If you’ve never hired a cleaner before, the most awkward part isn’t the cost — it’s not knowing what you’re actually getting. Will they do the dishes? Change the beds? Judge the state of the playroom? Do you need to clean before the cleaner arrives? (You’d be amazed how many people do.)

These questions come up constantly — in our enquiries and in every parenting forum where someone finally admits they need help with the house. So here’s exactly what a house cleaning service includes, what it doesn’t, and how to get the most from every visit — based on six years cleaning 400+ homes across Hampshire and Surrey.

What a Standard House Clean Includes

A standard weekly or fortnightly house clean covers the recurring work that keeps a home feeling looked after:

Kitchen — Worktops and surfaces wiped and sanitised, sink cleaned, hob and splashback wiped, outside of appliances and cupboard fronts cleaned, bins emptied, floor vacuumed and mopped.

Bathrooms — Toilet, bath, shower and sink cleaned and sanitised, mirrors polished, surfaces wiped, floor mopped.

Bedrooms and living areas — Dusting of surfaces, shelves and reachable ledges, mirrors and glass polished, floors vacuumed, hard floors mopped, general straightening of cushions and throws.

Throughout — Door handles and light switches wiped, cobwebs removed, bins emptied, a consistent finish room to room.

Extras like bed changes or a load of laundry folded are often available by arrangement — the key word being arrangement. Agree it up front and it happens every visit; assume it and you’ll be disappointed.

What Cleaners Usually Don’t Do

The most common friction between households and cleaners comes from unspoken expectations. As standard, a regular clean does not usually include:

Washing up and dishes — A sink full of dishes actually blocks the kitchen clean. Most cleaners will work around it; few will do it unless it’s agreed as an extra.

Decluttering and tidying toys — Cleaners clean surfaces; they can’t decide where your things live. A floor covered in toys gets vacuumed around, not organised.

Inside the oven and fridge — These are deep cleaning jobs, priced separately, because each can take an hour or more on its own.

Laundry, ironing, and beds — Available from many services (including ours) as agreed extras, not defaults.

Heavy lifting and high reaching — Moving furniture and cleaning above safe reach are deep-clean territory, partly for insurance reasons.

None of these are refusals — they’re all bookable. The point is that a standard clean is a defined job, and everything beyond it should be a conversation, not an assumption.

Do I Need to Tidy Before the Cleaner Comes?

You don’t need to clean — that’s the whole point — but a ten-minute tidy genuinely changes what you get for your money. Every minute your cleaner spends moving toys, dishes, and paperwork is a minute not spent actually cleaning.

The ideal prep: clear the kitchen sink and worktops, get loose items off floors, and leave surfaces reachable. That’s it. And no — nobody is judging your home. We’ve seen everything, and the families who need help most are exactly who this service is for.

How Often Should You Book a Cleaner?

Weekly — Best for busy family homes, pets, or anyone who wants the house permanently guest-ready. The clean maintains itself; nothing ever builds up.

Fortnightly — The most popular choice. Enough to keep on top of bathrooms and kitchens, at roughly half the cost of weekly.

One-off or monthly — Works for smaller or quieter households, though each visit takes longer since more has accumulated.

One tip from experience: whatever frequency you choose, start with a deep clean first. A regular clean maintains a standard — it can’t create one. Starting from a deep-cleaned baseline is what makes every visit afterwards look brilliant.

What Does a House Cleaning Service Cost?

In Hampshire and Surrey, regular house cleaning starts from around £40 per visit for a typical home, with flats and apartments from £70 as a one-off. Nationally, expect £15–£30 per hour depending on whether you hire an individual or an insured company — we’ve broken down the full numbers in our guide to how much a cleaner costs.

At Bantha Cleaning, every regular clean includes DBS-checked, fully insured cleaners, eco-friendly products safe for children and pets, all equipment, and the same cleaner each visit wherever possible. Quotes are free and fixed before we start.

Bantha Cleaning provides regular domestic cleaning across Aldershot, Winchester, Farnborough, Fleet, Basingstoke, Farnham, and Camberley — from £40 per visit.
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Frequently Asked Questions

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A house cleaning service isn’t a mystery box — it’s a defined job: kitchens, bathrooms, floors, and surfaces, done properly and repeatedly. The households that love their cleaner are the ones who agreed the task list up front, added extras deliberately, and did the ten-minute tidy. Get those three things right and hiring a cleaner stops being a luxury and starts being the best few hours you buy back every week.

Bantha Cleaning Service provides DBS-checked, fully insured regular cleaning across Aldershot, Farnborough, Fleet, Camberley, Farnham, Basingstoke, Winchester, Woking and surrounding areas — from £40 per visit, with eco-friendly products and the same trusted cleaner wherever possible.

Call us: 07825 183734
Email us: [email protected]
Serving: Aldershot, Winchester, Basingstoke, Farnborough, Fleet, Camberley, Farnham, Woking, Andover, Hook, Ash Vale, Alton and surrounding areas.