Pricing

Cleaning costs: compare & save

Written by Staff Writer | May 12, 2011 6:08:51 AM

Please note that the price information in this article was based on data from 2011 and may now be outdated.

We’ve crunched the numbers to show you just how affordable a house cleaner can be. With national rates clocking in at a cheap $28 per hour, we reckon a cleaner is money well spent.

Cleaning costs by size

How much does it cost to clean your whole house? Well, that all depends on how big your sleeping quarters are. It makes sense that the bigger your home, the more you’ll have to pay. It normally costs between $10 and $20 per additional bedroom. You’ll have to fork out around $77 for a clean, average-sized two-bedroom home. If you have an extra bedroom you use as a study or for when the in-laws come to stay, you can expect to pay $87 for a good clean.

It’s no secret that if you get your home cleaned regularly, there will be fewer mess-ups. That’s why if your house cleaner comes every week or fortnight, it’s cheaper than a one-off clean.

Spring and end-of-lease cleans

Spring cleans or end-of-lease cleans take more time and elbow grease. In addition to all the regular chores such as dusting and mopping, cleaners are expected to scrub appliances, light fittings and windows. A good one-off clean will set you back around $222 for a two-bedroom home.

Cleaner rates by state

Cleaning costs vary slightly across the country. Poor Queenslanders are asked to dig the deepest, paying cleaners up to 10% more than anywhere else in Australia. Victoria scored the cheapest cleaners. It’s also the place with the highest number of cleaning jobs pumped through our site each month. Does that mean it’s the laziest state? Or are Victorians just more house-proud and know how to spend their money wisely? You do the maths. They say that time is money, so when weighing up whether or not you can afford a cleaner, you’ll have to ask yourself if the cost of a cleaner is worth the time you save.

Check out the recent average cost of domestic cleaning services per state in Australia: