How do I estimate how long a domestic cleaning job will take in the UK?

Estimating cleaning time: why it matters for UK domestic cleaners

Accurately estimating how long a domestic cleaning job will take is one of the biggest drivers of profitability and customer satisfaction for cleaners in the UK. Underestimate and you risk rushing, missing details, running late for the next client, or earning less than you should. Overestimate and you can price yourself out of work, or leave customers wondering why you charged so much. The goal isn’t to predict the future perfectly; it’s to build a repeatable estimating method that gets you close enough to plan your day, price fairly, and deliver consistent results.

Time estimates are also deeply connected to invoicing and record keeping. If you track your estimates versus actual job times, you can steadily improve and increase your earnings without increasing your stress. That’s exactly why using an invoicing tool like invoice24 is so helpful: you can create professional invoices quickly, keep notes about each property, and build a history of what similar jobs took in the past. Over time, your estimates stop being guesses and start becoming data-backed decisions.

In this guide, you’ll learn a practical, UK-focused approach to estimating cleaning time. It works whether you charge hourly, per job, or you offer set packages like “standard clean” and “deep clean.” You’ll also find quick rules of thumb, a room-by-room framework, and a checklist of factors that can add time—so you can quote confidently and avoid unpleasant surprises.

Start with the job type: standard clean, deep clean, end of tenancy, or one-off?

The fastest way to improve your estimate is to categorise the job correctly before you think about rooms and square footage. In the UK domestic cleaning market, time expectations vary massively by job type. A “standard clean” for a regular client is not the same as a “deep clean,” and an “end of tenancy” clean has its own rhythm entirely.

Standard maintenance clean usually means the home is cleaned on a regular schedule (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly). Surfaces are generally kept under control, and you’re doing consistent upkeep: dusting, vacuuming, mopping, bathrooms, kitchen wipe-down, and light tidying (if agreed). Time is often more predictable because you’re maintaining a baseline.

Deep clean typically includes more intensive tasks: limescale removal, scrubbing skirting boards, cleaning inside appliances (if included), detailed grout attention, descaling taps, cleaning light fittings, more thorough dusting, and hard-to-reach areas. It takes longer because you’re tackling buildup, not just maintaining cleanliness.

End of tenancy (EOT) cleaning is usually the most time-consuming category. Landlords and letting agencies often expect a comprehensive clean, sometimes including inside cupboards, oven, fridge, windows (internally), and a high standard of bathroom/kitchen detailing. The property may also be empty, which helps in some ways (less clutter) but can reveal neglected grime. EOT jobs often require the most cautious estimating.

One-off cleans vary: sometimes the client wants a reset, sometimes it’s just a “before guests arrive” clean, and sometimes it’s essentially a deep clean disguised as a standard one. You’ll estimate best when you ask clarifying questions about current condition and expectations.

Tip: If you’re unsure, assume the job is “heavier than standard” until proven otherwise. You can always bring the estimate down if the home is already in good condition.

Use a simple baseline: your “minutes per room” starting point

A strong estimating method begins with a baseline you can adjust. Many cleaners use a “minutes per room” approach because it’s easy to apply and easy to refine. Start with realistic averages for a standard clean in a reasonably tidy home, then add or subtract time based on the factors you discover.

Here’s a practical baseline you can adapt:

Kitchen: 30–45 minutes (standard) depending on size and mess level

Bathroom: 25–40 minutes (standard) depending on limescale, number of fixtures, and condition

Living room: 20–35 minutes (standard) depending on clutter, dust level, and flooring type

Bedroom: 15–30 minutes (standard) depending on tidiness and surfaces

Hallway/landing/stairs: 10–25 minutes depending on flooring, number of stairs, and traffic

Utility room: 10–25 minutes depending on tasks (bins, surfaces, laundry area)

For a deep clean, you might multiply your standard times by 1.5 to 2.5 depending on condition, and for end of tenancy you may be closer to 2 to 3 times a standard clean (sometimes more if the property is neglected or includes appliances, windows, and oven cleaning).

The point isn’t to lock yourself into these numbers. The point is to start somewhere sensible and adjust consistently. If you also record actual times job-by-job in invoice24 notes, you’ll quickly discover your own personal baselines based on your pace and your chosen standard.

Gather the right information: the questions that improve your estimate

The difference between a confident quote and a stressful surprise is usually the quality of your pre-job information. You don’t need to interrogate the client, but you do need a few key details that directly affect time.

Ask these questions before you quote:

1) How many bedrooms and bathrooms? This is more useful than “how big is the house?” because bathrooms and kitchens drive most of the time.

2) What type of clean is it? Maintenance, deep clean, end of tenancy, post-renovation, or one-off tidy and clean.

3) How tidy is the home right now? Cleaning around clutter slows you down. If the client expects tidying, that needs to be included.

4) Are there pets? Pet hair and odours can add time, especially on upholstery, stairs, and carpet edges.

5) What flooring types are there? Carpet, laminate, tile, wood, vinyl. Tiles with grout and textured floors often take longer to mop properly.

