How much does house cleaning cost in Australia?

Does your weekend get swallowed up by vacuuming, mopping, and dusting? Instead of spending your precious free time on housework, consider hiring a professional. But before you decide, understanding how much professional house cleaning costs is vital, so you can choose which services are worth the investment for your lifestyle.

In this guide, we'll explore the costs of different professional cleaning services, including contractual rates, to help you understand their pricing structures. We'll also share tips on which tasks you can delegate to a house cleaner to maximise your budget.

House cleaning prices for different types of cleaning services

House cleaning prices depend largely on the type of house, the tasks, and the amount of work involved. Expect common tasks like floor cleaning to be more affordable, while spring cleaning and bond cleaning cost tend to run higher.

Check this house cleaning prices list for reference:

Average hourly house cleaning rates in Australia

The average hourly rate of a house cleaner depends on whether they’re employed (and their employer covers their expenses/tax/superannuation) or they’re self-employed. Fairwork Australia has set the cleaning services award for employed house cleaners at the following rates:

Unless you’re planning to employ your house cleaner full-time, these house cleaning rates per hour won’t apply to you. You’ll be engaging your cleaner as a contractor to come into your home for a few hours once off or on an ongoing basis every week or so. This means they’ll need to charge you higher rates because they’re covering their own expenses, including:

• Their wage

• Tax

• Superannuation

• Insurance

• Travel expenses

• Cleaning supplies

• And more!

Most of the time, your cleaner will need to charge you double or triple the standard award rate to cover the costs associated with running their own business. This means you can expect to pay around $55 to $90 per hour for a self-employed house cleaning contractor. So, when setting your budget for a task, remember the approximate number of hours it might take, and then multiply it by at least $55.

Keep in mind, though, that this is just an estimate and prices can still vary depending on your location. House cleaning costs in Sydney, for example, can be more expensive than in other regions, since it's a major metropolitan area with a higher cost of living.

What factors affect the cost of cleaning a house?

Professional cleaning of a bedroom floor (Source: iStock)

As you can see from our price guides above, the cost of different services can sometimes vary widely. Here are the factors that might increase or decrease the price of your house clean:

• If it’s a minor task that’ll take a few minutes or one that might take a full day

• The number of bedrooms

• The number of bathrooms

• The floor area (measured in square metres) of your home

• How detailed the clean is (expect to pay more if you need a deep clean)

• Any extras (like oven, cabinets, windows, carpets)

• Whether you’ll provide the equipment and supplies

• Your location/suburb

• How difficult or easy it is to access and complete the job

• How urgently do you need the job done

• Whether you need the cleaning done on a weekend or weekday

How much does a deep clean cost?

Deep cleaning high-end living room spaces (Source: iStock)

A deep clean will normally require extra time from your house cleaner, so you can expect to pay up to double their standard house cleaning prices. It may cost you between $280 and $650 for a 4-hour deep clean on a 3-bedroom house.This would include all the usual basic cleaning tasks, plus things like: 

• Windows cleaned

• Shelves and cupboards organised

• Ceiling fans wiped

• Oven cleaned 

• Fridge/freezer cleaned

• Kitchen cabinets wiped, etc. 

A deep clean is advised for homes that need extra TLC, when you need a spring clean, or once a quarter between standard cleans.

Do I need to hire a house cleaner?

Housekeeping staff making a bed in a modern room (Source: iStock)

Not everyone wants or needs a house cleaner. But here are two main reasons you might choose to hire one: 

1. Making sure your time away from work is actually downtime.

2. Getting an extra pair of hands to finish a big or tricky job (like doing a bond clean)

There are many other reasons to hire a cleaner, but overall, hiring a house cleaner will help you get more done in less time. Plus, this will help you figure out what your house cleaner is worth paying.

What are the standard inclusions for house cleaning?

When you book a cleaner for your house, a standard clean will usually take around two hours (depending on the size of your home) and include the following services:

• Vacuuming the mattress to remove dust mites and allergens

• Mopping the floors

• Wiping down all furniture and main visible surfaces

• Emptying your rubbish bins

• Cleaning your shower, bathtub, and toilets

• Washing any dirty dishes in your kitchen sink

Tasks you can give to your house cleaner

Professional cleaning team tidying a modern residential kitchen (Source: iStock)

You don’t have to stick to the standard cleaning if you need some extra help around the house. Other tasks you might request your cleaner to do include:

• Unloading the dishwasher

• Wiping marks off your walls

• Dusting cobwebs off the ceiling

• Changing the sheets

• Putting on a load of washing

• Hanging or folding clothes

• Picking up toys

• Organising your linen cupboard

• Oven cleaning

• Microwave cleaning

• Fridge/freezer cleanout

What sort of services won’t a house cleaner do?

While some cleaners are pretty flexible, usually, they won’t do…

• Maintenance tasks - like regrouting your bathroom tiles

• Renovation tasks - like painting the walls or updating your fixtures

• Jobs outside - like mowing, sweeping, weeding, de-webbing, or cleaning the gutters

You’ll need to hire a handyperson, painter, or gardener for those tasks. But if you’d like one person to take care of it all, you can always specify this when you post your task. You might be lucky enough to get a skilled house cleaner who’s capable of helping with other tasks, too.

Post your first house cleaning task on Airtasker

Ready to hire your house cleaner and create your first task? It’s easy! Just write out your task, post your listing, review your offers, and choose someone, and they’ll arrange to come and do your house cleaning. If you’re curious, read some more about how it works.

Here’s what you might include in your listing:

• Timing and budget

• Location

• Number of rooms/bathrooms and approximate sizes

• Type of house cleaning

• Deep clean or standard clean?

• Any issues with access?

• Is the job likely to be challenging or time-consuming?

• Equipment provided? 

• One-off task or ongoing work?

The more info you include, the easier it’ll be for your house cleaner to price up the job and make you an offer. Plus, they’ll refer to the info in your listing when they arrive to complete the task.

Finding a trusted house cleaner can be challenging, especially if you don't know where to look. You might spend the whole day searching for recommendations. At Airtasker, we make it easy for you to find an experienced house cleaner. Our platform shows you trusted reviews from real customers to help you choose the right person for the job.