A regular cleaner from SW Clean London costs £17 per hour on a weekly or fortnightly plan in 2026, £18 every 3 weeks, £19 monthly and £19 for a one-off clean. Every visit is at least 2 hours. A 2 bedroom flat usually needs 3–4 hours, so a weekly or fortnightly visit costs £51–£68.
Quick answer: what a cleaner costs per hour in 2026
- Weekly or fortnightly: £17 per hour
- Every 3 weeks: £18 per hour
- Monthly: £19 per hour
- One-off clean: £19 per hour
- Minimum visit: 2 hours
- Ironing: £17 per hour, added to your visit
- Our products or equipment: £7 for products and £23 for equipment, each a one-off payment
These rates come from the same price list as our pricing page. Home cleaning is charged by the hour, the cleaner uses your own products and equipment unless you add ours, and the price is confirmed before the first visit.
How much does a cleaner cost per hour in London in 2026?
At SW Clean London, a regular cleaner costs £17 per hour on a weekly or fortnightly plan and £19 per hour for monthly visits. The more often the cleaner comes, the lower the hourly rate.
| Weekly or fortnightly | £17 |
|---|---|
| Every 3 weeks | £18 |
| Monthly | £19 |
| One-off | £19 |
Frequent visits cost less per hour for two simple reasons. A home cleaned every week or two stays in a state the cleaner can keep on top of, and a fixed, repeating slot is easier to plan. A monthly or one-off visit usually starts from a home that has had longer to collect dust, grease and limescale.
To work out a monthly budget, multiply the hours per visit by the hourly rate and by the number of visits. A year has 52 weeks, so a weekly plan averages about 4.3 visits a month, a fortnightly plan about 2.2 and a plan every 3 weeks about 1.4. A fortnightly plan for a 2 bedroom flat, for example, is £51–£68 per visit, a little over twice a month.
The same rates apply across London, from Lambeth and Camden to Hammersmith and Fulham.
How many hours does a cleaner need?
A studio flat usually needs 2–3 hours per regular visit, a 2 bedroom flat 3–4 hours and a 4 bedroom house 4–6 hours. The table shows typical hours and the cost per visit at the weekly or fortnightly rate.
| Room in a shared flat: 2 hours | £34 |
|---|---|
| Studio flat: 2–3 hours | £34–£51 |
| 1 bedroom: 2–3 hours | £34–£51 |
| 2 bedrooms: 3–4 hours | £51–£68 |
| 3 bedrooms: 3–5 hours | £51–£85 |
| 4 bedrooms: 4–6 hours | £68–£102 |
| 5 bedrooms or more: 5–7 hours | £85–£119 |
The size of the home sets the starting point. These things move it up or down:
- Bathrooms. Each extra bathroom or en suite adds time.
- Frequency. With monthly visits there is more to catch up on each time.
- Children and pets. More crumbs, hair and fingerprints, especially on floors.
- Clutter. If the cleaner has to tidy first, your paid time goes on tidying.
- Ironing. It is added to the visit, on top of the cleaning time.
If you book fewer hours than the table suggests, tell the cleaner which rooms matter most, so the time goes where you want it.
Should you book a cleaner weekly, fortnightly, every 3 weeks or monthly?
Weekly suits busy households with children or pets, fortnightly suits many couples and small flats, and every 3 weeks or monthly suits tidy homes that only need a regular reset. The best choice is the longest gap your home can go without feeling dirty.
- Weekly (£17 per hour). The kitchen, bathrooms and floors never fall far behind. It suits families, pet owners and people who cook at home every day.
- Fortnightly (£17 per hour). The same hourly rate as weekly, with half the visits. You keep up with quick wipes in between, and the cleaner does the full round every two weeks.
- Every 3 weeks (£18 per hour). A middle option for tidy households that find fortnightly too often and monthly too little.
- Monthly (£19 per hour). Works for a small, tidy home where you do most of the cleaning yourself. Expect each visit to need more hours than a weekly one.
