Cleaning cost calculator
Work out how many hours a regular clean of your home is likely to take and what it will cost per visit, per month and per year at the hourly rate you have been quoted. Hours from published 2026 guides, checked 9 November 2026; the rate is yours to enter, because it varies so much by area.
Hours and cost
Hours are typical published figures for a regular clean of a tidy home. A first or deep clean takes longer, and the condition of the home, pets and the task list all change the time. A trial clean settles it.
How the cleaning cost calculation works
Domestic cleaning is priced by the hour, so the bill depends on two things: how many hours the cleaner spends in the home and the hourly rate. The calculator starts with the hours. It looks up the number of bedrooms in the table of typical times published by Fantastic Services for 2026, which gives a range for each size of home with the number of bathrooms that usually goes with it. If the home has more bathrooms than the table assumes, or more than four bedrooms, it adds time using assumptions you can edit. Add-on tasks such as the oven, inside windows and ironing are added the same way. The hours are then multiplied by the rate you enter and by the number of visits in a month and a year.
A worked example: a 3 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms, cleaned weekly, with no extras. The published range is 3 to 3.5 hours. At a quoted rate of £20 an hour that is £60 to £70 a visit, £3,120 to £3,640 a year over 52 visits, and £260 to £303 a month. Add an oven clean at the tool's assumed 1.5 hours and the visit becomes 4.5 to 5 hours, or £90 to £100. Switch to fortnightly and the yearly figure halves.
Why the rate is left blank
Published 2026 figures for cleaners' hourly rates range from £13 to £28 depending on the source, the region and whether the cleaner is independent or works for an agency. Bark's analysis of over 2,000 quotes gives a UK average of £21 an hour, with independent cleaners averaging £17 and agencies £19, and notes that London and the South East run around 20% higher. Fantastic Services quotes £13 to £25 outside London and £20 to £28 in London and the South East. A single default would be wrong for most people, so the calculator asks for the rate on your quote and shows the published figures beside the field for comparison.
What changes the result
Bedrooms and bathrooms
Bedrooms are a rough proxy for floor area, which drives vacuuming, dusting and mopping time. Bathrooms matter more than their size suggests because each one needs the same scrubbing of sanitaryware, tiles and glass whatever the rest of the house is like, which is why the calculator adds time for each bathroom beyond the number in the published table.
Frequency
A weekly clean is 52 visits a year, fortnightly 26 and 4-weekly 13. Less frequent visits often take a little longer each time because more builds up between them, and Bark notes that one-off cleans are generally charged at a higher rate than regular slots. The calculator applies the same hours to each visit, so treat the 4-weekly and one-off figures as a lower bound.
Extras
Fantastic Services lists oven cleaning, inside windows and ironing as tasks usually charged separately or by request. No source gives the time they add to a domestic visit, so the calculator uses its own assumptions, shown in the collapsible panel, and lets you change them. Some cleaners quote a fixed price for an oven rather than hours.
The state of the home
The published hours are for a regular clean of a home that is reasonably tidy. Clutter, pets, a first visit after a long gap, or a deep clean all push the time up. Bark puts a deep clean at about 6 hours against about 2 hours 30 minutes for a regular clean of a typical home.
Common mistakes and tips
- Shopping on rate alone. A faster cleaner at a higher rate can cost less per visit than a slower one at a lower rate. Compare the price per visit.
- Booking too few hours. If the time runs out the last rooms are skipped. Write a task list and agree the hours against it.
- Forgetting the minimum booking. Bark notes a minimum of around 2 hours is common, which matters for small flats.
- Mixing up first and regular cleans. Expect the first visit to take longer and sometimes to be quoted separately.
- Not asking about products and insurance. Who supplies cleaning products, and whether the cleaner is insured, change the real cost and the risk.
When to get a professional
The calculator gives a sensible starting point for a conversation with a cleaner. The cleaner will want to see the home, agree a task list and often suggest a trial clean to fix the hours. Agencies handle cover when a cleaner is ill and carry their own insurance; independent cleaners are usually cheaper per hour. Either way, ask for the rate, the hours and what is included in writing.
