What do house cleaners do on a regular visit?
A regular clean is a repeat visit, usually weekly or fortnightly, that keeps a lived-in home clean. It's maintenance. It stops grime from building, and it doesn't try to shift grime that's already been there for a year.
The list below is what people usually ask for. You and the cleaning business agree the real list, how often and which day between you, so treat this as a starting point to mark up.
House cleaning checklist for the kitchen
- Benches and stovetop wiped down.
- Splashback spot-cleaned where it's been splashed.
- Sink and taps cleaned and dried.
- Outside of the fridge, dishwasher and microwave wiped.
- Floor vacuumed and mopped.
- Bin emptied.
Regular house cleaning in bathrooms and toilets
- Shower, bath and basin cleaned.
- Mirror wiped.
- Toilet cleaned inside and out.
- Floor mopped, with the corners behind the door done too.
What cleaners clean in bedrooms and living areas
- Surfaces within reach dusted.
- Carpets and rugs vacuumed.
- Hard floors vacuumed and mopped.
- Bins emptied.
What house cleaners leave out unless you ask
- Inside the oven, an add-on in our form.
- Inside windows, also an add-on.
- Carpet steam cleaning, an add-on, never a job on its own here.
- Wall marks, an add-on that means spot cleaning scuffs, not painting.
- Skirting boards, door frames, window tracks and inside cupboards, which belong to a deep clean.
- Dishes, laundry and beds. Some households add them, so raise it before the first visit.
How to set up regular house cleaning that sticks
Start from a clean baseline
If it's been a while, people often book a one-off deep clean first. Then the regular visits keep the home clean instead of chasing it.
Write your own list
Mark up the lists above, and put a star next to the three things that matter most in your house. If the time runs short, those are what still get done.
Pick a rhythm
Weekly suits homes with kids, pets or a lot of shared living. Fortnightly suits smaller households. Bedrooms, bathrooms and how much gets in from outside all change the size of the job.
Rotate the extras
Ask whether the business can take one extra job each visit, such as the fridge shelves one time and the shower screen the next.
Talk after the second visit
By then you'll know what's working. Adjust the list while it's still easy to.
What to agree before your first regular house clean
- Will the same person come each visit?
- Who brings the products and the vacuum, and is there anything your surfaces can't take?
- How do they get in if you're at work, and who holds the key or code?
- What happens if they're sick, or you need to cancel?
- How do they invoice, and when is payment due?
- Can you see their public liability certificate? Our guide on how to find a good cleaner covers the rest.
Leaving products out? Keep labels on and bottles apart
Keep every product in its original container, never in a cup or drink bottle, and leave the label on. Tell the cleaner what you've already used on a surface, because bleach must never be mixed with ammonia, acids or other cleaners.
Between house cleaning visits, and on the day
Worth doing yourself
- Clearing benches and floors so the cleaner reaches the surfaces, not your stuff.
- Putting away valuables, medicines and paperwork.
- Running the exhaust fan or opening a window when you shower or cook.
- Putting pets somewhere calm, if they don't love a vacuum.
Where a cleaning business earns its keep
- Bathrooms done properly on a set day, every time.
- Floors through the whole home in one go.
- The dusting nobody gets around to.
- Extras on rotation, once you've agreed them.
Our take: write the house cleaning list first
Write the list before you ask for a quote. Star the three jobs you care about, tell the business the size of the home and how long since the last proper clean, and ask them to quote on that. If it's been more than a few months, start with one deep clean, then let the regular visits hold the line.