6) Are there any priority areas? For example: “Focus on the kitchen and bathrooms, ignore the spare room.” This can reduce time and improve satisfaction.

7) Are there any add-ons? Oven, fridge, inside cupboards, windows, laundry, ironing, bed change, descaling, carpet spot cleaning.

8) Is parking easy and is there stair access? In many UK towns, parking can add 5–15 minutes each way. Carrying equipment up multiple flights changes the rhythm.

9) Will someone be home? Cleaning around people can slow you down. Empty properties can be faster, but may have higher grime visibility.

Once you have this info, you can apply adjustments to your baseline estimate rather than guessing blindly.

Condition and clutter: the two biggest time multipliers

Two houses with the same number of rooms can take completely different amounts of time. The biggest reasons are condition (how much buildup and grime exists) and clutter (how many objects you must move around or clean around).

Condition factors that add time:

- Limescale on taps, shower screens, and tiles

- Grease on kitchen surfaces, splashback, extractor hood, and cupboard doors

- Soap scum and mildew in bathroom corners

- Dust buildup on skirting boards, radiators, blinds, and behind furniture

- Sticky floors or textured tiles that require more passes

Clutter factors that add time:

- Counters covered in items (kitchen and bathroom)

- Floors with clothing, toys, boxes, and piles of belongings

- Many ornaments on shelves and tables

- Overfilled bins and recycling areas that require sorting

- Bedrooms that require tidying before vacuuming is possible

A useful approach is to apply a “clutter and condition adjustment” percentage to your baseline. For example:

- Light clutter / good condition: baseline × 0.9 to 1.0

- Average clutter / average condition: baseline × 1.0 to 1.2

- Heavy clutter or poor condition: baseline × 1.3 to 1.8

- Severe buildup / neglected: baseline × 2.0+ (often deep clean or EOT territory)

If you build a habit of noting “light/average/heavy” in your job notes in invoice24, you’ll soon know exactly how these multipliers apply to your real working speed.

Room-by-room estimating: a practical UK checklist

When you’re estimating, it helps to visualise the work in each room. This also reduces misunderstandings with clients because you can explain what’s included. Here’s a room-by-room breakdown you can use when you quote.

Kitchen: time drivers and typical tasks

Kitchens are often the highest time driver in domestic cleaning. Even small kitchens can take longer than large bedrooms because of grease and detail.

Standard tasks: wipe counters, wipe cupboard fronts (light), clean sink and taps, wipe hob surface, wipe external appliances, clean table, sweep/vacuum, mop floor, empty bins (if agreed).

Time drivers:

- Grease buildup on cooker hood and cupboard doors

- Dishes and food prep clutter

- Stainless steel fingerprints everywhere

- Crumbs in drawers (if included)

- Tile splashbacks with textured grout

Add-on tasks that change time significantly: oven clean, fridge clean, inside cupboards, inside microwave, descaling kettle area, deep scrub of grout.

A kitchen that is tidy but greasy can still take longer than a messy kitchen that’s lightly used. Always ask about condition.

Bathrooms: time drivers and typical tasks

Bathrooms are predictable when you know the fixtures, but unpredictable when limescale and mould are present. A compact cloakroom can be quick; a family bathroom with a separate shower, bath, and heavy scale can be a time sink.

Standard tasks: clean toilet, sink, taps, mirrors, bath/shower surfaces, wipe tiles (light), wipe external cabinets, mop floor, empty bathroom bin.

Time drivers:

- Limescale on shower screen and taps

- Mould around silicone seals

- Hard water areas (common in many parts of England)

- Multiple fixtures (double sinks, separate shower and bath)

- Small bathrooms packed with products

Deep cleaning bathrooms often means extra dwell time for products to work. Even if you’re multitasking, it still expands job duration.

Bedrooms: time drivers and typical tasks

Bedrooms usually scale with tidiness. A tidy bedroom can be quick: dust, vacuum, quick wipe. A cluttered bedroom can double the time.

Standard tasks: dust accessible surfaces, wipe bedside tables (light), empty small bin (if agreed), vacuum/mop floor, quick tidy if included.

Time drivers:

- Lots of clothes on the floor

- Many small items on surfaces

- Under-bed cleaning expectations

- Mirrors and glass surfaces

- Pet hair on bedding and rugs

If bed changes are requested (strip and remake), add a consistent time block per bed. You can refine that over time, but having a standard “per bed” add-on is very effective.

Living rooms and dining areas: time drivers and typical tasks

Living spaces can be deceptively time-consuming because of dusting and the number of surfaces. They can also involve upholstery, toys, and cable clutter.

Standard tasks: dust surfaces, wipe coffee table, tidy cushions (if included), vacuum carpets and rugs, mop hard floors, quick wipe of light switches (optional).

Time drivers:

- Multiple shelves with ornaments

- Large sofas collecting crumbs and pet hair

- Many electronics (TV units, consoles) that attract dust

- Children’s toys spread across the floor

- Bi-fold doors or lots of internal glass

If the client expects you to move furniture, that changes the estimate. Decide on your policy and make it clear.

