Blog>Planning Guides>Planning for a full house clean
Last updated: 23 May 2024
Planning for a full house clean
From professional cleaning hiring advice, to DIY cleaning tips. We've got you covered in our full house cleaning guide.
Tackling a full house clean can feel daunting. But with some clever planning (or a little help from a house cleaning services professional), your home will look spick and span. Read on for all the tips in our ultimate house cleaning guide.
There are plenty of reasons to tackle a deep clean of your home:
You're moving house and need to give your new pad a deep clean
A new baby is on the way, and you want a fresh, clean slate before the arrival
Your home is simply calling out for a spruce-up, but you're short on time
Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure. If you don't have the time or ability to do it yourself, countless cleaning companies offer full house cleaning services.
See the tradespeople we've checked and recommend for your job
What can I expect from a professional full house clean?
Unsure whether to tackle a full house clean yourself or hire a house cleaner? Understanding what a professional can and can't do will help.
As a rough guide, here's what a professional cleaner will be ticking off their household cleaning list:
Bathrooms:
Thoroughly disinfecting countertops, sinks, toilets, shower interiors, bathtubs, and floors
Kitchen:
Cleaning thoroughly, including countertops, sinks, drawers, cupboards, and the inside and outside of appliances including the microwave and oven
Mopping and hoovering floors
Cleaning chairs and tables
Scrubbing windows and sills
Living areas and bedrooms:
Hoovering carpets and soft furniture
Dusting doors, picture frames, light fixtures, skirting boards, furniture tops, and cupboards
Scrubbing windows and sills
What a professional cleaner won't do
Most professional house cleaning services outline what they won't do during a deep clean. This could be for efficiency or safety reasons.
To avoid confusion, it's worth checking in advance. But to give you a steer, most professional house cleaning services won't take on:
Hard to reach places like tops of cabinets – using anything other than a small two-step ladder is often off-limits due to their professional insurance
Steam cleaning carpets – this is a job best left to a specialist carpet cleaner
Washing up dishes left in the kitchen
Tidying away clutter
This leads us to...
How to plan for a professional full house clean
Decluttering is essential before a deep clean. It will help your professional cleaner work more efficiently (and hopefully save you money!).
Banish the clutter by:
Sorting toys, knick-knacks and other clutter back into storage – that way, your professional cleaner can access all areas quickly
Investing in some new storage in advance of the cleaning – there's plenty of nifty solutions in our storage ideas
Temporarily storing things in cardboard boxes and leaving them in a shed, garage or a room you don't use as much
Seeing it as an opportunity to clear out some clutter for good! Perhaps it's time to donate some items to a charity shop or sell them
Top tip – Make it a team effort. For instance, if you're decluttering a children's bedroom, why not involve them? Many hands make light work!
DIY cleaning lists for the house
Fancy tackling the job yourself? Here are some simple tips to kickstart your full house clean routine.
Let's go room by room to look at the best cleaning schedule, starting with the kitchen – one of the most hard-working rooms in our homes.
Kitchen:
Clean your kitchen appliances, like your microwave, oven and fridge, inside and out
Don't forget your cabinet doors, cabinet pulls, and kickboards – you won't believe how much muck they can pick up
Freshen up your dishwasher by running a hot water cycle with a cup of baking soda or bowl of vinegar on the top rack
Remove grease and odours from your sink drain with baking soda, too – just avoid using it on copper finishes, as it can lose its shine
Bathroom:
Take the time to scrub down your shower walls alongside the doors and bathtub for a deep clean
Apply a grout cleaner if there's unsightly mildew building up – it can transform a bathroom's appearance!
If your regrouting is beyond a spruce up, you might want to think about regrouting – check out our handy regrouting cost guide to help you budget for this
Hallway and stairs:
Store away shoes you don't use as much – leaving shoes you use regularly by the door in a basket or cupboard
Invest in some new storage – you can check out our shoe storage ideas article for some inspiration
Remove all picture frames and give them a good clean – you won't believe how much dust they can harbour
Bedrooms:
Remove everything from your wardrobe to hoover and dust properly – you'll be sorting out your clothes simultaneously!
Freshen up your bed by sprinkling baking soda over the mattress, followed by a good hoover
Work from the far corner to the entryway when hoovering the floors – and don't forget under the beds
While you've got the hoover out, use the upholstery brush if you have one to hoover the curtains, blinds and lampshades
If you're on a roll, consider hiring a steam cleaner for your carpets – or, for a professional finish, hire a Checkatrade-approved specialist carpet cleaner
Living areas:
Remove any rugs from the floors – this allows you to clean all surfaces and give rugs a good airing outside, if possible
Take all books off the shelves and give everything a dust
Use the upholstery brush to blitz your sofas and under the cushions – or hire a specialist upholstery cleaner near you for a professional finish
Give your workstation a deep clean (an old toothbrush soaked in part vinegar and part water works a treat) – you won't believe how much bacteria lurks in a keyboard!
Top tip – If time is on your side, pick a bright, sunny day for a deep clean. You'll be able to spot dust and cobwebs more easily.
How much do professional cleaners cost?
Ready to don your rubber gloves and get stuck in yourself? Go for it!
But if you're feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of a full house clean, it might be time to hire a professional house cleaning service.
To give you a rough idea, here are some costs to help you budget:
| Cost provided item | Unit | Range - Low | Range - High | Average cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep cleaning | Per hour | £25 | £37 | £31 |
| After party cleaning | Per hour | - | - | £100 - £500 |
| After builders cleaning | Per hour | £30 | £35 | £32.50 |
| House cleaning to prepare for sale after inhabitants move to care | Total | £200 | £2,000 | £500 |
| Specialist hoarder cleaning | Total | £2,000 | £5,000 | £3,500 |
| Last updated: February 2025 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | ||||
Head over to our house cleaning cost guide for more details.
And don't forget the Checkatrade guarantee!
If you hire a house cleaning professional through Checkatrade, we guarantee their work up to £1,000. Guaranteed for 12 months – Eligibility and T&Cs apply.
Contact or pay a trade through Checkatrade and you’re covered by our 12-month guarantee of up to £1,000*
See the tradespeople we've checked and recommend for your job
FAQs
What is the correct order to clean a house?
In each room, start from the top and work your way down. Think ceilings, walls, furniture, and lastly, floors.
How do I plan a house cleaning?
Work room by room**,** starting with the room that needs the most attention. When you start to run out of steam, you can focus on the rooms with less to tackle!
What part of the house takes you the longest to clean?
The kitchen usually takes the longest to clean because it involves multiple surfaces and appliances. You'll also need some elbow grease to remove stubborn grease and food splatters.
How often should you deep clean your house?
We often talk of an annual 'spring clean', but to stay on top of things, we recommend deep cleaning your house twice a year. Paired with your regular house cleaning routine, you'll keep everything shipshape.
How long will a full house clean take?
Deep cleaning can take six hours or more, depending on the home's size and condition.
See the tradespeople we've checked and recommend for your job
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