Blog>Trade>Growing your trade business>How much do house cleaners earn?
Last updated: 6 February 2025
How much do house cleaners earn?
House cleaning services are always needed, but what does this mean for your earning potential? Whether you’re just getting started or setting up your own business, we’ve broken down the average house cleaner salaries in the UK.
House cleaners are always needed in homes across the UK. Whoever the client, people want their home clean and may not have time, resource, or inclination to do it themselves.
Not sure what the potential earnings are? We’ve gone ahead and worked out the average salaries for house cleaners at different stages of their careers.
| Level | Per hour | Per day | Per year | Business Costs* | Approximate Take Home Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | £7.55 | £60.40 | £13,258 | 0 | £12,509 |
| Newly Qualified | £12.21 | £97.68 | £21,441 | 0 | £18,073 |
| Employed | £14.20 | £113.60 | £29,536 | 0 | £23,578 |
| Sole Trader | £25 | £200 | £36,876 | £4,610 | £22,530 |
| Business Owner (ltd company) | £30 | £240 | £44,251 | £7,744 | £29,836 |
| *includes estimated costs for business expenses such as vehicle, tools, insurance, fuel etc | |||||
| Last updated: December 2024 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | |||||
What's the average salary for house cleaners in the UK?
House cleaner salaries vary in different parts of the country.
Newly qualified house cleaners can expect to earn around £21,441 per year. This can increase to £29,536for more experienced house cleaners working for a cleaning company.
The amount of money a house cleaner can earn will also depend on other several other factors.
For example, location will play a large part in a house cleaner’s earning potential. House cleaners in London and southeast England will earn the most.
However, those working in luxury apartments and more affluent areas can also expect a higher salary.
How much can a self-employed house cleaner earn?
Before setting up your own cleaning business, you'll probably want an idea of how much you could potentially earn.
To help with your decision making, we've figured out the average self-employed cleaner salaries in the UK. This way, you can decide whether it’s worth taking the leap or not.
Running your own house cleaning business:
As a sole trader, you can expect to earn in the region of £36,876 per year
Owning a limited company, earnings could be nearer to £44,251 per year
House cleaning business costs and expenses
Whether you decide to set up your house cleaning business as a sole trader or a limited company, you’ll want to understand how much your costs and expenses will be.
Sole trader business costs = Around £4,610 per year
Limited company business costs = Around £7,744 per year
These estimates are designed to give you a realistic idea of how much money you’ll take home once all tax and expenses have been deducted.
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What is the average hourly rate for a house cleaner?
If you’re running a house cleaning business and you want to hire more cleaners, you’ll want to know what their pay expectations will be.
Pay will vary depending on experience and location. On average, you can expect to pay:
Apprentice - £7.55per hour
Newly qualified - £12.21per hour
Employed - £14.20per hour
Sole trader - £25per hour
Business owner (Ltd company) - £30per hour
How much is the average house cleaner daily rate?
House cleaners tend to work at times that are convenient for the homeowner. This will usually be during the day when they are out at work. Paying a daily rate can be a good idea for both you and your employees.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to know the expected daily pay rate for house cleaners to make sure that you are competitive.
Apprentice - £60.40per day
Newly qualified - £97.68per day
Employed - £113.60per day
Sole trader - £200per day
Business owner (Limited company) - £240per day
How much can you earn oven cleaning?
Cleaning an oven can be challenging, and is a task many homeowners will put off. So, cleaning ovens can be a great way to boost your income as a house cleaner. But how much do oven cleaners earn in the UK?
Well, you'll generally earn a similar amount to what you might earn carrying out other household cleaning tasks. Here's how much you can earn cleaning ovens, depending on your level of experience.
| Level | Per hour | Per day | Per year | Estimated business costs* | Approximate take home pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | £5.28 | £42.24 | £9,272 | £0 | £9,139 |
| Newly qualified | £7.49 | £59.92 | £13,152 | £0 | £12,437 |
| Employed | £10.42 | £83.36 | £21,674 | £0 | £18,232 |
| Sole trader | £25 | £200 | £36,876 | £4,609.50 | £22,530* |
| Business owner (Ltd company) | £32.09 | £256.72 | £47,334 | £8,283.46 | £31,716* |
| *includes estimated business expenses such as vehicle, fuel, tools and insurance. You should always consult an accountant. | |||||
| Last updated: December 2024 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | |||||
As you can see, most of the rates are comparable to general household cleaning. However, if you own a limited company, oven cleaning will gain you a couple of extra pounds an hour. That could make a big difference to your cleaning business profit over the course of a few weeks or months!
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Become the boss of your own house cleaning business
Do you want to start your own house cleaning business? Then why not try our ‘Become the Boss’ series to help you to succeed.
Why not watch a quick video to introduce you to the series?
When you sign up, you'll get the following:
Eight e-mails with actionable tips on how to start a business
Advice from other tradespeople who were once in your position
FREE business strategy call
Trade business insider secrets sent straight to your phone.
Become the Boss is designed to place you in the best position to become the founder of your own house cleaning business.
Sound too good to be true? Enter your e-mail address in the form below to make a start.
Check out Elaine’s cleaning business story!
Specialising in domestic cleaning services, Elaine Aguiar was happy to speak to us about her own journey.
Elaine's story to starting her cleaning business
We were delighted to speak to Elaine Aguiar about her journey to starting and growing her business, Elaine Cleaning Services. What she has achieved is no mean feat. Let's meet Elaine and read her story. Tell us about you and your business After working in catering for nearly 15 years, my mum was
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Hopefully, you now now have a better idea of how much you could earn as a house cleaner.
But what next? Whether you’re new to the trade or looking to build up your house cleaning business, we can help.
For example, in 2023 alone, we saw over 179,000 searches for domestic cleaning work via our website.* Sound like an opportunity you want to miss out on?
Checkatrade members get access to these leads, and if you come on board, you can get access to all sorts of member benefits. For example:
Savings on public liability insurance with Superscript
Cheaper access to business-altering software like Quickbooks
Easier paperwork with our time-saving quoting/invoicing tool
Our fixed membership option lets you build the plan that’s perfect for you and your business needs.
Speak with our team today to find out more about our vetting process and becoming Checkatrade approved.
House cleaner salary FAQs
What can a cleaner do in 3 hours?
A good house cleaner can complete a range of tasks in 3 hours: i.e. jobs such as vacuuming the house, cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen, wiping down surfaces, cleaning mirrors, and emptying bins.
What affects a house cleaner's salary?
Like most jobs, location and experience will affect how much a house cleaner is paid. The type of house cleaning work you’re doing will also impact how much you make.
Is house cleaning a well-paid job?
House cleaners are always needed so you will never be out of work. House cleaners also get paid a good salary for a job requiring no formal qualifications.
How can I boost my earnings as a house cleaner?
As with any trade job, one of the best ways to boost your earnings is by offering other services.
For example, you could also start a carpet cleaning business or go the commercial route and become an office cleaner which can also expand your customer base.
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* Internal search data from users of the Checkatrade.com website between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2023