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Cleaners - what you need to know

A professional cleaner can help keep your home or place of work clean. They can be brought in for a one-off clean to blitz the kitchen and living room after you've had guests round, or carry out a spring clean. You can also ask them to carry out a regular clean, maybe once or twice a week. They'll tend to run a vacuum through the house and make sure surfaces are spotless and hygienic doing things like polishing furniture and mopping floors.

Most cleaners won't clean anything that might be considered a risk to their health. For example, pet messes and toxic chemicals.

If you’re renting and planning on moving out, they can help you get your deposit back by making sure the flat or house looks as good, or better, than it did when you first moved in. This is normally more expensive than your usual cleaning job as it involves a deep-clean, getting to the deep grime in a home. You can expect the oven, windows, and under sinks to be cleaned, as well as window frames and the inside of bathroom cabinets. All houses have different items so it’s worth agreeing exactly what you want included in the deep clean. Carpet cleaning is normally considered to be a specific skill so if you’re looking for carpets to be cleaned, you’ll want to ask whether a potential cleaner offers this as a service. 

How to clean grout

To clean stained grout, you’ll need to wear goggles to protect your eyes and use a small brush to scrub it with a strong bleach solution (3/4 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water). Take care not to scrub too hard or you could damage it. You can also try a foaming grout cleaner that you spray on and leave for a few minutes. Whichever option you choose, make sure you open a window to get fresh air circulating and if cleaning doesn’t get it looking its best, consider replacing it.

How to clean a carpet

Carpets are normally cleaned in one of two ways. You can use a steam cleaner which works by injecting a solution into the carpet before pulling the dirty solution back up into the machine. You can also use a dry extraction method instead where you sprinkle an absorbent compound over the carpet and vacuum it up. If the carpet’s stained or fragile, it’s a good idea to bring in a professional cleaner to make sure it’s handled appropriately.

Insurance for cleaning work

There is no legal obligation for cleaners to be insured but some cleaners may choose to get public liability insurance so they’re covered in the case of an injury or accidental damage to a property.

Questions you should ask a cleaner

• How long have they been trading?
• Will they supply the products for the job?
• Do they have public liability insurance and what does this cover?
• Do you need to move furniture or clear a room before they clean?
• How long will it take to clean the property and is the quote for the finished job or per hour?

See the latest questions that homeowners have been asking cleaners.

Cleaning ideas

Find out how to rescue a dirty bathroom mirror and read more about when to hire a professional for a spring clean.