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Why there’s no price range yet
We only show price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable, cited sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price — and the quickest way to a real number is to compare quotes.
What affects the price
- Hourly against flat rate, and whether an hours estimate comes with the hourly price
- Square footage, but more precisely the number of bathrooms and the amount of floor
- How long since the last proper clean — the first visit is always the longest
- Frequency: weekly, biweekly and monthly visits price differently per visit
- Pets, especially shedding ones, and where they sleep
- Clutter, since surfaces have to be cleared before they can be cleaned
- Add-ons bought by the visit: inside the oven, inside the fridge, interior windows
- Move-in, move-out and post-construction cleans, which are separate products
- Whether supplies and equipment are provided or expected to be yours
- Stairs, multiple storeys and parking or elevator access in a condo
- Whether the company is insured and bonded, which shows in the price
Hourly or flat rate, and why it matters
An hourly price is honest about uncertainty and puts the risk on you: a house that takes longer costs more. A flat rate puts the risk on the cleaner, who has to guess your house correctly — which is why flat quotes come after someone has seen it or asked a lot of questions about square footage, bathrooms, pets and how long since the last clean.
Neither is a trick. What is a problem is an hourly rate with no estimate of hours, or a flat rate given over the phone for a house nobody has looked at.
The first clean is a different job
Almost every service charges more for the first visit, and it is not a bait and switch. A first clean does the things a maintenance clean never gets to: inside the oven, behind the toilet, the baseboards, the shower door track, the top of the fridge. Once that is done, a recurring visit is maintaining a known state, which is faster and cheaper.
If a company quotes the same price for the first visit and the fifth, ask what they are not doing on the first one.
What is not included, almost everywhere
- inside the fridge and inside the oven, unless bought as an add-on
- windows beyond what a cleaner can reach standing on the floor
- walls, ceilings and light fixtures
- laundry, dishes and tidying — cleaning is not organising, and a cluttered house takes longer
- anything requiring a ladder above a certain height, for insurance reasons
Move-in and move-out cleans, and post-construction cleans, are separate products at separate prices. Post-construction in particular is a dust job, not a dirt job, and often needs two passes.
When a price is too low to be real
There is a floor under this work, and it is public. Job Bank puts light duty cleaners in Canada between 15.50 and 25.00 CAD an hour, updated 19 November 2025. That is the wage the cleaner earns. A company that pays it also pays payroll costs, supplies, travel between jobs, insurance and its own overhead before it makes anything. Work that out and you can see quickly when an advertised hourly price cannot be paying anyone properly — which usually means you are hiring someone's unreported cash work, with no insurance behind it if something in your house gets broken.
Insurance, keys and turnover
Three questions worth asking before the first visit, and rarely asked:
Are they insured, and bonded? Insurance covers damage. Bonding covers theft. They are not the same coverage and a company should be able to say plainly which it carries.
Who actually comes? A company that sends the same person every time gets faster at your house. One that sends whoever is free never does, and you will re-explain the same things monthly.
How do they get in? A lockbox, a code or a key — and what happens to it when that cleaner leaves the company.
Cancellation and holidays
Most recurring services charge for a visit cancelled inside 24 or 48 hours, because the slot cannot be refilled. That is reasonable and should be in writing before the first clean, along with what happens over holidays and vacations.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the first clean more expensive?
Because it does what a recurring clean never gets to — inside the oven, baseboards, shower tracks, the top of the fridge. After that, each visit is maintaining a known state. A company quoting the same price for the first and fifth visit is skipping something on the first.
How do I know a quote is too cheap?
Compare it to the wage. Job Bank puts light duty cleaners in Canada between 15.50 and 25.00 CAD an hour as of 19 November 2025, and a business has to cover payroll costs, supplies, travel and insurance on top of that. An hourly price that cannot cover the wage is not covering insurance either.
Should I tip a house cleaner?
It is not expected the way it is in a restaurant, and it varies by region and by whether you are hiring a company or an individual. Many people give something at the holidays instead. Ask the company — they will tell you what is normal for them.
What is the difference between insured and bonded?
Insurance covers damage to your property. Bonding covers theft by an employee. A company can have one and not the other, so ask which it carries rather than accepting the phrase as one thing.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
Light duty cleaner in Canada — wages — Job Bank, Government of Canada (accessed September 21, 2026)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Written by
LokalMatch EditorialReviewed by
LokalMatch Editorial
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