Fortnightly gives you the lowest hourly rate with the fewest visits. A simple test: if the bathroom and kitchen look tired by day 10, book weekly. If they still look fine after two weeks, try every 3 weeks. You can change the frequency later, free of charge, with 48 hours notice.
Is there a minimum visit length?
Yes. Every home cleaning visit is at least 2 hours, whatever the frequency. You can book longer visits, but not shorter ones.
Shorter visits rarely leave enough time to do a kitchen, a bathroom and the floors properly, and the journey across London is the same for a short visit as for a long one. 2 hours usually covers a room in a shared flat, and a studio needs 2–3 hours. Cleaners can start as late as 6pm, so even a minimum visit finishes by 8pm.
What does a regular clean include, and what does it not?
A regular clean covers the rooms you use every day: dusting, wiping surfaces, the kitchen, the bathrooms and the floors. It is upkeep, not a deep clean, so jobs such as the inside of the oven or built-up limescale need a separate deep clean.
A typical regular visit includes:
- Kitchen: worktops, the sink and taps, the hob, the outside of appliances, and the bins emptied.
- Bathrooms: the toilet, basin, bath or shower, taps and mirrors, cleaned and disinfected.
- Bedrooms and living areas: dusting of surfaces and furniture, beds made and rooms put back in order.
- Throughout: vacuuming and mopping floors, and wiping touch points such as door handles and light switches.
If you want a particular job done, such as changing the bed linen, leave a note for the cleaner and allow time for it. The home cleaning service page explains how a visit works.
A regular visit is not designed for deep cleaning tasks such as:
- the inside of the oven, the fridge and the freezer;
- built-up limescale, mould in sealant and stained grout;
- the inside of kitchen cupboards and wardrobes;
- behind and under heavy furniture and appliances;
- washing skirting boards, doors and door frames in every room.
These belong to a deep clean, charged at £23 per cleaner per hour with a minimum of 3 hours (£69), with products and equipment included. If your home has not had a thorough clean for a while, a deep clean before the regular plan starts gives your cleaner a clean base to keep up. Our deep cleaning cost guide has typical hours by property size.
Do I need to provide cleaning products and equipment?
Yes, by default. Our home cleaning uses your own products and equipment, and if you would rather the cleaner brings them, you can add products for £7 or equipment for £23, each as a one-off payment when you book.
If you use your own, keep a basic kit in one place so the cleaner does not lose time looking for it:
- a working vacuum cleaner and a mop and bucket;
- a multi-surface spray, a bathroom cleaner, a limescale remover and a glass cleaner;
- toilet cleaner, microfibre cloths, sponges, rubber gloves and bin bags.
Tell us about surfaces that need special care, such as natural stone or oiled wood. Eco-friendly products are available on request.
Can a cleaner do the ironing?
Yes. Ironing can be added to a home cleaning visit for £17 per hour, and the time is added to your visit. A 3-hour clean with 1 hour of ironing becomes a 4-hour visit.
To make the most of the time, leave the iron, the ironing board and some hangers out, and put the clothes in one basket. If there is more ironing than time, say which items matter most so they are done first.
Will I get the same cleaner every time?
Yes. On a regular plan the same cleaner comes to every visit. They learn your home, your routine and how you like things done, so less time goes on explaining and more on cleaning.
Keeping the same person also matters for trust. You give access to your home to one person you have met, not to whoever happens to be free that day. Use the notes for the cleaner in your client portal for anything that changes, such as a room to skip or a new product to use.
Should you use a cleaning company or an independent cleaner?
Both can work well. An independent cleaner gives you a direct relationship and sometimes a lower rate, while a company takes care of checks, insurance, booking and payments. The right choice depends on how much of that you want to manage yourself.
Hiring an independent cleaner
- What works well: you deal with one person, agree the jobs and the price between you, and there is no company margin in the rate.
- What to watch: you check references, DBS and insurance yourself, and you arrange cover when they are ill or away.
