Hiring a cleaner
Hiring a cleaner in Australia: how to choose and what to expect
Quick answer: Decide what you want done and how often, then choose between an independent cleaner, an agency, a company or a platform. Ask who is insured, who brings the products, what happens if the cleaner can't come and how missed tasks are fixed. Agree the scope in writing, prepare access and priorities, and walk through the result after the first visit.
For anyone hiring help at home for the first time, or switching cleaners. Every answer here links to the detail, and to Simply Maid's own policies where they apply.
- Standard clean
- From $221, live from our booking calculator, checked 14 October 2026
- Our record
- 56,564 completed home cleans
Where are you up to?
Three starting points. Each one is a short path through this guide and the deeper guides beside it.
Your situation
- I'm decidingWhether a cleaner is worth it for your home, your budget and your week.
- I'm comparing cleanersIndependent cleaners, agencies, companies and platforms, and the questions to ask each.
- My first cleanWhat to do before, during and after the first visit.
When hiring a cleaner makes sense, and when doing it yourself suits
Hiring tends to make sense when cleaning keeps losing to work, family or rest, and the cost fits your budget. Doing it yourself suits when money is tight, you enjoy it, or the home is small enough that an hour a week keeps it under control.
Housework is a real share of the week. In the ABS's 2024 time-use survey, 57% of women and 35% of men did housework on a given day, for about 1.8 and 1.5 hours among those who did (ABS).
Signs a cleaner may be worth it:
- The same jobs (bathrooms, floors, the kitchen) keep sliding to the weekend.
- Cleaning causes friction in a shared home.
- You'd rather pay for the time back than for something else.
- A big reset is overdue and you want a clean starting point you can keep up yourself.
Signs doing it yourself suits:
- The budget is tight, or a regular cost would add stress rather than remove it.
- You genuinely like cleaning, or it is how you switch off.
- You only need help occasionally: a one-off or deep clean a few times a year may be enough.
Neither is a moral choice. Is hiring a cleaner worth it? works through the time and cost trade-offs for your home.
Finding cleaners to compare
Start with two or three options: a recommendation from someone with a similar home, a business with recent reviews from homes like yours, or a platform that covers your suburb. Then ask each for a written scope and price.
- Recommendations are the best start, but ask what the cleaner actually does in that home and how often.
- Reviews: look for recent ones about homes like yours, and for how problems were handled, not just the star rating.
- Coverage: check they clean in your suburb on the days you need. Our city pages show the areas we cover for Sydney house cleaners, Melbourne house cleaners, Brisbane house cleaners, Perth house cleaners, Adelaide house cleaners, Canberra house cleaners and Gold Coast house cleaners.
- A written scope and price: without one, two quotes can't be compared. An hourly rate and a fixed price for the job only line up once you know the hours and what's included.
The lowest price isn't automatically the best value, and no type of provider is automatically the safest. The hiring checklist below is what to ask each one.
Ready to check Simply Maid for your home? Hire a cleaner with Simply Maid by entering your suburb or postcode, then review the service and price. If you are still comparing providers, use the questions below to compare the same scope.
Your options: independent cleaner, agency, company or platform
All four can work well. What changes is who you deal with, who sets the price and scope, who is insured, and who sorts things out when a cleaner is sick or a task is missed.
Whichever you choose, ask the same questions (the hiring checklist below). An independent cleaner can be insured, experienced and reliable; a company can still run short of cover on a busy day. Independent cleaner or cleaning company? compares them point by point.
To compare named services, such as Airtasker, Jim's Cleaning and Maid2Match, see house cleaning companies compared.
| What changes | Independent cleaner | Agency | Cleaning company | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who cleans | The person you hire | A cleaner the agency introduces, often a contractor | Employees, contractors, or both | Independent contractors who accept the job |
| Who sets price and scope | You and the cleaner agree it | Usually the agency, with you | The company | The platform, or the cleaner, depending on the model |
| Insurance | The cleaner's own policy, if they hold one | Varies: ask whose policy covers your home | Usually the company's policy | Varies: some cover every booking, some leave it to the cleaner |
| Checks before they start | Up to you: ask for ID and references | The agency's own checks: ask what they cover | The company's own checks: ask what they cover | Varies: ask what is checked before a cleaner can take jobs |
| Products and equipment | Varies: some bring everything, some use yours | Usually supplied; ask | Usually supplied | Varies by platform; ask |
| If the cleaner can't come | You rebook with them | The agency may offer someone else | The company may send someone else | Varies: some find another cleaner, some leave it to you |
| If a task is missed | You raise it with the cleaner | The agency's process | The company's process | The platform's process, if it has one |
| Cancelling | Whatever you agree | Set notice periods and fees | Set notice periods and fees | Set notice periods and fees |
| Paying | Direct to the cleaner | Usually to the agency | To the company | Through the platform |
Simply Maid is a platform: independent, ID-checked cleaners, with prices, booking, payment, cover and the re-clean process run by us. Sources are listed at the end of this guide. Checked 5 October 2026.
