HOW TO HIRE · CLEANING

How to hire a deep cleaner in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to deep cleaning. Ask about the products, the scope room by room, and a registered carrier for any rubbish.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a deep cleaner in five steps

  1. Say bedrooms and bathroomsSo the price is right.
  2. Point out the worstGreasy extractor, heavy limescale.
  3. Agree what movesFurniture the team can move.
  4. Hot water, power, parkingReady on the day.
  5. ProductsAsk what is used on delicate surfaces.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nothing licenses deep cleaners in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so a deep clean can be offered by anyone; trader status, insurance and references carry the weight.

Ask for a business name, an invoice for the deep clean and the name of the insurer.

Cleaning chemicals and COSHH

Strong products used for a deep clean — degreasers, descalers, biocides — are hazardous substances, and HSE says its COSHH rules cover a self-employed cleaner who brings them into your home, except for monitoring and health surveillance.

Ask which products the deep clean uses, and whether they are safe on your surfaces. hse.gov.uk →

Waste carrier registration if rubbish goes

A business that takes waste away needs waste carrier registration — the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or the NIEA — and in England and Wales section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes you hand household waste only to an authorised person. That applies to bags left over from a deep clean.

If the deep clean includes taking rubbish, ask for the waste carrier number and search the public register. environment.data.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

No register requires it, but public liability insurance is what pays if a deep clean damages a floor, a fabric or a fitting. Reasonable care and skill is the legal standard for a deep clean under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Ask the deep cleaner who the insurer is before the deep clean.

VAT

A deep clean is standard-rated, so VAT is 20% where it applies. A cleaning firm whose takings exceed £90,000 a year must be registered, charge the 20% on the whole visit and show it as a separate line.

Ask for the firm's VAT number when you book the deep clean and check the 20% is printed apart from the price. gov.uk →

“What does the deep clean include, room by room?”

A good answer: A list: inside cupboards, behind furniture, high and low.

“Which products will the deep cleaning team use?”

A good answer: Named, and suited to your surfaces.

“How many cleaners, and how long?”

A good answer: A team and an estimate.

“Are the oven and fridge included?”

A good answer: Priced add-ons, or included.

“Will you take rubbish away?”

A good answer: With a waste carrier number, or not at all.

“Are you insured for damage?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Rooms and tasks listed
  • Team size and hours
  • Add-ons priced
  • Rubbish removal, if any
  • Who actually attends the deep clean, how many, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% listed under the room and add-on prices

Walk away if

  • One price with no scope
  • Bleach on natural stone
  • No insurance
  • Rubbish taken with no carrier number
LOW
£100
TYPICAL
£250
HIGH
£600

What a deep cleaner costs: £100–£600 per visit

Deep cleans are priced per visit by the size of the home, with add-ons on top. Deep Cleaning price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Deep cleaners near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. PlanScope and furniture agreed.
  2. KitchenCupboards, tiles and appliances degreased.
  3. BathroomsDescaled throughout.
  4. Behind and underFurniture moved and floors cleaned.
  5. High and lowLights, frames, radiators and skirting.

Deep clean
A thorough clean of everything, including inside cupboards and behind furniture.
Descaler
Removes limescale.
Degreaser
Cuts cooking grease.
COSHH
HSE's rules on hazardous substances.
Add-on
An extra priced on top.
Skirting
The board along the bottom of walls.

AFTER

When the job is done

Walk round with the listBefore the team leaves.
Keep the invoiceScope and team listed.
Note what workedFor the next deep clean.
Say how it wentYour rating of the deep clean sits on the deep cleaner's Locufy profile for others to read. Something wrong? Use make-it-right first and we follow it through.

STEP 1Tell the deep cleaner, in writingContact the deep cleaner first, in writing, and keep a copy. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the deep clean must be done with reasonable care and skill; you can ask for the faulty part to be done again free of charge, and if that fails, for some or all of the money back.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the deep clean below four stars and you are asked whether the deep cleaner should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesA deep cleaner who will not engage can be reported through the consumer helplines, which pass cases to Trading Standards — Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the deep clean, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales on the small claims track, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland's small claims court.

Hiring a deep cleaner: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies.

HSE's COSHH rules apply to self-employed people using hazardous products on your premises.

Only with waste carrier registration.

£100–£600 per visit, with around £250 for a two- or three-bed home. For what moves the figure, see the deep cleaning price guide, and search your town above to find cleaners nearby.

Five hours to a full day, usually with two or more cleaners.

Carpet shampooing and outside windows are usually separate.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in cleaning

How to hire: Spring CleaningHow to hire: One-Off CleaningHow to hire: End of Tenancy CleaningHow to hire: House CleaningHow to hire: Oven CleaningHow to hire: Carpet CleaningHow to hire: Move-in / Move-out CleaningHow to hire: Mould CleaningAll 701 hiring guides →

Deep cleaners near you

Deep cleaners in LondonDeep cleaners in ManchesterDeep cleaners in BirminghamDeep cleaners in GlasgowDeep cleaners in BelfastAll deep cleaners on Locufy →Do it yourself: deep-cleaning a kitchen and bathroom →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — does COSHH apply to the self-employed?
  2. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  3. Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers
  4. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  5. gov.uk — basic DBS check
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  8. HSE — safe use of cleaning substances (CAIS22)
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register