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There are several things to know before hiring a house cleaner to do any work on your home.

• What services do they offer?

• Do they work alone or with a company?

• Do they have any references you can check?

• Do they conduct background checks on employees?

• When can they get you an estimate?

• Do they have insurance?

• Do they offer a guarantee?

• How do they set rates?

• Do they bring cleaning supplies and equipment?

• Do you need to be home when they clean?

• What arrangements do you need to make for pets?

• Is there a written contract?

The average cost to hire a house cleaner is between $30 and $50 per hour. Costs vary depending on house size, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the type of cleaning you want. Deep cleaning will be more expensive since it requires more time and effort to move furniture and clean hard-to-reach areas compared to a standard cleaning session. 

Although tipping is not a requirement, many people tip house cleaners around 10% to 15% of the final cleaning cost. Some people tip as much as 20% or more, but it’s up to your discretion. Rather than tipping each cleaning session, you can also tip monthly or give the house cleaner a holiday bonus. There are no rules for tipping, but if your house cleaner did a great job it’s encouraged.

The average house cleaner cost is around $180, which should cover about four hours of work. However, each project is different and costs can range from $100 to $1,000, depending on the house size and the cleaning needed. Other cost factors can include your location and what level of cleaning you want. Standard or basic cleaning may include vacuuming, dusting, and disinfecting the kitchen and bathrooms. Deep cleaning costs about twice as much and often includes cleaning behind and underneath furniture, washing windows, and polishing hard-to-clean surfaces. Emergency cleaning, extreme cleaning, and holidays also impact pricing. Move-in and move-out cleaning typically cost more, too, because of the extensive, whole-house cleaning involved.

No, house cleaners do not necessarily need to be certified or licensed. Each state has its own requirements for licensing and certifications for companies, but most states don't require any special training to clean a home. Be sure to check our state licensing tool to review the local house cleaner guidelines.