The hiring checklist: what to ask, and why it matters
Ask these before the first visit, whoever you hire. Good answers are specific and in writing; vague ones are worth a follow-up question.
Every step in this view is ticked. Untick ‘Hide steps I’ve ticked’ to see them again.
Who and how
Continuity matters for a regular clean. Many providers can request, but not promise, the same cleaner every visit.
Ask whose policy applies: the cleaner's own, the business's, or cover attached to each booking.
Ask what is actually checked (identity, skills, references) rather than accepting a general 'vetted'.
It changes who handles tax, super and insurance. If you hire someone directly, Fair Work explains the difference.
What's included
A written checklist avoids most disagreements about what 'a clean' means.
Common exclusions: outside windows, heavy furniture, high ladders, mould and biohazards.
If you want a particular product used, say so before the visit.
Two cleaners share the booked time, so they are on site for about half as long.
Money and changes
With hourly pricing, ask for an estimate and what happens if the job runs over.
Some take payment after the clean, some ask for a deposit, some hold an amount on your card first.
Late-cancellation and lockout fees are common. Know the window before you book.
A first clean of a home that needs a reset often takes longer than the visits after it.
When something goes wrong
Many providers have a reporting window. Ours is 48 hours.
Ask about the reporting window and what evidence is needed.
Ask whether someone else is offered, or whether you rebook.
Print this list or keep it on your phone. Ticks are saved on this device only.
Compare quotes side by side
Write each provider's answers in a column, so two or three quotes can be compared on the same things: scope, total price, hours, supplies, insurance and what happens when something goes wrong.
| What to compare | Quote A | Quote B | Quote C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who will cleanOne person, a team, the same cleaner each time? | |||
| Rooms and tasks includedFrom their written checklist. | |||
| Not includedOutside windows, ovens, heavy furniture, mould… | |||
| Total price per visitIncluding GST and any fees. | |||
| Fixed price or hourly?If hourly: how many hours, and what if it runs over? | |||
| Cleaner-hours and time on siteOne cleaner or a team? A team of two is on site about half as long. | |||
| Products and equipmentWho brings them? Vacuum and mop? | |||
| InsuranceWhose policy covers damage in your home? | |||
| Checks before startingWhat is actually checked? | |||
| Cancelling or reschedulingNotice needed, and the fee. | |||
| If the cleaner is awaySomeone else offered, or rebook? | |||
| If a task is missedHow to report it, by when, and what happens. |
If you decide to hire a cleaner, compare your options: House cleaning providers in Australia compared. Compare cleaning providers’ inclusions, prices, who arranges the cleaner and what happens if a task is missed.
An hourly quote and a fixed price only compare once you know the hours and what's included. The cheapest isn't automatically the best value.
Compare equivalent work and arrangements before comparing prices. Unstated fees or terms remain unknown until confirmed; this diagram does not rank providers.
Read the illustration as text
- The same scope
- Rooms, tasks, extras and exclusions.
- The same arrangements
- Products, equipment, access and who handles a missed visit.
- The full visit total
- Minimums, fees, GST and conditions on any offer.
A headline hourly rate is only one part.
Standard, deep or end-of-lease: choosing the right clean
A standard clean keeps a home on track. A deep clean adds the detail a regular clean skips (grout, skirting, tracks and other detailed work). End-of-lease is for an empty home being handed back.
- Standard clean: kitchens, bathrooms, dusting, floors and bins, to a set checklist. The right choice for a home that is roughly kept on top of, and for regular visits. What's included.
- Deep clean: a more detailed clean of the range hood, grout, shower screens, skirting boards, sills and tracks. Cleaning inside the oven is included. Cleaning inside the fridge and inside kitchen cabinets and drawers is optional and costs extra. Good for a first clean after a long gap, before guests, or a few times a year. What's included.
- End-of-lease clean: a clean for an empty home, including wardrobes, interior windows and tracks. Cleaning inside the oven, inside the fridge and inside kitchen cabinets and drawers is included. Moving out? starts with the order of a move.
What no house clean covers at Simply Maid: outside windows and the outside of the home, chandeliers, heights beyond a two-step ladder, heavy furniture and appliances, mould removal, biohazards, animal or human waste, and hoarding. Carpet steam cleaning isn't part of a house clean; book it on its own or add it to a deep or end-of-lease clean.
If the home hasn't had a proper clean in a while, tell us in booking: a first visit with some build-up is booked with more time, and later visits return to the regular time.