Ready to book? Compare well reviewed local house cleaners and ask each for the hours they would quote.
Find a top rated house cleaner near youHow this is worked out
- Base hours (low and high) = the Fantastic Services range for the number of bedrooms (table below; 5 or more bedrooms use the 4 bedroom row).
- Adjustments = extra bathrooms beyond the table x 0.5 hours, plus bedrooms beyond 4 x 0.5 hours (tool assumptions, editable).
- Extras = oven 1.5 hours, inside windows 1 hour, ironing 1 hour (tool assumptions, editable).
- Cost per visit = hours x the hourly rate you enter; per year = per visit x visits a year (weekly 52, fortnightly 26, 4-weekly 13, one-off 1); per month = per year ÷ 12.
| Home | Hours per regular clean |
|---|---|
| 1 bed, 1 bath | 2 to 2.5 |
| 2 bed, 1 bath | 2.5 to 3 |
| 3 bed, 2 bath | 3 to 3.5 |
| 4 bed, 2 bath | 3.5 to 4.5 |
- Fantastic Services, How much does regular cleaning cost? 2026 UK price guide (2026 guide, checked 9 November 2026). Typical time per regular clean: 1 bed with 1 bathroom 2 to 2.5 hours; 2 bed, 1 bath 2.5 to 3 hours; 3 bed, 2 bath 3 to 3.5 hours; 4 bed, 2 bath 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Hourly rates £13 to £25 outside London and £20 to £28 in London and the South East, national average roughly £19. Oven cleaning, inside windows and ironing are usually charged separately or add time.
- Bark, House cleaner price guide (based on over 2,000 house cleaning quotes across the UK in 2026) (last updated 28 October 2026, checked 9 November 2026). UK house cleaning averages £21 an hour in 2026; independent cleaner £17 an hour, cleaning agency £19; a 3 hour visit is the most common booking length for a 2 or 3 bedroom home; a regular clean takes about 2 hours 30 minutes for a typical home and a deep clean about 6 hours; minimum booking around 2 hours; London and the South East average around 20% higher.
Related guides
Cleaning cost questions
How many hours does a cleaner need for a 3 bedroom house?
Fantastic Services' 2026 guide puts a regular clean of a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home at 3 to 3.5 hours, and Bark says a 3 hour visit is the most common booking for a 2 or 3 bedroom home. The calculator uses the published range and adds time for extra bathrooms or tasks such as the oven or ironing.
How much does a cleaner cost per hour in the UK?
It depends where you live and who you hire. Bark's analysis of over 2,000 quotes in 2026 gives a UK average of £21 an hour, with independent cleaners at £17 and agencies at £19. Fantastic Services quotes £13 to £25 an hour outside London and £20 to £28 in London and the South East. Because the spread is so wide the calculator does not assume a rate: enter the one you have been quoted.
How much does a weekly cleaner cost per month?
Multiply the hours per visit by the hourly rate, then by 52 visits a year, and divide by 12. A 3 hour weekly clean at £20 an hour is £60 a visit, £3,120 a year and £260 a month. Fortnightly visits halve that, and a 4-weekly clean is 13 visits a year.
Is a one-off clean charged the same as a regular clean?
Usually not. Bark gives about 2 hours 30 minutes for a regular clean of a typical home and about 6 hours for a deep clean, and one-off visits often carry a higher hourly rate than a regular slot. If you are pricing a one-off or first clean, use the hours and rate quoted for that job rather than the regular figures.
Where do the hours for extras come from?
There is no published figure for the time an oven, inside windows or ironing adds to a domestic visit, so the calculator shows its own assumptions (1.5 hours for an oven, 1 hour each for inside windows and ironing, 0.5 hours per extra bathroom or bedroom) in editable fields. Change them to match what your cleaner says.
Is it cheaper to book a cleaner for more hours?
Bark notes that regular bookings usually work out cheaper per hour than one-off cleans and that the minimum booking is often around 2 hours. Beyond that, the saving comes from choosing the right number of hours for the home rather than from booking more: a trial clean against a written task list is the surest way to find out how long your home takes.
Looking for a regular cleaner? Compare well reviewed house cleaners near you.