of the rooms.
How to prepare your home
You are paying a professional to clean your home, not to tidy it. To get the best value for your money, you should prepare the property before the cleaner arrives. Declutter all surfaces, kitchen worktops and bathroom cabinets. The cleaner cannot descale a sink full of unwashed dishes, and they cannot wipe down a desk covered in loose paperwork.
Clear the floors of toys, clothes and shoes so the cleaner has immediate access to the carpets and skirting boards. Secure any valuables, cash, sensitive documents and fragile items. Accidents can happen, so it is best to put delicate ornaments away to avoid breakages.
If you are paying by the hour rather than a fixed price for the whole property, write a list of your priorities. Tell the cleaner which areas matter most to you so they can focus their time on the rooms that need the most attention.
Questions to ask before you book
When you gather quotes, you need to know exactly what you are paying for. A low price might look appealing, but it could mean fewer hours, fewer tasks or a single cleaner instead of a team. Always ask how many cleaners will attend and how many hours are included in the quote.
Find out who provides the cleaning products and equipment. Some independent cleaners expect you to supply the chemicals, cloths and vacuum cleaner, which lowers their price. Cleaning companies usually bring their own professional supplies, which is more convenient but costs slightly more. You should also ask exactly what is excluded from the price and what happens if the job overruns the estimated time.
Check the legal and insurance details. Ask for proof of public liability insurance. This is a sensible check, not a legal requirement, but it protects you if the cleaner damages your property. Ask if the staff are vetted. A basic DBS check is something an individual applies for themselves, costs £20 and covers England and Wales, so a cleaner can reasonably be asked to show one.
If the deep clean leads to a regular arrangement with a cleaner you hire directly, check your position first. GOV.UK says you are the employer if you hire someone to work in your home and they are not self-employed or paid through an agency.
Finally, ask about their cancellation terms and how keys are handled if you are not home. Services booked online or by phone normally carry a 14-day cooling-off period. However, if you ask for the clean to happen inside that 14-day window, you must pay for what was done if you later decide to cancel.
Common questions
Should I just choose the cheapest hourly rate?
Choosing a cleaner based on the lowest hourly rate alone is a common mistake. A low rate tells you nothing about how long the clean will take, what is included or whether the cleaner is insured. Low phone quotes frequently rise on arrival because the cleaner argues the condition of the property is worse than expected. It is much safer to compare detailed, fixed-price quotes that list exactly what will be done.
Will a professional clean guarantee my deposit back?
No cleaner can absolutely guarantee that your deposit will be returned in full, as landlords can make deductions for damage or missing items. The honest version of this promise is a time-limited re-clean guarantee. If the checkout report highlights cleaning omissions, the company will return to fix those specific areas for free within a set number of days.
Is a deep clean the same as an end of tenancy clean?
No, they are different services. An end of tenancy clean is a whole-property clean designed to meet a strict check-out checklist, and the property must be completely empty of your belongings. A deep clean is done while you are living in the home. If you are a tenant, remember that the Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans landlords and letting agents from making tenants pay for professional cleaning in England. Your duty is simply to return the home as clean as it was at the start, as recorded on the inventory or check-in report. Landlords cannot deduct for fair wear and tear. Rules on this differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What happens if the cleaner does a bad job?
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service must be done with reasonable care and skill. If the cleaner skips tasks listed on the agreement or damages a surface by using the wrong chemical, you have the right to ask for the work to be put right. This is why having a written task list is vital, so expectations match from the start.
Do I need to be at home during the clean?
You do not usually need to stay in the house while the cleaners work, but you must agree on how keys are handled and stored. Handing over keys with no agreement on storage is a risk. It is a good idea to be there at the very end of the job to inspect the work against the checklist before the cleaners leave.
Your next steps
Booking a deep clean requires a little planning to ensure you get the results you want without overpaying. Follow these steps to protect yourself and your home.
- Decide the tasks, the rooms you want covered and your budget first.
- Get like-for-like quotes in writing and ask for a detailed task list so you know what is included.
- Ask about public liability insurance, staff vetting, who supplies the products and what the cancellation terms are.
- Never pay in full up front to an unknown trader.
- If you are booking a deep clean as a trial for a regular service, ask if the same cleaner will come each time and what happens regarding holiday cover.
- Clear away your clutter and secure your valuables before the cleaner arrives.
If you are ready to get quotes and want to find a house cleaner near you, make sure you compare their specific task lists rather than just looking at the final price.