Not sure what domestic cleaning covers? What a house cleaner does explains everyday duties, optional extras and the work to confirm before booking.
How often to book
Fortnightly suits most households who want a cleaner. Weekly suits busy family homes, pets and shared houses; every 4 weeks suits small or tidy homes; a one-off suits a reset or an occasion.
Fortnightly is the most common plan our customers choose: of 49 standard-clean customers on a plan, 45% were fortnightly (4 in 10 of all standard-clean customers book one-off cleans). Regular visits are booked a little shorter than a one-off clean of the same home, because there is less build-up between them, and they cost less per visit.
How often should you get a cleaner? compares weekly, fortnightly and every 4 weeks, with what each costs over a year and who it suits.
How long a clean takes: cleaner-hours and time on site
Simply Maid currently plans 2h of cleaner time for one bedroom and one bathroom, or 3h for three bedrooms and two bathrooms. These are standard one-off estimates for a home kept on top of, without extras. A team shares that work and can spend less time on site.
Two numbers get mixed up:
- Cleaner-hours: the total working time the job needs, as if one person did it alone. This is what a quote or booking usually describes.
- Time on site: how long someone is actually in your home. With a team of two, it is roughly half the cleaner-hours.
At Simply Maid a one-off standard clean of a one-bedroom, one-bathroom home is booked at 2h and a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 3h, for one cleaner, when the home is kept on top of. A first visit with build-up gets more time; regular visits are booked a little shorter.
For times by home size, one cleaner versus a team, and two- or three-hour priorities, see how long a house clean takes.
If a provider sells by the hour, ask how many hours the job needs, and whether that is for one cleaner or a team.
Work out the time and cost for your home
Choose your home, the clean and how often: you'll see the price per visit, the cleaner time booked, how long they're in your home, the cost over a year and what each hour of your own cleaning it replaces costs.
- Price per visit
- $216
- Cleaner time booked
- 1h 59m
- Time in your home
- 1h 59m
- Visits a year
- 26
- Cost over a year
- $5,616
- Cost per hour freed
- $54
Standard clean, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, fortnightly, one cleaner, replacing 4 hours of your own cleaning. Prices and booked time come from our booking calculator for the frequency selected, checked 14 October 2026. These are new-booking estimates; existing recurring customers keep their agreed terms.
| How often | Per visit | Visits a year | Over a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | $204 | 52 | $10,608 |
| Fortnightly | $216 | 26 | $5,616 |
| Every 4 weeks | $228 | 13 | $2,964 |
| One-off | $253 | 1 | $253 |
What it costs
Most Simply Maid customers pay a fixed price per visit, set by the home's size, the type of clean and how often it happens. A standard clean starts from $221.
- A standard clean of a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home is $253 as a one-off.
- On a plan the same home is $204 a visit weekly, $216 fortnightly or $228 every 4 weeks.
- A deep clean of that home is $361, and an end-of-lease clean $455.
- Prices include GST and Care & Cover, are fixed before you book, and are the same in all seven cities we clean.
How much does house cleaning cost in Australia? has the full price list, what changes the price and how our prices compare with hourly rates.
Your first visit, from booking to walk-through
Tell the cleaner what matters most, make access easy, then check the result with them or within 48 hours.
When you book
Choose the clean for the home as it is today, not as it will be after the first visit. Add first-visit extras (inside the oven, fridge or windows) now; a note alone doesn't add a paid task.
A few days before
Add your priorities, access details, parking and pets to the booking notes. If you won't be home, arrange a lockbox or someone to let the cleaner in.
The day before
Put away valuables, papers and anything fragile, and clear benches and floors where you can. You don't need to clean before the cleaner comes.
On the day
The cleaner arrives within your arrival window, bringing their own products and equipment. Point out anything delicate or off-limits.
Afterwards
Walk through, ideally before the cleaner leaves. If something agreed was missed, say so within 48 hours.
Talking to your cleaner, and fixing missed tasks
Be specific, be quick and put it in writing: which room, which task, and a photo if it helps. With Simply Maid, report it within 48 hours and the team arranges a re-clean of those areas.
In the ratings customers gave us after a visit (74 rated visits, March to October 2026), the most common reason given for a low rating was a task that was missed, most often in bathrooms and kitchens. Many of these can be headed off by writing priorities down before the visit.
- Before the visit: put priorities in the booking notes. "Shower glass and the stovetop first" is more useful than "a good clean".
- Afterwards: walk through the home. If something on the checklist was missed, tell us within 48 hours with the room and the task.
- What happens next: under our Happiness Guarantee, the team arranges a complimentary re-clean of the areas you raise, completed within seven business days. If you're still not happy after that, we offer a fair credit or refund.
