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Domestic Cleaning

What Does a Regular House Cleaner Actually Do?

By Stone & Key · Published · Last updated

A regular house cleaner keeps your home at a consistent standard by working through the routine jobs — kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, floors and bins — on each visit. Bigger or less frequent jobs, such as cleaning the oven or inside cupboards, usually need agreeing separately.

If you're hiring a cleaner for the first time, here's what to expect and what to talk through beforehand. It's also how we approach our own regular home cleaning service.

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Georgian terrace of Bristol homes with ironwork balconies

Typical regular cleaning tasks

Regular cleaning is maintenance. The aim is to keep the home clean and fresh week to week, with the time available spent where it makes most difference. Exactly what's done depends on your home and what you agree.

Room by room

Kitchen

  • Wiping worktops, splashbacks and cupboard fronts
  • Cleaning the sink and taps
  • Wiping the hob and appliance exteriors
  • Cleaning the microwave
  • Sweeping and mopping the floor

Bathrooms

  • Cleaning the toilet, basin, bath and shower
  • Wiping tiles, taps and mirrors
  • Mopping the floor

Bedrooms

  • Dusting surfaces
  • Vacuuming
  • Changing bed linen, if agreed and linen is left out

Living areas

  • Dusting surfaces, shelves and skirting within reach
  • Plumping cushions and light tidying
  • Vacuuming, including sofas if agreed

Floors, dusting and bins

Vacuuming and mopping throughout, dusting reachable surfaces, and emptying bins are standard on most visits.

What usually requires agreement or additional time

Oven cleaning

A thorough oven clean takes time and is usually booked separately or occasionally rather than every visit.

Inside cupboards and the fridge

Usually periodic, and easier if they've been cleared first.

Windows

Internal glass within reach may be included; external window cleaning is usually a separate service. We can arrange window cleaning on request.

Deep cleaning

Limescale build-up, behind furniture and detailed work go beyond a regular visit — see below.

Laundry and ironing

Some cleaners offer this, many don't. Ask directly rather than assuming.

Regular cleaning vs deep cleaning

A regular clean maintains a standard; a deep clean resets it. A deep clean takes in the jobs regular visits don't — inside appliances, detailed limescale removal, skirting boards, behind and under furniture. If your home hasn't been cleaned professionally for a while, a deep clean first can make regular visits more effective.

Why agreeing priorities matters

Every visit has a fixed amount of time. If your priority is a spotless kitchen and bathrooms, say so, and the rest can be fitted around that. Clear priorities avoid disappointment on both sides and help your cleaner spend time where you'll notice it.

What to discuss before the first clean

  • Your priorities and any rooms to skip
  • Who supplies products and equipment
  • Surfaces that need special care (natural stone, wood, delicate fittings)
  • Pets, and whether they'll be home
  • How access and keys will work
  • How to give feedback or change the routine

For help deciding how often, see weekly or fortnightly cleaning; for price, our cleaner cost guide; and for timing, how many hours a house needs.

Frequently asked questions

Will a regular cleaner tidy up as well as clean?

Light tidying is often part of a visit, but time spent picking up clutter is time not spent cleaning. Agree what you'd like done so expectations match.

Do I need to be home when the cleaner visits?

Not usually. Many people provide a key or access arrangement. Agree how keys are handled and stored before the first visit.

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