Hallways, landings, and stairs: time drivers and typical tasks

Stairs and hallways can be fast or slow depending on carpet type and traffic. They’re often high-traffic zones, which means more visible dirt.

Standard tasks: vacuum/mop, wipe handrail (if agreed), quick dust of ledges, spot clean marks (optional).

Time drivers:

- Tight staircases that require careful vacuuming

- Runner carpets that trap grit

- Lots of shoes/coats that require moving

- Entryway grime in wet weather

If the job is during winter, entry areas often need extra attention. Build seasonal flexibility into your estimates.

Add-ons: build a “menu” with time blocks

Add-ons are where cleaners can either earn more fairly or accidentally give away hours. The simplest way to protect yourself is to assign a time block to each add-on and treat it as non-negotiable unless you’ve seen the job.

Common add-ons in the UK and how to think about them:

Oven cleaning: Often a significant block. Even if you’re experienced, ovens vary wildly in condition. Consider offering “light oven clean” versus “full deep oven clean” to avoid underquoting.

Fridge cleaning: Depends on whether it’s empty and switched off. Food, spills, and drawers add time.

Inside cupboards: Can balloon quickly if cupboards are full. Define whether items are removed or wiped around.

Internal windows: Time depends on number of panes, accessibility, and whether frames are included.

Laundry/ironing: Highly variable. Quote based on a time block, not “per basket,” unless you’ve standardised what a basket means.

Bed changes: Predictable if you treat it as “per bed” time.

Spot stain treatment: Depends on stain type and product dwell time.

Once you standardise add-on time blocks, you can quickly generate consistent quotes and avoid awkward renegotiations mid-clean.

Team size: solo cleaner vs two-person team

Your estimate must reflect how many people will clean. Two people do not automatically halve the time, because there are tasks that can’t be done in parallel, and there is coordination overhead. However, teams can be very efficient for large homes, deep cleans, and end of tenancy cleans.

As a rough guide:

- For smaller jobs, two people might reduce time by 30–45% (not 50%).

- For larger jobs with many separate rooms, two people can get closer to 50% time savings because they can split bathrooms, bedrooms, and floors.

- For specialised tasks (like oven cleaning), a team can work well if one person handles the oven while the other does general cleaning.

If you invoice as a team, be clear whether you charge “per hour per cleaner” or “per hour total.” This is where a tool like invoice24 helps: you can describe the service clearly on the invoice, so clients understand the cost structure without confusion.

Travel, access, and setup time: don’t forget the invisible minutes

Many cleaners underestimate “non-cleaning” time. In the UK, this can be significant due to parking, permit zones, terraced-house access, flats without lifts, and the time it takes to unload and reload equipment.

Consider adding a standard setup buffer:

- Easy access, driveway parking: 5–10 minutes total

- Street parking nearby: 10–15 minutes total

- Permit zone or hard parking: 15–25 minutes total

- Top-floor flat, no lift: add extra time for carrying equipment

These buffers protect your schedule and reduce the risk of running late. They also help you plan your day realistically so you can deliver great work without rushing.

Hourly pricing vs fixed quotes: how estimating changes

Estimating time looks a little different depending on how you charge.

If you charge hourly: Your estimate is mainly about scheduling and setting expectations. You can tell the client a time range (for example, “around 2.5 to 3.5 hours”) and explain that condition and tidiness affect the final total. This can work well for regular cleans where the home’s condition is consistent.

If you charge a fixed price: Your estimate becomes critical because any extra time comes out of your profit. Fixed pricing is popular with clients, but it requires a more cautious approach. Many cleaners use minimum charges for certain job types (especially deep cleans and end of tenancy cleans) and build in a contingency buffer.

If you offer packages: Packages can simplify quoting and reduce negotiation. For example, “2-hour tidy and clean,” “standard clean,” and “deep clean.” The key is to define what’s included and what’s excluded so clients don’t expect deep-clean results on a maintenance-clean time budget.

Whichever pricing model you use, invoice24 supports professional invoicing that matches your approach. You can itemise services, add notes about what was included, and keep records that help you refine your quoting over time.

Build a repeatable estimating formula you can apply in minutes

Here’s a simple formula that many UK domestic cleaners find useful. It combines a baseline with adjustments and add-ons.

Step 1: Count key rooms

Start with kitchens and bathrooms, then add bedrooms, living areas, and stairs/hallways.

Step 2: Apply baseline times

Use your “minutes per room” baseline for a standard clean.

Step 3: Apply clutter/condition multiplier

Light (×0.9–1.0), average (×1.0–1.2), heavy (×1.3–1.8), severe (×2.0+).

Step 4: Add time blocks for add-ons

Oven, fridge, windows, inside cupboards, bed changes, laundry, etc.

Step 5: Add setup/travel buffer

Parking, stairs, equipment, access issues.

Step 6: Add a small contingency

Especially for first-time cleans and fixed-price quotes. Even 10–15 minutes can protect your day.

This approach is fast, logical, and easy to refine. The more you record estimates versus actuals, the more accurate it becomes.

Example estimates for common UK property types