- On a regular plan: small notes add up. Tell us what to change, and what to keep doing.
Extras you didn't book (inside the oven, say) aren't missed tasks. What's included lists what each clean covers.
What our bookings show
A few figures from our own bookings that answer the questions people ask before hiring.
Simply Maid booking history · not today’s price
- 45%
- of standard-clean customers on a plan chose fortnightly (49 customers)
- 98%
- of booked time used, at the median, where cleaners clocked in and out (159 visits)
- 9 in 10
- first visits had someone home to let the cleaner in (165 first visits)
- 73%
- of repeat plan visits had a cleaner from the previous visit (44 visits)
Simply Maid's current booking platform, 27 March to 3 October 2026 (it opened in March 2026): completed visits, excluding staff tests and $0 bookings. Plans, visits and customers are counted separately, as labelled. Computed 5 October 2026.
Questions people ask
What will a cleaner do in 2 hours?
About two hours of one cleaner's time covers a standard clean of a small, tidy home such as a one-bedroom unit: our calculator books 2h for a one-off clean of one bedroom and one bathroom. For a larger home with a two-hour limit, agree priority areas and a realistic scope with an hourly provider.
What will a cleaner do in 3 hours?
Around three hours of one cleaner's time covers a standard clean of most two-bedroom homes kept on top of. Our calculator books 3h for a one-off clean of three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and homes that need a reset take longer.
Do I need to clean before the cleaner comes?
No. Put away clutter, valuables and anything fragile so the cleaner can reach the surfaces, but leave the cleaning to them.
Do cleaners bring their own supplies?
Ours do: products, cloths, a vacuum and a mop. If you want a particular product used, tell us before the visit. Independent cleaners vary, so ask.
Do I need to be home?
No, as long as the cleaner can get in. We don't hold keys, so use a lockbox or arrange for someone to be there.
Should I tip my cleaner?
With Simply Maid, tipping is optional and never expected. If you'd like to say thank you, a tip or a kind review is appreciated, never required.
Are Simply Maid cleaners checked and insured?
Yes. Every cleaner is identity-verified and passes a skills assessment through the Simply Maid Academy before working with us. Every booking includes Care & Cover, with public liability insurance underwritten by Chubb.
Can I have the same cleaner every time?
You can ask for your preferred cleaner on a regular plan, and we roster them where we can, but we can't promise the same person every visit.
What happens if my cleaner can't come?
We look for another available cleaner, or contact you to reschedule. We can't promise a replacement every time, especially at short notice.
How much notice do I need to cancel?
Cancel or reschedule free with 24 hours' notice. Inside 24 hours a fee may apply under the current cancellation terms.
Change log
Who wrote and edited this article, when its sources were checked, and what changed.
Current version
What changed
8 October 2026 — Updated by Huy Hoang.
Checked this guide against the current booking catalogue. Prices, discounts, allocated times and interior inclusion summaries use live production values where shown. Corrected package comparisons and first-visit explanations where relevant; existing recurring customers retain their agreed terms.
When you're ready
See what a clean of your home costs
Get a fixed price for your home in about a minute, then choose a one-off or a regular plan. Nothing is booked or paid at this step.
Not sure yet? Is hiring a cleaner worth it?
Sources
The policies, help pages and studies this guide relies on, with the date we read each one.
- Terms of service, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026. §2 and §17 (independent contractors, vetting), §5 (payment), §6 (re-clean), §7 (cancellation), §8 (access and lockout), §10 (Care & Cover), §11 (pets), §12 (exclusions). Published 29 Sep 2026.
- Happiness Guarantee, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026. Report within 48 hours; complimentary re-clean of the areas raised, completed within seven business days.
- Care & Cover, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026. Public liability cover on every booking, underwritten by Chubb Insurance Australia.
- Standard cleaning: what's included, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026. The live checklist and exclusions.
- Deep cleaning: what's included, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026.
- How much does house cleaning cost in Australia?, Simply Maid. Read 5 October 2026. Live prices by home size and frequency, from the booking calculator.
- How do I prepare for my first clean?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Do I need to be home?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Can I have the same cleaner each time?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Do I need to tip my cleaner?, Simply Maid help centre. Read 5 October 2026.
- Independent contractors, Fair Work Ombudsman. Read 5 October 2026. Contractors and employees have different rights and obligations; the test that decides which applies changed on 26 August 2024.
- How Australians Use Their Time, 2024, Australian Bureau of Statistics (17 December 2025). Read 5 October 2026. On a given day in 2024, 57% of women and 35% of men did housework, averaging 1.8 and 1.5 hours among those who did.
Policies quoted from Simply Maid's published terms and help centre on the date shown.