- Your legal position: GOV.UK says you are usually the employer of anyone who works in your home if you hire them and they are not self-employed or paid through an agency. Employers have duties such as registering as an employer, running payroll and holding employers' liability insurance (GOV.UK: Employing someone to work in your home).
Using a cleaning company
- What works well: a good company vets its cleaners, carries insurance, sets clear prices and terms, and gives you one place to book, pay and raise a problem.
- What to watch: the rate covers the company's costs as well as the cleaner's time. Ask whether the same cleaner comes every time and whether products are included.
SW Clean London is a cleaning company with more than 10 years of cleaning experience. Our cleaners are self-employed and DBS-checked, we hold £1 million public liability insurance, and the same cleaner comes to every regular visit.
What should you ask before hiring a cleaner?
Ask about background checks, insurance, cancellation terms, access to your home and what happens if something is missed. Clear answers to these questions tell you more about a cleaner than the hourly rate does.
- Are your cleaners DBS-checked? A basic DBS check shows convictions that are not spent, and a cleaner can apply for one to get a copy of their own record (GOV.UK). Ask to see it. Our cleaners are DBS-checked.
- Are you insured? Public liability insurance covers claims if the cleaner accidentally damages your property or injures someone. We hold £1 million public liability insurance.
- What are the cancellation terms? Check how much notice you must give and what a late change costs. With us, changes and cancellations are free with 48 hours notice.
- How will the cleaner get in? Agree access before the first visit: you at home, a key, a key safe or a concierge. Ask who holds any key and how it is returned when the plan ends.
- Is the price confirmed in advance? You should know the hourly rate, the hours and any extras before the first visit. We confirm the price before the clean.
- What happens if something is missed? A good company has a clear answer. Ours is the 24-hour put-it-right promise, explained below.
What can you manage in the client portal?
Every SW Clean London client gets a free online account for visits, payments and messages, so everything about your cleaning is in one place.
- upcoming and past visits;
- before and after photos from your cleaner;
- notes for your cleaner, such as access details or a room to focus on;
- chat with our office;
- online quote approval;
- invoices, receipts and a saved card for payments.
See how it works in the client portal section of our homepage.
What happens if the cleaner misses something?
Tell us within 24 hours of the visit and we come back to put it right at no extra cost. This is our 24-hour put-it-right promise, and it covers home cleaning and deep cleaning.
Be specific when you report it, for example "limescale left on the shower screen" rather than "the bathroom was not done". Clear details help the cleaner fix it and get it right next time.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours does a cleaner need for a 2 bedroom flat?
A 2 bedroom flat usually needs 3–4 hours per regular visit, which costs £51–£68 at the weekly or fortnightly rate of £17 per hour. Add time for a second bathroom, pets, young children or ironing. If you book monthly, plan for the top of the range, because there is more to catch up on between visits.
How much does a one-off clean cost?
A one-off home clean costs £19 per hour, with the same 2-hour minimum as a regular visit. If the home needs more than a regular clean, such as the oven or built-up limescale, book a deep clean at £23 per cleaner per hour instead. Moving out? Our end of tenancy cleaning cost guide explains fixed prices from £120.
Can I change or cancel a visit?
Yes. Changes and cancellations are free with 48 hours notice. That includes moving a visit to another day, cancelling one while you are away and changing how often the cleaner comes. You can see your upcoming visits and message the office in the client portal. The office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
When can a cleaner come?
Our cleaners work from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week, so weekend and evening visits are possible. The last start time is 6pm, which leaves room for the 2-hour minimum visit. You can book online at any time and pick a start time when you book, and the price is confirmed before the clean.
Are your cleaners checked and insured?
Yes. Our cleaners are self-employed and DBS-checked, and SW Clean London holds £1 million public liability insurance. We set the price and the terms, take the booking and send the invoices, so you deal with one company. On a regular plan you also get the same cleaner every visit, and our 24-hour put-it-right promise applies to every visit.
Ready for a regular cleaner? Book your home cleaning online and get your price confirmed before the first visit.